I installed my Spoon N1 Cat-back about 2 weeks ago. I'm very happy with the overall craftsmanship, quality, sound (w/out silencer), and performance gains (although minimal). Although I am content with my Spoon N1, I did not install the test pipe because some people informed me of a possible CEL (check engine light) pop-up. Everytime I go into my garage, the test pipe tells me to install it (yeah, it actually speaks to me). Those of you that have installed test pipes on your exhaust systems, are the differences in performance and sound noticeable? Did your CEL activate? Before I received my Spoon N1, I thought there would be no place for the O2 sensor, but there actually is one on the test pipe. Do you recommend installing it, or just leaving it out?

 

yeah, I want to know too....

 

I just reread my post and found the last sentence to be unclear. I meant "Do you recommend installing the TEST PIPE, or just leaving it out?" My poor grammar made it seem as if I meant "Do you recommend installing the 02 SENSOR, or just leaving it out?" Sorry for the confusion.

 

Installing the pipe should result in a top-end power gain, possibly at the expense of low end. The check engine light WILL come on after a few driving cycles, though. You can pull the backup fuse for the ECU to eliminate this, though there are other drawbacks. You can search for "test pipe" or "backup fuse" for more info on this.

 

marcucci - thanks for the info, I actually found a bunch of stuff. In fact, you were in a lot of the threads regarding test pipes. Has pulling the backup fuse caused any noticeable problems yet? I figure you've had the fuse pulled for awhile now, so I'd like to know about the long term effects.