Anyone had experience with aftermarket headers?

"YSI-what can brown do for you" (ysi-what-can-brown-do-for-you)
09/12/2013 at 05:41 • Filed to: None

I want to get a catted one so I pass emissions, BUT I have heard that a catted aftermarket header is just bound to fail. Is that true? I don't want to go catless but if that is what I must do, I shall adapt when it comes time for emission.

Also goodnight, I have had enough of studing!

DISCUSSION (25)

offroadkarter > YSI-what can brown do for you
09/12/2013 at 05:44

Its not the headers that are catted, its the midpipe that the headers bolt to. As long as you don't live in California and you have a cat, you have no reason to fail.

YSI-what can brown do for you > offroadkarter
09/12/2013 at 05:48

Well it isn't in the header, but it is right after it, so when people make an aftermarket one they just remove it with the stock header. Something like this:

Kinja'd!!!

Also, don't some states require both cats? Atleast that is what I have read up on my state. They just have to be there.

offroadkarter > YSI-what can brown do for you
09/12/2013 at 05:50

oh right, boxer engine, import... I'm not well versed in aftermarket shit for imports let alone boxer engines. GENERALLY speaking, the cats are AFTER the headers/manifolds.

Either way, if your state does OBD II testing, and you have MIL eliminators to kill the MIL for having no cats, you should pass. My friend has been doing this on his 04 crown vic sport for years. He has mid length headers, no cats, MIL eliminators and goes through state inspection in NJ no issues.

YSI-what can brown do for you > offroadkarter
09/12/2013 at 05:55

Oh yeah I know, but my car is special. . . or annoying, take your pick.

I will have to look this up. I will still have 1 cat in the frontpipe, so it should pass the smell test. They can't do visual inspection because they would have to take some underbody panels just to check for the primary cat.

Squid > YSI-what can brown do for you
09/12/2013 at 06:47

Looks like the FRZ's have a precat along with a main cat. If you get rid of the precat just make sure you keep your main cat intact. The precats help with cold start emissions only. It looks like those headers already have the O2 bungs in place so you should be fine. I'm assuming the FRZ's have 3 O2 sensors, 2 upstream for each bank and 1 downstream to monitor the cat's efficiency. Just make sure you have a stockish looking heat shield in place if you have to go for an inspection. In CA new cars don't need to be smogged for 7-8ish years then they go for biennial smog checks.

Less weight on the front end is always a good thing.

Squid > Squid
09/12/2013 at 06:49

Oh and the sound of unequal length headers is great, but if I'm not mistaken you get better performance from equal length headers.

Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney > YSI-what can brown do for you
09/12/2013 at 09:34

Depends on where you're at. On my Mustang I had a mid-pipe with gutted cats; passed the visual inspection, and apparently didn't hurt the emissions enough to not pass the sniffer as well.

Benzed92 > YSI-what can brown do for you
09/12/2013 at 10:23

As someone who has been running catless for a while now, as long as you are tuned for it you can pass emissions with flying colors.
EDIT: I'm in Illinois, and only one run in with the law for my exhaust being 'too loud'. I framed that warning ticket, I was proud of it.

It's a "Porch-uh" > YSI-what can brown do for you
09/12/2013 at 11:46

If you're in CA, forget it. They don't want you touching the emissions equipment at all. If the computer knows that you're missing a sensor, or that something is wrong with the emissions, it will get picked up by the smog computer.

I had to get my truck smog'd last year, which I don't use except for trips to Home Depot or hauling my car to the track. The plug for the knock sensor fell off and threw a code so I fixed it and reset the codes with my OBDII reader. Two weeks later, brought my truck in to be tested. Passed the sniffer no problem, but the computer failed it because "I didn't have enough 'clean cycles' on it." I had to put another 200 miles on my truck before it would pass the computer test. PITA.

YSI-what can brown do for you > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
09/12/2013 at 14:44

I live in one of two counties in Indiana that needs emission testing. I am not sure where to find any info on what is required to pass emission, mostly because their website sucks. The first cat is way up in the car, you will have to remove underbody panels just to see it. I am not sure how they check for cats. . . but if it is just a visual inspection then it may be hard. Plus I have a catted frontpipe, so I will probably pass the smell test as well.

YSI-what can brown do for you > Squid
09/12/2013 at 14:59

I can never find any info on my states emission and what it requires, it is fairly annoying.

