stratified - NOT Recommended: Stock Turboback Exhaust or Catless downpipe WITH stock catback. what about stock cat aftermarket catback?

[Clint Beastwood]

My Abarth was fine with its crackly poppy goodness with its bone-stock exhaust; my Fiesta ST has stock cat and Aftermarket cat back (3" all the way back from cat). I'm in California so swapping the cat is a total minefield, especially with my location therein, but I would love to do a progressive crackles tune. Does anyone know where stock cat + aftermarket cat back falls vs. the above from their site?

 

[bustervic]

I've been running stock cat for 1 yr. I drive the car hard, a few autox events. So far so good.
Both they and dizzy have stated before that it should be ok but haven't done enough testing to verify.

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[M-Sport fan]

I am almost afraid to install the Strat Pn'C tune on mine since I now get PLENTY of burbles/low frequency pops on throttle cut/coast down from revs, as well as sometimes even between shifts (even when warm, used to be only when engine/exhaust was stone cold at start off) with my 3" CP-E Nexus system, and the factory catted downpipe, on the factory tune!!.

Besides the possible damage to the stock catcon, I would have the neighbors calling the cops on me EVERY DAY, it would be SO obnoxious to them!

 

[JDG]

I have had the Stratified loud crackles on a completely stock exhaust system for ~15K miles over the last 6 months. Nothing has broken yet..

I do, however, have a Whoosh catted downpipe ready to go in case I start shooting catalyst out the exhaust one day though. Not sure if this helps you lol

 

[Clint Beastwood]

I am almost afraid to install the Strat Pn'C tune on mine since I now get PLENTY of burbles/low frequency pops on throttle cut/coast down from revs, as well as sometimes even between shifts (even when warm, used to be only when engine/exhaust was stone cold at start off) with my 3" CP-E Nexus system, and the factory catted downpipe, on the factory tune!!.

Besides the possible damage to the stock catcon, I would have the neighbors calling the cops on me EVERY DAY, it would be SO obnoxious to them!

yeah i was thinking progressive crackles would mitigate the annoyance factor. I get a bit of burbling and popping, but its inconsistent and I love when it does it. Making it more predictable

 

[Joker328]

I have had the Stratified loud crackles on a completely stock exhaust system for ~15K miles over the last 6 months. Nothing has broken yet..

I do, however, have a Whoosh catted downpipe ready to go in case I start shooting catalyst out the exhaust one day though. Not sure if this helps you lol

I think this is a smart approach. Chances are it won't hurt anything, but you can't really complain if it does (since they warned you) and should just factor in the cost of a downpipe with a higher flow cat.

 

[A7xogg]

Backfires will blow out mufflers and resonators eventually. The closer they are to the tail pipe, the faster it will happen (stock or aftermarket)

 

[TyphoonFiST]

Been rolling The snap crackle pop tune on my stock exhaust FiST the past year.....Love it.....I think its perfect and I just shoveled 4700 miles on my car driving to the Florida Keys this past 2 weeks. I isn't as unbearable as people think. I wont wake your neighbors up...I get off of work at 6a and roll through my Hood with no complaints. I also got the same TUNE without it....So if I ever want I can just switch tunes if I want....But why would I?

 

[Blown]

Crackle tune here, all stock exhaust for over a year and over 25k Miles, no issues!

 

[danbfree]

OP, keep in mind that Stratified has their own forum here too and they will answer you directly... a lot of people miss it as it's way down the list in the vendors section, just keep that in mind... That said, I personally wouldn't run a stock catted DP with that kind of tune, I'd go with a Whoosh catted DP instead that has like 75% fewer catalyst cells than stock to let the stuff pass through to produce the noise... Technically you are meeting their requirements, but with the full cell count of the stock DP I'm thinking you could eventually ruin it over a number of years, but for only like $285 for a Whoosh catted, just keep in mind you might have to get one eventually.

 

[redmoe]

A new stock cat is only $450, so in the unlikely event that it was damaged the most it would cost to go back to stock part wise is $450. Based on the minimal gain and difficulty of the install I bet most folks will risk the stock cat unless they are upgrading the turbo. Also like mentioned before if the stock cat goes it’s a good excuse to upgrade

 

[danbfree]

A new stock cat is only $450, so in the unlikely event that it was damaged the most it would cost to go back to stock part wise is $450. Based on the minimal gain and difficulty of the install I bet most folks will risk the stock cat unless they are upgrading the turbo. Also like mentioned before if the stock cat goes it’s a good excuse to upgrade

But why even go back to stock at all if a high flow is $285 and will pass emissions tests? But yes, exactly, if you really want that style tune then just go with the stock cat until it's fried, why not? As long as you have at least the catback to give you the sound you paid for anyway...

 

[Clint Beastwood]

But why even go back to stock at all if a high flow is $285 and will pass emissions tests? But yes, exactly, if you really want that style tune then just go with the stock cat until it's fried, why not? As long as you have at least the catback to give you the sound you paid for anyway...

Sorry for the late reply! Here, an aftermarket cat is an automatic fail; doesn't matter what the emissions levels are - non-C.A.R.B. certified emissions items are an automatic fail. Even worse is getting pulled over and caught with emissions-illegal parts, the fines and time it eats up are insane. I got rolled for having a hollow cat on my SRT-4, they used to set up checkpoints in "streetracing areas" and spot check people. Intake without the carb sticker? ticket. Catless? Towed.

