Muffler Bearings!
#21
12-20-2008, 12:23 AM
The old cat is considerably heavier than it's supposed to be. Looking in from the dp side, you can see how the monolith is busted up and shaking around. I don't want to destroy it... platinum, palladium, and rhodium are still pretty high-priced metals these days...
#24
12-26-2008, 12:12 AM
Just thought I'd give an update and a quick review of the Labree HFC I recently installed.
First off, I can't say enough good things about Labree. The quality of the product and the customer service is top-notch. It's nice to meet hard working people running a family business selling high quality American made products. The welds are neat and clean and the construction of the piece is tank-like and visually pleasing to boot. The Labrees themselves are also very nice people. Make the phone call, you'll see what I mean.
The install is as easy as swapping the stock cat. Use some rust penetrant, some heat if necessary, and unbolt the old cat. I was fortunate that none of my bolts broke during removal and that all of the nuts on the turbo flange were in good shape. Labree provides hardware, making the install even easier. Reuse the stock gaskets if possible, otherwise you'll have to make a trip to the dealer for some new ones. The O2 bungs are already welded and tapped, so it's a matter of simply swapping the stock O2 sensors over (though it's a good idea to replace them if they are aging). Installing the pipe is as easy as bolting it in place.
Upon removing my old OE cat, I found the monolith was broken into a few pieces and sliding around inside of the pipe. It was heavy and absolutely no light was visible through the monolith. Essentially, it was clogged, causing a noticeable power loss, poor gas mileage, and a loud rattle, despite the lack of an MIL.
The Labree High Flow cat has a 3.0" inlet on the turbo side, which bolts directly to the stock K03 or K03s, thusly it can also be used with a K04, GTRS, or GT2871r elim setup for those of us that must pass visual emissions inspection every couple of years. The outlet it 2.5", which can be bolted directly to the OE downpipe, or any 2.5" aftermarket setup. The monolith is very compact and light compared to the OE cat and appears to be a very high-quality piece.
Currently, I'm running the stock K03s with an Upsolute chip (hold the comments please...) and a 2.5" Borla cat-back. When I first purchased the car, it was peppy and had a nice tone to the exhaust. After a few months, I started to notice a rattle from the engine bay on cold start-ups. Slowly, my gas mileage decreased from 24 mpg to 22 mpg, despite the same driving habits and power went from peppy to poopy. Fifth gear was unusable below 70. One night, following my fiance's stock '96 Saturn SL1, I couldn't keep up with her getting onto the highway. That's when I finally ordered my cat.
First impression when I fired up the car was "Whoa." Just on start up. It significantly changed the tone of my exhaust. It has gone from a low burble after initial cold start-up to a throaty, loud burble. When the car warms up, idle is a mellow, but very deep and rumbling tone as opposed to the Borla's original low drone. WOT has become downright rude and most of my passengers (without knowledge of my new HFC) have commented that my car is significantly louder while cruising. The car is noticeably louder, as expressed by my fiance's family, when I decide to leave late at night.
BUT....! The pick-up is better than ever (and gas mileage is back to normal). I have the Upsolute chip, which always felt peppy, but nothing spectacular. There certainly are other chips better than this one, but the Labree HFC has made a noticeable improvement. I would love to do a dyno pull with a OE cat vs. the Labree and see if it makes a difference. It's hard to tell vs. a clogged cat, but I honestly never felt my car this strong. I've gotten used to the exhaust already, as I feel it's a very sporty tone that is deep and loud, but never raspy. It's just a bit harder to leave a quiet neighborhood after midnight.
Who would I recommend the Labree HFC to? I'll let you decide: OE cat costs about $750 + $150 core from the dealer. Labree HFC is $250 + shipping and is better made than any aftermarket cat I've ever seen. It provides a larger outlet, a smaller monolith, and a higher-flowing design then the OE cat and can still pass emissions and visual inspections. No special O2 sensors, gaskets, or modifications are required. The only downside, if you feel it's a downside, is that it's louder...