And you would think EL headers would make more power, but on a NA engine, they make less power. The UELs have a better torque curve(as in it makes more torque everywhere, and it is a substantial amount) and make just about the same power up top(maybe 2 or 3hp less). If you are going turbo than EL is the only way to go, but I am not so UEL it is!

YSI-what can brown do for you > Benzed92
09/12/2013 at 15:02

What does your state require for emissions?

Benzed92 > YSI-what can brown do for you
09/12/2013 at 15:19

OBDII diagnostic checks, so proper o2 readings, no CELs, etc. sometimes a visual inspection, but the employees are usually too lazy to do so.

YSI-what can brown do for you > Benzed92
09/12/2013 at 16:30

I won't get a CEL but an O2 reading, I am not sure about. I think with a tune it works just fine but I am not 100% sure though.

Benzed92 > YSI-what can brown do for you
09/12/2013 at 18:08

With a tune you will be 100% ok, I've run a catless cobra and my catless Mazda through emissions with no issues for the past few years.

Squid > YSI-what can brown do for you
09/12/2013 at 19:12

What state are you in?

YSI-what can brown do for you > Squid
09/12/2013 at 20:20

The corn state of Indiana.

YSI-what can brown do for you > Benzed92
09/12/2013 at 20:21

Haha, that is awesome! I don't want to risk a cat failure, so I will probably be going decatted(frontpipe will still have one), it is going to sound awesome though. Also POWAH!!!

Squid > YSI-what can brown do for you
09/12/2013 at 20:29

from the DMV site, "Vehicles manufactured in odd-numbered years are tested during odd-numbered years and vehicles manufactured in even-numbered years tested during even-numbered years. Exemptions include vehicles manufactured during the four latest model years and antique vehicles (as defined by 326 IAC 13-1.1-1 - see Section 1 on page 2). For instance, a vehicle with a manufacturer's model year of 2009 should be tested in 2013, and tested again in 2015 and 2017."

You are boned into having to have a biennial smog check, but as long as you have a factory looking heatshield on the headers and everything else looks stock you should be fine, but then again I don't think you guys follow the CARB overlords funkilling asinine rules of what you can and can't do regardless if it passes the CO and NOx tests with flying colors. You may be free to do as you please as long as it passes the numbers, but really if you have space for your stock exhaust minus the headers, it is just a 30-40 minute job to swap back so the smog tech has no reason to investigate further.

Squid > YSI-what can brown do for you
09/12/2013 at 20:34

Wait nevermind, you just go and have them plug into your OBDII port and as long as there are no codes present or pending you pass. Feel free to do away with that precatted header of yours, just make sure you have the MIL fixes for the sensors, or what are referred to as spark plug defoulers. Mod away until your indian heart can't take no more.

Benzed92 > YSI-what can brown do for you
09/12/2013 at 21:54

Yup! You'll enjoy the smells too :) and if you can, just get rid of all of them! One less thing to worry about blowing out, cause with enough spirited driving it could happen. lol

YSI-what can brown do for you > Benzed92
09/12/2013 at 23:10

I would love the smell, but if a cop smells it, then it is a fine. I cannot take the chance of a ticket! Hopefully the cat will last, it does come with a lifetime warranty so that is a plus. Also, hopefully there will be more pops, my exhaust right now does it once in a while.

Benzed92 > YSI-what can brown do for you
09/13/2013 at 11:05

There's a fine for that!? Not cool, when I got pulled over for mine being too loud the guy just looked under and said yup! not stock. My (internal) response was "what was your first clue? The fact that you could fit your fist in it or that it's shiny metal?" thankfully got off with a warning, but that weekend I ran just my catless 3" downpipe cause the guy pissed me off. In any case, you should be good on the cat, but the crackles and pops are usually reserved for us catless folk :P Mine sounds like a machine gun when she's cold and downshifting.

YSI-what can brown do for you > Benzed92
09/13/2013 at 16:57

It isn't much, usually one or two little pops, still makes me smile though. They are kind of like the guy in the video above, not big ones but still there.

The fines aren't much usually 100 dollars or so. Still, I don't want to get pulled over by a cop and then have to talk to him. I have had two encounters with cops, both times I did nothing, both times I got shouted at -_-

Benzed92 > YSI-what can brown do for you
09/13/2013 at 22:10

I gotta get a video of my car with launch control and e85. :P It sounds like firecrackers haha but that's a bummer about the fines. I was somehow lucky to get off with a warning, I even argued with the cop about it too..