making a y-pipe decision
 

so i'm finally beginning to collect all the parts i need for a header / y pipe swap. i was fortunate to get a really nice set of used american racing headers off these forums.

next is a y-pipe. I'd like to get a catted y to cut down on rasp and keep it somewhat emissions friendly. i've been shopping around. i would have liked to stick with american racing headers but the cost is astronomical compared to competitors. i understand it's one of the top brands in the industry but is shelling out that much for a y-pipe really worth it?

texas speed has one at almost half the cost and the reviews aren't bad at all. could someone justify to me spending almost $300 more for a better name brand on any pipe?

Thanks in advance

Jon

What about materials? Is the American one stainless and the Texas one not?

ARH full stainless, made in usa

texas speed says their y pipe is stainless steel as well. their cats say "high flow bullet cats" are are not designed to pass emissions. i have no idea what that means but maybe that could be the difference.

304 or 409 stainless? 409 won't look as pretty after some time in the elements.

Jon-
You're an '96+ NJ car, so all you need to do is pass a visual inspection & not have a CEL on. Those "high flow bullet cats" will be fine for a visual check.
As far as the y-pipe itself, I'd be more concerned with fitment as well. ARH doesn't seem to be as interchangeable as other brands. With that said, I have a TSP adjustable ORY that I somehow managed to persuade on, between my ARH 1-7/8 & Magnaflow. If I could do it again, I'd either go with a ARH Y as well, or try my luck with TSP's new 3" over-the-axle true dual system.


Adam-
I believe the new TSP stuff is 304.

You could rack up a lot of aggravation trying to make a piece fit which could be averted if you go with the ARH piece. When I had my GTO I danced with the idea of having catted mid pipes fabricated for my Kooks headers, but ended up going with the Kooks pieces, and glad I did.

Build your own catted Y pipe.

Meh, my Borla still looks pretty good after 20 years, driven in the snow and salt. It has changed color from heat, but it's not all oxidized or anything.

Do you know for certain that they are interchangeable? Not all headers and y pipes work together.

I have Kooks on my 30th TA. Happy with it.

ok thanks for the advice guys. i really dont know if they are interchangeable. a disadvantage i have is that the headers i got that are used im not sure the model or when they were made or if arh changed their design on them, so idk if even their new y pipes would work. i could imagine they would.

i definitely dont want the aggravation of trying to fab up different brands then. i thought as long as the size at the collector and the i pipe was compatable then there wouldnt be much difference.

Unfortunately that is not the case. Different manufacturers will have different ending points, heights, angles, etc of their respective collectors. The i pipe usually has room to be played with and it slip fits into the y on most setups so there is room for "error."

yeah i didnt know that. now im leaning more towards getting an arh y pipe.

yeah thats an awesome deal. i wish i were able to get it without worrying if it will fit the headers or not.

http://www.njfboa.org/forums/showthread.php?t=67727

I believe they're still available

I remember Josh @ JS Performance years ago complaining about fitment of the cheaper y's even with their own complete setup.

I think I went with the TSP non catted y-pipe with the used XS Stainless headers (and they had the driver's side collector cut short) on my old 2000 SS and I bought the cats separately and cut the y-pipe myself to get it to fit. It fit pretty good, even with the short header. I clamped everything up and it worked well, I never got around to having any of it welded. I basically did the same thing to my old 96 SS. The biggest issue is if your stock motor mounts are worn, it will allow the engine to move and the headers/y-pipe will hit the floor. You definitely want new motor mounts with headers. It's nice when everything goes right into place, but the f-body with dual cat y-pipe is so tight to the floor, you will most likely need to tweak it to fit the way you want it.

I'm never doing exhaust work on my back in the driveway again. Even getting a stock exhaust to bolt up to a header on my Cavalier required a hot wrench and some hammering.