430 Just installed 200 cell sport cats on the Scud...Very happy!

So, I sourced a set of lightly used (like 3,000km) 200-cell sport cats from an awesome F-chat member in the Netherlands (absolute pleasure to work with...thanks @Enzo Sebastian ), and thought I would post up my impressions. First off, I'm not 100% sure what brand they are, as seller thought they were Capistro, but they look more like the Klines to me (there is no brand identification on the cats), but regardless, it doesn't matter because they are clearly high quality, great welds, very light patina (could even be inconel, not sure how to tell...they are not magnetic but neither is stainless), and high quality 200 cell HJS "tuning" cats. Came with the Capistro heat blankets which is so nice, since reducing ambient heat the the engine bay of these cars is HUGE! Interestingly, they weighed in at exactly 5lbs 14.5 oz each, vs. 11lbs each for the stock units. Never hurts when you can drop 10 pounds from the rear of the car.

My main reason for doing the swap was because although I didn't have any drivability issues, CEL's or other issues, mine clearly had lots of hard miles (and tons of track-based heat cycles) on them and I could tell the white insulation material between the inner and outer skins of the cats was starting to break down (like the mufflers do), leading to white dust and of course less heat containment. I figured it would also be cool to get a little more exhaust volume and maybe even a bit of performance increase to complement my Kline inconel valved exhaust, Capistro headers, and sport air filters.

Install was a little trickier than I expected. My pro tip here is to install everything loose (from header/cat connection point back) and don't tighten ANYTHNG down until you have everything positioned exactly right. Then start from the rear muffler brackets and work forward to tighten everything down since the cat/header connection pipe has quite a bit of flexibility built in with the spring-tensioned bolts. It was also necessary to remove the rear undertray (hate that thing) and rear diffuser in order to get the heat blankets secured. Pro-tip No. 2: remove the undertray as your first step as you will be dropping lots of nuts, washers and bolts and doing so avoids having to fish them out with a flashlight and a magnet! Pro-tip No. 3: I'm starting to believe that the muffler to cat connection clamps are one-time use. they just never seem to form into the proper shape after they are installed/removed once or twice. They are cheap so if yours are old or your exhaust has been on and off multiple times, just buy news ones to ensure the pipes don't come apart.

As for the results, well, they are better than I expected:

Sound: Actually not much more volume than stock at idle or when just tooling around. But definitely a more pronounced, higher pitch wail when driving in anger. I love it. The sound is very "clean" and satisfying. I honestly would not change anything about the volume/pitch/tone of the car at this point. The whole set up just works together beautifully and is not obnoxious when you want to be a bit under the radar.

Performance: This was the biggest surprise. I was not expecting much, and its possible I didn't pick up much (if any) in terms of actual hp gains, but I can say three things without reservation: 1) there is zero hp loss anywhere in the rpm range; 2) the engine and throttle feels WAY more responsive and eager with the 200 cell cats; and (3) for some reason the car just feels "smoother." Even downshifts seem quicker and cleaner. Maybe my cats were in worse shape than I thought, or maybe 200 cell cats just really let these engines breath. Regardless, I couldn't be more happy at this point!

Miscellaneous: Although the heat blankets were a pain to install, they just work. Much less heat down around the cats now. No CEL (although I've only put about 20 miles on the car).

Anyway, just though I'd post up my impressions for anyone who may be on the fence about sport cats. I'm sure the f430 would respond similarly! Below are a few pics (and let me know if anyone knows for sure what brand cats these are!).
Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Correct, for a four post you don't need need to bolt them down given that they are sitting on all four posts. You can if you like obviously, but I neve felt the need (I have three of these and they are all super solid). Here is a blurb from the Bend Pak webiste:

Do 4-Post Lifts Need to be Bolted Down?
The question of whether or not to bolt down a 4-post lift has been asked many times, and many answers have been given. Essentially, people want to know if lifting and lowering vehicles can put enough pressure on the columns to cause them to bow, slide, bend or otherwise create a dangerous mess.

Unlike 2-post lifts, which absolutely need to be bolted down, 4-post lifts disperse weight across a wider surface area and are engineered to lift vehicles with or without drop-in anchor bolts . The decision to bolt down a four-post lift or other parking lift is often based on personal preference, so here are a few things to consider...

 

Ha, ha, sorry, I promise I didn't try to mislead! They sure look like the kline's to me! Regardless, I now have another 60 miles on them, and I'm now certain the perceived performance difference is real and not merely "placebo effect." The car rips.

Agree its now time for a tune so I can optimize everything! Guess I need to decide between 360trev and Mase (heard great things about both!). Really love this car. Finally, because I'm a 14-year old at heart, I have to point out to @ShineKen that you said "bung hole" (insert Beavis and Butthole laugh here)!

 

Hey guys, sorry for the late response (stuck in a big multi day trial). I still love the upgrade. Will try to get some sound clips soon!

 

I have noticed no smells!