Sports cats for Di Fillipo manifolds

Sports cats for Di Fillipo manifolds

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FNG

Original Poster:

4,376 posts

231 months

Wednesday 22nd March 2023
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MoT time has come round, and it's expired because I've had a load of hassle with a busted ABS module, that was repaired not repaired by an ECU repair specialist not specialist.

Anyway it's failed on emissions.

This is entirely my own fault, because I bought the car last summer believing the seller's claim that it was fitted with Di Fillipo manifolds (sorry, can't call them headers) and sports cats. And despite being under the car a few times since, it's never once clicked that the car doesn't have cats fitted.

So, no wonder it failed!

Anyway. Where the cats should be, there's plain pipe - but it's a 60cm long piece of 3" pipe, with one bend, and a flange at each end. How hard can it be etc.

I'm in two three minds.

1) get a pair of cheap 200 cell cats welded into the existing pipes. But if they're crap, I still won't pass emissions.
2) get someone slightly reputable to make new pipes incl cats. I'm guessing £7-800 and I have little confidence they'll work for many years. But at least I'd have the decat pipes to run in between MoTs to prolong their life.
3) find a friendly mot place who sometimes don't notice that they've put the probe up the exhaust of the wrong car. It's an easy mistake, can happen to anyone. But these places are getting harder to find, and my car's now got a fail against emissions in the system

I've been online to see what fits the Di Fillipo manifolds, who are X-Force now I believe. But they only list a full manifold and cat setup, and their 3" cat has different flanges to what's on my car. So am stuck on that route.

Any recommendations? I'm in the Warwick / Banbury area. Happy to pay for sports cats in new cat pipes if there's a level of confidence that they'll last, but loathe to cough up and find myself with the same problem in a year or three.

snowwhitesleeper

10 posts

168 months

Wednesday 22nd March 2023
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I have Di Fillipo manifolds on my LS1. When I bought the car, it had no cats and an occasional EML. I used MYRIAD in Walsall to fit some 2.5" aftermarket 100 cell cats which I supplied. (They previously did the whole system on my e30 with a supercharged 4.4 v8). They're great people too deal with and do a quality job. My car genuinely passed the MOT (just) with this set-up, even before the car was properly mapped on its rebuilt engine. My MOT place is patient with cars like ours, plus I made sure to get the cats warmed up just before my appointment.
Hope this helps?

vxr2010

2,597 posts

166 months

Wednesday 22nd March 2023
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Sports cat welded into an on off pipe just for the mot , the secret to passing , 3000 rpm for 1 minute then test it straight after

FNG

Original Poster:

4,376 posts

231 months

Wednesday 22nd March 2023
quotequote all
Thanks both.

I guess the sensible route is to get a pair of cat pipes made but I’m nervous of cheap aftermarket bits. And am not sure expensive aftermarket bits won’t have come out of the same Chinese factory.

I did unearth a decent looking exhaust place in Alcester who trade as a powerflow dealer. Their prices state cat pipes from 299. So 598 for a pair - dunno if I’ll manage much cheaper than that and have any kind of comeback.

snowwhitesleeper

10 posts

168 months

Wednesday 22nd March 2023
quotequote all
No worries! The Alcester Powerflow place does sound like your best bet, being about the nearest and having lifetime warranty on their builds...?

L2VXR

994 posts

220 months

Wednesday 22nd March 2023
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I fitted magnaflow metalic 200 cell cats in mine like these:
https://nemesisuk.com/products/3-76mm-200-cell-cps...

Welded into my pipes

motomk

2,166 posts

251 months

Thursday 23rd March 2023
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Manta Exhaust bought Di Filippo Exhaust (DPE).
They still make the Di Filippo exhausts just rebranded.
https://www.mantapro.com.au/acquisition-di-filippo...
https://www.mpiautomotive.com/tag/11-category/valu...

A link to an exhaust shop I could find that had the cats listed.
https://www.exhaustshop.com.au/collections/di-fili...

This is JHP, probably message their shop if you are going this way.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/274819240754

Another listing.
https://www.lsxperformanceparts.com.au/dpe-manta-3...

Just some more options. I would probably use local manufacturers as it looks like it is still at least AUD$1000 to get them over here.

FNG

Original Poster:

4,376 posts

231 months

Thursday 23rd March 2023
quotequote all
More thanks due guys, much appreciated.

That last link to LSX Performance is the one I'd need if going for replacements - they can ship to UK for a total of £665 which isn't that bad...

...it's the duty and VAT on top that kills it!

So yeah very useful to see, and I'm hanging my nose over an OTR CAI at the moment too, but I know that way a remap also lies. Which I need, but it'll have to be late this year.

Anyway cos of the cost of importing, yeah I'll need to source cats locally and get pipes made up. Magnaflow look good if I go with my local garage, but I think I'll follow up the powerflow route too, to be able to keep a pair of decat pipes and the best comeback I can realistically get if a cat fails.

L2VXR

994 posts

220 months

Thursday 23rd March 2023
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FNG said:
More thanks due guys, much appreciated.

That last link to LSX Performance is the one I'd need if going for replacements - they can ship to UK for a total of £665 which isn't that bad...

...it's the duty and VAT on top that kills it!

So yeah very useful to see, and I'm hanging my nose over an OTR CAI at the moment too, but I know that way a remap also lies. Which I need, but it'll have to be late this year.

Anyway cos of the cost of importing, yeah I'll need to source cats locally and get pipes made up. Magnaflow look good if I go with my local garage, but I think I'll follow up the powerflow route too, to be able to keep a pair of decat pipes and the best comeback I can realistically get if a cat fails.
Couple more options here
https://www.profusionexhausts.com/sports-cats/?_bc...

The cost of making up a set of pipes soon escalates
2xcats
4x flanges
O2 sensor bosses (if needed)
Pipe bends/length
Labour to assemble/weld (if you not doing yourself)
So the £665 price doesn't seem unrealistic if there reasonable quality cats and a straight on fit.

FNG

Original Poster:

4,376 posts

231 months

Thursday 23rd March 2023
quotequote all
Yeah I was kinda pleasantly surprised, not least at “only” 40 quid postage.

But with duty and VAT and charges it’s about £850. And the other killer is there’s a 2-6 week lead time, plus shipping time.

My local garage has just quoted me £840 to make new pipes up, or £1000 to use v-band clamps instead of bolted flanges. I remain nervous about the lifespan of aftermarket cats though so I think I’d rather go the flange route and swap back to decat pipes between MoTs. I’d be well cheesed if my £800 cats only lasted a year or two.

So the remaining avenue is to call the place in Alcester and see what he thinks.

The cars been in the garage to adjust the handbrake - if there’s one thing I can’t get the hang of it’s brake drums - so once the cats are done it should be good to pass it’s test at least.

leigh1050

2,391 posts

172 months

Friday 24th March 2023
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Sports cats last surpringly well. The only thing that killed mine was the cam.

FNG

Original Poster:

4,376 posts

231 months

Friday 24th March 2023
quotequote all
The Powerflow guy was very friendly and explained that the cats would be £800, then need pipe and flanges etc.

They use Magnaflow cats, among others.

I can get a pair of Magnaflow cats off ebay for £330.

So I'll enquire elsewhere as recommended above!

monkfish1

11,922 posts

231 months

Monday 27th March 2023
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Id advise caution with any cats out of Oz. They have less stringent criteria to meet.

If you want a fit and forget & solution, genuine HKS cats. Welded into your cat pipes.

Your wallet will know about it though.