post1010

I have a 06 rx8 102000 miles just replaced spark plug and coils now check engine light is on... I have a bad Cat thinking about going with a bhr catless midpipe...will that work with the rest of the exhaust being stock???

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Yes. I put 55,000 miles on my BHR midpipe connected to a stock header and stock catback.

hoosier1104

iTrader: (2)

^What he said. I had to replace my stock exhaust since the previous owner straight piped it and I could not stand it.

post1010

OK thanks. Riwwp did u install yourself and if so did u need other things to install it besides the midpipe?I tried calling a few places and no one will install it without the cat

Chrishoky

iTrader: (9)

Its an easy install honestly. The hardest part is getting the old cat off, with rusty bolts and all. You will need the gaskets for the front and the back of the midpipe and they can be purchased at pepboys etc.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Yes, I installed it myself like 10 times or so (had to revert to the cat periodically for inspections, pulled it for all 3 of my clutch replacements, etc...).

No shop will install it for you, they could face HUGE fines for removing the cat, it's illegal. The best thing to do is to just buy replacement bolts and nuts, bring those to a shop with your car, have them replace the existing bolts and nuts, leaving the stock cat in place, which they can do legally. Then you drive back home, put the car on jackstands, easily remove the fresh bolts and nuts, drop the cat, put the midpipe in it's place, put the bolts and nuts back in, torque to spec, then put the car back on the ground.

The only difficult point is getting heavily rusted nuts and bolts free, and it's easily worth the $20-$40 to have a shop do that for you in a few minutes rather than spending all day trying to get it yourself.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

The BHR midpipe comes with it's own gaskets, and I think it's own hardware, though i don't know if it's hardware is usable with the OEM cat due to flange thickness and design.

Chrishoky

iTrader: (9)

I apologize, but I bought my BHR midpipe used so I didnt get any gaskets or hardware with it. Just wanted to make sure the OP knew that you cant reuse the existing ones in most cases. The BHR is a high quality product OP, dont hesitate with getting one.

StealthTL

iTrader: (1)

Like Chrishoky says, the BHR pipe is a nice piece, and comes with better-than-mazda gaskets.

hoosier1104

iTrader: (2)

I love the my BHR mid pipe. I got mine used as well. Do it right the first time so you do not have to do it again like me. Bought a 'replacement' cat and it crapped out after about 6 months. There is a reason a OEM cat is $1200, R&D.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

This is what I keep telling people. Buying a BHR midpipe may be $500, but buying a straight pipe for $100, getting annoyed with it, then a packed pipe for $150, then having it fail, then finally getting a BHR mdpipe costs $750.

It's cheaper to just get the proven result in the first place.

"If you can't afford to do it right, when can you afford to do it over?"

hoosier1104

iTrader: (2)

With a fat bonus.

post1010

Thanks guys for the info.one more question? since my cat is bad and has the check engine light on its prolly gonna be 3 weeks till I can get my bhr mid pipe and im definatly gonna have Mazda replace the bolts first...will still driving it around with a bad cat affect anything else on my car negitivly?right now it still drives fine only seems to vibrate more when at idle.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

If the catalyst elements have blown out, then there is no problem driving around on it.
If the catalyst elements have clogged, then driving around on it will start damaging the engine (I lost my first engine to a cat failure), O2 sensors, and eventually light your car on fire. Yes, car fires have happened (one thread)

post1010

Dam that sucks!! How long did u drive it around after you're check engine light was on?

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

I never got a check engine light until i had severe power loss, then finally just a misfire code. The first symptom to misfire to cat removal was about an hour of driving. By then, it was too late. My cat had probably been clogging for a while though.

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

I drove around for quite a while with a CEL for a bad cat. I have a decent mechanical background and experience with piston engines.
It was running so good that I refused to believe it was bad. It was not til after I started getting flashing CELs and power loss at higher RPM that I parked it & finally decided to get rid of the cat. That was also when I discovered the RX8 Club.
I probably would have ruined the engine if I hadn't. The front half was almost all gone, & clogged the back half.
Once I put my midpipe on & tuned it up it ran much better. I only hope I didn't do any hidden damage or shortened my engine life.
If you have to drive it, gut it.

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

Are you sure Mazda will replace the bolts for you if you have a bad cat?
You might want to try a muffler shop instead, I'm sure it'll be cheaper.

rickeo

iTrader: (1)

I did exactly that.. then bought yours. You benefited

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

It will probably be a while before someone gets a BHR pipe for as cheap as you got mine

But then, I probably held the highest mileage one for quite a while. How many miles have you added to it?

rickeo

iTrader: (1)

Only ~12k or so but i would expect anything else on this car to fail before that pipe does. I just had it off a few weeks back to have my inspection done and really got to look at it.It's still in really great shape. The black coating on it is impeccable.

May be trading it in soon before the motor pops and the Fiesta ST has caught my attention.. That's going to be a thread at some point once i'm closer to actually getting rid of it.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Uh, that isn't a black coating

That's just discoloration from time and heat cycling. I see that frequently on stainless steel exhaust stuff that sees really high heat.

Here is a pic from when I first got it, before installation:

rickeo

iTrader: (1)

It's so uniform I could have sworn.. ah well.

post1010

Will the bhr catless with stock exhaust shoot any flames??

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

The flames come from the heat and the fuel finding the 3rd component needed, air.

What allows flames to happen is the removal of the catalytic converter, since that removes / neuters the fuel component. All catless midpipes allow flames, as a result.