[Z06] Do cats make that big a difference
04-13-2016, 02:01 PM
#21
Former Vendor
Member Since: Aug 2005
Location: Lewisville TX
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St. Jude Donor '03-'04-'05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13
I have not put a dB meter on the kits to see what the sound changes are, but I can tell you HP wise...on a roughly 500 rwhp car the cats make less than a 6 rwhp difference. This is testing the high flow cats with our kits.
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C5Dobie (04-23-2016)
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grantv (04-13-2016)
04-13-2016, 09:41 PM
#24
1IMO no point in running w/o them unless you're running bigass power-adders and running competitively @ drag strip & need every last ounce of performance edge.
2Just run hi-flo cats...this is a corvette Z06 not a rustang or budget Camaro SS running 4" straight pipes trying to do your best nascar impersonation!!!
2 so what exactly makes a Z06 special? its manufactured by the same brand that makes a Camaro SS,
its just another mass produced assembly line budget built sports
1 yes I am serious - running catless provides no noticeable power gain/performance inmprovement until you're talking bigger power adders like FI or big H/C
This has been shown many times.
2And it stinks - your clothes stink, the interior stinks, people give you sh*tty looks sitting in traffic/stoplights around you, drawing more police attention to yourself than need be considering you're already driving a Vette to begin with.
3 Lastly - no idea what the cumulative harmful physical effects of inhaling those fumes are...but I'm positive it is worse than running cats - inhaling exhaust fumes is OBVIOUSLY a health hazard, and exhaust fumes with less filtering/absence of catalyst material has to be worse for you and those around you.
4I think the "tradeoff" cats vs. no cats is just plain stupid and immature to run catless for the sake of it to have a louder exhaust, save a few hundred buck etc.
Am I serious? - yeah, serious.
1. the OP post I'm about to purchase a set of headers for my z06 and was wondering how Nessecary it is to get cats along with them and if they make a huge difference?
Thanks
how do you know the OP doesnt plan on making more power, and I have noticed that the low horsepower guys to them 5whp 10whp is huge difference
2. if the fuel smell is your concern, then why would you replace the stock system, I am almost sure that GM design the stock exhaust system with those issues you have in mind, and if you dont want the attention then you are driving the wrong car, you might as well trade your z06 in for a stock prius
3. again, if your so worried about health issues, then you are driving the wrong car, get your self a very eco friendly car, like prius or tesla
4. with that said, then we are all just wasting money and its even more immature to replace the stock exhaust system that GM design to meet all the laws and at the same time get the most performance,
Last edited by Revolver ZSTi; 04-13-2016 at 09:52 PM.
04-14-2016, 03:21 PM
#25
If you're going long tubes on a street car, cats are a good idea because they lower the volume, and keep the tone from getting raspy.
Last edited by Magna_Flow; 04-14-2016 at 03:25 PM.
04-15-2016, 12:53 PM
#26
Team Owner
Little known fact; Before cats became mandatory in 1975, all cloths stunk of gasoline and were thrown away after every ride in a car. This is still true of riding mowers, piston aircraft, and boats. Ever wonder why you see people wearing hardly any cloths at all while riding on pleasure boats? Its because the boats have no cats and the people have had to throw all their cloths away.
Last edited by ptindall; 04-15-2016 at 01:07 PM.
04-20-2016, 02:09 PM
#27
Le Mans Master
I've run headers w/ and w/o cats - while not identical to a Z06, my G8 GT and LS1 04 GTO are very similar mechanically & both of those cars smelled when running catless headers, worse so in the summer, and worse in the GTO b/c I'm guessing the car was shorter & window placement/size allowed alot of exhaust smell into cabin.
Z06 has catted ARH headers - slightest egg smell on cold startup, goes away in 5 mins, overall exhaust smells a bit more in general but nothing like catless setups. Z06 would probably be even worse than G8 or GTO running catless b/c it has such a short free flowing exhaust to begin with...IMO no point in running w/o them unless you're running bigass power-adders and running competitively @ drag strip & need every last ounce of performance edge.
Sound - will sound louder w/o cats.....but not "better" IMO - particularly if you're running stock TI axleback.
Just run hi-flo cats...this is a corvette Z06 not a rustang or budget Camaro SS running 4" straight pipes trying to do your best nascar impersonation!!!
Z06 has catted ARH headers - slightest egg smell on cold startup, goes away in 5 mins, overall exhaust smells a bit more in general but nothing like catless setups. Z06 would probably be even worse than G8 or GTO running catless b/c it has such a short free flowing exhaust to begin with...IMO no point in running w/o them unless you're running bigass power-adders and running competitively @ drag strip & need every last ounce of performance edge.
Sound - will sound louder w/o cats.....but not "better" IMO - particularly if you're running stock TI axleback.
Just run hi-flo cats...this is a corvette Z06 not a rustang or budget Camaro SS running 4" straight pipes trying to do your best nascar impersonation!!!
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C5Dobie (04-23-2016)
04-22-2016, 12:09 AM
#28
Pro
I have a 2003 Z06 running Kooks 1 7/8" LT headers with catted X-pipe and stock TI exhaust. I don't have a choice about the cats because I couldn't register the car and drive it in Bernalillo County, New Mexico without them. But the headers and X-pipe really made a nice difference in power and sound. It's not terribly loud, but it sounds sweet!
