running straight pipes

I have a stock 2000 v6 Accord and A friend of mine suggested that since I don't have much money that I could always gut the catalytic convertor and mufflers which would give me a couple of hp and an overall better sound. When I do that I know I'll have to get some kind of black out for the o2 sensor but is this even a good idea?

To be honest with you it is a bad idea. The car will sound bad and you will get a lot of attention from the cops. I would not do it. :2cents:

not worth gutting a cat if you dont have the mods to go along with it. besides, its a waste of a perfectly good cat. id prefer a test pipe or hi flo. either way its still going to be louder. i dont think you should modify a car just to make it louder.

in some places its illegal to gut the catalytic converter.

also my car has no cat....it smells like a fuckin lawnmower!

Gutting the cat will make your car sound like shit. Also, I think on your car you have one or more O2 sensors after them and they'll "know" you did it and make your car run funny. Please don't do this, I have, and regretted it.

2 hp is not worth the damaging effect it has on the enviornment. keep the cat, you can run straight pipe with the cat.

alright so keep the cat. or possibly get a high flow? So running straight pipes past the cat. would sound alright?

Also, superbluecivic, you said without having the mods to go with it. Do you mean small mods like an intake or something more expensive like a blower?

Last, I want my car to be louder because thats just my personal belief on what makes a car more interesting, some people like body kits, some people like nos, etc... I just don't want the typical giant coffee can muffler that everyone has on their cars for the kind of effect I'm trying to get. No offense to anyone who has one they just look really tacky to me.

The problem with straight pipes is that they will make the car sound rather "harsh" if you will. I prefer a quiet exhaust that has a mellow and noticeable sound to it when you give it more than 50% throttle. But that is just my opinion, and obviously people are gong to have different opinions.

I know what you mean. So instead of the all out straight pipes do think just taking the mufflers off would be alot better? So to speak anyways.

Leave it stock unless you're going to buy a brand name exhaust. Straight pipes will be just too damn loud, making you regret doing that shit to a nice car.

You can run straight pipes if you want to, but believe me it gets very annoying for a while. I ran with a rusted-out muffler, commuting 140 miles, for a month, and it was nerve-grating after a while.

Of course, if you ARE going to run straight pipes, the best way to muffle the sound... is with a turbo ;)

my car sounds like a freakin v8 at idle lol. mildly built d15b2 with straight pipe. ;)

my car sounds like a freakin v8 at idle lol.
I seriously doubt that..

Also, superbluecivic, you said without having the mods to go with it. Do you mean small mods like an intake or something more expensive like a blower?

theres not much to gain running a straight pipe or hi flo with basic bolt ons.

my car sounds like a freakin v8 at idle lol. mildly built d15b2 with straight pipe.

Mine sounds like a 6.0 Diablo at idle ;) Actually, I ran the QTEC on the OEM pipes slightly modified to help some bit with the flow when it flowed with the oem piping on my old hatch. It sounded like any other car you would see on the street. its kinda strange when you see a quite civic at a stop light all of a sudden sound like a monster on the prowl.

Also, to anyone who ever thinks or want to run stock piping with force induction. you will enjoy it more with larger plumbing.

Last, I want my car to be louder because thats just my personal belief on what makes a car more interesting

Its very interesting, but, let us know how you like it after 6 months. ;)

I beg you do not ruin a perfectly fine automobile.straight through exhaust,unless done right, will sound like shit.(sorry)and when you say you want it to be loud,first thought that comes to mind is you have never had a car with a loud exhaust.My advice is if it's something you must try then do it,BUT keep all stock parts --you'll be converting back with in a year at the most.
as far as converter goes,it's illegal to drive with out one,it will be only a matter of time before you get slapped with a hefty fine.choice is yours!

I seriously doubt that..

i will try to get a recording of tomorrow morning...

another thing about gutting the cat and mufflers aside from illegal. it would actually be counter productive. wut i mean is, the sudden large openings that the exhaust gasses would come to, would actually slow it down considerably, because in stead of shooting straight thru a "straight" pipe, it will basicly be as if it thinks it has exited the exhaust and if u notice how the exhaust kinda fluffs as it comes out, well it'll be doin that in the gutted cat and mufflers, and then have to pack back together to get back out. basicly not worth it at all. and again yeah it's 50 state ILlegal.


yeah yeah i know one long ass run-on sentence :nono: , but it just flowed so nicely didn't it :naughty:

I knew about it being illegal to run without a cat. but Florida has no emissions laws so how would they find out you don't have one? Just wondering on that one. And yes, gutting the mufflers would cause the problem of air flow being counter productive I must agree.. So instead of gutting the mufflers how can I get ahold of piping that I can use to replace the section that my mufflers once went? ie. where do I buy the pipes from?

