Postby smj999smj » Thu May 19, 2016 1:23 pm
Well, first of all, you should have four catalytic converters, not two. On each bank, there will be one that bolts directly to the exhaust manifold and then the other that is part of the front pipe. The only way I could see you eliminating or modifying the front cats would be to replace them with headers; Doug Thorley or Summit Racing may have some options.
Anything is possible with a will and the money, but the short answer is "no" if you plan to keep your car on the street and pass state inspection.
First of all, removing any catalytic converter, or "gutting" them, is considered "tampering," and is illegal by Federal law and will not pass inspection in many states, including NJ. Any type of modification, such as headers, would come with a disclaimer that it is meant for "off-road use only."
The other problem will be with the ECM triggering catalyst codes. You have four oxygen sensors. On each bank, there is an upstream sensor before the front converter and another behind the converter. The ECM compares the readings from the two sensors on each bank to make sure each respective converter is working efficiently. If you remove the converter, you will have get an O2 sensor simulator, a CEL eliminator (which doesn't always work), or find some custom installation of your O2 sensors into your fabricated one converter exhaust that you are contemplating. Eliminating the post-cats and installing a performance muffler or exhaust would be a lot easier, but you still have to worry about the state inspection in regards to eliminating the rear converters. The rear converters are behind the rear sensors, so eliminating them won't trigger catalyst codes.