awhile ago i saw this white 91 max, it had a loud growling noise like it was a v8 or something, it was hott!! when i looked at the exhaust it was stock. what was the cause of the v8 like sound, was it an engine swap, the mod of the y and b pipe or what?

 

Maybe (like mine) he/she/it had the so-called "test pipe" put in instead of the cat. I know that when I push the throttle past 3k on my Max, it sounds like a 302 under the hood...

 

test pipe in place of the cat?? when i saw this max, it had the v8 growl at 1000-3000 rpm's

 

It could be a number of things. It probably had a rusted out flex section on the y-pipe. I recently replaced mine and while the exhaust was leaking out, it was quite loud and rumbly. The stock y-pipes will last about 10 years or so.

Now, what sounds nice is when you start your car with JUST a y-pipe on! Disconnect the rest of the exhaust aftert he y-pipe, and it sounds like a dragster. Any car would do that though.

 

can i just leave the cat off and keep the y and b pipes on?

 

You'd have to find a way to replace the missing cat with some sort of pipe, and you will probably break every emissions law there is. but if you don't have inspections, then what do you care.

 

 

Well, like NCSUmax said, if you don't have any kinda emissions laws where you live, either "gutting out" the cat you've got(something any DIY mechanic can do) or getting a test pipe (any muffler shop can do it or you can buy on on Ebay sometimes) might be an option for you. But that's totally up to you on which one would be more economical/make more sense.

 

Gutting the cat or removing it completely is against the law. Perhaps nobody will find out, but what if they do? Will it be worth it? Some people have reported no change at all driving with a test pipe. As long as your cat is not clogged, it really doesn't restrict much airflow.

 

I had a slightly cracked y-pipe a few months ago and everyone at work wanted me to leave it alone. Real throaty, very good sounding, but loud. Seems to be my luck with exhaust... I have to pay to get rid of the sound everyone else is looking for.

-Seth

 

did this max look like it was modded in any way?
maybe the exhaust just had a hole in it somewhere

 

well i just saw it drive by, but alll i saw is that the exhaust was stock

 

Gutted cats are complete BS. It hurts performance. As far as making your Max sound good, it isn't too hard. I was pretty surprised to see a white 3rd gen, yesterday, that had a sick rice muffler on it. I was amazed because it actually sounded good?! It had a powerful throaty v8 kind of droning sound to it. I just wish the guy would have floored it. Hehe, I have a ton of exhaust leaks right now (y, muffler, flex section, cat). I'm surprised my exhaust hasn't just fallen off. From inside the car, it's sounds really good, although extremely quiet. Though, from outside it sounds a lot different. I had my friend drive my car and the engine sounded nice but, when he passed by all you could hear is a loud hiss from the rear. Now I see why a moron 'stang owner believed I did a turbo engine swap!

 

I had a cracked y-pipe and tought I could go a month or two without replacing it. Ended up heating the seals in my tranny and now it's costing me over a grand to fix...

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Shadow1198
[B]Gutted cats are complete BS. It hurts performance....

Who told you that? I gutted my cat and it made a big difference. Changed the sound slightly, but more importantly, pulled harder all the way up to redline. Before this torque dropped too much past 5k and made redlining it unnecessary. Now I have a Carsound cat on it..seems to still pull well, but not quite what it was with a hollow cat.

 

It's a better idea to just replace the cat with a test pipe. The reason is, the cat is a larger diameter than the exhaust piping. If you "gut" it, the exhaust expands as it travels through the cat (because of the larger diameter). This causes turbulence in the exhaust flow. Yes, it's true top-end can be improved (not too sure on that) but, overall it's best to just get a test pipe. Male, did you have the stock factory cat? How many miles does your Max have? I bet if I went and gutted my cat right now I'd notice and increase too. The reason is, my cat is old, clogged up, and not functioning properly so it has a lot more hinderance to performance than a brand new cat.

 

yo mine max sounds like a v8. Its gotta bad cyclinder and bad injectors. Sounds like a damn muscle car. W/ a performance muffler.....its freakin loud man.