I just put on my test pipes earlier to check them out today..using them for track use...BUT, the car smells HORRIBLE with them on. I feel nautious (sp) everytime I stop and the smell of gas wafts up into the passenger cabin. Does the computer adjust and run leaner to compensate once you drive for a hundred miles or so? Or does the smell continue? Also I have the borla TD exhaust and there is a hissing sound that sounds like an exhaust leak around 2000-3000 RPM, when you let the revs go down, when you rev UP the car there is a hissing sound around 4000 RPM...Anyone else get this??

Otherwise, the sound is crazy, and there is a significant gain in power

 

Unless you've got an exhaust leak, that's the sound of air flow...whenever you replace your cat pipes with test pipes, you're going to hear the air flow sounds...there's always a trade-off to power...I haven't replaced the pipes on mine yet...but on my Cobra, when I changed to an off-road H-pipe design, I quite a bit of air-flow sound compared to cat-pipes & sitting in the drive-thru or bank teller....the smell would almost knock me out....it just the price you pay for getting rid or the cats....now you know why the "tree-huggers" get so angry about regulating exhaust gasses...you gotta love it or hate it...I hate to tell ya

 

I'm surprised in LA you don't have a visual inspection on your cats... otherwise, what a pain to have to swap them out just for a test.

 

is so cal theres nothing a small fee cant solve

 

The smell never goes away because the material that absorbed it is gone and it stinks especially if you are in a confined garage, plus you get drone too. I hated that smell!

These are the 2 reasons (plus fear of heavy fines) that I put them back on my Z28.

 

so then never stop! just keep driving and driving and driving!!!

hehehe...

 

Hmm.. I guess I might put my cats back on tomorrow.. Anyone wanna buy the test pipes off of me?

 

how much!?!?

how much for the test pipes?!??

I just bought a set of mines from that group buy but they dont get here for months...

 

Thank you for the honest review.
I was thinking about getting the test pipes - but not now. I don't want to catch a wiff and puke on myself.

 

I've had my test pipes on for 2000 miles and i have never noticed a smell even when running 3 gallons of toluene or xylene in my tank. what kind of gas are you using?

 

I have never noticed a smell with mine on either...the only thing that is different is the sound and a rattling or vibration sound at 3500rpm or higher. My understanding is that it's normal because the cats actually act like a resonator and without them the exhaust gasses flow better out of the headers, which are hitting the stainless test pipes making the noise.

 

If you really do want to sell the test pipes, PM me with a price. I've been looking to pick some up.

 

The smell is temporary and the noise of the TD Borla is normal, its because of the H pipe, you have more flow now. the sound is there w the cats too but is very quiet.

 

since we are both in LA will you be my friend