cut out location

[Cthulhu_Dawn]

I have done searches on where people have put their cut outs and I've noticed almost no one places it before the cat. Why is this? I would think placing the cut out before the cat would be the best location for hp/tq gains on a stock exhaust to avoid the back pressure of the cat. Any help on where the best location for a cut out is will be appreciated. Thanks.

[98Camaro3.8]

Sounds bad.
Not much room.
A good working cat doesn't add much backpressure (get a high flow if you're worried).

Yes, pre-cat would be optimal for max power, but most people just stick it before the axle because it's easiest.

On that note, I'd suggest not wasting your time with a cutout.

[Cthulhu_Dawn]

Would it be a bad idea to have the cut out placed before the cat for a few months until I have a high flow cat and exhaust installed?

[98Camaro3.8]

Not gonna hurt anything, I just don't like them. They sound absolutely horrible (I've got one) and you could save the money from the cutout+install for a real exhaust.

You might pick up some gains with it, but once you get the exhaust you'll never open it again. Then it just gets in the way of everything else.

[Cthulhu_Dawn]

All right. Thanks for the help.

[Diablo]

I have a 4 inch cutout welded right before a hi-flo cat, leading to an aftermarket LS1 Borla catback exhaust. When I open up my cutout, I received a RWHP gain of 9hp and 4lbs of torque on the dyno. This is even with a hi flo cat and a very nice aftermarket exhaust.