anyone has a link to a reasonably good quality cat with 2.5inch piping?
I need for emissions
local shops are charging 180 for no name brand hi/flow cats which I'm guessing are 50 bucks on ebay

but I just wanted to see if anyone bought them online that are good quality

 

Magnaflow

 

If your aim is to pass emissions for one test, a nickel (high flow) converter may get the job done. It is not a long term fix. If you plan on owning this car for any length of time, finding a used/new OE converter would be safer than buying an aftermarket converter. Simply do a flange change.

I have smogged nickel converters 6 months after install and failed them. This is usually caused by some other mechanical or electronic emissions issue, as these converters are not very tolerant to poorly tuned and maintained engines.

 

2.5 inch exhaust. With oem cat?

 

So all the hiflow cats are nikel?

 

Magnaflow high flow cats usually lasted me 2-3 years. They are cheap for a reason!

 

well there aren't any oem cats with 2.5 piping not much of a choice there
2-3 years is not too bad in my book

 

The spun-metallic core cats? Does that include an engine with somewhat worn piston rings (h22a w/ 160psi even) running Rotella 5w40 or Valvoline vr1?

 

catco works great, make sure to get correct piping size.

 

i have a magnaflow cat, been using it for the last 3-4 years on 2 different cars. in the last few months my exhaust has started to stink pretty good i think the cat is on the way out. still for less than 100 bucks that it cost its much more cost efficient than an oem.

 

You can use any converter you want, you will need to simply re-flange it. Most aftermarket cheap converters have more nickel plating, which is not nearly as effective as platinum-plated converters, which is what most OEM converters are composed of.

There is no such thing as a high flow converter. A converter is a restriction entirely. The question revolves around your use of it. Are you simply trying to cheat an emissions test? Or are you trying to meet or exceed this test?

If your looking for a bolt-on solution you will be disappointed in your options. Also, if you plan on dump hugely rich A/F mixes into it, don't expect it to work or last for very long.

This leads me to a final question: Why do you require a OEM performance converter, with a huge flange? You should have stated your intentions from the beginning.