Reasons to Invest in A High-Flow Catalytic Converter

Everyone knows that aftermarket exhaust systems are one of the most common ways gearheads unleash the extra power stuck in their engine. The robust stainless or aluminised steel construction, paired with the wider pipe diameters allow your engine to breathe more freely and thus, produce more horsepower and torque. However, what many people overlook in aftermarket exhaust systems is the benefits added by high-flow catalytic convertors. Granted, not every aftermarket exhaust comes with one, which is why you should look for exhaust kits that include a cat, or buy one separately.

A regular cat works by having exhaust gases flow through a ceramic honeycomb structure coated in Platinum, Rhodium, and Palladium. As the gases come in contact with these metals, a chemical reaction occurs that basically re-burns the exhaust to eliminate carbon monoxide, sulfur oxides, and nitrous oxide, thus making them cleaner before the exhaust system releases them into the atmosphere. However, the problem with regular catalytic converters is that they don’t always let the gasses pass through as efficiently as possible. The reason for that is because stock catalytic converters aren’t designed with performance in mind, they’re oftentimes poorly and cheaply constructed, or they’re past their primetime.

Whatever the case, you should highly consider looking into aftermarket high-flow catalytic convertors as they remove the restrictions that impede performance by allowing a more efficient gas flow. This is especially important for people who have done significant upgrades to their engine power output, as well as for people who have old or poorly designed catalytic converters. However, worth noting is that if you have a stock engine without any modifications, and a relatively new, regular catalytic converter, you won’t notice much of a difference with a high-flow cat. In other words, if you’ve done major upgrades to your engine, then a high-flow cat is for you.

Besides improving performance, an aftermarket high-flow converter may help fix some problems. Stock catalytic converters can get clogged over time, which happens far too often when other parts of the fuel system aren’t working ideally. An improper fuel mix, for example, can compromise the converter and cause a flag in the engine’s computer. Further, aftermarket high-flow converters are made to meet even the strictest requirements for carbon emissions.

Lastly, as briefly aforementioned, a catalytic converter can boost your fuel economy. While it’s difficult to say how much of an improvement you’ll get, you’ll definitely save some money, in the long run, thanks to the lower gas bills you’ll be paying.