[pfram]

While doing some spirited driving, things went haywire all the sudden. Loss of power, check engine, loud sounds of air rushing. Found that driver's side clamp between primary and secondary cat was loose and was leaking. Tightened up, and that fixed the leak. Check engine reset itself since I started a couple times at idle.,I grabbed my hptuners, reset the fuel trims, but bank 1 still pulling a bunch of fuel. Drove down the street and Could already tell that fixing the leak didn't cure the issue. I could immediately hear the exhaust tone wasn't right and much deeper sounding not to mention the idle didn't smooth out much. So I'm pretty sure I have a clogged cat on driver's side. Waiting for pipes to cool down to get a boroscope in there. Been having to clear bank 1 cat efficiency low error recently as well.

Car has upper pulley, flex fuel(usually around 40 something percent), rotofab, and Corsa extreme axle back.

The dilemma is figuring out best option now since I need to do something about the cats with how I want the car to sound. I'm already around the max noise level I want to be at with the extremes. I figure my options are:
1. Delete cats, leave secondary cat/reaonator on, and change mufflers to the sport version.
2. Go high flow cats
3. Replace with OEM cats
3. Go nuts and do headers and change to touring version or another quieter muffler.

My least favorite option is going long tubes. Just because I'm trying to keep the mods at a minimum and keep the car very reliable and keep the whole luxury car/sports car in 1 car thing alive, plus lts are pricey. The OEM options is not appealing to me as I'd imagine they would go bad again and the tube that connects to the manifold looks kinda tiny to me. I'm leaning towards option 1 but don't know if I'd need to buy a whole new axle back as I haven't been able to find just the mufflers and am also concerned about fuel smell inside cabin when stopped. Side note, I had Corsa sport on already and after getting rear ended, they accidentally put on the extremes. Sounds great and have no problem with the mix up, but again it's at my max volume level for this particular car. If it was a Vette or something, I wouldn't care how loud.

Sorry for the rambling and thanks for any input anyone has that isn't going to do the emissions/ pollution preach

 

[Ice-947]

Deal with it. Melted cats are is what it is. I'm debating on my long tubes with race pipes, I may add secondary res back in. But cmon, they don't drone. What's the difference. I get it even I'm at the age where I don't want to sound like a mustang with flow masters. I may add secondary res. I'd rather have noise behind me than a cooked motor for the tree huggers. Sorry but a volcano gives off more emissions.... And funny, all the strictest states have more smog than the rest, for risk of political. Secondary res or ill deal with it. Good luck and I'm fully piped..


High flow cats won't fit.... Maybe with stock headers but not with 2". I just went down this road.

That's if you can get the good ones, and they're 800 a side, but try getting em.... It's 2k and wait.... And wait... Maybe a year or more

 

[kittyboy]

I'd suggest long tubes, no cats, resonators for sure if you want less drone, more quiet mufflers, the muffler option is subjective. At least you have some good tools, hptuner, borescope. Seems like you'll know what to do.

 

[LS1Steve]

lol interesting distortion of reality, however the strictest states are the most populated (i.e. CA) and therefore have more of a need to control emissions or everyone would suffocate.

 

[Karch]

It goes beyond population, at least from an emissions aspect, as the geography and weather patterns create a condensed area where pollution accumulates.

I’ve posted it elsewhere here, called an inversion layer, and the Los Angeles basin in surrounded on three sides by mountains and the open side has the ocean which usually pushes the air towards the east and trapped against the mountains.


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[Ice-947]

Emissions testing is a racket. For the limited few that decide to go around it, let's face it, does that number even scratch the surface of the general population. No.


Porsche can't sell the new gt3 in Cali because it's too "loud"... That's a factory car... As far as I'm concerned the government should have no right to tell me what I can drive.

There are plenty of classic muscle cars out there. Heck if tuned right most of them are cleaner than anything anyway. Hell they advanced the ignition timing to generate more heat at start to "heat up the cats"....

E85 was a great idea.. Works well. Now they want to pull it because it's not good for the environment. It's the fad of the week.

@pfram I'll let you know how it is when I get mine back. good luck. Those extremes are wild.

 

[Karch]

Emissions testing is a racket. For the limited few that decide to go around it, let's face it, does that number even scratch the surface of the general population. No.


Porsche can't sell the new gt3 in Cali because it's too "loud"... That's a factory car... As far as I'm concerned the government should have no right to tell me what I can drive.

There are plenty of classic muscle cars out there. Heck if tuned right most of them are cleaner than anything anyway. Hell they advanced the ignition timing to generate more heat at start to "heat up the cats"....

E85 was a great idea.. Works well. Now they want to pull it because it's not good for the environment. It's the fad of the week.

