What are Test Pipes for?

Warning:It would be a good place to start by saying that test pipes aren’t legal for road use. If you drive around town with these and get apprehended, you can’t say we didn’t warn you.

Now we got that over, what is this test pipe thing?

Catalytic converters are standard for most vehicles in most states. It is one of, if not the, most important parts of a car to make battle with ever stringent emissions standards. Cat-converters turn hazardous toxins into harmless gases.

 However, because factory catalytic converters make nice with emissions standards, it causes some backpressure which limits your engine to produce more horsepower thus, hindering performance.

Installing a test pipe might just be a sound solution.

A test pipe is the section of piping in an exhaust where the catalytic converter is. Removing the catalytic converter creates much higher exhaust flow. For turbocharged cars, this results in less back pressure and better flow for the turbine.

Test pipes or, cat delete pipes, or straight pipes, do not contain a catalytic converter. The performance of your vehicle greatly increases with the introduction of a cat test pipe to the exhaust system. A test pipe is essentially just a piece of tubing with the correct flanges welded on to be a direct replacement for a catalytic converter. 

Whereas the catalytic converter changes your vehicle’s exhaust toxins into harmless gases, a test pipe allows the pollutants to flow straight out of the tailpipe. The most common reason for installing a test pipe is because the cats can be a large restriction in a car’s exhaust system and removing it can free up noticeable amounts of power and performance.

It’s also very important to keep in mind that your test pipe is one of the best sections of your exhaust to upgrade to get the kind of sound you want. For a deeper burble and a more subdued tone, a test pipe with a resonator or even a muffler is the best option. These help tone down the overall exhaust tone and volume along with resulting in a deeper sound in some setups.

For maximum obnoxiousness and aggressive sound, it’s best to go with simply a straight pipe for your test pipe. This allows the exhaust gases to have maximum flow straight through the rest of the exhaust to the mufflers. And what does relived back pressure mean? More flow and more power.

It’s important to keep in mind not just what your goals for the car are, but where you drive and how you like to drive. If you live in a neighborhood or with a community that has noise restriction policies, it’s critical you opt for the right system as not to end up being fined and then forced to change your setup. Remember the warning above? We cannot stress that enough.

Now that you have taken care of your exhaust pipes, be sure to take a look at your intake system, too. Your car needs to have excellent breathing. Excellent breathing is essential for cars to take advantage of all the performance modifications you have installed.

Buy online or give one of our world-class professionals a call at 1-480-966-3040.