A high-flow catalytic converter
Catalytic converter
A catalytic converter is an exhaust emission control device that reduces toxic gases and pollutants in exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine into less-toxic pollutants by catalyzing a redox reaction. Catalytic converters are usually used with internal combustion engine…
What is a catalytic converter and how they work?
These components include:
- Carbon dioxide: It’s the primary cause of global warming.
- Carbon monoxide: It’s a colourless gas that is poisonous to humans. ...
- VOCs: These pollutants are produced by unburned fuel and are the primary cause of smog.
- Nitrogen oxides: the oxides of nitrogen, such as nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen peroxide, are the reasons for acid rain. ...
What fuel do you use for a catalytic converter?
Unburned Fuel
- Unburned Fuel Heat can be damaging to almost any engine component, so it’s no surprise that it’s one of the most common causes of catalytic converter failure. ...
- Coolant Leaks Coolant leaking into your engine’s combustion chamber is a serious problem that can eventually do significant damage to your motor. ...
- Oil Consumption
What kind of catalytic converter should I buy?
To see which converter you need, check the following:
- Your converter will be CARB compliant if your vehicle was originally sold in the state of California.
- It may or may not be CARB compliant if your vehicle was sold in one of the other 49 US states. ...
- If your catalytic converter is CARB compliant it will be stamped with a certification or it will be labeled accordingly on the shell. ...
What exactly does the catalytic converter do?
- Removing a catalytic converter boosts the horsepower of a car.
- The removal of the catalytic converter improves the fuel economy of any car. ...
- The sound of the exhaust improves dramatically without the converter.
- Eliminating the converter will enable you to use high-performance fuel for your car.
Do high flow catalytic converters make a difference?
Adding a high-flow catalytic converter to your car can add horsepower since it does free up the exhaust flow overall. However, it's usually recommend as final piece to your exhaust system, especially if your car is making at least 20 percent more horsepower.
Do high flow cats make exhaust louder?
Well-Known Member. High flow cats will be a tad bit louder for sure. Depending on what you find loud, it may not be a significant amount however.
Will a high flow cat still pass emissions?
Nope it won't pass. If you live in California, I feel bad for you cause you can't have as much fun.
Do high flow cats help?
A high-flow cat is ideal if your vehicle is heavily modified or turbocharged since the extra airflow can help in adding more power. A high-flow catalytic converter is better than a normal cat. It increases horsepower, minimizes toxic gasses from your car, and roars a car's engine with a great tune.
Whats better high flow cats or no cats?
There are no noticeable performance gains in using off-road pipes (no cats) over high flow cats. If you go with no cats it will sound a bit raspier (my opinion), and your car will smell (fact). The smell is unburnt fuel, oil, etc.
Will a high flow cat cause a check engine light?
Typically when installing a higher flowing catalytic converter you will gain some extra exhaust volume, usually around about 15-20% louder without any other changes to the exhaust. The other issue to deal with is going to be a check engine light and a P0420 engine code - Catalyst efficiency below threshold.
Are high flow catalytic converters illegal?
ATTENTION: Under California regulations, it is illegal to install a catalytic converter based solely on physical shape, size, configuration or pipe diameter.
Will high flow cats void warranty?
In reality the hi flow cats would not be the cause of anything major in my opinion. Location: Greenville SC. Some dealers would try and tell you it will void your warranty, others won't have a problem with it. If something goes wrong your dealer must be able to say the cats caused the problem.
Are performance cats legal?
No they are not. They do not have a CARB sticker. It is also illegal to move the placement of the stock cats, hince the reason long tubes are also forbidden.
How much horsepower can a high flow catalytic converter add?
A stock exhaust might be restrictive to the full power of a high-flow catalytic converter. In fact, a high-flow catalytic converter is ideal for a car that's turbocharged or supercharged. Before adding a high-flow cat, your car should be able to produce 20% more horsepower than its stock setting.
Do high flow cats improve MPG?
HFC should theoretically improve your mileage as they increase the engines efficiency, that's to say as long as you can keep your right foot out of the pedal.
How long does a high flow catalytic converter last?
The truth is, on modern vehicles, the catalytic converter should last the life of the car or truck, given an "average" life of about 100,000 miles (160,934 kilometers). Good thing, too, because this auto part uses rare, precious and therefore expensive metals such as gold, palladium or rhodium.
Are MagnaFlow cats high flow?
Most MagnaFlow catalytic converters are higher than OE in flow capacity. The 400 CPI cell density of most MagnaFlow catalytic converters will out flow an OE for the same application while providing the necessary functionality.
Can I replace my catalytic converter with a straight pipe?
The short answer is yes you can. If you install a straight pipe, often called a test pipe, you will fail all emissions tests or smog checks.
What is a catalytic converter?
A catalytic converter is designed to reduce harmful exhaust gasses... that's all! Basically all aftermarket cats have a ceramic substrate (the guts) that during manufacturing is coated with a solution of platinum, palladium and rhodium.
Is an aftermarket cat better than an O.E. cat?
In theory, an aftermarket cat is higher flow than it's O.E. counterpart, because the O.E. converter has a substrate made up of 700 cells per square inch, so the exhaust flow with an aftermarket converter is a little freer, but not dramatically!
