Cat problems

[rob_is_legend]

What is everyones opinion on removing the catalytic converter and replacing it with piping? I live in Alabama, and we currently do not undergo vehicle emission inspections. Will doing this increase performance at all? Any and all advice welcomed. Thanks!

And for reference, the car is a 1990 Accord with an F22A1.

[C91BLX7]

No performance at all.

[1991f22a1]

No performance at all.

i agree. if you replace it with a high flow cat you will probly notice a diff. but if your going to do that you might as well do a full exhaust system.

[rob_is_legend]

Ive considered a high flow cat, but I dont have the money on me right now to do that. But being optimistic, which brands might you recommend?

[1991f22a1]

i havent looked into it very much myself personally. ive only found the header i want to run which is a JVT on ebay. ive already got an OBXR muffler which sounds pretty good. but honestly i dont have the money for my exhaust system yet. if obxr makes a high flow cat i will buy that, and just have the exhaust pipes custom made in a 2.25" all the way back

[rob_is_legend]

Yea, i havent done a bit of research into cats. As far as headers go im about to get a used DC header from a buddy of mine for a steal. I think I may go ahead and have the cat removed and a pipe installed for now. Im a little tight on cash and the car will still get me where I'm going. Will probably get it done friday. I'll post an update if I notice any kind of change in the car.

[visualpoet]

The OEM cat on the cb7 is already so high flowing that replacing it with a test pipe or hi-flow cat alone is only going to be worth about .5 - 1 hp. It's not worth the effort unless you're going to replace the cat anyway.

[rob_is_legend]

Thanks for the input Poet! Then again, gotta get hp where you can right?

[deevergote]

If you want a fairly inexpensive and high quality high-flow cat, get one from SMSP. http://www.sms-products.com/

Otherwise, just use the stock cat.

Regardless of whether or not your state does emissions testing, we all breathe the same air. I'd like to keep the air I breathe clean... and I'd prefer if you don't dirty it up to gain 1hp.

[Faded]

IMHO the cat is there for a reason and if it's still functional then why remove it, even for a horse or two?

[rob_is_legend]

thanks for the different viewpoints, all are welcome. How much cleaner does the cat make emissions? does anyone know any stats or anything?

[js593]

i agree. if you replace it with a high flow cat you will probly notice a diff. but if your going to do that you might as well do a full exhaust system.

I replaced mine with a Vibrant high flow. Stock muffler, barely any noise, slightly better peroformance. I got 2.25 inch up to the end of the resonator btw. That might make a bit of difference. the stock one is small.

[1991f22a1]

The OEM cat on the cb7 is already so high flowing that replacing it with a test pipe or hi-flow cat alone is only going to be worth about .5 - 1 hp. It's not worth the effort unless you're going to replace the cat anyway.

ive never heard this before. when i get my exhaust done, could they jsut use the o.e. cat? would there be an advantage to getting a new o.e. cat? or aftermarket?

[Losiracer2]

a company called Random Technology makes good high flow cats. BUT they're pretty expensive. I have to go through emissions in May, so thats mainly the reason why bought it, not to mention it was a steal at 75 bucks brand new and for my H22 engine.

But my advice is to not do it. You'll quickly get tired of the fumes coming inside the car and making you dizzy. I had one on my car for about a month and I got sick of it. I also got sick of the raspy noise it gave my exhaust note. So its totally not worth the perfomance gains or health and sound hazards it causes you lol.

[David Lundin]

Usually decat ("test pipe") will net nice gains to performance on most cars, but from what I've heard the stock header and exhaust on these cars is so restricting in itself that just removing the cat and replacing with a pipe is near pointless.

If you replace your header with a race header, with a proper sized collector and designed to be used without a cat, there will be a noticeable difference. It's not exactly free anymore unfortunately.

I'd have to agree with most here, if your cat works, leave it as it is until you can do a proper full exhaust build or similar.