i have a 01 z71 with a 5.3L and straight pipes. i am looking into cutting my cats out but im not sure about it. i need to know if there are any consequences to the engine or performance by doing this. also is there anything i have to do before i cut them out?

 

You can gut them and the truck will run fine. It will throw a CEL but it wont change the settings on the computer. The O2 sensors behind the cats only tell the computer if the cat is working properly. When you do gut them, you can A) buy O2 simulators that connect in between the pipe and O2 sensor to tell the computer the cats are still working or B) get a tune and delete them. The simulators run about 35 a piece and you need 2. The tune can run around 265 up too 350. I dont mean a Hypertech or Superchips. I mean like HP Tuners. Might as well get the tune to add performance.

 

that thing will be really loud and that's about it, a friend of mine did it and left it like that for a month before he had flowmasters put on. It won't be the best sounding thing in the world. that's just me though.

 

I also noticed that when I gutted my cats, the engine temp went down some. Or should I say, it was easier to cool down the engine to 180 degrees. Performance went up. Although with it just straight pipes it will be loud. Add a couple glasspacks and should be ok. With glasspacks at WOT it will be raspy. Performance mufflers take that raspiness away.