Ive been reading about y-pipes for my 07. From what I understand it should increase horsepower and give a v8 sound. Will I have to modify my stock exhaust system? Who should I order from? Any of you guys running a y-pipe chime in.

 

No modification is requires with either brand Ypipe, both are a straight bolt on for the OEM Ypipe

 

cattman or obx seems to be the y-pipe of choice by most. not sure about an 07 max, but in a 95-99, the you can put a y-pipe on and use your stock catback. if you did y-pipe, and catback, it should free up around 15hp maybe more

 

OBX does not make a Ypipe for the 04-08, Just Racingline & Cattman

 

racingline and cattman y-pipe just bolts right on to the old piping. as for gaskets go, they are three. you can get a replacement oem one that goes to the b-pipe. as for the o-ring gaskets that goes to the headers, the oem ones don't fit because the aftermarket y-pipe tubing does not stick out like the oem one does or at least mine didn't. i'm pretty sure your local exhaust shop will have one that fits your car. and no you do not have to modify your exhuast in order for it to fit. hope that helps.

 

Not finding a y pipe for the 6th gens on Cattmans site, looks like raceline will be the recipient of my money......

 

cattman has them...its just that the fact he hasn't updated his site in a long time. but racingline def is a good spot to go to since its cheaper. and from what i've heard cattman and racingline is the same thing.....both y pipes just deleted the cats

and no you will not get a v8 sound from a y pipe. whoever originally said that should be smacked. most ppl just notice a different tone from there AFTERMARKET exhaust not the oem

 

Im going to be buying the racingline Y-pipe and ebay greddy knock off exhaust this spring with that combination I am assuming they will bolt right up? Does anyone have this set-up if so could I hear some sound clips or get any advice you may have. Thanks guys.

 

yes it will bolt right up.

 

If you live in Canada, get the Racingline. If you live in the US, get the Cattman...

 

That's what I wanted to hear. Im really looking for a boost in hp. Not really concerned about sounding like an v8 because its a v6

 

 

Thanks Guys!

 

I have a cattman (no Catt converter) and it improved horsepower but it wont make your car sound like a v8 lol.

 

Its probably too late to influence the purchase decision of the guy who started this thread, but I wanted to correct some misstatements about our y-pipe for the 04-08 Maxima and explain what sets it apart from other brands.

Not sure about Racingline, but the Cattman y-pipes are available with or without a main cat (customers just putting on the y-pipe typically get it without the cat, customers who are also installing headers will often choose a cat because their pre-cats are being removed).

The Cattman and Racingline y-pipes are different in a number of significant ways. I think both offer a good value for their different prices, but if I sold both products, I would promote the Racingline part as "Good" and the Cattman version as "Best".

Here are pictures of the Cattman y-pipes (auto tranny version w/o cat on the left, manual version w/ cat and dual O2 ports on the right) for purposes of comparison.



I'll point out a few features that differentiate Cattman y-pipes (and other exhaust parts) from the competition:

The 2-1 merge-style collectors we use are an unusual feature in a production exhaust part, and one of the primary reasons our y-pipes and headers offer superior performance results. The gradual merging of the two exhaust streams is great for performance, but expensive to make this way, and most companies make do with swaged collectors that dump the two exhaust streams together suddenly and create excess turbulance.

We use dual flex sections that are oriented towards the front of the pipe so that when the engine rocks back (when you hit the gas), only the forward sections of the downpipes move with it and the y-pipe doesn't get too near the ground (speedbumps, curbs, etc.). The flex section is the most vulnerable part on a y-pipe, so the stress is spread out over two unitstypically the first thing to fail in a stainless steel y-pipe.]

Cattman y-pipes for the 6th gen Maxima are TIG-welded, which is inherently stronger than the MIG welding. We use a full 16 gauge unpolished (polishing removes materials and makes the tube walls thinner) T304 stainless steel tubing and 3/8" thick plate steel flanges for the greatest possible strength. Our fabrication is done in Southern California, using US materials and components, by one of the top exhaust fabricators in the US - now an 8 year relationship. As far as I know, we are the only company manufacturing y-pipes in North America for the 04-08 Maxima.

