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In this tech article, I discuss some of the many benefits and improvements that can be realized by replacing the factory OEM catalytic converter
header pipes with quality aftermarket pipes. Some of the benefits include:
The first thing you ight notice in the two comparison pictures above is that the tubing / exhaust flow path seems to be a little bit straighter, with far less angles. Considering how small and compact it needs to be, they didn't have a lot of wiggle-room and still keep it compliant. Notice on the primary catalytic converters (the larger AFT one), that the piping passes through the middle on the Magnaflow cat, while the original piping on the older cat takes an abrupt angle inside the cat. The second thing you'll notice is that the pre-cat on the original is far larger than the one on the new Magnaflow cat pipe. Larger isn't necessarily better, as the pre-cats on the Magnaflow have a very simple honeycomb inside that I could easily see through, and based just on what I could see inside, the flow is likely to be a little bit better.  The third item I noticed is that the factory pipes are crushed where they pass under the transmission support bracket. The tubing was literally crushed at the factory for proper clearance, in some cases you might think that they would make the tubing simply wider on the sides to compensate; however, I could see no indication that there was any perceivable size difference in the side to make up for the loss in overall diameter of the piping. As you can see from the Magnaflow piping, there is no crush point. I've got them installed in my car now, and there is absolutely no clearance issues (still well over 1.5"s from the support bracket), and they do not appear to hang down any lower either (they are still tucked under the car).  Finally, notice that the flared end where it meets the exhaust manifold is definitely more flared, probably doesn't make much difference at all, but it likely helps the exhaust flow by making it a bit more gradual. I also noticed a slight diameter difference. I have a caliper that I sized to the ID of the old tubing, and it slid easily into the new pipe. So I sized the caliper to the ID of the new tubing, and I couldn't get it to go into the old piping. I'm guessing maybe 1/16th to 1/8th of an inch larger interior diameter, at least for the section that goes to the pre-cats. Not sure if this makes a difference because I didn't size the outlet of the exhaust manifold. It is worth mentioning that there is also a perceivable weight difference between the factory exhuast header pipes, and the aftermarket Magnaflow pipes. The OEM pipes weighed in around 15-16lbs each side, while the aftermarket pipes weighed on average between 11-12lbs. This roughly equates to a 7-8lb decrease. Note, These can be purchased for roughly $250 each side and are 49 state legal. The best price I was able to find was $230 at Peddler Performance: Right Side: http://performancepeddler.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=2&products_id=31921 Left Side: http://performancepeddler.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=2&products_id=31922 If you live in California, you need to buy these for $430 each: Right Side: http://performancepeddler.com/catalog/magnaflow-441101-direct-converter-p-33179.html Left Side: http://performancepeddler.com/catalog/magnaflow-441102-direct-converter-p-33180.html |
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