Exhaust components

[Meisner]

OK, I've got a '96 I4 with a turbo. After swapping in a manual transmission, there's one more thing I want to do this spring; fix up the semi-hack job done by the last muffler shop I went to.

So far I have a spare dump pipe fitted to a brand new Toyota front pipe (from a '93 so it doesn't have the cat integrated into it). Next I need a catalytic converter to be legal, so I was going to get a Toyota cat also from a 93...until I saw the price! It was a bit high (like around $300).

So I started looking around and saw there are plenty of aftermarket cats for cheap.

Anyone have any advice on aftermarket cats? Ones to look at or stay away from? I want something that'll flow well (for the turbo) but not cost an arm and a leg.

Once I get the cat, I will have a reputable shop weld on a flange to the cat-back setup I already have and bolt it in.

Thanks guys (and gals?),
Steve

[luisitol]

steve,

random technology has some good hi-flow cats. they go for about half of the dealer ones. check them out.

luis

[Meisner]

Nah...R/T has had a bad track record with regard to the internals breaking down and rattling inside and having the heat shields coming loose and vibrating. At a price of $210 to $250, I would go with one of those cheap ones (I have found $60 to $80) over the R/T.

I cannot measure any back pressure using the Toyota cat. Stock is not that bad for flow...just damn expensive.

[Chris Corolla S]

magnaflow has them

[Meisner]

Originally posted by Chris Corolla S
magnaflow has them

Do you have any experience with Magnaflow? Good or bad.

[zoni]

i was running a magnaflow cat for a while... it was pretty nice... if you need a 2.5 inch one, i have a spare brand new, magnaflow i think i bought it for 81 bucks shipped on ebay ... we can work something out if you want it... i still need that shifter base from you...

[2wickedtoyz]

why not just get one that is made for a talon, eclipse,probe,mr2,or any other car that ran a turbo stock just go to a part store

[alltrac165]

Don't know about NH, but here in CA since you are 96, and 96 and up are required to be OBD2, you need an OBD2 cat. Magnaflow gets about 200 for an OBD2 cat. Can't find any difference between that and any other cat except it has OBD2 stamped on it. Check that out before you buy a non-OBD2 one for less.

[zoni]

whats the difference in CAT's from OBD to OBD2???? i was under the impression that it was only an electronics thing... a standard of which used to dignose problems in all cars. On Board Diagnostics 2.

[alltrac165]

Yes, it is mostly a standard for diagnostics, but it came with new requirements for emissions control and self checking. Such as sensors to see if the emissions equipment is actually doing what it is supposed to like the vapor pressure sensor for the EVAP system and O2 sensor after the cat. One of those changes was the catalytic converter. However, that is in CA, so ymmv. I know for me, I HAD to get an OBD2 cat to be compliant, when I checked around online for inexpensive universal 3-way cats, it was all good until I said I was in CA, then the price went up alot or I was told they didn't have anything.

[Meisner]

From Toyota there is only one cat available. This has nothing to do with OBD-II. This is only a California emissions thing. For example, I now have a Jap-spec ECU and it doesn't care about the post cat O2 sensor. If it was a California emissions vehicle (like mine used to be), the second O2 sensor is present and is used to monitor the function of the cat. When the ECU senses the cat isn't working properly, it turns the CEL on.

But there's no difference in the cats. On our engines, the first cat (called the warm-up cat) is used for cold starts. It doesn't do much after that. The second one (the one I kept) is the one that does all the work. This cat is no different between Federal and California.

[alltrac165]

http://www.car-sound.com/universal/430info.htm

Ok, I looked at the link above, and it's only CA that gets the joy of paying double for a cat. In CA only the factory cat is compliant with CARB on OBD2 equipped cars. Until Magnaflow came up with the new model in the link above, that is. Which is good, cuz the factory cat for a 97 4Runner would have cost me $1200.00!!!! So I got the Magnaflow, made by car sound, apparantly, for about 200. These are supposed to be of higher efficiency than the standard cats.
The other 49 states can buy any old universal for under 100 bucks.

[zoni]

steve, i give you my brand new magnaflow hi flow cat, you give me the shifter base and 20 bucks, and we call it even... good deal for you! and i get something i need....

[Meisner]

Is it a direct fit one that has the flanges already attached? Or is it a universal fit one?

[zoni]

universal, you will have to have the thing all welded up, OR if you are down here for a few days i could do that for you...