I have a 92 3.1 v6 and i am lookin to do some major mods pretty soon. I already have a fabricated CAI with k&N, TB bypass and bosch plugs. My next goal is to free up the exhaust. I am torn between two options, running a straight pipe, or getting a high flow converter. Question is... will the straight pipe screw up my o2 sensor readings and cause my car to run rich??? also will a high flow unit give me any horse power gains at all??? and finally how much HP gain should i expect from a straight pipe ( cat delete )--( i also know i will lose torque but thats o.k.) thanx

 

The o2 sensor is upstream of the cat, it cannot hurt anything at all if you remove the cat. A straight pipe won't do much over a high flow cat, you wouldn't even feel a difference. I'm not going to guess on a horsepower increase because it'd just be a guess.

 

Not that I condone it, but removing the cat on an OBDI car('81-'95) will not affect the O2 sensor, especially considering that the O2 sensor is BEFORE the cat.

 

worth it. not on our 2.8's.. I am running without one, but am ordering a new catco high flow converter here soon. Would I run without one if I had the money, NO. I do not feel any improvements, plus with my dynomax cat back the car sounds better with one INMO. Also without one the exhaust on my car stinks to much for me. Now if I could get an off road pipe like the stangs I might go that route because there should be no leaks in that area...


Good luck.. Do what you think will be best. If you need a cat then gut it and try without one for awhile. If your cat is good just get the dynomax cat back and headers.

 

Yeah, Project200RS, catalytic convertors aren't the same as they were in the 70's, when they first came out. Those early cats were very restrictive to exhaust flow, and you could get a ton of horsepower by either removing it or gutting it. But now, the auto makers realized that it's not just enough to make a restrictive cat to stop emissions- they realize that the easier an engine runs, the less emissions it'll put out in the first place. So the cats we have are less restrictive than those original 70's units.

But, people never forget a bad thing. Just like how Bondo is laughed at- Bondo replaced lead as a body filler. To do a lead job, you needed to buy a ton of tools. For bondo, you just have to buy the can for a couple bux. (Today's prices, leading, tools are about $150 for a good set. Bondo tools are about $10.) So this meant that any guy with $10 could do a Bondo job- and they did it poorly. So Bondo is now "evil" and "bad"- but for the wrong reasons.

So replacing your cat wouldn't make a noticable difference. It can't hurt, but if you have other things to do on your car, save the cat for later.