Hey All,

I own a 96 civic cx hatchback, just finished a b16a1 swap and I'm currently running a test pipe. I'm going to do aircare (emissions test for you yankees) soon and I'm thinking to be safe I'll throw a cat on there, but I'm not totally sure if I should/can find one that bolts on, or if I'll need one custom made.

Setup:

b16a1 motor
GSR DC 4-2-1 USDM 2.25" headers (unsure of the year)
SiR (Si for you yankees) mid pipe

Anyone know what catalytic convertor I should/can run? OEM or aftermarket, hi-flo or not, doesn't matter to me

TIA!


Modified by SPD DMN at 9:21 AM 1/14/2008

 

it all depends on what exhaust you have....and if you have the LONG gsr hearer or the short one!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by chad &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">it all depends on what exhaust you have....and if you have the LONG gsr hearer or the short one!

</TD></TR></TABLE>

Hey chad, thnx for hitting me back. My complete setup is:

USDM GSR DC sport headers 4-2-1 (not sure what you mean by long or short)
Test pipe
SiR (Si) mid pipe
Spoon n1 axle back

Not sure if this helps at all, let me know what info would help

TIA

 

how long is the test pipe?

that is how long the cat needs to be

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by chad &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">how long is the test pipe?

that is how long the cat needs to be
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Hey chad, well I figured that much The test pipe is about 11" if my memory serves me right. The question really is are there any direct bolt on cats that I can use (OEM or aftermarket), or do I have to buy a cat and have it welded to length and the flanges?

thnx again!

 

11 incher.....i think you might be able to use a GSR cat. the regular civic cat is 16 inches long. i think it is the gsr that is the shorter cat

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by chad &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">11 incher.....i think you might be able to use a GSR cat. the regular civic cat is 16 inches long. i think it is the gsr that is the shorter cat</TD></TR></TABLE>

guess my memory doesn't serve me right, i just measured it and its 21 3/4" from flange to flange, 2 bolt to the header, 3 bolt to the midpipe.

Read around and it seems the longest oem cat is 17"

 

ttt

 

Best bet is to buy a universal type Magnaflow cat in the desired length, then have a muffler/welding shop install it. Ask them to specifically add flanges to keep it bolt on, bolt off in case you ever want to swap it out again for the test pipe for track days, etc.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by B18C5-EH2 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Best bet is to buy a universal type Magnaflow cat in the desired length, then have a muffler/welding shop install it. Ask them to specifically add flanges to keep it bolt on, bolt off in case you ever want to swap it out again for the test pipe for track days, etc.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I was doing some reading and it seems that the universal cat convertor is the way to go, especially since my test pipe is 21 3/4", which nobody makes. I'll probably just grab a magnaflow/carsound universal and weld some extensions and flanges and we're off...

Side question, lots of people ask if an OEM cat is better than an aftermarket cat (better in the sense of reducing emissions), anyone actually know?

 

Honestly the OE cats are superios to all others. They're the only ones that I know of lasting 10+years and still keeping cars passing the emissions tests where they put thge sniffer in the tailpipe.

Aftermarket cats typically last 3 years or so for cars that have to pass sniffer tests.

...then again new OE cats cost between $600.00-$1,200.00 whereas after market ones that are still good can be more like $150-$350.00.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by B18C5-EH2 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Honestly the OE cats are superios to all others. They're the only ones that I know of lasting 10+years and still keeping cars passing the emissions tests where they put thge sniffer in the tailpipe.

Aftermarket cats typically last 3 years or so for cars that have to pass sniffer tests.

...then again new OE cats cost between $600.00-$1,200.00 whereas after market ones that are still good can be more like $150-$350.00. </TD></TR></TABLE>


That's what most people are saying. It seems the biggest issue is the aftermarket cats tend to fall apart, or rust away as opposed to the OEM cats that tend to withstand all those problems. But then again if I want to venture into buying an OEM cat, I don't think I'd buy a brand spanking new one, I'd go for a used one and modify it, but are there any downfalls to using a used cat (taking into account its not falling apart or rusted away)?

Thnx again!