stilambo07

Im torn between the corsa or borla. I like loud and want to make power out of going catless w a retune. The corsa is $100 more so price not really a problem between these two. I have kooks headers and a ghl exhaust. Any help and opinions?

grantv

Removing the cats will make it louder and smell. From what I know you might gain 5HP, maybe a bit more if you're FI or bigger cubes.

stilambo07

Yes i know this. And I am on a built motor. Just hoping someone can chime in on the two options i was looking in to

neutron82

did your longtubes not come with an x-pipe already?... if not I would probably get in contact with kooks and buy theirs as it will likely be an easier install than mixing up brands with a different x-pipe... if you already have an x-pipe with cats in them it may not be worth the money to switch , or you could always hollow out the ones on your car... are you n/a or boosted?... on an n/a car you will likely only pick up a few hp by removing the cats, on a boosted application I would recommend removing them due to less restriction and since boosted cars tend to run richer at wot they will burn the cats out fairly quick anyway

stilambo07

I do have the kooks xpipe that came with the car. Before purchase i wanted a catless system...even for sound alone it does it for me, regardless i want to go in for a retune since who knows how old this tune is.

neutron82

I would just pull the x-pipe and hollow the cats out instead of buying a new one, saves you money and still looks like the car has cats for inspection purposes if that matters in your area

stilambo07

More importantly,..can anyone help if the fitment would be ok with the corsa or borla on to kooks headers? Anyone have this setup?

rjwz28

That doesn't even make any sense

Buy the Kooks offroad X-pipe, bolt it in where your catted Kooks X-pipe is, then sell your old one

Make sure you get the one for your headers, since Kooks redesigned their headers not too long ago and I don't know if the X-pipes are the same

Why are you making this complicated? Those standalone X-pipes from Corsa and Borla are designed for guys with stock exhaust manifolds, not longtubes.

stilambo07

This is why i am asking the questions!! I just pirchased a Z and am curioua about parts...it came w kooks headers, i can see it enscripted on the top of em. X pipe was told was kooks too but i cant be positive. I know they are catted so want to go catless. I used to have an sti so this car is completely new to me so sorry for the questions.

Here is the bottom of the car

grantv

Simple; either get a replacement catless Kooks mid-pipe, have an exhaust shop replace the cats with thru-pipes, or gut the cats in there.
No idea what an sti is; considering your moniker, assuming it's a Lambo.
STI, found what it is, yikes, not a fan. So what is the Lambo about, have one also?

stilambo07

Haha....yea.i was glad to get in to the vette. Not even looking back at the sti....as for the lambo no just that is what i have wanted since a kid.

Thanks for the advice...that is what i shall do.

grantv

Yeah, a Lambo would be OK... I guess.

C5Dobie

I agree w/ swapping out the X pipe for Kooks offroad, you'll be able to sell yours and shouldn't have to come up w/ much extra $$$ to get the offroad X.

STI's are nothing to scoff at, if I didn't need the room a WRX or STI would be my DD vs. the truck I currently drive.

Have you driven an American V8 w/ no cats? Particularly one as short as the C5Z w/ windows so damn close to the exhaust? It WILL smell and it'll smell bad, it won't get you any measurable power until you start getting into FI or bigger motor etc., I know...I've done it before.

Just making sure you know what you're getting into - gonna get headaches from the fumes @ stoplights

neutron82

I still don't see why you don't just take your x-pipe off and hollow the cats out, it will cost you nothing... much easier than spending a few hundred bucks on a new x-pipe and going through the hassle of selling the old one for less than what the new one costs, just doesn't seem practical to me

grantv

I mentioned the smell also, upon deaf ears.
As for the STI, I know of their performance possibilities, I just think they're... as nicely as I can say; not attractive for my taste (and not fond of the sound either). My Z06 is my DD; love my drive to work and home every day!

insertclevername

edit

stilambo07

This is what i am gonna do. I assume i would take to a muffler shop to do so?

RedZMonte

if you have the ability to unbolt the pipes you can do it your self with a jack handle or long pry bar or something.. not too hard.. if its a metal cat inside then might need a air chisel or a hole saw.. not hard to do. most muffler shops cant remove or gut out cats legally so might not be able to have it done anywhere.

C5Dobie

It is illegal in nearly every state to run without cats, so most muffler/exhaust shops aren't going to do that unless a) they're hacks, or b) you know them.

I said before I think its a dumb idea to run without cats - you're not going to gain much if anything, it'll smell like ****, and it can get you a ticket and/or cause you to fail inspection - now, if you STILL want to get rid of that piece, then you either need to take it off and be patient to get it sold and take proceeds to buy a matching/fitting offroad/catless X pipe, or swap it for an offroad X pipe w/ someone who has already learned they're lesson running catless, or lastly unbolt it and bring it to a local scrap yard and get paid cash for it (the cats should be worth $100 or so...realistically tho they're not worth much because they're hi flo low catalyst) and then go buy a matching X pipe.

You could unbolt it and drive without cats OR an X pipe - loud, hot, and smelly as hell and demand some shop fab up an "H" pipe and weld it place where your catted X was.

That'll REALLY make you a neighborhood favorite lol!

rjwz28

You can sell the high-flow X pretty easily and should be able to get about enough to buy the ORX

I looked into it for a couple minutes at one point

If it fits the new-style Kooks headers, buying his used pipe could save somebody else a few hundred dollars on their header install