Exhaust smell with no cats?

**Goldcuffs** · 09-17-2008, 02:27 PM

Hey guys I'm thinking of running full length headers but I'm concerned with the exhaust smell becoming stronger. Those of you that run full length headers did you notice anything drastic, especially inside the car? I have a 2 and 7yr old that I don't want breathing anything dangerous.

**thearborbarber** · 09-17-2008, 02:43 PM

I noticed a smell of exhaust but nothing terrible.

**Goldcuffs** · 09-17-2008, 02:44 PM

Anything inside or just outside.

**fast enough Z28** · 09-17-2008, 03:01 PM

mostly outside unless your idling with the windows down

**amoulds58** · 09-17-2008, 03:03 PM

Originally Posted by Goldcuffs

Hey guys I'm thinking of running full length headers but I'm concerned with the exhaust smell becoming stronger. Those of you that run full length headers did you notice anything drastic, especially inside the car? I have a 2 and 7yr old that I don't want breathing anything dangerous.

You should be fine, I don't notice a smell unless I am at the back of the car when it is running or if I have it running in the garage.

**Boomer Sooner** · 09-17-2008, 03:10 PM

i didnt smell anything strange/different after i ditch my cats.

**Goldcuffs** · 09-17-2008, 04:01 PM

Ok,thanks guys.I expect a little but didn't know if it was going to be drastic.

**ss~zoso~ss** · 09-17-2008, 04:12 PM

well if you have exhaust leaks, you will smell it inside likely, i do, so i do smell it inside, this i because i dont want to crush my header collectors to my y pipe, so i just used a band clamp instead of Ubolt clamp

**INMY01TA** · 09-17-2008, 04:54 PM

Didn't notice any fumes with the stock cam.

**BlueMagicSS** · 09-17-2008, 10:07 PM

With no Cats and No O2's I smell Exhaust pretty strongly when my passenger door is opened and the car is idling, mostly because of my cutout right by that door. But other then that when the windows are down NO huge difference.

**mark21742** · 09-18-2008, 02:06 AM

the smell is common, when you ditch the cats you change your a/f ratio. I had the same problem. get a good tune and the smell will go away and you will get more performance.
if you just do bolt ons you can usually just get a mail order tune for pretty cheap, frost on here is a tuner and I think he charges about $125. if you want to go a step further and pickup hptuner program get ready to do a lot of reading, studying, and trial and error......sounds difficult, but it can be fun.

**Sarge** · 09-18-2008, 02:55 AM

Yup^^^
Tuned I really never notice anything drastic frankly....

**Too Fast** · 09-18-2008, 03:01 AM

I put on LT and ORY, I notice the exhaust mostly if I decelerate in first gear from say 25 MPH or so to a stop. Sometimes it is a little strong, I have not had my PCM tuned. Once you get moving, it isn't there, I don't have any exhaust leaks, I have a 3.5 year old and a 6 year old, they ride in the car a lot. Sometimes people who ride with me comment about it, usually only when the t-tops are out.

Certainly even without catalytic convertors the exhaust still has much less carbon monoxide then the cars back from the early 70s and before, fuel injection is sssssoooooooooooo much better! And I survived those days!

**mark21742** · 09-18-2008, 03:08 AM

Originally Posted by Too Fast

I put on LT and ORY, I notice the exhaust mostly if I decelerate in first gear from say 25 MPH or so to a stop. Sometimes it is a little strong, I have not had my PCM tuned. Once you get moving, it isn't there, I don't have any exhaust leaks, I have a 3.5 year old and a 6 year old, they ride in the car a lot. Sometimes people who ride with me comment about it, usually only when the t-tops are out.

Certainly even without catalytic convertors the exhaust still has much less carbon monoxide then the cars back from the early 70s and before, fuel injection is sssssoooooooooooo much better! And I survived those days!

hey looking back we even survived playing in the hatch of the old station wagon and rideing in the bed of the pickup truck as kids

**MnLS1** · 09-18-2008, 06:03 AM

if you dont go duals dumped before the axle it shouldnt be bad at all, mine isnt. When people drive behind you and you get on it, they can smell it though!

**Too Fast** · 09-18-2008, 01:22 PM

Originally Posted by MnLS1

if you dont go duals dumped before the axle it shouldnt be bad at all, mine isnt. When people drive behind you and you get on it, they can smell it though!

That's where people almost always are, behind us

**nhraformula** · 09-18-2008, 09:14 PM

Originally Posted by Goldcuffs

Ok,thanks guys.I expect a little but didn't know if it was going to be drastic.

its wasnt drastic on my car at all. it does seem to stink more when its cold out though

**c5z28** · 09-18-2008, 11:57 PM

I've got duals and it smells of 91 octane when i'm idling and it has time to stink up a spot i'm in cali thankfully no cops on bikes behind me yet

**TransAm11973** · 09-19-2008, 05:03 AM

i got lts, ory, etc, and no cats and it smells fairly strong.... i mean to me its a great smell, but it is strong , def. noticeable

**Midnight02** · 09-22-2008, 06:42 AM

I have long tube headers, an off-road y and a cutout placed in the intermediate pipe below the rear passenger seat. When idling with the windows down or t-tops out, the smell is easily noticeable. However, with a great tune and with the cutouts closed (which pushes the exhaust through the Flowmaster muffler and exits at the rear) it really isn't that noticeable.