Disgustipated

Yesterday I went to Asura's office and picked up a 3" high flow cat that he makes for the s2k. It was a beautiful piece, weighed maybe a 2 lbs more than my test pipe, and already has a perfect CEL fix and a hole for a wideband sensor. Stamped on it is the Asura logo and a CARB legal #. The honeycomb is made out of platinum palladium which should be both stronger and better-flowing than a metal or ceramic core high flow cat.

I'm using it with a 3" HKS single, so keep that in mind. The high flow cat makes less drone than the straight tp, so its even quieter in the cabin. the exhaust's tone became a bit deeper and eliminated any rasp that the testpipe allowed. The hfc makes the same/more power than my 70mm tp did, but nothing noticeable!! thus far. I reset the ECU after installing the hfc. the install was perfect, no problems installing it. fitment is as good as OEM. I wore medical gloves and wiped it down with brake cleaner so that my fingerprints wouldn't burn into it.

Pros:
Weighs 30% or so of what the stock cat does, almost the same as a testpipe
No testpipe smell
Gives exhaust a richer, deeper tone while eliminating rasp and drone
CARB legal, even in smog Nazi California
Beautifully crafted piece with Asura's guarantee behind it
CEL fix and wideband port already installed
Power gains equal to a testpipe
Rare, prestigious piece that you can be proud of having on your car

Cons: expensive. But if you sell your stock cat and testpipe, you'll have more than half of the cost already covered.
Looks so amazing that you'll hate yourself for putting it underneath your car exposed to all of the elements

The bottom line is that whether you track, daily drive or just cruise your S and want minimal drone, no legal risk, the power gains. weight reduction and benefits of a testpipe without having to hassle with switching between cat and tp for any reason or the annoying/cop attracting smell that a tp generates, this is for you. You won't be disappointed.

As a sidenote, I called Berk and asked them to call me back to see if they'd make me a 3" high flow cat... they never responded.

sorry for the sloppiness of this post, i wrote it on my phone in English class.

EDIT:

Pics of burn-in taken yesterday, approx 3 days after install + burn-in.



I was taken aback by how incredible this looked when I got under my car to change my header, so I had to include a picture.

Squirtle

Thanks for the review Riley - I am sure Asura will appreciate it.

These pieces are truly comparable to the upper echelon Japanese parts - amazing craftsmanship, unparalleled finish and quite the rarity. Low production and highly quality generally demands a premium and for those of us who only use the finest for our cars - it is well worth the expense to us.

Gernby

How do you know it makes gains over the stock cat or test pipe? Is your car tuned? Where is your VTEC engagement?

Regarding drone, what's the temperature where you live right now? Did you drive it long enough to get the exhaust fully up to temp? I ask because I've noticed that drone seems to be VERY unpredictable, and is very dependent on the combination of parts moreso than any single part, and is also very temperature dependent. An HFC might increase drone on one exhaust while decreasing it on another.

Sakai

i may be ordering one soon to mate with my 75mm hks exhaust too!! :-D

Disgustipated

well, when i had my stock cat on my old 70mm dual, i replaced it with the 70mm testpipe. drove it for a few minutes and the exhaust was much quieter, far less drone, and a much better tone. i then reset the ecu, allowed it to learn through idle, then drove it again. felt a bit stronger even then, and the car definitely felt stronger throughout the powerband both before and after the ecu reset vs stock cat.

a few weeks later i took off my 70mm dual and out on the hks 75mm. as soon as i started up the car for a test drive i felt a huge difference down low, midrange, vtec crossover was smoother and top end felt great. i then reset the ecu, allowed it to relearn and drove it again. again, drastically better vs the 70mm. it was very obvious to me and i'm overly sensitive to any subtle changes in my car, so something that big surprised the hell out of me
now, i put on the 75mm hfc yesterday, tested it out throughout the powerband. it feels just like the testpipe but the car sounds better and has a smoother tone and quieter idle. note that this hfc has better flowing and much less filtering element vs the stock cat, not to mention it might be a different grade of steel and its also a much bigger diameter.

i would be surprised if there was 1-2 whp difference between a straight tp and a good hfc. for all i know, this hfc makes a tiny bit more power over the 70mm tp due to the larger diameter.

if i had an edyno like yours i could give conclusive results.

the temperature was brought up to normal and beyond normal operating temps during my test drive of the hfc. after i put in the hfc i did 20 * 60-0 mph stops to bed in my new brakes so it should've been sufficiently warm. the hfc might get even quieter as i break it in, i noticed that my 70mm tp (new) + 75mm hks exhaust (used) combo got quieter over the last 2 months... or i got used to it, but i've got sharp ears and it droned at first so i'm fairly certain it did get quieter.

hope that makes sense.

Disgustipated

I agree with everything Ameer said above x10. And thanks again for getting me a good price and a quick pick-up on the HFC. I really appreciate it.

s2krazyyy

where do you guys buy asura parts? I might pick up a HFC from them.

Sakai

i called them and they said i can order over the phone for $285 plus shipping...is that the price u guys got it for?

Gernby

Do they make a 63mm and 70mm version? How does their design compare to the Berk HFC? Is the catalyst similar to the one used in the Berk (Magnaflow?)? I just received a BNIB Berk HFC yesterday, and am REALLY surprised at how pourous the catalyst is. I doubt it would pass any actual emissions testing.

Disgustipated

Here you go. http://asuradesign.com/ Give them a call or email.