On my SL500 (2003) I had the "mid" catalytic converters removed. They were rattling and it was cheaper to replace them with a straight pipe so I went ahead and did it.
There is still a "front" cat (in the exhaust header) and all of the O2 sensors are still in place. So is the rear muffler.
So my emissions are all still in place, just the restrictive "silencing" mid cats are gone.
The car sounds exactly the same cruising on the highway, and at idle. It's just when you hit it hard that it sounds TOTALLY different.
The SL500 sounds exactly like an SL55 now. Still comfortable, no droning or roaring on the highway, and car looks and acts stock most of the time. But from 1800-2500 RPM it's a growl/roar that wasn't there before
Look into whether you can do that with a W221. When I buy my W221 (in the next few months) I'm going to consider doing the exact same thing, even if the cats aren't bad..
They charged me $150 to cut out both cats, dispose of them, and weld in straight pipe. This was in Toronto so I know it's cheaper in the US (under $100 I have heard).
At those prices, I might even give it a shot and see if I like it.. it's cheap enough that I can keep the cats and see if I like it.. can always have them welded back in cheaply if I hate the noise.
There is still a "front" cat (in the exhaust header) and all of the O2 sensors are still in place. So is the rear muffler.
So my emissions are all still in place, just the restrictive "silencing" mid cats are gone.
The car sounds exactly the same cruising on the highway, and at idle. It's just when you hit it hard that it sounds TOTALLY different.
The SL500 sounds exactly like an SL55 now. Still comfortable, no droning or roaring on the highway, and car looks and acts stock most of the time. But from 1800-2500 RPM it's a growl/roar that wasn't there before
Look into whether you can do that with a W221. When I buy my W221 (in the next few months) I'm going to consider doing the exact same thing, even if the cats aren't bad..
They charged me $150 to cut out both cats, dispose of them, and weld in straight pipe. This was in Toronto so I know it's cheaper in the US (under $100 I have heard).
At those prices, I might even give it a shot and see if I like it.. it's cheap enough that I can keep the cats and see if I like it.. can always have them welded back in cheaply if I hate the noise.
