Long tube emissions legal and more

[danny g]

Hello,
I have a new k member that I was gonna install when the weather gets better. But I figure while i am down there I might as well swap out the headers. I really want to go long tubes so I figure on getting the macs casue they are cheap and maybe get the ceramic coated ones. Are the ceramics really worth it? Also, I need to keep this emissions legal cause i live up in NYC. Soooo.... I am gonna get the catted mid pipe that mac also offers. This should go pretty well with my 2 chamber flows. Will this pass emissions? Anyone pass emissions with this setup? My car is basically stock except for pulleys and flows and K&n and a custom chip from larroccas. Keep in mind i will have the chip reburnt by Laroccas before emissions testing.

 

[tomustang]

if you can find a shop that will pass you, doubt it though. it's based on the visual. keep your stock H just in case.

 

[Defleshed]

Hello,
I have a new k member that I was gonna install when the weather gets better.

Cool!

But I figure while i am down there I might as well swap out the headers.

Good call.

I really want to go long tubes

GOOD!

so I figure on getting the macs casue they are cheap

I personally don't have any experiance with mac's headers, but from what I have read, they are cheap priced and cheap in quality. I've read a lot of dissapointments from them. Now, you're better off looking at stangnet's reviews or asking people with mac LT's their personal thoughts on em.

and maybe get the ceramic coated ones. Are the ceramics really worth it?

Welp. ceramic coating is good on any parts that work with heat, obviously, ceramic coating is like an insulator, it keeps heat inside the headers and out of the engine compartment where lower temperatures permit more dense fuel/air charges to reach combustion chambers. keeping the heat in the headers also means better velocity and less turbulence... which means better scavenging of exhaust gasses. Is it Worth it? I'd say yeah. Plus the coating looks shiney and awesome, and is, from my knowledge, more resistant to rust and corrosion.

Also, I need to keep this emissions legal cause i live up in NYC.
Soooo.... I am gonna get the catted mid pipe that mac also offers.

you'll need cats to pass emissions tail pipe sniff testing. i'm not sure if they do that in NY, it might just be a visual inspection, where they just check to see if you have cats up or not, in which case you can buy hollowed out one

This should go pretty well with my 2 chamber flows.

get 1 chamber flows!

Will this pass emissions?

it certainly should. unless you have monster boost or monster cams

Anyone pass emissions with this setup? My car is basically stock except for pulleys and flows and K&n and a custom chip from larroccas.

If thats your setup, you ought to be just fine in most places. I'm not familiar with NY's laws though.

Keep in mind i will have the chip reburnt by Laroccas before emissions testing.

good call.

 

[tomustang]

If thats your setup, you ought to be just fine in most places. I'm not familiar with NY's laws though.

why not? Hell (jersey) is right next to NY.

 

[Defleshed]

why not? Hell (jersey) is right next to NY.

So painfully true, jersey is hell. I'm in PA. how they go about emissions testing varys from county to county here. I, unfortunately, dont live out in amish country, so I get the friggin' tail pipe test. I feel my car is being violated by that.

 

[danny g]

if you can find a shop that will pass you, doubt it though. it's based on the visual. keep your stock H just in case.

Well, keeping the stock h would be fine if I were going with shortys but I am not gonna drop my k member swap headers and h pipe whenever i needed emissions testing. Thats why i need a LT setup that goes with a catted midpipe and can pass NY emissions. NY does use emissions testing equipment.
Thanks for all the replies. Keep the info coming.

 

[BadMoFo]

do you know if they do visual or the sniffer test? if they do visual then you should be ok getting a catted mid pipe. also it was touched on a little bit earlier I would stay away from mac long tubes. some people have complained that their long tubes occasionally have metal flakes that chip off and get into the engine. I would go with bbk or hooker headers. also with hooker you are capable of removing you trans with them on if ever needed, but you cant with mac or bbk.

 

[danny g]

thanks,

They do a sniffer and a visual. My numbers always come up way below the minimums so I am hoping a catted LT setup will work. Does hooker have a catted mid pipe that they sell? Anybody have any experience with it. I have heard bad things about mac so i guess hooker is the way to go.

 

[Ebaumann]

On my 98 Cobra I did the same thing. Removed the K-member and installed BBK LTs. With the K-member removed this job is a lot easier. I'm in CA so I actually took the BBK H pipe and cut off the cats and installed ODB2 cats. They were like $350 each so that really hurt but it did pass smog with no problem. I think CA is the toughest state as far as smog testing goes so maybe you could get away with the high flow cats.

 

[danny g]

wow thats good to hear. Could i just cut a couple of my stock cats off and wled them onto a cheap h pipe?

 

[tomustang]

wow thats good to hear. Could i just cut a couple of my stock cats off and wled them onto a cheap h pipe?

i don't know what type of mustang you have but on my stock H every F'ing cat was bent to where you couldn't just add a straight pipe to it. you can cut them open and hollow them out. unique sound too