JR RX8

I just got the unwelcome news my Cat is blown and I need a new one. In shopping around, Magnaflow has three that fit . 2 are complete original fitment with piping front to back and meet EPA/FED standards. The other is California Grade CARB ( which is what the sticker on the car says to use) I Live in NYC/NY. This one however is a cut and weld cat and my dealer believes it will still throw a check engine light.
Question is can I use the one of the other 2 which fit, work and meet EPA/FED standards and still pass inspection? Do I get the Cut and Weld CARB -------OR do I get the Original OEM CAT from the manufacturer which is a question of how long it will take to get the part. My dealer is going to clean the crud out out and make it drive-able until I get a new cat in there. Can someone advise me as to whether or not I wait for the original OEM part from Mazda, or buy one of these three and chance a constant check engine light? Im stymied. Also if I DO decide to get the Original OEM Cat system with piping, where the hell can I buy one save for the dealer who says its on back order but cant tell me how long until they place the order. Im screwed,,,, Help!!

dannobre

iTrader: (3)

The CEL should be OK with any of them until the CAT dies. Most aftermarket CATs don't seem to last very long on a rotary due to the high EGTemps. The OEM cats are super expensive though. Personally I would try one of the others....

JR RX8

Thanks, I've heard Magnaflow got high marks for the their product.

JR RX8

On the up side, my dealer removed the cat,, cleaned out all of the burnt anf cruddy debris and put it back on so I could at least drive it. I dont think it's ever driven as fast as this before! throttle response has increased dramatically and power just went up 10 fold! I wish I leave it like this! :D well, i'll just enjoy the ride until the new cat gets put in eventually. Which in theory shouldn't change things much but I know it will a bit.

Loki

iTrader: (1)

If you don't get a Mazda or high-quality cat like HJS don't count on it living long and keep a close eye on it. Considering it will take out your engine in a hurry, I wouldn't cheap out on that. Applies to Magnaflow as well. Off-the-shelf cats don't generally last long attached to a rotary because of the high EGTs and fuel volume.

0913B

iTrader: (1)

What about the BHR? I have the catted version of their midpipe and its been awesome so far, passes inspection and still sounds and pulls great on the low end. Hard to go back to OEM cat, car feels so weak with that monster on.

JR RX8

Thanks for the input. My only concern is that legally even though NYS does not REQUIRE the CC to be CARB rated, the law does state that if the car was originally sold with a CARB rated cat and the sticker is still under the hood, which mine is, then the it must be replaced with a CARB rated cat. The BHS sounds like it might be a great fit and I have other BHS products one the car which I love, I must use a CARB rated cat. As far as it throwing a CEL I've read where it affects some and not others, you apparently are one of the lucky ones. So at the moment I'm running with the old cat "cleaned out" ,, essentially not there- and It runs fine and pulls like it never did before. So until I hear back on availability of the an OEM cat and get more definitive proof or anecdotes from others who have used the BHR , Im sticking to my original plan. In fact I'll BHR today to get their opinion , but I can almost guarantee they they will not guarantee it will not throw a CEL, and they clearly state on their website it is not CARB rated. So , in the meantime, I'm going to let the car enjoy running around naked if you will, , enjoy the performance I'm getting, and hopefully when and if I DO replace the original with an OEM cat do not lose too much or any of the new found power I'm enjoying, Hopefully the Typhoon CAI and BHR performance coils, wires, and NGK plugs will help to offset any minor loss of pulling power I lose with a new OEM cat. Thanks again for your suggestion and all the best with your car. (BTW, if you haven't already done so, I'd suggest that you also look into their high performance coils and wires. There was a significant noticeable increase in power when I had them installed along with the new plugs as well. The COI is up fro some grabs, some say "nay" , some say "yay" . I'm in the yay camp, but that's just me.) Looks like spring has finally spring so enjoy the weather and driving! Cheers.

0913B

iTrader: (1)

im in NY too so I feel your pain, I have a AEM coi and am also running the BHR engine mounts and ya the coil upgrade was one of the first things I did to the car, I still miss my BHR Catless midpipe, and I never threw a CEL with the catted version on, the few times i have its because the MAF sensor was dirty, I have passed emission twice with it on and I’m telling you, you won’t be able to feel the difference in terms of power or even noise to be honest , it’s still has a great sound, I used to swap the OEM cat when emissions time came and then swap back my BHR midpipe, with their catted version I haven’t had to do neither. But you go with what you think is best, I can vouch for the BHR catted midpipe tho, I spoke to Charles and he reassured me as long as i wasn’t taking the car on the track the high flow ceramic cat would be able to handle it, and so far he’s been right! Good luck bro, and if you have to make plans so you can have the car parked in a private driveway until you fix your emissions situation or else you will get ticketed and targeted.

JR RX8

Thanks all good stuff. The car is not not loud since it s not really catless, its just the cat has has been cleaned out. Its the Cold Air Intake that makes more noise when its sucking air in . And that only happens when you really start to rev it up quickly, otherwise you just hear low growl which is kind of a cool sound. I don't know how else I would be targeted for an emissions ticket unless I got grabbed for making too much noise and they stuck their noses to my tailpipe and smelled what was coming out. There's no telltale smoke or anything else to indicate otherwise. But thanks for the idea. If I do go BHR Im going with the one with the complete converter. The point is to not run catless it's to find something that will work properly , last a fair amount of time and pass an inspection without throwing a CEL. IM still waiting to hear back from the dealer on when the OEM cat will be available. I've got a private heated garage, and that car is NOT staying parked with or without a cat! LOL I'll just be cool and try not to make too much noise around the law or do anything that would other wise get me pulled over. Thanks and good luck to you to man.

0913B

iTrader: (1)

ya that’s the one I have on my car now, the BHR midpipe WITH catalytic converter , it’s been on for about two years and no CEL or failed emissions, it will definitely be a little louder than the OEM version but not enough to get pulled over, I mean tickets in regards to having an expired inspection sticker, and you won’t notice loss in power with the BHR version, only problem is he won’t be shipping any of them out until mid/late April.

hermanator3

I bought a new CAT when my rx8 threw a p0420 after sitting over the winter. But it turns out it was just a bit of of gas in the lines, it hasn't come back yet. But now i have an RP supercat sitting in my garage just in case (apparently is a good alternative to the BHR one)

I'm in NY too, and regarding the CARB compliant CAT, i know people who put midpipes in their cars and just tune out the CEL and get away with it. not that that's something I would want to do