Cat delete, is it worth the money

[308gunner]

I ordered my polished RLS cat bypass today. I spoke to Rick at RLS and hes going to WELD in TWO additional honeycomb baffles..one for the input and one for the output...so it will be a three level system. Baffle(1)...Resonator(2)...Baffle(3). I also wrote in the request so theres no mistakes...and... they are also on sale so I saved 60 bucks.

[tehrlich]

I ordered my polished RLS cat bypass today. I spoke to Rick at RLS and hes going to WELD in TWO honeycomb baffles..one for the input and one for the output. I also wrote in the request so theres no mistakes...and... they are also on sale so I saved 60 bucks.

Cool. He will do a great job. His cat bypass fits perfectly.

[308gunner]

I got my RLS cat bypass today...and he welded in the additional baffles on the input and output of the pipe that I requested...I'll install it in tommorow or Saturday.

[SpdrDvr]

Trying to take in what everyone is saying on this thread. I'm very interested in more power from my 2018 F3L. I don't have an ECU upgrade (yet?) but Lamonster installed a LG 1330 pipe removing the cat. I was/am naive about what I wanted from my new Spyder when I bought it so I guess I'm working backwards now. Sucks to be me!? So I need some help here. 1) If I go the ECU route does it affect the warranty? 2) Can I put baffles in this pipe or would any of you suggest or do something else? 3) Should I go the ECU route AND baffles? I've owned a few new vehicles over the years and never got around to customizing any of them ..... I am doing whatever I can on this Spyder! Ain't gettin any younger!!

Thanks to all in advance for sharing....

[Wildrice]

Just bought a new 2018 rtl and installed a RLS muffler, sounds much better, but is it worth the money to install a cat delete and will it actually increase the performance of the bike.

Thanks for any info,

I tried the Cat delete on my 2015 F3's. It lost low end power. I installed 2 baffles--still lacked off the line power plus was loud. I reinstalled the Cat, I have the Akprovac chrome straight shot muffler. I did the ECU stage one mod from Canada--it definitely improved 3000--8100. I am going for the stage 2 ECU & air box upgrade from Canada this month. Traffic has really increased here over the years but I did have an opportunity to hit 118 mph speedo & still climbing until traffic got in the way. this 118 mph was with tall windshield & saddlebags, passenger back rest on the Stage 1 ECU upgrade. After 3 Hayabusa's with engine mods, one with Nitrous, & the last with turbo putting out 344 rwhp-212# torque I promised myself I won't modify the engine on this f3's spyder. Evidently I have a short attention span :-(
Darrell

[derichio02]

Hey All

I have recently installed the Two Brothers exhaust and cat delete and I definitely feel at difference at wide open throttle from launch. Is there a baffle that is recommend for the two brothers setup? I have a 2017 F3s. Should I reinstall the cat and get an Akrapovic exhaust for better sound? Not ready to flash test since I only have 1k miles

[PMK]

Hey All

I have recently installed the Two Brothers exhaust and cat delete and I definitely feel at difference at wide open throttle from launch. Is there a baffle that is recommend for the two brothers setup? I have a 2017 F3s. Should I reinstall the cat and get an Akrapovic exhaust for better sound? Not ready to flash test since I only have 1k miles

We do not run a Two Brothers pipe. In the past, most owners found they needed to run the smaller end cap since your setup is essentailly a free flowing race setup and the Spyder does not prefer that.

[PMK]

Forgot to post back after doing roll on throttle tests.

I did not compare the stock cat setup vs the Lamonster bypass without baffles, simply tried the roll on runs with our no baffle Lamonster bypass.

The setup was riding two up, and pulling a RT622 trailer, with about 50 pounds in the trailer. 14 RTS SE6.

Used third gear, initial rpm was about 2000 to 2200. I never ever ride like this, low rpm with roll on throttle. I ride with preference to keep the rpm acceptable for the gear selected and current speed.

As described, two riders and trailer, grabbed a handful of throttle. The bike merely accellerated with minimal hard launch. Did several of these runs, and from that 2000 ish rpm it simply accellerated in a manner I expected. Not fast and race like, merely like a typical car without it downshifting.