Is a catalytic converter a muffler?
A catalytic converter has no moving parts nor is chambered like a mu ffler, or have elaborate packing like a muffler. It's interior is not designed to move exhaust gasses along more quickly such as having a spiral core. A catalytic converter is designed to reduce harmful exhaust gasses...that's all!
What is a high flow catalytic converter?
A high flow catalytic converter is usually the next step in increasing exhaust system performance after installing an aftermarket system, particularly a “cat-back” system. The term cat-back is where the catalytic converter (or cat, for short) is the next link in the chain as the exhaust system is traced back towards the motor. The catalytic converter can also be one of the main “choke points” or obstructions in the exhaust system, so replacing it can yield a definite increase in horsepower and overall performance.
How does a catalytic converter work?
The way that the catalytic converter functions is simple. It forces the exhaust gasses to come in contact with a chemical catalyst, in this case the metals platinum or palladium. The catalyst causes the gasses to quickly degrade into less harmful substances, like carbon dioxide and water.
What is high flow unit?
High flow units typically use honeycomb designs . The flow rate can be increased either by increasing the overall cross section of the honeycomb (which allows the converter to contain more passages where the chemical reaction can take place) or widening the passages (which allows exhaust gasses to flow more freely).
Why do performance modifications to exhaust systems always focus on increasing flow capability?
Performance modifications to the exhaust system always focus on increasing flow capability to allow the engine to breathe more easily so that it can make more power.
6 Top Best High-Flow Catalytic Converters Comparisons
The Walker Exhaust Ultra EPA 16467 Direct Fit Catalytic Converter is one of the top high converters out there in the market right now; this one can be used in any car model after 1996 and has been designed for OBDII cars.
FAQs
Yes, they do, high-flow catalytic converters are state-approved, every state has rules and regulations in terms of vehicle power, a certain emission test is required to legally approve your car’s internal system to be in terms with the street rules, high flow converters provide you enough power without breaking any legal rules.
Conclusion
The above-mentioned list consists of some of the best high flow catalytic converters for your car no matter the model, each one provides an amazing feature, great specs, and excellent modification, is affordable to all classes, and can drip out every inch of power in your vehicle, all are legal enough to use.
Why is my catalytic converter not flowing?
Part of the problem is that the catalytic converter isn't always designed with your specific vehicle performance in mind, and part of the problem is that some catalytic converters aren't flowing well because they're old, they're cheaply constructed, etc. If, for example, you've got a discount after-market catalytic converter installed, ...
What Do High Flow Cats Do?
A regular catalytic converter works by having the exhaust gasses flow through a ceramic honeycomb structure that is coated in various rare metals. These materials are mainly Platinum, Palladium and Rhodium. As the gasses come into contact with these metals, they undergo a chemical reaction that essentially "re-burns" the exhaust to eliminate nitrous oxides, sulfur oxides, and carbon monoxide as much as possible. This, in turn, makes the exhaust gases quite a bit cleaner.
Are High Flow Cats Worth Buying?
If you have a bone-stock vehicle with a relatively new OE catalytic converter, you only want to buy high flow catalytic converters if you're planning for major engine upgrades. They're just not that important on stock engines with newer, fully functioning catalytic converters.
Can you use a high flow catalytic converter on a modified car?
But if you have a modified car with significantly more engine power than stock (20% increase or better), you will almost certainly see improved engine power switching to high flow catalytic converters (especially top-end performance as measured on a dyno). If you've added a supercharger or turbocharger to your vehicle - or substantially increased the boost of an existing supercharger or turbo - you'll likely find high flow cats a good investment in terms of maximizing vehicle horsepower.
Can you have a stock catalytic converter with no modifications?
However, if you have a stock engine with no modifications, and relatively new OEM catalytic converters, you won't see much of performance increase going with high flow cats. The catalytic converters on a stock vehicle (especially a newer stock vehicle) just aren't that restrictive until there have been significant performance upgrades.
Can you get power from exhaust gasses?
Even if your vehicle is already heavily modified, you might be missing out on some power via the exhaust flow. Just as you won't get as much power from your engine if it’s struggling to get air into it, the same is true for the exhaust gasses . This is where a high flow catalytic converter comes into play. However, many wonder if high flow cats are worth the investment -- here's the breakdown.
Do high flow catalytic converters help with gas mileage?
Finally, bear in mind that high flow catalytic converters often boost fuel economy on performance vehicles. While it's hard to say how big of an improvement you'll get, they could very well pay for themselves in reduced gas bills.
What is a stock catalytic converter?
The stock catalytic converter helps to reduce water and carbon dioxide emissions from gasoline and diesel engines. The part is made of a honeycomb substrate coated with the precious metals platinum, rhodium, and palladium.
Do high-flow cats require a tune?
High-flow cat converters are becoming more popular in performance vehicles, but do they require additional tuning to the engine management system ?
Do high-flow cats make exhausts louder?
Sometimes, the answer is that if your exhaust system has high-flow cats and you’re still hearing a raspy noise, the problem could be the catalytic converter under the car. The high-flow cats may work too well and not allow enough of the bad gases to escape.