So much I don’t agree with.

E10/E85 is little more than a way to appease the farm states, it’s a government subsidized fiasco. Takes 9 gallons of fresh water to produce a gallon of ethanol, causes corrosion in the fuel system if not properly addressed, causes some cold start issues, decrease fuel range, increases worldwide food prices (poor countries issue, for sure)…

GT3 with manual slowed:

Good News: Porsche Can Now Sell Its 2022 911 GT3 with a Manual in California

With the help of the California Department of Motor Vehicles and Highway Patrol, Porsche can sell the six-speed GT3 in all 50 states.

www.caranddriver.com

As for emissions testing, I agree it’s very flawed, but I can attest to the immense air quality improvements in SoCal over the past 5 decades. Second stage smog alerts are not a joke, and I haven’t heard of one in years here.

I can see the mountains virtually everyday, not so in the 70’s and 80’s. Part is vehicle emissions, part due to industrial base changes.


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[Karch]

Reminder: no politics.


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[kittyboy]

I grew-up during the 60s 70s SoCal and there were declared smog days, at school we were not permitted out on the playground. On those days if you did happen to play hard you would experience a loss of breath, the sky was a hazy orange color. As previously mentioned, the LA basin due to geography, held a lot of the smog within an area for extended periods. I do believe in moderation, and also believe that the environmental movement has gone way too far in my opinion. Of course there was way more local manufacturing industry too back in those days, California build just about everything.

 

[Ice-947]

I always find the irony some of the fastest builds come out of California and allot of the turbo etc builds are all piped.

Texas and Florida as well

 

[pfram]

My last sentence was even please no emissions preaching, lol! Anyways, just so I can drive it decided to gut the cats temporarily until I can get a proper pipe fabricated up from a shop. Removing the cats are a bitch btw.

 

[Black Molly]

Just went down this road. On 12/22/2021 dealership stated bad cat on right side...same symptoms. OE IA not available and the do not know when the are getting them. Ordered Billi Boats High Flow cats. Waited 4 months on back order. Magna flow high flow cats are very expensive. Finally spoke with a local shop and the put on speed engineering stainless long tube headers, x pipe, new longer 02 sensors, plugs, longer plug wires and a tune for about $2k installed. Tune was $600. Removed all 4 cats. Has factory muffler and electronic cut outs. With factory muffler not much loader but noticeable. Open cut outs it is NASTY loud. Sounds like a damn race car. Trust me long tube are the way to go. Some may bash my choice of long tube header but so far works great with no issues and a third of the price.

 

[pfram]

Just went down this road. On 12/22/2021 dealership stated bad cat on right side...same symptoms. OE IA not available and the do not know when the are getting them. Ordered Billi Boats High Flow cats. Waited 4 months on back order. Magna flow high flow cats are very expensive. Finally spoke with a local shop and the put on speed engineering stainless long tube headers, x pipe, new longer 02 sensors, plugs, longer plug wires and a tune for about $2k installed. Tune was $600. Removed all 4 cats. Has factory muffler and electronic cut outs. With factory muffler not much loader but noticeable. Open cut outs it is NASTY loud. Sounds like a damn race car. Trust me long tube are the way to go. Some may bash my choice of long tube header but so far works great with no issues and a third of the price.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm sure this will also be unpopular, but I'm leaning this way also. Kinda like if they rust, warp, or whatever after a few years you can buy like 3 more for and still be ahead. I don't know, it's just metal tubes to me. Any power picked up from just this addition? Dont really know why I'm even asking since I just drive on street and have no grip off the line as it is. But once you mod...well you know. It's like crack

 

[Heavymetals]

I grew-up during the 60s 70s SoCal and there were declared smog days, at school we were not permitted out on the playground. On those days if you did happen to play hard you would experience a loss of breath, the sky was a hazy orange color. As previously mentioned, the LA basin due to geography, held a lot of the smog within an area for extended periods. I do believe in moderation, and also believe that the environmental movement has gone way too far in my opinion. Of course there was way more local manufacturing industry too back in those days, California build just about everything.

I grew up in LA in the 50's (still here!). We use to burn our trash and if you look at some older homes, you can still find incinerators in the back yards.

 

[kittyboy]

I grew up in LA in the 50's (still here!). We use to burn our trash and if you look at some older homes, you can still find incinerators in the back yards.

Those were the days... (haha) I don't go that far back, but I remember the annual wild brush fires. I grew up in Yorba Linda primarily, population 2k at the time. After I was discharged from the Army and married, moved to Mid-Wilshire off Normandy, the Bullocks Wilshire and Ambassador were still open at the time, was beautiful.