hey whats up guys. i have a 04 touring 5AT and i wanna get some test pipes for the car. so far i have a pop charger, DC sports headers, UR crank pulley, 05 track lower plenum, and a nismo exhasut. i know the helix pipes arent resonated and i want one thats not resonated cuz i dont want the raspy sound. also i know it will throw a CEL... is there any way to get rid of that?

 

Just read the forum. There are tons of posts on both of your questions.

Answer to best test pipes:
Test pipes are test pipes. As long as they fit, they all work the same. You can, however, get resonated ones that control the exhaust note(rasp) a bit more than nonresonated ones:
Good choice of nonresonated:
APS, Helix, Xerd, or any other brand
Resonated:
Labree motorsports are probably the best, UT are good as well.

IMO, stay away from kinetix brand

Answer to CEL:


HELP! nonfoulers, part # 42002 or 42009 - either will work.
Buy two packs for a total of '4' nonfoulers. Take two of the four and drill them out with a 1/2" drill bit. Take the two NONdrilled nonfoulers and screw one into each test pipe. Then screw one drilled nonfouler into them on each bank. Now, install the o2 sensors into drilled nonfouler and you are done.

Each bank should look like this

o2 sensor -> DRILLED nonfouler -> NON drilled nonfouler -> test pipe

Make sure the code is cleared before running the car as the fix will keep the SES light away, but 'may' not clear it if it was already thrown.

 

Non resonated = rasp

Resonated = less rasp

 

You can shop based on several criteria:
Do you want to use the OEM hangers?
Do you want to protect other items in the area with a heat shield?
That might narrow your options.

 

I have the Xerd test pipes, they fit perfectly, well made, but too loud for me. They also fit the stock hanger brace. Think they have them for $99 shipped on the Xerd website.

 

so if i get the resonated ones, then i will have less rasp? also if u guys can tell, all the mods i did were CARB legal. however, since mine is 5AT, i think the test pipes will improve my performance. i know if i put them on it wont be legal anymore, so ill just take em off when i get a smog check.... i was looking at the helix ones. and yes i want to use OEM hangers and do i need a heat shield?

 

http://www.intensepower.com/inmorerapi35.html

very reasonable price

 

[QUOTE]http://www.intensepower.com/inmorerapi35.html

very reasonable price

yeah those are nice ones too. do i still need a heat sheild for it? where can i get one? and how does the raspiness actually sound? i mean my car sounds nice with the mods i have but i care more for performance. sorry for asking all these questions. im new to the forums and i had my car over a year now but just started modding her a few months ago. before the Z i had a 96 celica gt completely stock. im not one of those riceboys( no offense) who thinks a civic with a CAI, and a fart can , with rims and lowered is a sports car. im just looking for more performance on the street with the occasional run on the track. thnx for ur help guys.

 

sorry to threadjack but i just wanna clear this up... if i change the cats, i'm definitely getting a CEL on?

 

yeah thats what i heard. even if u put high flow cats u still get one.

 

This thread is out of hand- so much misinformation

there is a 99.9999% chance that you won't throw a code with HFC's- basically no chance as long as the cats are working.

With Test Pipes, if you are running an 03 or early 04 model yr car, you most likely won't have a problem with a CEL. Some do, however, your chances are slim. With an 04.5+ model yr, you most likely will throw a CEL with test pipes. Some people don't, but the majority do. If you find you do throw a code, please refer to the post about the nonfoulers for an easy fix.

Now to respond to this:
Do you want to use the OEM hangers?
This doesn't matter. You will not need the oem support brackets on test pipes. My test pipes have brackets that use the oem hangers. I have installed Helix test pipes on another person's car and they do not have brackets - no difference.

Do you want to protect other items in the area with a heat shield?
WTF is this? this is complete BS. there are heatshields attached to the underbody of the car. These are not removed if you install test pipes. Nothing is in danger or needs to be protected.


In terms of raspiness, I think it is a VERY subjective issue. I have heard first hand the helix NONresonated testpipes on two different Z's both running stock exhaust. I did not detect a hint of rasp in either cars. The exhaust note changed, but not for the worse. under free rev and light load, the note was bit hollow sounding, but not raspy. Under load, it was more exotic and louder that stock.

I ran resonated test pipes on my evo2 exhaust. I had a bit of rasp on decel at times - more like a 'snake hiss" but this was a result of my headers, not test pipes. The test pipes woke the exhaust up and made it come alive.

Removing your cats is illegal. Whether it is for test pipes or HFCs, unless they are damaged. That said, you will most likely pass emissions with a decent set of HFCs, but if they are very informed and nit picky testers, they could fail you on a visual - not saying that that is going to happen.

With test pipes, you run a very high risk of failing both the sniffer and visual inspection.

IMO, just get the helix test pipes and forget everything else you read here except the following:
1.) remember the nonfouler fix if you throw a CEL
2.) test pipes are not CARB approved and you will most likely need to reinstall your cats at inspection time

 

i know if i put test pipes then it isn't CARB legal. but i dont have to worry about going for a smog check or inspection for another 3-4 yrs. ill just put the stock cats on. anyways i know the Crawford HFC's do throw a CEL. And Zivman do the helix pipes(resonated) make a less raspy sound than the non resonated ones? u said u heard the non reso. on a stock exhaust. im running Nismo exhaust with DC headers.

 

i know if i put test pipes then it isn't CARB legal. but i dont have to worry about going for a smog check or inspection for another 3-4 yrs. ill just put the stock cats on. anyways i know the Crawford HFC's do throw a CEL. And Zivman do the helix pipes(resonated) make a less raspy sound than the non resonated ones? u said u heard the non reso. on a stock exhaust. im running Nismo exhaust with DC headers.

 

I agree. In fact, cats will produce more heat than test pipes.

Zivman ... what is your opinion on high flow cats? I have run Megan test pipes for a few months now and I would like to put on some cats for a couple personal reasons.

 

Nismo = basically stock exhaust IMO. What I am saying that the helix + stock exhaust sounded good. From what I know, Helix does not make a resonated test pipe. From my personal experience, the rasp is played up a bit on the forums. It is not as bad in person as you would think is from reading the forums. That said, the catback plays a bigger part in controlling rasp than the test pipes themselves. Even with my Labree resonated Tests, that probably have the biggest resonators on them, the resonators are relatively small and only can do so much. With the small resonators, much of the burden is placed on the exhaust. My suggestion is seek out a local with the same setup as you and listen and judge for yourself.


Trust me, HFCs will NOT throw a CEL. The only way HFCs will throw a CEL are:
1.) if they are damaged
2.) issue with the install. Most likely a damaged o2 sesnor.

HFCs work the same as the oem cats and and as a result, will NOT throw a CEL.


My opinion on HFCs is that they are a waste if you already have test pipes. If you are determined to get them, I would get the helix test pipes because they have metal substrate. The crawfords are nice, but from what I can see and have read, they use $50 carsound HFCs that, IMO, are short lived. I have run carsound HFCs on previous cars, and depending on the application, I have seen them burn out in 10K miles. Add to that, crawford charges $500 for them. What I am getting at is; you can buy non resonated test pipes for $99, and weld in two $50 carsound HFCs for a grand total of $200. The Helix with with the metal substrate should last much longer.

I would not touch kinetix or random tech HFCs because of quality concerns. I haven't heard much about the UT, though I thought they might also contain a metal substrate like the Helix, though I would double check that.

 

ill go with the helix ones. thanks for ur help.

 

i heard the crawford HFC's are really good. what is the $50 carsound? anyways i made up my mind and was gonna get the resonanted helix pipes.