Hey guys,
Im trying to get some local input on running catless in the bay area. whats your opinion? and what type of power gains will i get without a cat then with one? also...is the cobb ap the only way out of getting a check engine light running catless??? i heard that the ap is the only way to ignore the maf sensor tripping the check engine light. or could EQ do something about this as well??? let me know, im trying to choose between catted invidia or catless...leaning towards catless at the moment

 

Technically any exhaust modification In Cali Is Illegal to a cops eyes.
I'm sure most cops would let you slide If you had a catted dp vs catless and you don't have too much else going on under the hood.

I ran catless for 4 years 2 of which with a 30r and a top mount, Just really depends on the cop and If he wants to do his Intended job or just let you slide.

Ed at EQ will hook you up with all your answers needed tho so just send him an email.

 

Risky business to say the least.

 

If they suspect it's catless?

It's a federal offense and any modification in CA is rolling the dice. Good luck.

 

If the cop knows, they're gonna know its an aftermarket downpipe. Unless you have a carb approved cat in there aka the AVO or couple others, you won't slide. I've been catless the whole time, been pulled over a couple times and no comments were made about my exhaust what so ever, more likely have a prius driver complain(true story). I've had cops tail me and not get pulled over for smell either. Also it's the O2 sensor that trips the CEL, you do want to get a tune regardless once you swap the downpipe since you're with less backpressure the wastegate is going to open differently, causing fluctuations in boost which may become detrimental in the long run, now a day or two without getting on it won't hurt it. Tune wise, you can get an AP or any tune from a reputable bay area shop will have a CEL delete within their tunes according to your modifications. Come out to one of the meets, check out what set ups some have. I'll be out at the dublin meet tonight (https://www.i-club.com/forums/meetin...1/#post3168907) Tim should be there, he's got a carb approved downpipe.

Another point, if you don't care about noise volume then catless if you're going for that sleeper low noise set up go catted.

 

I think a better question is: What do you have done to the car now? There are a lot of ways to make power and keep the cat

 

I would not run catless in California. Thats a chp impound.
But it also depends on your car. Mine was catless at 6 months old. But back then it looked 98% stock. If you have fancy wheels id steer clear. The side effects out weigh the small gains.

 

My E30 has been catless since day one. No issues, but my **** is quiet

 

The downpipe change to either catless or catted is the biggest gains with our cars.....

If you throw a stock location 30 in there you're gonna be totally restricted by that stock downpipe....

Retune maybe will yield 10% over stock. Smooth the powerband out thats about it. I'd like to hear some ways we can make power without changing anything with the stock cats.

 

You get caught either way, your screwed. Whether your catless or catted, anything aftermarket without a carb sticker is NOT legal straight up.

 

all you would get is a fixit ticket. Ive been pulled over and the CHP even said it was a straight pipe, but he just gave me a ticket for how loud it was. Its a hit or miss depending on the cop, and how you act imo.

 

Do I really need to run the list

Tuning
Larger Intercooler or thermal coat the stock one
Crossover Pipe
Replace the intake piping with silicon

Sure there's power to be had by removing the cat... but there are many steps that won't cause problems with LLEOs

If the cop wants to be a dick, he can send you to a test only smog station.

 

yea...nothing new...biggest concern was the o2 sensor. i dont want to drop 600 on a ap if i can get a protune or something to bypass...but yea, im leaning towards catless still...even if i got catted aftermarket id still be swapping between the stock stuff for smog ect. i may just get a map loaded at EQ or something. trying not to spend 600 on a programmer.

 

Don't drive like a jackhole and you will be fine. And if the cop does stop you..be courteous.

 

This will lower your chances for getting pulled over or caught, but if they want to F**k with ya. They will regardless of how good of a granny driver you are. Just the way it is....