Adding a cat to the spec exhaust?

#1

I know it is not directly addressed in the rulebook. But for those of us (maybe just me??) who want to keep their car street legal, and want spec exhaust… Can a high flow cat be added to the spec exhaust system for emissions requirements?

#2

Cory,

There are some rule changes coming for this year about the exhaust, but I doubt it is going to allow you to add cat (I could be wrong). The changes are more for fitment issues.

This was a kinda heated debate when the spec exhaust was announced. The final ruling was you can have a Spec Exhaust or a factory exhaust. no other choices, no mixing or matching.

For people who want to race with a spec exhaust and also be street legal it was suggested that you keep 2 exhaust systems. Keep your street legal exhaust on the car and change over to the Spec one when your at the track, then put the legal one back on when it is time to go home for the day.

#3

I could mis-remember the rule, but my recollection is that if the car is driven to the track it can retain an OE (or equivalent) exhaust. If it is trailered to the track it has to have a Spec exhaust, installed w/o modifications. That last qualification would preclude adding a catalytic converter.

I personally think the rule is poorly written. I’d have said that if the car is licensed for the street (proof being the tag) it can retain the an OE or equal exhaust, regardless of whether it is driven or trailered to the track.

#4

The rules aren’t going to change to allow running a cat with the spec exhaust. As a practical matter, it would require significant fabrication to make it work, and you’d end up leaving the collector (the expensive part I would think) on the ground.

If you need to keep the cat, and you plan to race, and you don’t want to keep an OEM system, personally I would go to my local Muffler Mike and get something fabbed up much cheaper and just as technically illegal, then either run for non-points (SpecE30 fun) or petition my competitors to forgo protesting me on the basis of my exhaust.

#5

That last sentence/paragraph was a long one. It says a bunch. I like it. Petitions being drafted soon.

Seriously, that does show sound judgement and logic with the caveat that if you cross into another area or to the Nationals the car HAS to be rule book legal or run in the fun group.

Thread hijack.

Regards, Robert Patton

#6

This was actually my question, I was just signed in under Cory’s name…oops…

I’m thinking I’ll just have a removable “test pipe” section so I can easily install the cat for emissions. I guess the spec exhaust would still be modified…

Good idea with the petition though, Chuck. Sounds like a simple enough solution.

#7

I didn’t mean to imply too much with the use of the word ‘petition’. If you’re illegal, you’re illegal. In the SE, there have been a number of people running cars that didn’t really come close to SpecE30 legal (not the right suspension package, for example) who simply ask to be classified in SpecE30-Fun. They race with us and we have a good time, but there are no points implications.