Exhaust questions and suggestions

[Northwoods21]

We'll I've updated from all my old trucks and cars that I restored to some new technology. Im in a bit of a pickle! In all my old cars and trucks I've just ran straight pipes all the way back from the headers with no cats and no mufflers to maybe a glass pack at times. It gave my old cars and trucks that sound I needed.

Now Im driving a 2000 Silverado and I cant take the exhaust being so quiet. The thing is im not use to all this computer crap, makes me want to go back to my old rides. Im looking and doing a dual exhaust but now with these Sensors im a bit confused. I was going to cut the cats off and run straight back but what to do with the sensors and how much of a headache will it be. Other suggestions where to just leave the cats and sensors and run my pipes straight back from there.

Any suggestions or opinions.

[65ny]

Leave everything in place from the 'cat forward and run a "cat back" exhaust system. You don't want to distrub your sensors.

[Sinister]

How about using o2 simulators to keep the computer happy, then you should be able to do away with the stuff you don't like. Don't know if the loss of cat converter back pressure would make a difference though. Help me out here guys.

[IMagius]

Up here in Canda, doing away with the cat's is not an option since in some areas we have to have our vehicles Emmission Tested (Smog Test) every time we renew our license plates.

At the muffler shop I "assist"at, we do lots of exactly what you are looking for. Just a little wake up for the exhaust system. Duals, from the cat's back is not really a problem, and still leaves all your O2 sensors in place.

We get a lot of guys with 2000'ish trucks that are looking for "that sound", and since the warranty is done anyways, don't really care about any possible aftermarket parts issues anymore.


Suggestion ....

If you have the time and the shop is willing (like ours is) ask to stick around for a while. Once they have the old system cut off, and temp pipes run from the cat's to the approx. muffler location, do a "sound test" with different styles of mufflers on your vehicle. Some sound better on different types of engines, and this will let you get just the right amount of rumble that you want, without requiring a bottle of Tylenol for the longer drives.

Not sure what size pipes you have on your truck now, but we have found that upsizing the system the cat back (ex: from 2" to 2 1/2") will increase the "throatiness" to a V8 as well.

Also, bear in mind that since everythign you are changing is "downstream" of the O2 sensors, nothing will change with the computer. All the O2 is measuring the the O2 ratio of what is leaving the Catalytic Convertor.