Test Pipe and John Law

[Linewalker]

I am thinking about replacing my gutted cat converter with a test pipe and cutout. Has anyone been stopped by a cop (state trooper or otherwise) that looked under your car to see if there is a cat converter in place? That is the only thing that has prevented me from doing this thus far. Or am I just being paranoid? I really like the sound when you uncap the pipe at the drag strip.

 

[Boostrules]

I recently replaced my oem cat with a test pipe. I've never been stopped while driving my Buick but have been stopped for a road side inspection once in my Ram Hemi. At that time they checked my papers & I saw that they had a mirror to check under the truck with. Since my Buick sees less then 1500 miles a year I'm going to roll the dice. They say here in Jersey everything is legal as long as you don't get caught.

 

[Gene Van Horn]

I also run no cat or mufflers, never got yanked for noise just for speeding, cop said car sounds great. Still gave me a ticket.

 

[chris kirk]

"At that time they checked my papers" Where was this 1935 Nazi Germany? Might want to move from that state..... Classic tags/antique tags = no emissions testing.

 

[Nick Micale]

Fortunately, here in Arizona, the "Wild West", law enforcement is more concerned about catching criminals, drug dealers, and illegals than bother collector car owners and their exhaust systems!

If you have a turbo on your engine, that is considered the "muffler"!

 

[5280GN]

I have only been stopped twice in my car. Once was with expired tags. They both wanted to check out my car haha. I guess it depends on where you are at.

 

[Gene Van Horn]

Yea, even the cops once they stop you just like to reminisce about the grand national. Almost worth the cost of a ticket.

 

[Boostrules]

"At that time they checked my papers" Where was this 1935 Nazi Germany? Might want to move from that state..... Classic tags/antique tags = no emissions testing.

Papers = License, registration & insurance card. In Jersey there is no inspection for classic or antique cars but it's illegal to remove the cat regardless. I was driving a Ram & a road side stop is just that. They pull a bunch of cars over & check them out to see if all is in order. It's also an excuse to make sure the driver isn't under the influence. By the way they didn't use the mirror to check under the truck but I saw it was there.

 

[earlbrown]

Only state I know of that actively checks is New Joisey. Years ago a 'jersey style pipe' was sold that had a cat and then a dump.


I'm not an attorney but I recall that federal law says you have to maintain emissions systems for 10 years. Your not allowed to defeat a working system but you don't have to pay out the nose when cars get old.

Since our cars are 1/3 of a century old, I'd think it would take an asshole cop, local law, or just bad luck to get in trouble for no cat.

 

[John Larkin]

If you have active emissions testing a performance cat will do the job as long as your car is in good tune. If you are just worried about being caught, its more of a worry than a real possibility. A real performance cat will only cost you a couple horsepower which you can get back with one turn of the wastegate rod.

 

[Linewalker]

I AM worried about getting caught. A fine of a grand or so I can handle, but I've heard the fine is ten thousand! That is real money to a poor boy like me. However slim the chances might be of getting caught. Besides, as I have stated, I like the sound of an uncapped test pipe at the track. That "Jersey" style pipe sounds like it would be right down my alley. A cat converter with an exhaust cutout pre cat if I understand the concept correctly. The best of both worlds.

 

[earlbrown]

the jersey style is post-cat.

I can't imagine the fine is 10,000. The maximum for a misdemeanor 1.000. but then again anyone that thinks the courts don't do what they want is living in fantasy land.

Its odd you like the dump open. I hate the sound of a GN at full honk and it's even worse with the dump open.

 

[Linewalker]

To each their own, Earl. I love to hear that turbo at full song. Hey, at least it sounds better than a ricer.

 

[earlbrown]

That's what I hate about the dump being open. It sounds like a ricer. Instead of the whistle you just here ''BLAaaaaaaaaa' with no indication of ignition pulses.

It is neat inside the car though.

 

[corsair231]

the jersey style is post-cat.

Which is what made them legal. Anything pre-cat has to have an exemption (CARB approval) to be legal. Anything else (headers, downpipe, external waste gate, etc.) would technically cause a car to fail a visual inspection no matter how clean the exhaust emissions. Thankfully most inspectors didn't know much about these cars so sometimes you could sneak those things by them. (Like going to the inspection station with your windows down so you could get by with tinted windows, like the guy didn't know.)

 

[m3x1c0]

That's what I hate about the dump being open. It sounds like a ricer. Instead of the whistle you just here ''BLAaaaaaaaaa' with no indication of ignition pulses.

It is neat inside the car though.

The bolts connecting my cat to the mufflers somehow fell out (hack exhaust shop) I havent put them back in because I hear the whistle waaayyy more with the engine noise still nice and mellow. Best this car has ever sounded! I think I may get a dump and just leave it cracked to get the same effect.

 

[No disintegrations]

The strangest exhaust I heard was my rotted f150. One of the long tube headers broke at the collector. So to band-aid it for a few days it had one side long tube header into a cherry bomb. The other rotted side had the long tube header into a cat but no mufler. Kinda sounded like the hell bike in "ghost rider" pretty loud though.