Gramdacious

iTrader: (1)

Ok here is the situation. I replaced my whole exhaust system( Warpspeed fed-spec Y pipe, stock cat and warpspeed 2.5 inch b pipe and rear section. My cat converter is bad. I live in California but moved from seattle where I bought my car thus, my car is a fed-spec maxima. When I entered Cali and did a smog check to get registered I passed with stock fed-spec cat. In january i will nedd to pass emissions again here in cali. Should I buy a fed-spec high-flow cat or get a an OBDII cat that is specially made for cali's high emission standards? The OBDII are roughly about $250-$300. High flow regular cat about $100. Remember I passed with fed spec a year and a half ago. I'm so confused.
Gramdacious

DAVE Sz

iTrader: (2)

It seems you're very confused. You car is OBD2 and I can't see what that has to do with your cat converter. The cats are the same on cali and spec from what I saw. I didn't even know they made a thing like a OBD2 cat, seems like a scam to me. Also, I'm not sure that buying a high-flow cat is a good idea emissions wise. They aren't as good at doing what they are meant to do. There is a reason why the stock cat is in the $700+ price range.

Gramdacious

iTrader: (1)

The stock Y pipe is also in the $800 range, that doesn't mean that it is 4 times better than an aftermarket Y. I was a manager at a nissan dealership and I have seen first hand the raping and pillaging that the manufacturer and the dealerships can impose on the general public. As far as the OBDII cat, I was shown one at a reputable muffler shop and I compared it to my cat and they are definately different internally. I really didn't see how a "high flow" cat would flow that much better than a stock cat because the stock cat has the same inlet and outlet size, and the interior seemed very wide, wide enough to flow whaterver the inlet would allow. But if a "high flow" cat can pass emissions then I'll go with that due to the price difference.

Brudaddy

iTrader: (2)

The stock cat is good enough.
You will not even get .5 hp more out of a high flow cat.
There are no differences between the Cali and Fed spec as far as the cat is concerned.
There is, however, a difference in the type of y-pipe between the two.

Save your money....keep the stock cat....or if you must get a new one....get the cheapest one possible that looks like it is made decent.

DAVE Sz

iTrader: (2)

True, but the stock y-pipe has two CATs in it doesn't it? The honey comb in the OEM cat is much more effective than the aftermarket ones.