Are High-flow cats really needed for a stage 1 daily ??

[Mikemann0]

First I know you have to pay to play....But is it really necessary , I'm stage 1 whipple tuned for now , Just a daily get to work truck with a few hits here and there -WILL NEVER see the track and I don't street race , Just turned 7k miles and so far so good , Should I believe the internet (you know what I mean) and spend $2300.00 for SPD's setup ? Anyone here with some miles on stock cats , I do have the MBRP catback , Thanks

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[Sigma1914]

I have a 2023 Gen 6 Stg 1 Whipple Supercharged Rocky Ridge. After 15K+ miles with Whipple (30K+ Total miles). I’ve had absolutely no issues whatsoever with my OEM stock cats! I just recently had Palm Beach Dyno install my Stainless Works High Flow Catted Long Tubes, smaller 3.75 pulley and a Reische 170 degree performance thermostat. Ken and the staff there took great care of me!

 

[Mikemann0]

I have a 2023 Gen 6 Stg 1 Whipple Supercharged Rocky Ridge. After 15K+ miles with Whipple (30K+ Total miles). I’ve had absolutely no issues whatsoever with my OEM stock cats! I just recently had Palm Beach Dyno install my Stainless Works High Flow Catted Long Tubes, smaller 3.75 pulley and a Reische 170 degree performance thermostat. Ken and the staff there took great care of me!

Hey Sigma that video popped up on my Facebook feed which prompted me to call PBD , I really just wanted to get away from the canned "safe" Whipple tune and limiter , After our phone conversation I think I decided on SPD cats on stock headers and their tune - My pockets aren't that deep so longtubes and the install are out for now ??? Or should I keep saving - Mind you this is just a work commuter and an occasional romp for a grin , It's very easy for the internet people to spend someone else's money but I'm trying to be realistic also , Thanks for chiming in.

 

[TexasTruck]

For myself, installing the SPD Alpha’s was strictly for peace of mind; if there is such a thing. I certainly hope they don’t do more harm than good I can honestly say that on average my CAT temps are 200* lower and they cool down quicker. The Whipple tune gets me from A to B plenty fast with the stock headers and the SPD Alphas.

Just my $0.02

 

[Mikemann0]

For myself, installing the SPD Alpha’s was strictly for peace of mind; if there is such a thing. I certainly hope they don’t do more harm than good I can honestly say that on average my CAT temps are 200* lower and they cool down quicker. The Whipple tune gets me from A to B plenty fast with the stock headers and the SPD Alphas.

Just my $0.02

I appreciate your .02 TexasTruck that's what I'm looking for .

 

[TexasTruck]

Ken and the staff there took great care of me!

Boy that video sure is tempting - dang

 

[jewc75]

I have a 2023 Gen 6 Stg 1 Whipple Supercharged Rocky Ridge. After 15K+ miles with Whipple (30K+ Total miles). I’ve had absolutely no issues whatsoever with my OEM stock cats! I just recently had Palm Beach Dyno install my Stainless Works High Flow Catted Long Tubes, smaller 3.75 pulley and a Reische 170 degree performance thermostat. Ken and the staff there took great care of me!

Ken is a good dude. Ive known him for years, lots of years lol.

Stock cats are solid. There is less chance of melting a stock cat than some of the other brands out there.

 

[Mikemann0]

Ken is a good dude. Ive known him for years, lots of years lol.

Stock cats are solid. There is less chance of melting a stock cat than some of the other brands out there.

Well then there's the million dollar question....Are $2300.00 + SPD's needed for just a tune to get out of the canned Whipple tune ??? Hmmm - Keeping in mind I'm 57 and it's just a fun daily and I know how to control my right foot...lol...Most of the time

 

[TremorDave]

Well then there's the million dollar question....Are $2300.00 + SPD's needed for just a tune to get out of the canned Whipple tune ??? Hmmm - Keeping in mind I'm 57 and it's just a fun daily and I know how to control my right foot...lol...Most of the time

Probably not, but if you bought an hour of dyno time or got a IR temperature meter and found a length of (private*) road to do some pulls, you could figure out pretty quickly cool down rates, max temps, etc., now and after a new tune.

*disclaimer

 

[Mikemann0]

Probably not, but if you bought an hour of dyno time or got a IR temperature meter and found a length of (private*) road to do some pulls, you could figure out pretty quickly cool down rates, max temps, etc., now and after a new tune.

*disclaimer

That makes perfect sense , Which leads me to believe (and I may be wrong) It's probable that the stories of burned up engines due to stock cats may be being abused a little....Just trying to have a good power clean tune and not waste money on un-needed items for a spirited daily using some common sense with the right foot.

 

[Mikemann0]

I appreciate all who have chimed in so far !!

 

[jewc75]

What's recommended depends on who you choose to tune your truck. Every tuner has their own likes and dislikes. Palm.Beach, Lund Racing, Midnight Performance are all solid at what they do.

