So I'm looking into J-pipes for the future and I was interested in the XLR8 V2 J-pipe which has the 3rd cat delete. Problem is, I live in New Jersey which is an emissions state. Does anyone have experience with 3rd cat delete J-pipes going through state emission inspection? Thank you!

 

the third cat doesn't have a sensor attached to it...meaning if you remove the third cat, the car wont know it's missing....leading to a pass of the inspection

 

Ah right, I heard that somewhere. Thank you Lord justnspace!

 

I am not worthy

 

Even if they do a sniffer test you'll still pass. The pre-cats do the vast majority of the work. From what I understand, the 3rd cat is only there to meet ULEV standards. The car is still LEV without it.

 

I believe civics of the same year as our cars only have the LEV designation.

LEV = Low Emissions Vehicle
ULEV = ULTRA Low Emissions Vehicle.

 

Well, ya know, all the highly prestigious individuals that manage to reach the level of owning an Acura, insist on only the finest air being expelled from the exhaust.

 

My shit don't stink! Turned up nose.

(well, okay my shit stinks...I've gutted the cats)

 

And when we get our hands on these vehicle we mod them to just EV = emissions vehicle

 

So does removing the cat actually help power, or just make the exhaust sound better?

 

removing the cat by itself only yields like 2-3hp...the real magic is the jpipe and how the air flows through the mandrel bent pipe as opposed to the crush bends of the stock pipe.
a combination of the removal of the cat with a better efficient jpipe yields about 10-15hp depending on other mods

 

You may not see the same gains that some of the 3G guys see with the jpipe alone. The stock pipe on the 4G is improved over the stock 3G but it's still not as free flowing as an aftermarket. Acura must have read some of the info on here and realized their stock pipe sucked. Anyway, if you go full bore with the exhaust by installing PCD's or HFPC's, the j-pipe from either XLR8 or RV6, then add a catback or at least magnaflow mufflers, you'll definitely free up some horses. But at a price. I spent about $1300 between all the parts and the manaflow install at a muffler shop. The aftermarket stuff from XLR8 and RV6 is very high quality though. They'll easily last the life of the car. I installed the jpipe and HFPC's myself. If you had someone else do it you'd pay an extra $200-$300 I'm guessing. The jpipe is a relatively straightforward install. Reconnecting the EGR inlet is a bit crappy and dealing with rusted bolts in a pain but otherwise everything is accessible. The HFPC's/PCD's are worse. Front requires removing the radiator fans, then being careful during install not to jam parts against the radiator and bend the fins. Rear one is just a PITA to get in and out. I had to remove the heat shields with the stock cat still in place because it didn't have clearance to get the cat out with them on. That was tons of fun. I'm glad my kids weren't around at the time because there was a good deal of

 

What would I do without you, Losiglow?
pretty cool that you got to modify both 3G and 4G!!!

 

Yeah, it's been interesting to see the technical changes. They really didn't modify things all that much. No PS pump and reservoir since it's electronic PS. So they put the coolant reservoir on the passenger side since there's room there now. The ECU is also on the passenger side of the engine compartment instead of under the dash like on the 3G (I think?). It has a MAF sensor instead of MAP which makes installing a CAI a bit tricky but I haven't bothered anyway. I put in a lightweight battery like on my 3G and it's doing fine. The J35Z6 seems to act about the same as the J32A3. Can't really notice a huge difference. A bit more torque but I think that has more to do with Ktuner. The 3G was quicker but I think that has more to do with all the weight loss as well as the 6MT. Gotta say though, the 6AT on the 4G isn't too bad. Definitely the best auto I've driven. Still hoping to pick up a manual with my next car though, in 3 or 4 years. Looking at new cars right now since they'll be about the right age when I'm looking to purchase. Problem is, there aren't many newer vehicles with manuals. I like Lexus but no manuals. Even on high end stuff like the GS F. Kind of sucks. Might look into the Caddy ATS or <gasp> even a BMW or Audi.