355 Catalytic Converters

I wouldn't waste money on cats from those suppliers. I'd bet all the 200 cell cats use the same core and what you are paying for is the name and fancy fabrication. When I bought my car back in 2013 it failed the CT sniff test. The OEM cars were broken and one was completely hollow. I put a pair of Nouvalari cats on it and it passed no problem. At the time they are $1100 for the pair, drop shipped from Germany. My car no longer requires emission testing but the last time it did, in 2020, still passed with no problem. Below are the failed (lower) and passed (upper) test reports.

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https://www.nouvalari-usa.com/product/ferrari/
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I had the OEM cats re-cored by fabspeed 4 years ago, and the numbers my car is blowing are still super clean after tracking the car several times
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Polishing stainless is a lot of work and once in use does not last long on cats. I still find it amusing anyone wastes the labor money to do it on a part that almost cannot be seen once installed. I was once assured by one of the manufactures it really makes them sell.

 

I'm not sure if your goal is to pass an emissions test or to simply not have a CEL, but if you need to pass an emissions test none of the sports cats with the 200 cell cores will work. My Motronic 5.2 F355 came with Fabspeed 200 cell high flow cats installed with O2 sensor extenders to keep the CEL off but the car would not pass an emissions test. In order to register my car I had to install EPA compliant cats so I went with a pair of Pacesetter 48 state EPA compliant cats and they fit and worked perfectly https://www.newlevelmotorsports.com/324895.html (PAC-324896 is for the other side). I purchased them at RockAuto of all places and they were less than $800 for the pair in 2019. I figured I would remove them once the car passed emissions and put the Fabspeed cats back on but never did because I can sense no difference in the engine performance nor the exhaust sound (Capristo) and I don't miss the stink of uncleaned exhaust in my garage. I really didn't expect the cheap Pacesetters to last and figured they would fall apart and fail quickly but they have been perfect in every way and I have never had a CEL since installing them.

 

In California there was one legal choice, OE. I actually had a client who threatened to tell the state I put a non OE aftermarket cat in his car if I didn't buy him new OE cats. In Texas I have not had to replace any.

As far as recoring I had a 100% failure rate. Within a year or two get a CEL for cat efficiency.

 

John, I tried the link for the USA Nouvalari website, but their email page didn’t work. I also tired a normal email and it was bounced back. I found a Nouvalari website in the UK but not sure if it’s the same company.

 

I put Evoflow cats on my car. They look to be nicely made and were reasonably priced.

 

???? Last contact I had with them was about 5 years ago. I bought my cats in 2013. I believe the UK company is the same, but I don't see cats on their site.

 

Thanks John, I called the phone number for the location in Florida and spoke with Glen, very helpful. I’ll be ordering the cats from them. Great information. I have Hyper-Flows on my 98 F355 that were re-corded four years ago and are failing. Thank you my friend.

 

The UK company is the main branch, i bought from them some years ago, talk to Richard and he will get it sorted [email protected]

 

This thread is less than a year old and now neither the Nouvalari link nor the New Level Motorsport link yields any information.

I’d like to remove my stock cats simply to reduce engine bay heat and extend the life of the engine components.

In FL so emissions are not a concern. Could someone please tell me what my 2024 options are for cat delete or replacement?

I’ve tried searching for the Pacesetter part numbers that @05elise mentioned but cannot find those either.

thanks in advance!

 

For cat delete, Google Ferrari 355 "cat delete" or "test pipes".

If you have the money...

https://capristoautomotive.com.au/collections/355/products/ferrari-355-5-2-cat-delete

Tubi, Larini, etc, also make them.

https://www.larinisystems.com/collection/ferrari/f355-challenge/larini-race-exhaust-pipes-5.2

Make sure you get the right version (2.7 or 5.2)

"Test pipes may trigger a CEL (Check Engine Light). To disable a recurring CEL you will need to tune the ECU or use 02 Sensor Extensions.."

For high flow cats at a budget price, I went with Larini, but I haven't done any tunnel tests since I fitted them. Beware of long wait times.

 

I can’t believe those Tubi test piles cost that. I paid $900 for mine around 2015.

 

Pretty sure you can blame the EPA for having no alternatives other than OEM. They put the word out three years ago that they would shut down any CAT manufacturer that did not have a DOT embossed on the outside of it. That killed the entire aftermarket regardless if the CATs were superior to OEM. The only way around the OEM restriction is to covertly re-core your OEM CATs or delete them entirely.

I'm not a huge fan of deleting because the O2 sensors control the fuel trim and the ECU will still be trying to sort out fuel management. BTW the EPA has also made flashing the ECU and performance chips illegal. Fortunately at the State level......a lot of States do not enforce the EPA laws.

 

Thanks Quavion. You are always a wealth of info for the 355.

In my quest to have the World’s Highest Mileage 355, I’m really trying to protect engine components.

I have a tubi muffler already. If I get the Tubi (or similar) test pipes, and the Technistrada ECU bypass, that should reduce engine heat significantly and take care of my SDL… will my check engine light be constantly illuminated?

It doesn’t really bother me much. I can just plug in my ODBII unit after drives to check for new codes?

 

The rear O2 sensors will detect the absense of cat material because there will be no changes in gas composition from front to rear (of the test pipes). A common fix is to put O2 sensor "extenders" with a small amount of cat material inside them ("minicats"). These type are often recommended:

http://www.bigdaddiesgarage.com/mini-cat-cel-fix.html

They should get rid of CELs (in most cases).

Personally, I can't handle the smell of uncatalysed exhaust (makes my eyes water). Protecting your engine is one thing, but protecting your health is another.

I've previously made my own bypass plugs with @wbt 's design, but it's a hassle.

https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/posts/145451778/

 

I had hyper flow from 2007 to 2021 always passed California emissions they were 200 hiflow
I replaced with capristo with heat blankets because in order to pass emissions cats had to stay hot so they work better this way.

 

interesting. Which brand please?

 

I had Tubi cat delete pipes on my 95 for about 50 miles. The smell of fumes in the car was insane, so I put the fabspeed cats the car came with back on.


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Hyperflow(tm) is the brand. They are out of business however.

 

FWIW Larini has THE worst customer service I’ve ever seen.

A client needed new cats for a DB7, and after three months of waiting they sent just the left cat.

It took another 6 six weeks for them to even admit they screwed up and send the right one.

 

You may have introduced an exhaust leak. I have delete pipes and have never had fumes in the cabin or the smell of them.

 

Any catless car will smell at a stop light with the windows or top down