So I love my new Labree HFC. It has made me discover things about my car. Like the fact that my clutch is now slipping with my newly restored power band.
Pics to come.
First off, I can't say enough good things about Labree. The quality of the product and the customer service is top-notch. It's nice to meet hard working people running a family business selling high quality American made products. The welds are neat and clean and the construction of the piece is tank-like and visually pleasing to boot. The Labrees themselves are also very nice people. Make the phone call, you'll see what I mean.
The install is as easy as swapping the stock cat. Use some rust penetrant, some heat if necessary, and unbolt the old cat. I was fortunate that none of my bolts broke during removal and that all of the nuts on the turbo flange were in good shape. Labree provides hardware, making the install even easier. Reuse the stock gaskets if possible, otherwise you'll have to make a trip to the dealer for some new ones. The O2 bungs are already welded and tapped, so it's a matter of simply swapping the stock O2 sensors over (though it's a good idea to replace them if they are aging). Installing the pipe is as easy as bolting it in place.
Upon removing my old OE cat, I found the monolith was broken into a few pieces and sliding around inside of the pipe. It was heavy and absolutely no light was visible through the monolith. Essentially, it was clogged, causing a noticeable power loss, poor gas mileage, and a loud rattle, despite the lack of an MIL.
The Labree High Flow cat has a 3.0" inlet on the turbo side, which bolts directly to the stock K03 or K03s, thusly it can also be used with a K04, GTRS, or GT2871r elim setup for those of us that must pass visual emissions inspection every couple of years. The outlet it 2.5", which can be bolted directly to the OE downpipe, or any 2.5" aftermarket setup. The monolith is very compact and light compared to the OE cat and appears to be a very high-quality piece.
Currently, I'm running the stock K03s with an Upsolute chip (hold the comments please...) and a 2.5" Borla cat-back. When I first purchased the car, it was peppy and had a nice tone to the exhaust. After a few months, I started to notice a rattle from the engine bay on cold start-ups. Slowly, my gas mileage decreased from 24 mpg to 22 mpg, despite the same driving habits and power went from peppy to poopy. Fifth gear was unusable below 70. One night, following my fiance's stock '96 Saturn SL1, I couldn't keep up with her getting onto the highway. That's when I finally ordered my cat.
First impression when I fired up the car was "Whoa." Just on start up. It significantly changed the tone of my exhaust. It has gone from a low burble after initial cold start-up to a throaty, loud burble. When the car warms up, idle is a mellow, but very deep and rumbling tone as opposed to the Borla's original low drone. WOT has become downright rude and most of my passengers (without knowledge of my new HFC) have commented that my car is significantly louder while cruising. The car is noticeably louder, as expressed by my fiance's family, when I decide to leave late at night.
BUT....! The pick-up is better than ever (and gas mileage is back to normal). I have the Upsolute chip, which always felt peppy, but nothing spectacular. There certainly are other chips better than this one, but the Labree HFC has made a noticeable improvement. I would love to do a dyno pull with a OE cat vs. the Labree and see if it makes a difference. It's hard to tell vs. a clogged cat, but I honestly never felt my car this strong. I've gotten used to the exhaust already, as I feel it's a very sporty tone that is deep and loud, but never raspy. It's just a bit harder to leave a quiet neighborhood after midnight.
Who would I recommend the Labree HFC to? I'll let you decide: OE cat costs about $750 + $150 core from the dealer. Labree HFC is $250 + shipping and is better made than any aftermarket cat I've ever seen. It provides a larger outlet, a smaller monolith, and a higher-flowing design then the OE cat and can still pass emissions and visual inspections. No special O2 sensors, gaskets, or modifications are required. The only downside, if you feel it's a downside, is that it's louder...
So I love my new Labree HFC. It has made me discover things about my car. Like the fact that my clutch is now slipping with my newly restored power band.
Pics to come.
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