well after much browsing this forum and getting ideas from many ppl, ive started doing 'stuff' with my TL. have a cold air intake, and cutouts for the exhaust. ive also blacked out my tail lights. still to come are rims, tb spacers and darker tints...heres a vid let me kno wht u guys think

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogrQiRW3-OI

video quality is kinda crappy since it was made on my phone...

 

damn, sounds like a beast! i'm feeling the tail lights...

 

Can you say SSM FTW!!
Good job car sounds great!

 

thanks guys not really sure wht else i can do performance wise now

 

Nice ride...i love the tail lights...blacked mine out as well

 

just ordered a rear sway bar for myself...ive heard many good things about it...really improves handling...not bad for 140 bucks

 

Get a J-pipe and the two primary Type-S cats!

 

getting the jpipe and 2 primary type s would still allow my car to pass emissions right?

 

^^yes

 

Electronic cutout? Sounds pretty damn mean!

 

yeaa electric cutouts. i thought about gettin the catback system but i definately dont make enuff $$$ for that so i had to look for other options..i fell upon electric cutouts which cost 250 ish and install was 40 dollars. all said and done, its quite the little exhaust part

 

I've heard about cutouts on a lot of muscle cars like Camaros and shit, but how do you like them? Do you notice a decent power gain when you open it up? Where did you mount the switch in your interior? Sorry for all the questions but I don't know too many people who have actually installed them

 

i absolutely love them. they have a power gain that is for sure combined with the cai. i did the wiring myself so the siwtch juz sits underneath my passenger seat..rarely use it though, its always open :-). sound wise it just sounds like a beast. it literally scares ppl day or night. i will get it dynod eventually when i add more things to it...i still need to get the tbspacer and jpipe...

 

I hope you installed a turndown on the other end of the cutout to redirect the exhaust gasses to the ground and away from fuel lines etc. I had one before on my turbo Escort. How do you like the smell of exhaust when you're at traffic lights? Also, be careful it's easy to get a noise violation for open exhaust...

 

to be honest, there isnt alot of exhaust fumes that come into the car and you cant really smell it unless im really gunning it. the cutout is installed so that the gasses dont effect any fuel line etc...and about the cop thing, i juz keep the rpm below 2k so the cop cant hear it or ill switch the exhaust to the stock system. thats one thing im not worried about.

 

Where can i get the type-s cats? Also, what is the advantage of them?

 

Cutouts are for sure after the primary cats so smells shouldn't be a problem. I would expect the same gains as a full exhaust system.

When I was gutting my third cat I drove it around with no exhaust and it's not that bad. At idle it sounded like a normal car with aftermarket exhaust, driving around it was pretty loud but I've heard Mustangs with full exhaust and 1 chamber Flowmasters that were louder. The primary cats quiet it down a lot.

 

Higher flowing.

 

the primary cats are the two cats i can see when i open my hood rite?..where would i buy the type s cats or are there any other free flow cats i cud replace the cats with? should i get the jpipe 1st or the cats? the cats wont mess up the 02 sensors or is there something i have to do to make them compatible

 

Type S cats are completely compatible, just bolt them on.

Aftermarket Procats are no longer sold due to horrible quality issues.

There is now a test pipe (meaning no cat, just a straight pipe where they used to be) that's very cheap in comparison to aftermarket or type S cats. You will need 02 sensor defoulers for the two sensors after the cats and the car will not pass emissions. Still, this is the cheapest and most effective way to go. It would be worth it to bolt on your stock cats every couple years for the smog test.

I would do J-pipe first but the convertors and J-pipe will compliment each other nicely.

With the test pipes, J-pipe, and cutout, your car will be extremely loud.

 

im probably gonna order the jpipe after a week or so..let the paycheck come in :-)..ill get the cats eventually, i want to buy rims, redo my tints to 20% all aorund and add antoher sub/amp.

 

so i'm still trying to understand the functional format for an engine cutout; basically it's adding a section that acts as a 2.5" pipe to the rear or flaps open and opens up alot further up the chasis?

i understand how this might be potentially beneficial for larger bore engines where breathing out earlier has some major advantages....; but for our 6 banger, it seems kinda, "iffy"? doesn't part of our power come from the tubing of our undercarriage exhaust?

 

The cutout allows the exhaust gases to be redirected out of the exhaust system with the flip of a switch. Its basically a valve that open up and allows the gases to escape right away where ever the cut out is.

The back pressure issue is a touchy topic, some people swear we need "some" back pressure to maintain torque and hp, others say f that. With the ATLP j-pipe dyno thread, I recall both torque and hp increased prety substantially. Make your own judgement.

 

The cutout is kind of like the "poor man's exhaust". You're eliminating backpressure just like you would by installing aftermarket mufflers and piping, only much cheaper and louder. The advantage is you can drive the car around sounding stock going through the stock exhaust and open the cutout right before a race.

Gains should be the same as an aftermarket exhaust, whatever those are. I know the TL is only a 6 banger but at 258+ hp going from a single 1.75"-2" pipe to open exhaust is going to make some kind of improvement.

 

what kind of cai was that?