tyler5619

iTrader: (7)

UPDATE BELOW!
a (megan?) test pipe for $30 shipped!

summarized version:
my brother has a 2002 maxima (5.5 gen).
i bought him a brandless eBay test pipe for xmas.
it was $50.90 shipped.
what arrived was a genuine Megan test pipe.
it came with a megan sticker and warranty card.
also included were 4 new bolts, 4 new nuts, and a new b-pipe flange.
i got giddy and bought one for myself.
mine was priced at $30 shipped.

update:
my test pipe arrived with no sticker, no warranty card. however, i did receive the same bolts, nuts, and flange that shipped with the megan. the pipe itself looks identical, inside and out. it came in a different type of box, and was actually packed better than the megan. is IS possible that they sent me a megan pipe, just without the sticker or warranty card, and the price cut was due to not being warrantied. to ultimately prove or disprove my theory that this company is for sure selling megan pipes considerably cheaper, we will have to wait till x-mas, as my brother's test pipe is currently wrapped at my gf's house. when i get a chance, i will post pics of the 2, side by side, for comparison.

and just for S&G's, i'll post a vid sometime after that for before/after sound clips.

i will throw up some pics of mine sometime tomorrow. (technically, later today lol)

lots of people asking if these are emissions compliant. read on.
if you have to pass emissions inspection, chances are they check your emissions using your OBDII. that is, no "sniffer" test. the kicker is, your test pipe has to LOOK like a cat. i've heard of people welding a heat shield on or near the test pipe, so it looks like a cat. that's how they handle things here in TN anyway...i recommend checking first.

if you choose to have a test pipe, and want to be sure you can pass emissions (or found out they still do the sniffer), these test pipes are a bolt-on replacement. simply keep your cat when you remove it, and bolt the bish up 100 miles before your inspection (sound ridiculous, but trust me on this one)

EDIT: the difference in a test pipe and a high-flow cat; pretty much boils down to appearance. a high-flow cat passes visual inspection, but inside is virtually the same as a test pipe. another difference (i think) is that you can get either a straight test pipe or a resonated test pipe. whether or not you can get a resonated high-flow cat is something i don't know, but i prefer resonated. (have you ever heard a car with a deleted b-pipe resonator? YUCK!)

eFLO

iTrader: (2)

dude awesome find..i have a quick question though. would i be able to pass inspection in nj with this high flow cat?

99 se cali spec

max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

hell no. im in pa and that pos will never pass over here. thats almost a straight pipe.

Conrad283

iTrader: (2)

If you remove the cat, chance are you will not pass anywhere they test for emissions.

Aburn95

iTrader: (1)

So a Megan racing CAT is a really good one?

Conrad283

iTrader: (2)

OP thought he was getting a generic ebay test pipe. Turns out he got a Megan which costs a lot more than $30.

tyler5619

iTrader: (7)

how do you have a cali spec in NJ, lol. unlucky you.
if NJ is anything like TN, they test for emissions via your OBD (that is, no "sniffer" test), and the test pipe will clear inspection if it "LOOKS" like there is a cat there. basically, find a way to make your test pipe look like a cat and you're good. i've heard of people welding heat shields onto or near the test pipe.

see above, sir.

tyler5619

iTrader: (7)

actually, it's basically a resonator. i'm quite sure its the same material as the resonator found on a megan catback, only much shorter.

tyler5619

iTrader: (7)

OP edited to answer all of your questions

eFLO

iTrader: (2)

yeah damn cali spec..anyways i could prob just unbolt before inspection and what not. let us know if it turns out to be the megan pipe though!

tyler5619

iTrader: (7)

yeah, that's something i added to the OP. the test pipe is a bolt-on replacement, just leave 100 miles or so between putting the cat back on and testing.

will do, sir.

wirelessdude04

iTrader: (24)

nice lol

creammotors

On the '96 maximas the O2 sensors come right off the cat. Is there a location on this cat for the O2 sensor? If anyone has purchased one, does it cause the check engine light to come on?

tyler5619

iTrader: (7)

^^ i doubt there is a spot for the o2. you would have to zip tie it to the frame or something, most likely with a CEL. hopefully others will chime in with a better answer...

max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

not likely, same in nj as pa. it wont pass with that.

cashoit

High flow Cats are never worth the CEL trouble or the ugly noise. Plus the ones the OP is referring too doesnt have any place to mount the 02 sensor. I called the manufacturer cuz originally i thought it would be cool to get one. But its not worth the hassle IMO.

You are gonna to hafta disable that 02 sensor by pluggin it up or something. I forget how its done. Autozone has this part that u need for the 02 sensor with no cat. Or the exhaust shop can do it for a lil more cash. Its a PITA.

