Black Halo RAcing Midpipe With Cat?? GO or NO?
 

Anyone ever install a BHR Mid pipe with the catalytic converter? Mine is blown and I need a new cat but do not want to spend the money for an OEM unit. I ve heard very good things about BHR. I ve used some of their other products before to great satisfaction. MY only concern is will it throw a cel when it comes time for inspection> They (BHR) say no, I believe I may have read that someone here said the same. Any help would be greatly appreciated. IM running catless now and its awesome but I do want to be legal and do the right thing for the environment ,, sort of, thanks.

It's going to cost you money either way if you need a way to pass inspection

I'm not 100% sure, but I think it won't throw a CEL.
You may be thinking of the BHR resonated midpipe
However, it may not pass California's strict emissions.

Thanks for the reply. I'm in NYS. I'm being told by BHR it will pass inspection without throwing a CEL . OEM cat alone is now about 1600 bux. The BHR setup will cost 800. NYS does not require CARB. Not that I need the whole resonated pipe but if the Cat on the BHR unit is solid and will last another 3-5 years. I'm good.

Thanks for the reply. I'm in NYS. I'm being told by BHR it will pass inspection without throwing a CEL . OEM cat alone is now about 1600 bux. The BHR setup will cost 800. NYS does not require CARB. Not that I need the whole resonated pipe but if the Cat on the BHR unit is solid and will last another 3-5 years. I'm good.

Ray at BHR is trustworthy.
You should be good to go then.

SleepeR1st thanks for the reply
Please elaborate on "cost me either way".

I know the cost of the BHR unit is about 800.00 plus labor IM looking at around a grand maybe a bit more.

The OEM unit is 1600.00 plus labor. If the BHR unit does not throw a CEL in NYS then IM good. The math would dictate I go with BHR,

________________________________
2005 RX* Ti Gray GT 61.5 K Original owner

Thank you, that's good to know. I've bought other items from him in the past and was very happy: Racing Coils and Plug Wires.
I'm waiting to hear back from him on the phone.
Cheers.

I've had BHR's catted midpipe for almost 4k miles without any check engine lights. The cat is made by Magnaflow.

Howdy,
I've had the BHR cat on the stock header since my cat was clogged several years ago. Also a NYS resident. I haven't had to think about it since installation. Go for it.

It's not too bad a job to install yourself if you have a decent wrench set IIRC, bonus points for a new electric impact. I'm sure there's a forum thread or a Youtube guide. If you already have access to a jack+stands and tools, save yourself some money.

EDIT: I'm trying to recall if the 02 sensor was a pain. Best to plan for it, your parts store should have an 02 sensor socket you can borrow. I hazily recall anti-siezing my O2s threads because it was a pain to remove, but I'm kinda an anti-sieze nut anyhow.

BHR cat
 

im also in NY and it’s never thrown a engine light for me and I’ve passed inspection with it 3 years in a row, not to mention its way less restrictive than the OEM unit, get it, you won’t regret it.

Hello everyone. First post here.
i recently picked up a bone stock 2004 GT RX8 in velocity red. The thing looks brand new. One owner really took care of it. I am doing some small mods now and one thing in my list is changing the CAT. I don’t know if it needs it but it is 18 years old with 74K on it. The service records don’t show the CAT being changed. I think I want to go with the BHR with Cat.

my biggest question is does the BHR cat have a bad strong smell? I read another review saying the smell was much worse than stock. Has anyone else noticed this?

thanks!

I haven't heard it being "much worse".
That's subjective.
Why are you concerned about the smell?
I find even without a cat the only time it's bad is if I'm backing up with the windows down or in the AC fresh air mode.

My wife drives the car a lot and loves it. She will not be happy if I change something and makes it smell bad. If it’s just a little worse smell, that’s no problem. I just read another review that said the smell was so much worse they could hardly stand it.

You could discuss with her and see if she's willing to put up with it.
If she doesn't know it, she can run the AC with the recirculate mode on while backing up or idling.
It shouldn't be an issue otherwise.

I drove 8s decatted for 10 years and it was never really that bad for me knowing when and how to compensate for the smell.

I cannot comment on how well an OEM cat works, however cold start the BHR cat does smell but not as bad as no cat. Once warmed up the BHR cat does a good job on fumes. Honestly just leave your stock cat if it works fine.

I've driven 8s with stock cat and mine. The difference is discernable in terms of engine response. For whatever reason, I am not getting P0420 at all. Not gonna complain.
The smell will waft into the cabin if you have windows open and stopped (ie traffic lights). No smell if you are on the move forward or windows up.

I do feel for those behind the car though. I don't think it is pleasant. But no worse than diesel trucks, vintage cars or shitty TDIs.

Thanks for the responses guys. I’ll probably get a BHR soon. I just want to make sure everything is good on my car and I think the stock cat is still on it with 74k miles on it. Plugs and plug wire just changed. I may go ahead and change coils just to make sure they are good as well.
my car is running well but I just got it so want to take care of the main things that could cause big issues.

