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cryellow
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Location: San Diego, CA

Passing Smog with Headers/Free Flow Exhaust

Post by cryellow »

About a year ago I removed the entire stock exhaust from my GTV6 and installed IAP headers, and a new stainless steel free flow exhaust (center resonator and rear muffler) from Stebro. Performance picked up A LOT.

The system sounded VERY loud, and eventually I got a modified exhaust ticket. I got some tip inserts from Stebro, and the sound went down.

Then my smog came up for a TEST ONLY center in California, which is a much more extensive emission test that is hard to fudge. So I knew I had to put at a minimum a catalytic converter back into the system.

I contacted Dan Petschenig at Stebro and he offered me a CAT for my application for 350 CDN. That seemed a bit steep, but later he emailed me saying they had an end of year special on all parts, 25% off. I said okay and asked how much shipping would be, because I had had a problem with Dan on this before where he overcharged me massively for shipping on the original exhaust system and the tip inserts. It was at this point that Dan came back and said, whoa, the price on the exhaust is actually 517 CDN, so with 25% off I could pay 388 CDN! I was very diplomatic and requested the original price and 25% off but he came back with some crap about how the original price was for "the converter body alone without piping." 217 (U.S. $179.) for piping? Well, you get the message.

Stebro has an excellent product but beware -- they will nickel and dime you to death if you leave any issues, including shipping open. He takes a very long time to ship products too -- several months in my case.

I ended up having this done locally (for about the same, including labor, than Dan wanted for a CAT alone that he would not even tell me any details about). We put in a Magnaflow #93008 high flow 2 in 2 out cat. The muffler shop recommended a high flow exhaust rather than one more equivalent to the one in a stock GTV6 because of the headers. He felt that the modified exhaust would burn out a smaller CAT within a year or two.

The system passed smog! I think the fact that the headers were a year old and looked like they had been stock on the engine helped. The guy never said anything about them. He just said he noticed the new CAT, which is allowed.

The sound now is much closer to a Porsche now than a rice burner, which is nicer in my opinion actually, but I do think the cat converter lowered performance a bit. At least enough to where I notice it.
Greg Gordon
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Post by Greg Gordon »

Great story, I am glad to hear they didn't notice or complain about the headers. I don't mind having emission standards but I do dislike it when they overlook clean tailpipe emissions and gripe about non standard equipment.
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cryellow
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Location: San Diego, CA

Emissions test

Post by cryellow »

I was nervous about the headers too but he did not say anything and neither did I, of course! The place I had the smog done used to be my Alfa mechanic (he closed up and a smog place rented out the space) but I don't think that had anything to do with my passing.
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