98gt exhaust upgrade
 

i am in the market for an exhaust upgrade. as far as i can tell, the only real difference between borla, flowmaster, etc is tone and volume, as they both generate about the same hp gains. what are people doing to circumvent the 6 catalytic converters on the 4.6's? i was checking into the borla exhaust, they want close to 900 clams for a cat back system. if its from the cats back, as the name suggest, then what would be the difference in putting the borla system on rather than just changing the mufflers?

the cats are the most restrictive i would think, not necessarily the stock mufflers.

The most restrictive part of the exhaust system are the cats...

I'd go for an X\H-pipe with high flow cats before worrying about mufflers...

You won't see any gain from a cat-back system, but a less restrictive X\H\cat system should net you a few horses...

ideally, you'd want to replace the X\H-pipe and cat-back system at the same time to ease installation (bolt-on) and maintain a constant exhaust diameter...

exhaust upgrade
 

thanks for the info...what are the advantages, if any between the x and h pipe?

are there ways around the six cats? or must they be intact?

The six cats need to be REMOVED, and replaced with two high-flow cats...

They will usually come with an X\H pipe setup...

The X and H pipes usually give comparable gains...

The H will have a bit more low end grunt and the X will live a bit better up high... Its just how you want your setup to be....

cost being a minor consideration, what manufacturer would you recommend for the exhaust? i have really on found steeda's hi-flo cats available, and noone elses (saleens website was down as of last nite), and roush's stuff is thru the roof expensive

Do yourself a favor. Get a off-road H or X pipe. They have no cat's, so even less restriction. Plus they are a HECK of a lot cheaper(125-150 bucks).

i thought about that...but each cat (i am speculating here) probably has some sort of sensor on it, and if they are unplugged then i get to look a check engine light all the time. that in and of itself is no big deal, but could mask a problem at a later date

I believe they make a component called an MIL Eliminator. I think it is used when you do not have cats and the rear two O2 Sensors. I am not sure of this as I still have all four of mine, I just went with BBK Stainless H-Pipe w/Hi-Flow cats (2) not 6. You may want to look for the eliminators and see if that will help.... I am fighting the Check Engine Light myself, but mine is being caused from the new MAF, Underdrives and Timing Advance I put on a couple days ago. The computer and I are going to sit down and have a nice little chat about it playing nice with the new parts.. hehe

Website Address
 

http://www.mileliminators.com/index.html

Here's the info on the MIL Eliminators, hope this helps you out...

thanks man... i really appreciate the help