As always, feel free to contact us by phone with further questions or to place orders - 800.759.9920 (US except AZ, HI, AK, PR), 888.296.5153 (Canada and AZ) or 520.575.6195, open 9-5 MST, M-F.

Brian C Catts
Cattman Performance

 

What kind of gains can be seen from this alone?

 

Cattman y-pipes make 12-15 whp on automatics, 14-17 whp on manual transmissions. If the EPA-approved high-flow, 300-cell, all-metal cat we use is included, subtract 1-2 whp.

Brian

 

Im also thinking about getting a Cattman y-pipe (catless). Am I going to have a problem passing emissions?

 

Depends on your state laws. If all they do is hook up your car to a computer (the OBDII plug under your steering wheel), you will be fine.

 

Really shouldn't be an issue because a performance y-pipe w/o a main cat (used with stock headers and pre-cats) will not trigger a check engine light. That is simply because there is no following O2 sensor after the main cat (in the stock y-pipe) to check on its function.

There are very few states (CA is the only one I can think of) that do anything other than plug into the engine computer to check for emissions-related error codes, and since a y-pipe won't trigger a code, everything's good. I've even heard it said that Maximas without the main cat can pass a sniffer test (the old style of emissions testing) with just the two pre-cats (no main cat), but I don't if that's true.

Brian

 

Awesome. Thanks guys

 

Im sold! Cattman it is...Thanks Brian!

 

So on my 06 Maxima, if I add headers, do I get check light with a y pipe with cat?? How about with one without?? Will it it sound the same with or without a cat??

 

without turning this thread into a pissing contest, I will just say that the RL Ypipe is in fact made 100% in Ontario Canada, and that all pipes ship with the original mill stampings still on them.

But a basic comparison of the 2
RL:
-409SS --harder surface and more impact resistant than 304SS. 409SS is marginally less expensive than 304SS
-MIG welded--- not a pretty as TIG, but every bit as functional in an exhaust application, less expensive (marginally)
-one piece primary section cuts out material costs but requires a more precise jig fixture
-dyno proven gains of 12+whp

Cattman:
-304SS-- shinier finish and better corrosion resistance, softer than 409, more expensive
-TIG welded---cleaner and more expensive than MIG
-dual flex---more forgiving than single, more expensive
-dyno proven gains of 12+whp


I will concede that Brians pipe costs more to build and is a nicer piece. but I would argue that function over form has it's place too, and the approach we have chosen to take provides exceptional value per dollar without sacrificing overall build quality.

With that said I believe there is enough market for both products. Someone could make a full titanium version and it would be more expensive and better than both currently available products (generally speaking), however the real world gains seen would be non existent, and that product would not be providing you with the best value for your dollar.

 

Is there any difference in sound between the two assuming same mufflers being used?

 

If I used your y-pipe with a header will I get a code?

 

Hey, I have 1999 infiniti I30, I installed headers and y-pipe on my car, dont know about your car, but my performance increased significantly but sound not so much, on cold start low revs sound like g35 coupe =))) but on high revs dont expect any changes because your main converter still in and your catback I assume is stock,..
I drilled missin O2 sensors and welded in them, so I have all O2 sensors in and I have no check engine light or anything like it... I would recommend you buy a setup headers+y-pipe, it will be better than just a y-pipe itself,... I got a little less power at low revs but after about 3500rpm its like V-TECH kicks in lol, noticabely faster, they gave me .4 sec gain in 1/4!!! good luck buying those, you wont regret!!!

 

Well next year I'm doing Headers, y pipe and custom exhaust with 2.5 piping and Magnaflow resonator. I just want to find out if the sound will change weather I get a cat or no cat. If sound is the same with the y pipe cat and already has all the bongs in for the o2 sensors, then I rather do that.

