Ok, I did a search but it turned up nothing usefull. I have a few questions. I figure maybe instead of my new brakes and rotors I may just as well get my preheat cat instead. I figure thats more important right now but .......

1: Is there a difference between the 2 door and the 4 door preheat cat? I went on to kia.com and I couldn't bring anything up with a 2 door. I was checking online and I found a couple of cheaper listings for preheat cats but they said they were for the 2 door. Is there really a difference.

2: Can I use any catalytic converter or does it specificly have to be a preheat cat?

3: Has anyone come across a listing anywhere for an after market preheat cat? I've done a search on google and yahoo but I really didn't come up with much. I'm looking for the BEST but CHEAPEST preheat cat I can find. anyone.

4: Is it a smart idea to look for a used on anywhere. Just wondering how strong the insides are. I mean if I find a used one is there a chance that the ceramics inside would break apart during shipping.

5: Someone please help ...... I don't want to have to go to a dealer to get this done. The new laws here in Pennsylvania are in effect right now !! It is $46 to get the test done + whatever the cost of inspection. It just cost a friend of mine $68 for there inspection. That sucks.


Someone please help me with some answers. I have until the end of april before I have to get my inspection done.

tlab,

I've been searching for the perfect exhaust for 6 years. I've had a lot of help as one of my good friends owns a muffler shop here in Vegas. After several trials and errors this is what we've done:

First, we decided that 2.75-inch piping is best; anything more and you lose vital back-pressure. We tried 3-inch piping, and we've also tried no catalytic at all. Torque suffers greatly, and I wouldn't go back to it.
After more testing we mounted a tiny, Borla catalytic (the same ones used by the "rice racers") as close to the manifold as possible, to generate heat as fast as possible.
Then we used as straight a shot of pipe as possible and tried a Dynomax Turbo muffler. This muffler choked the hell out of engine and the sound.
Then he says Dynomax came out with a Super Turbo muffler which had specific baffles that directed the flow more efficiantly.
He welded that on, and if you've seen my signature I haven't changed yet. It works for me. Good sound, good torque, and it doesn't choke at hight RPM. I'm very happy with it. And I've never had a problem getting it to pass smog.

You probably couldn't find the 2 door because you were looking in the wrong year. The 2 door came out in 1999.

I checked for you. The pre-heat cat for the 1998 4 door and the 1999 2 door is the same. Kia P/N 0K08B20500. And it's $277.15 (US). I'm assuming it is the same part number 2000 - 2002 but you'll have to check.



Simple answer, yes, you can use any universal cat. The function is the same. The difficult part is in getting it fit right up close to the exhaust manifold.

Thank's, I see that you have a 96. The problem is that I have a 98 with two cats & two o2 sensors. Any ideas for the upgrades you've done for my machine?

First tell me where those two O2 sensors are located. My '96 has two as well- one in the manifold where the four exhaust pipes join as one, and one just behind the catelytic (we grafted it on to simulate my original setup).
If you have something like this, I don't see why you couldn't do exactly what I did or anything close to it. Axe can probably help you position the O2 sensor locations, and after that just about anything cat/muffler setup can be done under there.

On the 1998 and newer there is one O2 sensor in the same spot as the 1996. On the exhaust manifold. The second O2 sensor is AFTER the first cat on the exhaust pipe. After that is the second cat.

Speaking of exhaust pipes, yesterday I finally did something I've always wanted to: I removed all the heat shields and covers over the exhaust pipes. Everything. Doing so required some tin snips and a lot of cussing, and every knuckle I have is badly skinned up, but the shields are completely gone.
Not to mention MUCH better looks under the hood, I even have a new-found exhaust snarl from under the hood I've never heard before. I can here every cylinder firing. And no, there isn't any more heat at all in the engine bay.
In fact, I'm quite sure there's less. My temp needle hasn't reflected it as far as I can tell, but my huge, open hood venting always did a great job at getting rid of heat - plus the headers are literally stuck out in the open (and I have no front bumper which lets in a ton of fresh air), and my steel tubular intake plumbing seems less hot to the touch. Moreover, those shields looked to me like gigantic heat radiators anyways. I think they are, and they're only there for "lawyer fodder" like so many other things.
Even if there was a little bit more heat, the looks and the sound are way more than worth it.

did you remove the heatshield on the exauste manifold appart from the one on the tubes?

fokion,

I'm not entirely clear on what you meant by that, except to say that I removed both "clam shell" panels of the heatshielding over the headers; both the top and the bottom pieces.
To suffice it all, I now have zero panels anywhere on my entire exhaust piping. Its one straight piece of pipe and it looks it.
In a way it was kind of easy. A 10mm open-end box wrench, lots of elbow grease and a tin snips, and the covers fell off into my face. A small hastle.

I decided to order a used preheat cat from horace kia. It's from a 97, he says he looked it up and it will fit on mine. I'm just hoping this will be a good one and not the same as the one I already have in. If it turns out to be dead then I'm pretty sure he'll make good for it. We have been talking back & forth for some time now because I have a large order with him and it's on it's way to me as I type this.

Has anyone ever installed a used preheat cat before? If so then have you had any problems with it? It should go well as long as the bolts come off easy. I have a problem with rusted bolts on my damn sporty. I always seem to break at least one ....... No matter what I do.