I'm sorry but i don't agree with mississippi AT ALL. EVERY lt1 or ls1 car iv'e ever heard with straight pipes, even with the cat sounds like complete and total ****. If you want loud, throaty, and power then go cut your cat off and get a bullet and dump it before the rear. Personally i would just save the coin and wait for a nice used magnaflow, that is by far the best sounding catback for the cash. But by all means if you want your car to sound like a do-do z71 garbage truck then go for straight pipes.

My .02.

 

This is going to get good. Here is my car with a hooker cat-back and no cat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbRno4KW8z4

 

Ill get a video up of my exhaust. I think you'll be surprised. My 97 formula didnt sound as good but it had two cats.