If you really looking for improvement jus save up and get the Stainless Steel catback exhaust. Sounds awesome and no CEL / 02 sensors issues

1992maximase30

thats kinda odd...not surprising though.
on my 97 the rear o2 is behind the cat.
maybe they can drill a hole into it and add a screw that has the same thread pattern as your o2 sensor.

it's been done on my 3rd gen.

cfiggs

iTrader: (2)

its a resonated test pipe, not a crappy high flow cat, I got one because my cat was rusted to crap and I bought a cat back and didn't feel like drilling out the bolts, and you'd only have to disable an o2 sensor in 95/96 because the 97-99 have them behind the cat.. an no, if your really looking for an improvement buy a y pipe

edit: also the one I received was not megan, but good quality, not what you'd expect for so cheap, I think mine was 20shipped

cashoit

You got the y-Pipe? that may be the best mod...any CEL issues??

RAZ76

iTrader: (8)

I bet you guys wish it was like Oklahoma everywhere...lol. No inspections on anything...

cashoit

yeah Mass sucks. Everything requires a form and moulah

cfiggs

iTrader: (2)

I have a cattman y pipe FTW, but no cel

tyler5619

iTrader: (7)

^^^ pfft, you threw your money away. no offense to mr. catts, but warpspeed provided me with a much cheaper, mostly identical y-pipe. if i were to get anything from cattman, it would be equal length headers, but i have no idea why i would want those. again, no offense.

to clear up any confusion, i don't consider a test pipe as a performance mod. i'm only getting one to see if i like it. if i don't, i can always sell it...and if it's a megan, quite possibly for more than i paid for it lol. but the factory cat provides a good source of back pressure, which for most of us is the ONLY source, seeing as everyone i know gets catbacks and headers/y-pipes. your car needs at least a little bit of back pressure, unless you're boosted. but for us n/a kids... y-pipe is the first mod any member on here should do. and yes, that's before rims, lips, silverstars...ANYTHING. you actually should call dallas @ warpspeed on the way home from the used car lot with the max. lol, anyway...

i'm expecting the test pipe friday. for you 95-96ers, i will see if there is room to weld in an o2 bung. i expect there will be, but you never know.

JSutter

iTrader: (46)

Wow cool story bro

nalc

iTrader: (11)

backpressure? you don't need backpressure. Backpressure is always bad. The issue is that if your exhaust is too wide, the exhaust gases cool and slow down before making it out the tailpipe. It's exhaust gas velocity, not backpressure, that you need. If the exhaust gas is moving fast, it sucks the air out of the cylinder after combustion, giving you more power. So you need to have the right amount. If adding a more restrictive piece to the exhaust improves performance, it's because it acts as a nozzle and speeds up the velocity of the exhaust gas going through it. It's not because our cars "need a good source of backpressure" to run well.

And don't even get me started on Silverstars...
Philips Vision Plus 9004 or GE Nighthawk 9004. Or retrofit. Sylvania Silverstars are garbage.

cashoit

Gotta disagree...On the high end u def dont want any backpressure. U want all that exhuast gas to be expelled as easily and quickly as possible. BUT on the low side...u want backpressure so your car will respond better to WOT demands from a standstill.

I think the problem is...to find the BEST combination of intake and exhaust mods to maximize performance.

I recently bought a stock 1997 maxi 5spd. Im putting a racing bullet muffler on it to get rid of the restrictive OEM muffler. Ima see how it responds after that. I think for the intake ...ima buy a short ram intake BUT im not gonna use the cone filter. Im goin to remove the intake resonator and replace with short ram pipe. I think it will give me more noise and the same performance of the stock intake. Whether ppl admit of not...the stock intake for these cars are quite good....jus too quiet for my tastes lol

cashoit

what about polluting the enviroment man...gotta save the ozone layer lol


Isnt the warpspeed a y-pipe jus bigger diameter pipe

nalc

iTrader: (11)

No. You don't want backpressure. You want a properly sized exhaust that will give the highest possible exhaust gas velocity. Since the sheer volume of air depends on the engine RPM (the motor moves twice as much air at 3000rpm as it does at 1500rpm), the optimal size of exhaust system varies based on RPM. At low RPMs, a narrower tube is better, because it gives you the highest exhaust gas velocity. A big tube at low RPMs = the exhaust isn't restricted, but it cools and stagnates and has a poor velocity, which doesn't remove exhaust as efficiently from the combustion changer. At high RPMs, a wider tube is better, because there is more exhaust gas, and it needs to flow more. A narrow tube at high RPMs = the exhaust system is just too restrictive, even though the velocity is fine.

