|
Catalysts generally fail for one of two reasons. 1.) Excessive internal temperature due to uncontrolled combustion in the catalyst (generally from misfire). Multiple complete cyclinders of unburied air/fuel will drive temperatures up to extreme levels that will cause cordierite catalyst substrates to soften/melt. Metallic substrates may be more tolerant to this temperature but the catalyst wash coat will be damaged. There could be other events from aftermarket tuners, besides misfire, that cause events similar to misfire. 2.) Mechanincal failures due to vibrational accelerations experienced in the exhaust system while driving. Catalysts are ultimately connected to the engine and at high engine speeds, the exhaust can experience some significant vibrational input from the engine. The OEM spends a lot of time and money engineering and validating the factory exhaust system’s mechanical design and ultimately its durability. No way that aftermarket companies are undertaking this effort. I’ve got a little experience in this area. If I were going the aftermarket header and exhaust route, it is probably safest to not use their catalysts. It’s not technically legal either way, using the aftermarket catalysts or not, so it is safer to not (from a durability perspective) IMO.
|