 

[TyphoonFiST]

Sorry for the late reply! Here, an aftermarket cat is an automatic fail; doesn't matter what the emissions levels are - non-C.A.R.B. certified emissions items are an automatic fail. Even worse is getting pulled over and caught with emissions-illegal parts, the fines and time it eats up are insane. I got rolled for having a hollow cat on my SRT-4, they used to set up checkpoints in "streetracing areas" and spot check people. Intake without the carb sticker? ticket. Catless? Towed.

So ...Clit....When are you going to be moving to the Land of 10,000 lakes? We got smaat here in Sota....that's horrible that they do that crap to people out there. I understand some of it...but other stuff is atrocious...

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[M-Sport fan]

Sorry for the late reply! Here, an aftermarket cat is an automatic fail; doesn't matter what the emissions levels are - non-C.A.R.B. certified emissions items are an automatic fail. Even worse is getting pulled over and caught with emissions-illegal parts, the fines and time it eats up are insane. I got rolled for having a hollow cat on my SRT-4, they used to set up checkpoints in "streetracing areas" and spot check people. Intake without the carb sticker? ticket. Catless? Towed.

How did they tell the catcon on the Super Skittle was hogged-out, by the ring when tapping on it?!

 

[danbfree]

Sorry for the late reply! Here, an aftermarket cat is an automatic fail; doesn't matter what the emissions levels are - non-C.A.R.B. certified emissions items are an automatic fail. Even worse is getting pulled over and caught with emissions-illegal parts, the fines and time it eats up are insane. I got rolled for having a hollow cat on my SRT-4, they used to set up checkpoints in "streetracing areas" and spot check people. Intake without the carb sticker? ticket. Catless? Towed.

I hear you, you are in the one state that sets the emissions standards for about 10 other states but the only one that is strict about keeping it all intact... up here in Oregon our cars are CA emissions new but as along as you don't roll in obviously really loud and stinky, when they smog check you they don't even pop the hood, just plug in, test, and send you on your way... But how would they know about a cat as long as it wasn't a stinky catless DP and wasn't throwing a code? Do factory DP's/cats have a CARB number that is visible?

 

[dmb]

You guys don't know how bad it can be here in so.cal. Laguna Beach is real bad, you can blame the ricer's but we all pay for the pension's of seems like half the people who live here, and they are not letting that slide at all.

 

[Clint Beastwood]

How did they tell the catcon on the Super Skittle was hogged-out, by the ring when tapping on it?!

heh - i was on my way home from drag racing at Qualcomm stadium, still had the numbers chalked on my window running cheater slicks. I didn't learn until after my experience racing that the police *hosted* the qualcomm drags to keep kids from streetracing. They don't bust anyone at the drags but anyone who seemed suspiciously fast usually wound up getting pulled over within 10 minutes of leaving. My SRT exhaust was a 3" pipe dumping out under the drivers' side rear door, and as I was decelerating to pull over for the nice officer my car decided to belch a fireball :facepalm: I had EO and CARB numbers for every.single.part except the hollow cat, which I had just done a few weeks before and not even tuned for yet. I drove around in my grand national with zero cat for *years*, same with a v8 fiero (both had cats I could put on just to get smogged, never got stopped for either) but of course I get rolled after the *street legal* drags. I never did the streetracing thing, but I got popped by cops set up to bust illegal street racers.

You want to see crazy, check out san diego county's forfeiture ordinance. I used to live down there - check this out https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07418820600985370?src=recsys&journalCode=rjqy20

A friend of mine had to bid on his car at auction to get it back.

 

[Clint Beastwood]

You guys don't know how bad it can be here in so.cal. Laguna Beach is real bad, you can blame the ricer's but we all pay for the pension's of seems like half the people who live here, and they are not letting that slide at all.

Yeah, dunno if you've seen the signs in laguna canyon but they specifically say "loud vehicles will be ticketed" - I got pulled over a few times in my bone stock abarth. Now I have a DB meter and can prove that I fall a few DB under the legal limit. In LB at least, the loud ones aren't really ricers, its mostly straight piped exotics.

 

[M-Sport fan]

heh - i was on my way home from drag racing at Qualcomm stadium, still had the numbers chalked on my window running cheater slicks. I didn't learn until after my experience racing that the police *hosted* the qualcomm drags to keep kids from streetracing. They don't bust anyone at the drags but anyone who seemed suspiciously fast usually wound up getting pulled over within 10 minutes of leaving. My SRT exhaust was a 3" pipe dumping out under the drivers' side rear door, and as I was decelerating to pull over for the nice officer my car decided to belch a fireball :facepalm: I had EO and CARB numbers for every.single.part except the hollow cat, which I had just done a few weeks before and not even tuned for yet. I drove around in my grand national with zero cat for *years*, same with a v8 fiero (both had cats I could put on just to get smogged, never got stopped for either) but of course I get rolled after the *street legal* drags. I never did the streetracing thing, but I got popped by cops set up to bust illegal street racers.

You want to see crazy, check out san diego county's forfeiture ordinance. I used to live down there - check this out https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07418820600985370?src=recsys&journalCode=rjqy20

A friend of mine had to bid on his car at auction to get it back.

Was it an actual CARB legal, factory installed catcon, stock appearing on the outside, but just hogged-out, or was it a 'dirty', NON-CARB catcon, which you had gutted?
Either way, yeah, you were NOT going to get a 'pass' for spitting flames, or even a side exit pipe for that matter!

HOW did they even consider a V-8 swapped Fiero, even a fully stock, CARB legal with factory down pipe catcons right off of the cast iron manifolds, modern, LSx conversion?? (I though this was a TOTAL NO GO in the Republik of Kalifornia? )

I've heard stories about nabbed street racers having their rides go straight to the CRUSHER once convicted of the crime (EVEN the FIRST offense).
Does this still happen there, or does it depend on the county/locale?