So, if you have a high performance exhaust optimized for high RPMs, at low RPMs it won't work as well because there isn't enough exhaust gas volume to be able to get a high exhaust velocity, it just slows down because of how wide the pipes are. It has nothing to do with backpressure. Backpressure is just some ricer myth. You never want backpressure in your exhaust, you want the diameter piping that allows the highest exhaust gas velocity and the lowest backpressure, which is usually not the biggest piping available.

aackshun

iTrader: (3)

QFT - skool those exhaust n00bs.

tyler5619

iTrader: (7)

first of all, with aftermarket exhaust, the closer you get to the tailpipe, the less you're doing for performance, and the more you're doing for just sound. (nalc will prolly trump me on that)

second, you have your "ideal" short ram idea backwards. the stock mid pipe is IMO better than the "short ram pipe" (sic) that you're referring to. if you want sound while having stock, go with a drop-in K&N filter. personally, my intake is stock, save for the HTP MAF adapter and AMSoil cone filter, with the snorkel intact. i'm very impressed with this setup, especially with the snorkel feeding outside air (which is currently very cold ) into not only the filter, but the engine bay itself. very nice.

you're right, the stock intake is IMO as good as they probably should have made it. still not good enough for most of us, but still pretty decent.

google is your friend, my son.

....i'm not a n00b...

nalc

iTrader: (11)

Yup. The idea is to have a high velocity flow immediately after the exhaust valves, because that will create some low pressure to help suck the exhaust out of the combustion chamber, which is called "scavenging". That's why heat wrapping headers is good, because it keeps the exhaust hot and fast. That's also why things like equal length headers and y-pipes and x-pipes improve performance, because the timing of the cylinders means that each cylinder can help the other cylinders scavenge better as well. Any restrictions like pre-cats here will just screw up the scavenging and exhaust gas velocity. Without a doubt, the headers and the pipe connecting them is where you make power. The rest of the exhaust is less important, so long as it's not too narrow for excessive backpressure, and not too wide for stagnation. That's why a VQ35 with headers runs the quarter mile a full second faster than a VQ35 with stock manifolds and pre-cats, yet going to an aftermarket catback does not have nearly as large gains.

Dogg

Question. If a "high-flow" cat is nearly the same as a straight pipe, why not just run a straight pipe with a resonator if you don't need to pass emissions?

tyler5619

iTrader: (7)

^where do you get your information, lol

or were you just trying to add to your post count?

aackshun

iTrader: (3)

Post edited

Dogg

Haha, I am adding to my post count, but I thought there was a valid point there. I don't claim to be an expert by any means, so let me know if this is off-base.

The fundamental benefits of a high-flow cat over a stock cat is that it is less restrictive, but still provides the essential "scrubbing" duties of a cat, correct?

And if your primary goal is to increase exhaust flow, and smog regs aren't a concern, why not just omit the cat altogether? I personally wouldn't ever run an exhaust without a cat, but in theory you'd have gains. Lots of guys obviously do this, just consult Google.

As for the resonator with straight pipe setup, it's something I've seen done and it can sound pretty great. (I have a good friend who runs it on a 'Vette and have seen it on some BMWs as well.) I think this is mostly an acoustic preference, since the resonator sans muffler can have a deeper growl.

internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

removing a catalytic converter from a car is a FEDERAL offense with fines and jail time associated with it.
The "high flow" cats are just a legal way around it. that is in places outside of the people's republic of CA

NousDefions

iTrader: (2)

Both of my cars are running sans cats, and I happen to be running this exact test pipe on my '97 Maxima.

I am running a Cattman Y-Pipe and Catback exhaust, and installed this test pipe in the middle of a dyno session. While it makes a lot bigger difference in my car because I'm also running a Vortech V1, without tuning, the test pipe alone was worth 15 whp. That's not a trivial amount.

YMMV.

(EDIT: On my NSX, which is also supercharged, the test pipes were good for 20 whp. My point is, is you are running a high powered setup where exhaust restriction does indeed become an issue, deleting the cats can net a whole lot of power for not much money)

cashoit

I had a similar setup as yurs where i was using the short ram and the snorkel. The snorkel directed the incoming flow of cold air and definiely increased performance.


Dont u need backpressure to keep combustion process warm? Isnt that the function of EGR system.

Nice setup. But in my state no cat is a crazy fine. no cat is = crazy loud too

nalc

iTrader: (11)

EGR is more of an emission reducing thing than a performance thing

NousDefions

iTrader: (2)

Undoubtedly the NSX is loud, but that's more a function of the design of the exhaust and headers rather than the cats. Deleting the cats changed the pitch of the exhaust more than anything.

On the Maxima, the exhaust grew deeper without the cats, but not much louder at anything other than WOT. Even then, it isn't annoying.

Very few officers out there are going to get under the car and check for cats (at least in the four states I've lived), and I always put the cats back on before going in for an inspection. Putting the cat back on the Maxima is a 15 minute affair.