 

[Sigma1914]

Hey Sigma that video popped up on my Facebook feed which prompted me to call PBD , I really just wanted to get away from the canned "safe" Whipple tune and limiter , After our phone conversation I think I decided on SPD cats on stock headers and their tune - My pockets aren't that deep so longtubes and the install are out for now ??? Or should I keep saving - Mind you this is just a work commuter and an occasional romp for a grin , It's very easy for the internet people to spend someone else's money but I'm trying to be realistic also , Thanks for chiming in.

I appreciate your honesty and I’ve learned a lot from a combination of asking questions on this forum, Facebook groups (I’m in 3 of them all labeled High Performance 5.0 F150’s, High Performance 2021+ F-150 and High Performance 2021+ F-150) and real life mechanics like Ken and his great team over at Palm Beach Dyno. My advice to you would be to continue to save your money and just purchase things as you go. I just like you and @TexasTruck was hell bent on just getting SPD’s Performance Alpha Catted Y-Pipe. But after conducting my research with numerous people like Ken with over 20+ years of experience in this business of working exclusively on Ford cars and trucks. I was advised that for the price that I would’ve paid for just the SPD Alpha Catted Y-Pipe alone, I can get a good deal on a quality High Flow Catted Long Tube Headers that will yield better performance by allowing better exhaust flow for more horsepower. Think about it. SPD’s Catted Alpha Y-Pipes run $2,195 on their website and with Terry over at Beefcake Racing online he could probably get you a few more dollars off. Now with that you are still connecting those to the stock OEM manifolds (Unless you play a little more for SPD’s ported manifolds as well) witch are still somewhat restricting your exhaust from more of a free flow than long tubes would. So now let’s compare that price range of $2,200 to let’s say a complete set of High Flow Catted Long Tube Headers. After conducting my research I came up with a top 3 of #1 Kooks, #2 Stainless Works/Stainless Power and #3 Velocity. Then I did further research and found out that Velocity sometimes are a rough fit and the quality of the steel just isn’t as good as Stainless Works/Power and Kooks, so I narrowed it down to 2. Then for my price point and price range best bang for buck went to Stainless Works ($2,200 online with Beefcake Racing) if I wanted a lifetime warranty with the headers being built right here in the USA or for a little cheaper more affordable option go with the Stainless Power ($1,800) 2 year warranty built in China. Same brand, same T-304 steel. It’s just that one steel is from here in the United States and the other is from China. Kooks has a great High Flow Catted Long Tube Header product but way out of my price range. Ultimately Stainless Works won me over.

 

[MattV]

I’d just get 25K or 30K miles on the stock cats if possible then switch them out for piece of mind

 

[Mikemann0]

I appreciate your honesty and I’ve learned a lot from a combination of asking questions on this forum, Facebook groups (I’m in 3 of them all labeled High Performance 5.0 F150’s, High Performance 2021+ F-150 and High Performance 2021+ F-150) and real life mechanics like Ken and his great team over at Palm Beach Dyno. My advice to you would be to continue to save your money and just purchase things as you go. I just like you and @TexasTruck was hell bent on just getting SPD’s Performance Alpha Catted Y-Pipe. But after conducting my research with numerous people like Ken with over 20+ years of experience in this business of working exclusively on Ford cars and trucks. I was advised that for the price that I would’ve paid for just the SPD Alpha Catted Y-Pipe alone, I can get a good deal on a quality High Flow Catted Long Tube Headers that will yield better performance by allowing better exhaust flow for more horsepower. Think about it. SPD’s Catted Alpha Y-Pipes run $2,195 on their website and with Terry over at Beefcake Racing online he could probably get you a few more dollars off. Now with that you are still connecting those to the stock OEM manifolds (Unless you play a little more for SPD’s ported manifolds as well) witch are still somewhat restricting your exhaust from more of a free flow than long tubes would. So now let’s compare that price range of $2,200 to let’s say a complete set of High Flow Catted Long Tube Headers. After conducting my research I came up with a top 3 of #1 Kooks, #2 Stainless Works/Stainless Power and #3 Velocity. Then I did further research and found out that Velocity sometimes are a rough fit and the quality of the steel just isn’t as good as Stainless Works/Power and Kooks, so I narrowed it down to 2. Then for my price point and price range best bang for buck went to Stainless Works ($2,200 online with Beefcake Racing) if I wanted a lifetime warranty with the headers being built right here in the USA or for a little cheaper more affordable option go with the Stainless Power ($1,800) 2 year warranty built in China. Same brand, same T-304 steel. It’s just that one steel is from here in the United States and the other is from China. Kooks has a great High Flow Catted Long Tube Header product but way out of my price range. Ultimately Stainless Works won me over.

That's an avenue I didn't even consider to be honest mainly due to the ease of install on the SPD's along with my MBRP catback duals already , Very on the fence on doing a header install myself but still a consideration I suppose - Not in a hurry though so I will consider all options before spending some money.

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