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Basic bolt ons: Hi Flow cats and Off Road pipes

24K views 82 replies 44 participants last post by  Focus boy 
#1 ·
Not everyone can use a race header in their setup, for the folks who cannot and wish to remain emissions legal you can use a hi flow cat.

Hi Flow catalytic converters

There are truly only 2 hi flow cats on the market and they are:

Random technology hi flow cat
Focus central hi flow cat

PROS
A high flow cat can make very good gains when used along with a full length exhaust. A car using an aftermarket shorty, flexpipe and cat back can gain anywhere from 5 - 8 whp an as much wtq when adding a hi flow cat. A shorty header and hi flow cat combo also allow the engine to produce usable low rpm torque, this is good for daily drivers.

CONS
Hi flow cats can be pricey, a RT cat pipe goes for around $ 300 and the FC cat for around $ 250


Cat Eliminator pipe/Off Road pipe

Only one company makes an off road or cat eliminator pipe for the zetec equipped focus, that is focus central.

Focus central cat eliminator pipe

PROS
The off road pipe for the zetec is quick and easy to swap, so it’s a good part for someone who wants to remove their stock cat for a day of racing. They are also fairly cheap in price.

CONS
An off road pipe on your focus will make it very loud. The gains when using an off road pipe are ok but nothing to brag about.


If you have a question about one of these parts or another related exhaust part, feel free to PM me or e-mail me at frzx3@yahoo.com
 
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#54 ·
why gut your cats those things can be worth some money. We will see what my SVT one is worth here shortly!! But good info on this thread... LONG but got a few things i needed out of it.. Glad that we dont have emission info. Also the people that do check your emissions do not have the full software to ref. all the codes the and ecu will log OBD2 ill show some but it you clear crap out they wont be able to look back into it. I am not 100% sure on how Ford ECU totally work but with my company there is alway a ref. code that will have to be cross ref. to check and when a code it gone its out unless it is in the engine protection history like if someone runs it out of oil and keeps driving but like i said my companys ECM's are a little different i am sure considering a 300 HP change to a engine is a 15 min. tune away....
 
#65 ·
i wanted to go for the whole setup, but its going to be so expensive and my car will be WAY too loud...cops in my town love to give out exhaust tickets. im getting a trubendz cat back this summer, but since the flex is right before the exhaust, i might just get the flex also and forget about the cat and header. they are just so expensive for good ones.
 
#61 ·
well what about us guys who want to go turbo? can i get a downpipe welded up that will run with an svt's cat? or do you all thin that thats got too much effort involved..
 
#64 ·
If you are going with a turbo, I would recommend either no cat or a good high flow. I don't think the stock SVT cat will flow nearly enough for a turbo setup, not to mention the work involved with getting it to work right. I say just run the downpipe into the rest of the exhaust and run without a cat.

GFocusPJ - You have a few options. If you do the SVT header (which is a long tube/race style), you can use the stock SVT cat in the stock location or an SVT high flow or an off road pipe. If you get a different long tube/race header, the cat will need to be under the car, as the stock location (for a Zetec) will be taken up by the bottom portion of the header. If this is your situation, you can run any sort of high flow and then just move the second o2 sensor farther downstream (behind the new cat, obviously).

As for what is better...long tube/race headers will give you better upper RPM power, but aren't the best for low end power. Shorty's won't yield near the same high end power, but are better on the low end. Also, with a shorty, you *could* use the stock cat (but don't) or any Zetec high flow.

You have a lot of options. If overall power is what you are looking for, you'll get the most with an SVT header and a high flow cat or off road pipe. However, it's expensive to do (you'll spend at least $500 on the SVT/cat/flex setup) plus the money for a good catback system....
 
#63 ·
[http://www.escortfocus.com/
This is the one has been around a while. haven't bought it yet but looks legit.
As far as a header i dont know becuase i can't find any! a header is like water in the sahara...
Im thinking bout just moving that o2 sensor if possible. maybe put it behind the cat that comes with the trubendz. Im gona get under there sometime....
People with aftermarket exhaust systems: What have you done?
 
#67 ·
Yeah, I should mention that unless you want to risk an exhaust ticket or you have lenient cops, a header plus an offroad pipe is not your best choice. My car is ludicrously loud, but somehow haven't gotten a ticket. I've learned to deal with the noise, but wouldn't mind it being a bit quieter.
 
#69 ·
I'm installing ym new setup this week sometime. shorty headers, random tech high flow cat, flex pipe, and focus sport exhaust. I can't wait. What is an ideal install price for that? I don't have the means for install myself and need to get it done.
 
#75 ·
I don't have one, but I can record one when I get home. I'm in Germany right now and won't get back until the sixth of June, so maybe I can get it up by the eigth or tenth. I'm done with Focus Fanatics for a while, this damn German keyboard is driving me nuts. Back to the beer.
 
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