NOTE: As far as I know Florida has no emissions laws. I could be wrong but I don't know where to find out.

Every state has emissions laws guided by federal legislation. Automotive industries are guided by federal legislation on meeting emissions guidelines. If Florida had no emissions laws, why would Florida residents even need a cat convertor and need to smog your car to get your registration in the first place?

When a police officer pulls you over and your car is high enough for him to get a peep, thats when your busted. If its slammed to the ground and he doesnt feel like wasting all his time on findng out if you have no cat or muffler, he will just write you a fix it ticket on the noise and drop.............and any other thing he finds.

alright heres the recording of my d15b2 with straight pipe. i used a cheap "gaming" mic (mic and headphone in 1) and the mic was about 5 feet from the muffler. sounds better in person imo.

idling(about 1000rpm): http://home.nc.rr.com/heban/idle.wav

revving(to 4000rpms tops): http://home.nc.rr.com/heban/rev.wav

*btw you might have to turn up your volume to hear it.

Every state has emissions laws guided by federal legislation. Automotive industries are guided by federal legislation on meeting emissions guidelines. If Florida had no emissions laws, why would Florida residents even need a cat convertor and need to smog your car to get your registration in the first place?

alright.. do u live in florida? i really doubt it. i know i don't, but i was told, DIRECTLY from a florida resident, that they don't have e-check, emissions control, etc. the reason florida cars have to have a cat is simple.... the car i drive right now was originally from North Carolina. the car my brother drives right now was originally from Canada. we both live in Ohio, and we have e-check in our county. the county south of us does not have e-check, nor does the county to our east. another reason a florida car has to have a cat, is because every car after 96 has two O2 sensors. one before the cat and one AFTER the cat. now u think the manufacturers r gonna make two different ECU's for every car model type they make just for those cars to be sold in those few states and counties that don't have e-check? HELL NO!!! as soon as u moved the car to another state/county, it'd be illegal. and it'd be way too costly for another reason.

sooooo. unless u live in Florida and u'r county has e-check, how do u know they have to?

alright.. do u live in florida? i really doubt it. i know i don't, but i was told, DIRECTLY from a florida resident, that they don't have e-check, emissions control, etc. the reason florida cars have to have a cat is simple.... the car i drive right now was originally from North Carolina. the car my brother drives right now was originally from Canada. we both live in Ohio, and we have e-check in our county. the county south of us does not have e-check, nor does the county to our east. another reason a florida car has to have a cat, is because every car after 96 has two O2 sensors. one before the cat and one AFTER the cat. now u think the manufacturers r gonna make two different ECU's for every car model type they make just for those cars to be sold in those few states and counties that don't have e-check? HELL NO!!! as soon as u moved the car to another state/county, it'd be illegal. and it'd be way too costly for another reason.

sooooo. unless u live in Florida and u'r county has e-check, how do u know they have to?


you make me laugh :lol2: emissions control is federally regulated. when i say federal, it is applied to all states. here ya go.thank you thank you. :licka:

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3012/is_9_183/ai_108098150

no even over here, NC, not all the counties have emissions inspection or regulations. where i live right now, Wake County, they do. but where i bought my car, Almanace County(or somewhere around there), they dont. i asked the local sheriff about it and all he said was "over here they just do safety inspection like the headlights and taillights, etc." i know this FIRST HAND, we've even took a honda accord with a straight pipe to get inspected and nothing about the noise or emission. the federal regulations most likely apply to cars being sold retail.

alright heres the recording of my d15b2 with straight pipe. i used a cheap "gaming" mic (mic and headphone in 1) and the mic was about 5 feet from the muffler. sounds better in person imo.

idling(about 1000rpm): http://home.nc.rr.com/heban/idle.wav

revving(to 4000rpms tops): http://home.nc.rr.com/heban/rev.wav

*btw you might have to turn up your volume to hear it.
Now compare those to this :)
http://www.autospeak.com/grpsnda/hotidle.wav

Now compare those to this :)
http://www.autospeak.com/grpsnda/hotidle.wav

that sounds like it doesnt even have a exhaust!(like those open header drag cars) ive sat next to a v8(some sort of chevelle) at the light and tried to race a few(lost pretty much all the races lol) so i know how they sound like.

It's an open-header V8, similar setup to your straight pipe but without the pipe.

i have a muffler on mine though :( (try not to attract the cops :) )

alright heres the recording of my d15b2 with straight pipe.
You said straight pipe.. :confused:

heres Florida's

http://www.dep.state.fl.us/legal/Rules/air/62-242.pdf

i think what you meant to say is that obd2 vehicles do not get the tail pipe test. heres NCs emissions requirements in a general statement.

http://www.ncdot.org/dmv/vehicle_services/emissioninspection/requirements.html

every state has emissions laws. do a simple google search and you will find them.

