shmucklebuckle

I've got that nasty rattley gurgling from a toasted cat. The question is, should I buck up and get the OEM cat from Paragon Products for $191, or get a generic cat elsewhere for $50 less? I've been told that aftermarket cats sometimes don't last as long. Is there any truth to this?

Geo

Get a Random Technology cat and have it welded in place. Cat technology has come a LONGGGGGG way since the early/mid 80s. A good free flow cat like a RT will cost you ZERO hp. Sport Compact Car confirmed this in dyno testing. In fact, they found with a 240SX (essentially the same displacement and hp, i.e. flow) they lost 1 lb/ft of torque with no cat vs. with the RT cat.

The 80s technology cats suck.

my84-944

Thanks GEO,
I was thinking of replacing mine too, for this very reason.

shmucklebuckle

Yes, thank you!

Now. About sizing and type... What should I be looking for? I don't need anything with "Race" specifications (I assume they're noisier? more $$?), so probably one of the ceramic types? Forgive me, I am a catalytic novice

Bri Bro

Look at the reviews at the bottom of the link, seems to be an issue with the heat shields.
http://www.carreview.com/cat/parts/e...5_2871crx.aspx

Izzy

That and its $300 =/ you could go cat-less and get a new SS pipe for that much. And if you're the kind of person thats already invested into a decent catback and downpipe, its an expensive solution.

Porsche-O-Phile

(1) Make sure it's sized properly. When I first bought my 951 it drove me insane trying to figure out why it wouldn't build boost. Turned out the PO had welded and aftermarket cat in that was way undersized and it restricted the exhaust. Since naive me had never seen what the stock cat was SUPPOSED to look like, I never noticed it being out of the ordinary. Then one day I saw one on another guy's 951 and was like. . . waaaaaait a minute here. . . Swapped pipes - bang. Boost right where it shoulda' been.

(2) Doesn't CA have some weird law about aftermarket cats? You might not pass smog unless you're careful here and have all required documentation.

brad-cam

I think this only applies to OBD II cars ('96 and later) on which you cannot legally install an aftermarket cat in California. I put an aftermarket cat on my '78 Fiat and passed smog easily. Can anyone confirm ?

Daily944

That's correct. I had a '96 S-10 and wanted to go cheap on the cat, well no shops would put a non-ODB cat on because they would be risking their license.

L8 APEKS

Aftermarket cats are ALL cheaper than OEM for the same reason...they all use the MINIMUM amount of catalyst required. For this reason, they all will tout themselves as "high flow" cats.

Don't waste your money on one with a stainless steel shell unless you need it due to your climate. A CarSound (Magnaflow) is always my choice...they are well under $100 and work fine. I've had them on many hard-tuned, high-boost engines in CA and passed fine.

shmucklebuckle

Damn... $300 for the RT cat? I really don't need to spend that kind of money for that little difference. I've just spent gobs of money on a huge list of other crap (headgasket, brakes, tires, rad, the list goes on) so I will look into the CarSound/Magnaflow cat this time around. My wallet is getting pissed