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I just bought a 2001 Civic LX (my first car actually!) and I've been recently getting into modding cars, all my friends have sucked me in.

One of the first things I want to do to my car is exhaust/headers. I'm real new to this- for the value (I'm a 17 year old kid) is the best cat back exhaust I can get?

 
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well the dx lx vp have the cat attached to the header so a cat back would start at the down pipe . if you install a header you will have no cat.

 
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so its an either or situation? cat back or headers?

 
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Not necessarily. I have an EX myself, so I can't speak for the lx/dx community, but one option I've seen a lot of is converting to an ex exhaust setup. In the lx/dx setup, the catalytic converter is integrated into the exhaust manifold, then it goes to the rest of the exhaust system.
In an ex setup, the exhaust flow goes from the exhaust manifold, to a downpipe with a catalytic converter, then to a cat-back exhaust. One thing you have to do, however, is extend the wires on the O2 sensor to reach the new O2 bungs on the ex exhaust setup.

 
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so if I were to put in new headers, I'd be replacing the manifold, and because of the lx exhaust system I'd essentially be removing my cat? without converting to the ex system?

 
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If you installed an aftemarket header on your car, yes, you would (not essentially, but actually) be removing the cat.

 
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i have a vp with header back exhaust i just had a universal cat welded on.

 
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I have an lx converted over to EX stuff. I have a stock EX header, down pipe and EX Megan Racing Drift Spec. No cat for me atm.

1. It's header, our cars only have 4 cylinders, therefore there is only one header.
2. No aftermarket header is better than a stock EX header enough to be worth the price.
3. Coupe and Sedan exhaust for our cars are exactly the same. The only difference is the rear bumpers. If you buy a coupe exhaust and own a sedan, chances are the muffler will be touching the bumper and melt it.

 
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If I were to get an EX header and an EX cat back exhaust, would all I have to change would be the O2 sensors? Since I still have a cat, its just farther down?

But at the same time, I've been looking at alot of headers and alot of them have an EX version, and a DX/LX version. So if I were to get one of those and a LX cat back exhaust, wouldn't I be fine? (besides O2 sensors_

 
Rep Power: 513

Just extend the wires
or
get an o2 sensor extension harness
http://www.summitracing.com/search/b.../?autoview=SKU
I have no idea which ones you'd have to get though.