 

Of course we put more emphasis on the attributes of our design, fabrication methods and materials - particularly the merge-style 2-1 collector design we use and the equal length downpipes (which have a noticeable effect on sound but don't do a lot for performance) - but I think Taz's summary states things pretty fairly. There's no significant disagreement on this, but of course each of us will put our own spin on things. Both pipes provide a good value for the investment, just a matter of which features are important to the customer.

My sincere apologies if I am incorrect about the current manufacturing location of the RL y-pipe. The well-known Canadian company that provides this part has very limited in-house/domestic manufacturing capacity and I understood it was being produced in a Chinese facility, like most of their products. Perhaps that arrangement has changed since the genesis of this part. I trust what Taz has to say about this, and I stand corrected.


Brian

 

no one seems to have mentioned that the cattman piece does not have the ding that the stock y-pipe has, which racingline seems to have replicated...

i remember when the b-pipes were coming out, everyone was complaining how the dink in the b-pipe was causing "massive" hp loss...:rollseyes:

 

Same answer for CP and RL y-pipes. The y-pipe is not the cause of the emissions-related engine codes that can be avoided by installing the headers properly, but it can be part of the solution.

When headers are installed, both precats are removed, so the challenge is tricking the ECU into thinking they're still there. This can be done by two methods, 1) using a O2 simulator to send dummy "pre-cats are working" signals to the ECU, or 2) by incorporating a main cat in the performance y-pipe with dual O2 ports on the downstream side. In method 2, which seems to generally be more reliable on 05 and later Nissans than simulators, the relocated O2 sensors that were previously monitoring the precats are "tricked" by monitoring emissions in the y-pipe cat.

We offer both versions; I'm not sure about RL, but there seems to be plenty of room to install a cat between the flex and rear flange.

Brian

 

Perfect! Thanks, that's the answer I was looking for. Next year I'll be coming to you guys for Headers and y-pipe with cat.

 

No hard feelings, but your right they do send a large number of their production overseas, however these are in fact made locally. They tried sending them overseas at one point about 2 1/2 - 3 years ago (Taiwan as they pay welders more and have better QC as I'm told compared to China). The finish quality and welding was excellent but the part it self did not fit right. 3 samples were done and I wasn't pleased with any of them so I had turned down the offer to outsource the product despite the cost savings ( I suspect their jigging methods were their main flaw). The local shop that handles the part for us is slow but reliable. They invested alot of time and money into making the jig setup so that it is reliable since the 1 piece front primary section placement is critical without the second flex in place, and reliability is whats most important.

 

Sorry to laugh, but that's exactly the same experience I had with the same people when we tried looking for an overseas source to create a second-tier line of exhaust parts.

Months stretched into years, and in the end they lost our parts + nothing they copied would fit without a cutting torch and prybar. You can get great stuff from excellent overseas factories if ordering thousands of pieces, but not in the numbers that you or I work with.

 

This turned into a great thread, as i read i had questions and they subsequently got answered. Thank you RL and Catt, you both offered great comparisions and i think you made decision making process for most if not all easier. I am not ready to do this mod just yet but i have info i need

 

Just wondering what the cost difference is between the Cattman and Racingline

 

I've heard of some 04 - 07 Maxima's running lean and throwing a code because of this...any one heard of this and is this true? And if so what is the fix...obvious one being: the installation of a piggy back computer (ECU). I have also heard that you can install the NWP spacers and Via plate instead of the headers and would get the same performance....

 

You have the y-pipe mixed up with the headers. It is the headers that will sometimes throw the code.

And another thing, yeah you can install the spacers and plate for a good power increase...why not add the headers along with them and then get another good chunk of power...

 

Which headers do you recommend...I've seen Kinetix and they look nice...but how do you solve the code problem? Also some here on the org claim that if you have the spacers, you don't need the headers...and that it's better to spend on the Y-pipe.

Cheers!

 

Does the Racingline come with the cat(s)? How does this affect warranty?