First I'd like to say I just put on my first mod which was a JWT pop-charger. Now I'm thinking about headers and exhaust. I live in AL and we dont' have emissions laws (so I'm told) so I can pretty much do whatever I want. My question is, if I visit a state that has emissions laws will I get busted even though I'm a resident of AL? If that's the case I guess I'll just go with a legal solution.

 

Your state doesnt have an emission law because it's a federal law. Your state just might not spend the money on testing.

High flow cats would be a good alternative.

 

they could bust you if they are being out of state ******. only california would do that to people

 

Thanks for the info Roast. I guess I will look into a high flow cat system. Any recomendations?

 

Cops have better things to do than impound your car, put it on a lift, then inspect for federal emissions requirements. That type of law enforcement is not fiscally efficient: It takes 10 minutes for a cop to write a $100 speeding ticket.

 

I use to own a Z and I'm from the southeast. I will tell you now, if you had testpipes you have nothing to worry about. I had testpipes with injen ses exhaust and with that combination it was one of the loudest exhaust systems on the Z period. Get some testpipes and don't waste your time/money with high-flow cats. You want the maximum amount of hp/tq you can get out of an exhaust system period. Word of advice!

 

not in california.... my friend car got impounded last year for not having cats.
oh and he got the ticket....

 

Let me help summarize things here and cut through the opinions that tend to be presented as fact:
1) HP diff in high flow cat's vs. test pipe is negligible (maybe 1hp?)
2) TP tends to create rasp more so than HFC
3) TP will throw CEL in new cars
4) TP stinks/leaves rich fuel smell like your grandmas '72 Pinto
5) TP will fail sniffer test if you have it
6) HFC reduces pollution and is better for the environment
7) HFC provides HP gain over OEM if you do your home work
8) Ultimate Racing HFCs are all stainless and priced below $500 including shipping. Also has OEM style bracket and those that don't have reports of cracking (some that do have too but were of poor quality)
9) Don't buy the aluminized HFC as they have a shorter life.
10) If you think HFC or TP will make a big difference, you will be disappointed (3-5 hp).
11) When it comes to exhaust mod's, it's more about looks and sound as you really can't realize much gain in a NA car via an exhaust alone.
I hope this helps.