Word of caution: make sure whatever state you are doesn't require to replace with original cat which is California Carb rated and more expensive. It could cost you at inspection time. I live in NYC and the law here states that I have to replace the cat with whatever ORIGINALLY came with the car. When I checked the sticker under the hood, wouldn't you know it, it said the cat was in fact Californian Crab rated , so I did the right thing. I did not lose anything in performance, no nasty smells afterwards unless to literally suck on the tailpipe ( not recommended) and Im good for as long as this one lasts. ( the st went at 64K . I toasted it ) So check the sticker under the hood and your local state laws. ;-) chances of someone finding out during a traffic stop are almost nil, chances of someone checking during an inspection 50/50. It's really about peace of mind, your call.

On the other upgrades, since you're going BHR on the cat do the same on the other stuff. I went completely BHR on the COILS and Wires and what a difference! Spend the money go with the best , you will most definitely notice the difference. I went high end on the plugs too. Get the best you can get. Brakes I kept original calipers but switched to slotted rotors for a little more cooling, ceramic pads for better stopping and little to no dust, and SS brake lines ( weeeeooo! big difference there! ) No sponginess on the brakes with the SS lines and again you get better stopping and can in fact feel the difference.

Get a top of the line rated Battery , I went with Optimal Red Top. and just complete went back to stock suspension with Monroe Quick Strut and Spring Assembly. They're as close to the original setup ( they state they are OEM rated) and I'm a believer since they do a great job. A little stiff but then again they're supposed to be this being a sports car. Great value for the money and quality. and Again all OEM/stock rated and equipped . Had plus plus sized my tires which gave me a little more of a comfy ride and more rubber on the road, but in snow , thinner tires works work better so I went back to stock size. ( Conti DWS Extreme Contact All Seasons ) a littel bit more of a stiff ride again, but I'm back to stock.

PS: Im original owner and Im trying to keep the car as original as possible. Since Ive had it I've replaced pretty much every major and minor component on the car as need including : engine, tranny, suspension, engine wire harness, radiator, 3 bump covers ( I live in NYC ) numerous sets of bent stock rims no riding aftermarket 18 spoke rally wheels ) new air pump, O2 sensors, 2 tail lights ( again NYC drivers suck) get my regularly prescribed oil and filter changes, try to keep the wheels aligned as best as I can, ( the shitty streets and potholes throw my alignment out all the time) and some minor other nuggets. ( The only other mod which is a bit controversial is a K&N Typhoon. it's subjective as to performance improvements and open to debate- the sound is pretty cool if you go in for that sort of thing, especailly if you're in a tunnel and drop the pedal. :D . But it hasn't ;t hurt the car so I leave it on. If I ever sell, I'll pop the original breather box back on)

Bottom line as a daily driver and my weekend canyon carver, this car has brought me over 17 years of joy and jollies. It's an awesome car, always brings a smile when you drive it "spiritedly" and to this day STILL draws many an admiring glance while parked or on the road from the men and ladies alike.

Keep it clean, maintain it, wash and wax it regularly, take care of it and it will take care of you. Its not a car for everyone but if you get bitten by the bug then welcome to the club. You'll meet all kinds here, modders, racers, daily drivers, collectors, etc. Everyone will have various opinions and various things and lots of good advice all around. People are generally friendly and you will definitely be amongst friends and enthusiasts. Congrats on the great buy. you're going to love the car. Be well.

Cheers

JR RX8,

I really appreciate all of that info!

I have been eyeing the BHR coils so I’m sure I will get those in the next few months.

im also very curious about a good intake. I know I won’t gain any power (less than 5 HP) from a different intake, but I would like a little more induction noise. Possibly the K&N Typhoon or Racing Beat REVi intake. I like the looks of the racing beat.

I do keep her clean. I actually ceramic coated it last week. Looks fantastic.

I did decide to go with some Tein H tech springs and KYB shocks. My rear shocks were finished and constantly bottoming out. I got the rear shocks apart and the bump stops were basically gone! What little was left just disintegrated in my hands.

I also have some wheels that are in decent shape, but they have curb rash and one had damage around one stub. So I just ordered a set of Aodhan DS02 in hyper black. Looking forward to those.

other then that I will just try to stay on top of maintenance and enjoy her!

I live in NY, I have passed inspection the last three years with a resonated mid pipe. searched the forum and found a few posts about spark plug fouler’s. I can only speak from my own experience, I drilled one out used an additional washer between the O2 sensor and the fouler. My check engine light will stay off at times sometimes 3-400 miles. Interesting enough I had this whole last month anytime I refueled my car the light would go off? My downstream O2 sensor was $15 off eBay and it is 2 years old now. Cats kill engines, let them eat

Hey Rich, I have a decatted version of the BHR midpipe and can attest that it is very smelly. People definitely comment when around the vehicle. I am sure your significant other would complain.
I don't know how smelly the BHR midpipe equipped with the magnaflow cat would be, have to wait for others to chime in.

I have heard good things about the magnaflow midpipe that includes the cat and resonator, etc. I don't have experience with the smell however.

Just wanted to comment for those of us with the BHR decat, Charles will sell you the Magnaflow element on its own. I emailed him and told him I was over the smell of the decat and would like to purchase the catted version. He emailed me back and ended up selling me just the CAT element. I just have to get it welded on at a local shop, which should be less than $100.

Is the magnaflow cat rated for rotary engine EGTs on track?

No, not rated for track use.