OBDII car's DO get tail pipe test. in that link you have it right there, those are the 9 counties in NC that are the only ones that do emissions for +85(i think) cars. im guessing florida is the same way with the popular areas not having go through tail pipe emissions test which is why many people say theres no emissions in FL.
btw, why do you change what you are saying from Federal to state emission law?

OBDII car's DO get tail pipe test. in that link you have it right there, those are the 9 counties in NC that are the only ones that do emissions for +85(i think) cars.

The tail pipe test is for vehicles from 1970 - 1995. anything newer gets the OBD2 scan test. this test uses a connctor that is attached to the obd system which stores memory (pulling a CEL) to a test computer. both of these are called emissions test.

california does the tail pipe test still on obd2 vehicles because there guidelines are more stricter for obvious reasons (like the haze in LA that only goes away with a strong wind blowing).

im guessing florida is the same way with the popular areas not having go through tail pipe emissions test which is why many people say theres no emissions in FL.

no even over here, NC, not all the counties have emissions inspection or regulations.

alright.. do u live in florida? i really doubt it. i know i don't, but i was told, DIRECTLY from a florida resident, that they don't have e-check, emissions control, etc.

the OBD2 scan is an emissions test. tell that florida resident that he doesnt know what an emissions test is. there will also be a gas pressure test that will be phased in following the OBD2 scan. the tail pipe test is being phased out. that is why your 96+vehicles do not get the tailpipe test.


another reason a florida car has to have a cat, is because every car after 96 has two O2 sensors. one before the cat and one AFTER the cat. now u think the manufacturers r gonna make two different ECU's for every car model type they make just for those cars to be sold in those few states and counties that don't have e-check? HELL NO!!! as soon as u moved the car to another state/county, it'd be illegal.

The feds set an emissions guidline for manufacturers to follow. Manufacturers have deleoped the OBD2 system. the developement of the OBD2 system consist of sensors and actuators which all electronically controls the engine systems. an example of this is the primary o2 sensor on the obd2 system. when this sensor is bad, it sends a code to the PCM, which halts the operation of the o2 sensor because it is bad and not doing its job by reading the o2 measurements of the exhaust to determine how to effectively allow fuel to enter the fuel injectors to minimize the amount of pollutants exiting your exhaust by balancing the amount of fuel and air mixture. when this sensor goes bad, there is a trouble code, you'll see this as the CEL. This code automatically puts your ecu into open loop mode. in open loop mode, you will notice that your vehicle bogs a bit or alot depending on what mods you have that effect your fuel pressure. this mode is a default mode set by the manufacturers that runs rich (you notice this because your car feels laggier/bogs and the gas mileage sucks due to running rich). the obd2 system is an important component of the emissions system, because it controls all the major fuel delivery systems on 96+ vehicles. because it controls all these systems, that is why the tailpipe test is being phased out for conducting emissions test, because it only measures what comes out of the tail pipe. the obd2 scan test replaces it, because, it measures all the emissions components already electronically in the vehicle. all you have to do is pull the code.

the purpose of the o2 sensor in the cat is to show that the cat is performing properly. The catalysts in the cat converts the passing gas molecules into something that is less pollutant than what was being produced by combustion in the cylinders. When the catalyst is not transforming the passing exhaust into less pollutant gas, the o2 sensor senses the amount of o2 passing and the CEL is triggered by the O2 sensor. the trouble code is thrown and you will fail the OBD2 scan emissions test until the catalyst is replaced, the bad o2 sensor is replaced, or the whole cat is replaced so to minimize pollutants exiting your tailpipe. a tailpipe test measures the resulting amount and type of gas molecules exiting the tailpipe. If you didnt meet the state emissions laws which are guided by federal legislation concerning amount of exited pollutant gases after the cat through the tailpipe, you have failed the tailpipe emissions test.

btw, why do you change what you are saying from Federal to state emission law

that last sentence should answer your question.

is it legal in NY to drive with out a muffler, i want my honda to be loud (its my winter beater, 1990 civic 4door) and was thinking about just hacking off the muffler

is it legal in NY to drive with out a muffler, i want my honda to be loud (its my winter beater, 1990 civic 4door) and was thinking about just hacking off the muffler

don't do it man, your ears have so much to live for!!!

is it legal in NY to drive with out a muffler, i want my honda to be loud (its my winter beater, 1990 civic 4door) and was thinking about just hacking off the muffler

it's not legal to drive in any of the 50 states without an exhaust supression of some sort, as far as I know. Obviously, if the sound isn't too loud anyway, there won't be a bother (ie if you have a turbo :D )