High flow cat good/bad?

[CiV99SnAd]

I recently purchased a skunk 2 cat-back exhaust for my 99 civic ex and i was curious as to if anyone would know if it would be a wise choice to purchase a high flow cat also. the car is not turbocharged or anything special done to the engine and i don't plan to in the near future (working on the body and interior first). Someone told me that i would lose alot of power from my car because i would lose a lot of backpressure is this true? or would a high flow cat help in any way? Please help me...

[Privatebigandrew]

A high flow cat will help you out. ITs not like if you put one on, your not gonna have any backpressure at all. The pipes themselves create enough pressure. But, don't expect a huge gain either, your probably won't even be able to tell in everyday driving.

[Severity]

backpressure=evil

just say no to backpressure

[Privatebigandrew]

not always true. It depends on what kinda of motor you are building and where you want your power. Exaust tuning can unleash some mojor gains if you know what you are doing.

[SenseiAccord]

how are those ebay cats? I seen them for like $30. I hear some are just resonanters (which is fine for me) but what i wanna kno is do they even gain u horsepower? Also what about the quality? will it last for a long time or will they just begin deteriorate from the exhaust heat?

[Tranzlogic]

ebay cats are junk... high flow cats are a waste of money !! But a test pipe for 20 bucks and throw your cat back on when inspection times rolls back around...why spend the money for a high flow cat that doesnt really add anything, when you can spend 20 bucks and run a free-flow !! dont buy into that high flow cat stuff...keep your cat and throw it on every year for inspection and just get the test pipe !

[SenseiAccord]

i would go straight piping but i didnt want my car to be super loud when i drive around... kinda irritating. Do they have resonaters that can replace the cat? everyone says the ebay cats are just resonaters and nothing else.

[Tranzlogic]

pretty much, but when it comes to performance you cant beat a test pipe..who cares if its a lil louder..just choose an exhaust system thats a little more quiet

[SenseiAccord]

so what is a quiet exhaust? I have custom piping thats why... dont even kno what kind of muffler i got on my car.

[Tranzlogic]

hmm, well you should always know what you have on your car bro ! if it doesnt say then im assuming its junk..which most mufflers are junk by themselves anyways..but none the less if your running strait piping with no resonater of any kind and some cheap run-thru muffler then yeah its gonna be loud, why dont you have a cat-back on there ? then you would have a resonater and a more free-flow design thru the muffler chambers..i mean you can always buy a silencer for your muffler ....either way it comes to the fact that a test pipe is better louder or not...if that is a problom for your set up, then you need to stick with your OE cat.

[Jdm_180sx]

wat would be the point of a test pipe? wouldnt it end like in the middle undercarriage of ur car and you wouldnt have a muffler or cat-back? please explain y it would be better bcus i dont under stand.
not trying to be a dick

[DeleriousZ]

he's talking about putting a test pipe in place of the cat, then hooking it up to the rest of the exhaust... cats create impedance to flow and mess up the direction... a smooth pipe is much more friendly

[Tranzlogic]

yup...........and thanks delerious

[DeleriousZ]

my pleasure.. it's always a good feeling to give people good advice.. especially when you know what you're talking about