flowrider

iTrader: (9)

There's a tool that's pointed and round that you put into pipe to "expand it" It widens it some. We then put the 2.5" pipe over the expanded portion. It's not perfect I know, but the new pipe was a tight fight over the pipe protruding from the muffler. It's 2.5" all the way back.

Lou

caymandive

iTrader: (2)

Now that I've got the exhaust drone/resonance at tolerable levels I've scrapped my stock muffler project and have some high flow cats going on the car Friday. My wife is going to love me for this because she won't have to smell the raw exhaust in the garage anymore on the days I take the F out. LOL

The new cats are made by Random Technology and are special order only. 2-1/2" inlet/outlet, Round, Metal Matrix (Race Style) 100 cell count cats with a 3" diameter body and 9 5/8 inches long, which should work fine with the space limitations under the car. According to Random Tech they are rated at least 483cfm so there shouldn't be any loss of power, but just in case I'm planning to do a before/after dyno when I'm at the shop.

LexISguy

Hey James
Are you talking about the secondary cats?

caymandive

iTrader: (2)

These will be my only set of cats on the car. I also edited my previous post because the 4" diameter cats that I was going to order won't fit. I called Random Tech back and told them about my dilema and they said that they could custom make some that were 3" diameter and 9-5/8 in long. These are also a 100 cell count compared to the 300 cell count of the other ones so now I'm even more confident I won't have much power loss if at all. I guess we'll find out, but it won't be on Friday as planned due to the custom job so I have to reschedule.

Stay tuned

caymandive

iTrader: (2)

Received my new Random Technology high flow cats today and will be testing them next Thursday December 16th.





Most likely they will be installed in the shaded areas below: (note picture is for reference only as that is not my car)

caymandive

iTrader: (2)

Sorry I didn't get this completed last Thursday due to some snow, but I'm heading there today and will post the results this afternoon.

caymandive

iTrader: (2)

I was completely expecting to lose at least 7hp today, but boy was I wrong! I did not lose any power and even showed some slight power gain in a few areas of the curve. On top of that I no longer have any raw exhaust smell and the drone is nearly non-existent.

Special thanks goes out to
1. Random Technology for making such high quality products As of 2011 I would not recommend these cats with a few reports of them blowing out.
2. JE Import Performance for their outstanding workmanship As of 2016 I can no longer recommend JE for any work.


Video of my run is posted via facebook:
The graph below shows the before and after results from today. The thin lines are pre-cat install and the thick lines are after-cat install results. Mods include Sikky Headers, PTS JoeZ exhaust and Random Technology High flow cats. Also note that the graph is a bit messed up in that the rpm sensor seems to be off by about 450rpms, but at least it's consistent for both runs.

melbitoast

iTrader: (1)

Very nice!!

Evil Teo

iTrader: (13)

awesome. i guess we have options if we need cats for sikky headers. also how much was the cats plus welding it in.

caymandive

iTrader: (2)

The cats were $454 shipped, figure 3 hour install and about $25 for each o2 bung. Well worth the money to me!

PurduePete

^^ Whats the deal with cats in CA again? I think I remember some statements about aftermarket cats are not for use in california....thanks.

hwy1isf

iTrader: (1)

In Cali, we are not allow to alter the exhaust in any way, which includes moving or changing the cats. Plenty do it, myself included with my last couple of Vettes, and I would love to put LT's on the F with high flow cats, but it really is a PITA if you get caught with them.

06isDriver

Its not just Cali, its a federal law for the entire country. You arent allowed to touch your cats unless they are defective.

PurduePete

There's always a loophole due to interpretation I guess... I have a Rav4 with clogged cats and just ordered an aftermarket OEM replacement and each website that I visited had a statement that said they are not meant to be sold in CA.....so I was curious. I'm guessing that in CA, you have to get your cats replaced by a certified garage that does the orderingg....

caymandive

iTrader: (2)

I've been missing the sound of the V8 long enough now as I sold the PTS JoeZ exhaust back in March. Long story short I was about to sell the F (job uncertainty) and started to part the car out. Well things turned around quicker than I anticipated and I have been kicking myself for selling the exhaust too soon. Prior to having the cats on the JoeZ exhaust it sounded fantastic, but honestly it was too loud for me and uncomfortable to drive (resonance/drone). The addition of the cats made it comfortable once again, lost no power on the dyno, but seeing them fail on other cars got me thinking of options, especially with a NASA HPDE event coming up in November at Summit Point. I don't want to be thinking in the back of my mind the whole time about cats possibly failing! So I've talked to a few members on here with the Borla exhaust (SCCAForums) primarily and he convinced me to give Borla a try. He recently uploaded some videos on youtube that can be found here that sound pretty good, but I have no idea what it will sound like with the headers. My hope is that the Borla is indeed quieter so that I can live with it and no cats. The other motivating factors for me were it's 10lb weight savings over the PTS JoeZ exhaust 54lbs vs 64lbs and of course it was several hundred dollars cheaper, but we all know the saying "you get what you pay for"

I will be having this exhaust installed at JE Import next Saturday Sept 24th and plan to do a before and after dyno so stay tuned.

Impressions and comparison to the PTS JoeZ (off the car)
Appearance:
-The JoeZ exhaust looks nicer with the smoother mandrel bends and polished rear section, but I do however like the quad tips of the Borla mufflers more.
-The TIG welds on the PTS JoeZ exhaust also look nicer than the TIG welds on the Borla, but I'm sure the welds are just fine.

Weight
-I was hesitant to believe the Borla exhaust was really 10lbs lighter, but I'm glad to see the advertised weight of 54lbs was accurate. I believe the weight savings comes from fewer reinforcing bars, the lack of flanges (except for on the x-pipe) and the mufflers are noticably lighter than the PTS JoeZ ones probably due to the type and amount of packing material?
-The Borla exhaust also only has one exhaust hanger. Why I have no idea, but Borla believes one is enough. e

Quality
-I ran a magnet test on the exhaust and found that it was not magnetic anywhere except for the 2 flanges. I contacted Borla this moring to ask them about that and they said that they are indeed steel and 3/8ths thick vs the nice laser cut 304 SS on the PTS JoeZ exhaust. Shouldn't be an issue with how thick they are and according to Borla they've never had a problem with them and they are warrantied for life. Just found it odd that they would use steel over SS to save a few bucks on 2 flanges while the rest of the exhaust is SS.

Fitment
-Next Page

Power
-Next Page

Pictures of the Borla exhaust out of the box:



























As a comparison the PTS JoeZ exhaust and stock: