thinking of going without cats- will I be leaving a trail of smoke?
 

I want to go with a hooker universal exhaust sys. that runs pretty much straight back from the headers to mufflers with no cats as opposed to the x-type system it has stock with the 1 cat in the middle, is this gonna create plumes of smoke or will it not be that noticeable or is it just a bad idea? Also, the hooker setup only has 2 1/4" pipes, I would have wanted 2.5", is that a very big deal considering it isn't going through a single pipe in the center like stock?

Re: thinking of going without cats- will I be leaving a trail of smoke? (szercer)
 

Catalytic converters do not change the VISIBLE exhaust. If you car doesn't smoke now it won't change. I will effect the emissions so if your state requires a smog cert then you cannot remove them. It is also against federal law to remove any emission devices. :D

Re: thinking of going without cats- will I be leaving a trail of smoke? (silvervetteman)
 

I put a CAT on mine when I got it. I had to in order to pass emissions testing. I did notice that when I put it on the smell of exhaust went away. I don't think there will be any smoke but the exhaust smell might become noticeable.

Re: thinking of going without cats- will I be leaving a trail of smoke? (flood)
 

Silvervette is right, if the car isn't smoking now it won't smoke when the catalytic is removed. I replaced my cat with a straight pipe. I love the flange joints used on the '81. I can easily slip the cat back in when I go for state emissions testing.

Re: thinking of going without cats- will I be leaving a trail of smoke? (szercer)
 

thanks for the help, I'm emissions exempt in CO, any thoughts on the pipes size being to small or not? 2.25"

Re: thinking of going without cats- will I be leaving a trail of smoke? (szercer)
 

2.5" will flow about 19% more, assuming the same velocity. It depends on how much power you have whether you'll need the extra flow but if you're in the 250HP range, 2.25 should suffice...

Stephen