So I have nearly completed my Exhaust setup, with this being the focal piece of it, a 3" catback...
The Cattman 3" Catback system for the 4th gen (1995-1999) Nissan Maxima with an extra bung for a wideband sensor, this ran me right around $810 shipped to my front door.
The System
Just some pics here and there....
(The stock muffler is HEAVY)
Here is a good post on the org for some more comparison shots: here!
The Installlation
The installation is relatively simple, my only reccomendation here is to install the O2 sensors last, because of the location of it when you bolt up your main catylitic converter gets in the way of a ratchet, also make sure you set the car up on stands fairly high, this is a 3" exhausst sytem and getting the rear section over the axle with a low clearance can be tricky.
If you need install help use this site here: Click Here
If you haven't already, buy one of these to replace the gasket from Cat->Catback, the part number is in the picture, either local, courtesy, or Dave B. from southpoint nissan, shop around. Do NOT use the walker gaskets, only OEM, my walker gaskets lasted only 2 days, on the 3rd I had an exhaust leak from them.
You'll need new sets of these if you haven't replaced them. These are exhaust hangers, you'll need 3 for the muffler and 1 for the midsection. People say use the nismo hangers, but others have said that the walker's are just as good (NOT FOR GASKETS THOUGH! The gaskets SUCK!) and they seem to be holding fine!
Muffler Hangers : Part Number: EXH 35725
Midsection Hanger : Part Number: EXH 35460
After that you should have your exhaust in with no problems! Just need a floor jack, jack stand, some PB Blaster, 14mm socket, a ractchet, a 14mm wrench and off to the races!!
Final Installation Pics:
Performance
The first half of this will be my opinion with the warpspeed Y-pipe ("Exhaust Leak" setup) not the OBX headers.
As soon as I left the driveway I noticed a major increase in the low end torque and part throttle acceleration, but I could not wail into it because the car had not made it's adjustments and it would misfire if I gave it anything more than 1/2 throttle.
As soon as I hit the 51st mile... I had a completely different car, the gains were felt throughout the powerband and at ALL throttle positions, throttle response remained the same, but I gained some precious, precious top end in my car which gave me a big edge over those Hondas in 3rd gear (before I would lose to them in 3rd gear, but now the car stays in the race in 3rd gear then when I get into 4th, which is a short gear btw, I walk away!).
As for the comparison with the headers....
It is quite unfair to compare these to the headers, my only initial reactions will be a header vs. y-pipe reaction and not too much of a stock catback to 3" reaction.
It is quite unfair to compare these to the headers, my only initial reactions will be a header vs. y-pipe reaction and not too much of a stock catback to 3" reaction.
Sound
Well besides the performance this is the other crucial part to having an exhaust system... The sound!!
I will let the vids do the talking for me here.
The "Exhaust Leak" Setup:
-Bomz SRI
-Warpspeed Y-Pipe
-No gaskets (or completely rotted away) between the manifold->y-pipe.
-Magnaflow High Flow Cat
-Stock catback
The "New" Setup:
-Same as above but instead of the stock catback, it's the Cattman 3"
The "Final" Setup
-Bomz SRI
-OBX Racing 02-03 Maxima VQ35DE Headers
-Magnaflow High Flow Cat
-Cattman 3" Catback
From a Dig:
- The Exhaust Leak:
- The New Setup
From a 40 Roll:
- The Exhaust Leak:
- The New Setup
High Speed Flyby:
-The Exhaust Leak
-The New Setup
-The Final Setup
In Car Pull:
-The Exhaust Leak
-The New Setup
-The Final Setup
Final Thoughts
Well all and all, I truly think this is the last mod you will need if you want every ounce of your 4th gen's performance (N/A or FI'd), I don't regret one single penny involved in my ehxaust, I am really happy with how it sounds now, and I hope the test pipe I will be getting won't change much.
I guess I'll include some complaints in here too...
Rear 02 Sensor mount: I do not like how the post cat 02 sensor is mounted, I wish it was done another way because removing the cat becomes annoying because of the position of the 02 sensor on my catback, of course dropping cats aren't an everyday thing but it's just one thing to gripe at.
The "Drone Zone": If you have been researching cattman catbacks then you should already know about the drone between 2k-2.6krpms, if you don't know, just know that the catback has a drone between those 600 rpms, you can literally cruise @ 4k and it would be quieter than 2500rpm. The catback is whisper quiet @ 3k though which is awesome for those highway cruisers (like myself).
Dyno? Sure...