The key though, is when the rpm increased. As the revs increased, at about 3000 you could feel the engine power coming in. Not wheel spinning power, just a strong steady pull, even with the extra load.

What does it all mean, there is no free lunch. As a rider and where we live, our Spyder very seldom is ridden at 2000 revs, nor is it always bouncing off the rev limiter. Our typical rides, and how I run the Spyder find it to commonly be run in the range of 3000 to 4500 rpm. With the no baffle bypass pipe, the machine pulls well. Yes it is louder than an oem setup with the cat litter box.

No doubt a remap would gain more power, but also is not free. As I have mentioned before, an RT is no racer.

No plans to change, sticking with the no baffles Lamonster bypass pipe. Never wanted the Harley rumble. The exhaust note for whatever reason has a good bark compared to others with the same exact setup. The power has a good feel and rpm range for us. And, yes, I track pretty much every bit of fuel burned, the mpg did increase by a very small amount. Not once but repeatably.

[derichio02]

I do have the p1x power tip/silencer installed. There are plenty of folks that run the two brothers setup. I’m just wondering if I’m shooting myself in the foot and should I install a baffle.

[PMK]

I do have the p1x power tip/silencer installed. There are plenty of folks that run the two brothers setup. I’m just wondering if I’m shooting myself in the foot and should I install a baffle.

Not sure about shooting yourself in the foot, what you have with the tip and rest of the system is what others tend to run.

[2dogs]

Two Bros S1R too loud....

I have the cat delete with one baffle followed by a Two Bros S1R. I've significantly reduced the heat output and also reduced the weight by 30/40 pounds but the noise level has increased 2/3 fold. The Two Bros dB Killer tip is near on worthless as a noise reducer. Two Bros makes a "Comp Cone Baffle" which looks as if it may help noise reduction, if it will fit the S1R. I emailed Two Bros with that question but no answer back yet. From the looks of the Comp Cone Baffle, it shouldn't be that difficult to reproduce one to fit the S1R. Some thin strips of perforated metal, some pieces of miscellaneous sized thin-walled pipe and some various sized washers all tack welded together may do it. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, and sometimes you end up with something other folks also want.

[derichio02]

Two Bros S1R too loud....

I have the cat delete with one baffle followed by a Two Bros S1R. I've significantly reduced the heat output and also reduced the weight by 30/40 pounds but the noise level has increased 2/3 fold. The Two Bros dB Killer tip is near on worthless as a noise reducer. Two Bros makes a "Comp Cone Baffle" which looks as if it may help noise reduction, if it will fit the S1R. I emailed Two Bros with that question but no answer back yet. From the looks of the Comp Cone Baffle, it shouldn't be that difficult to reproduce one to fit the S1R. Some thin strips of perforated metal, some pieces of miscellaneous sized thin-walled pipe and some various sized washers all tack welded together may do it. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, and sometimes you end up with something other folks also want.

What baffle did you use? Also is it on the engine side or on the muffler side. I currently do not have a baffle just the power tip. Wondering if there are any gains with the baffle or should I just leave it as it is

[2dogs]

The ECU controls everything. Here's what I ended up with my experimenting and modifications. Cat delete with one baffle and a highly modified 2Bros muffler all followed with a stage II reflash. After numerous one day trips of 150/250 miles 2up and going from 500 ft to over 7k ft elevation, I have more than enough power and I consistently get 41/42 MPG. 60 MPH is my sweet spot. That's 3k RPM and for every 1k of RPM over that, it will cost me 1MPG. The ECU controls everything but my wrist.

[Gwolf]

Question- you don't hear much about plugged up cat converters anymore. Early cat converters could become plugged up or partially plugged up, reducing performance and in some cases, actually causing the engine to choke out.

Is this still a possibility with vehicles, or do they have some kind of updated engineering on the newer vehicles preventing that?
Has anyone ever heard of a Spyder cat converter getting plugged up and causing performance problems on high mile Spyders?

Just curious...... I don't have a problem.

[BajaRon]

Question- you don't hear much about plugged up cat converters anymore. Early cat converters could become plugged up or partially plugged up, reducing performance and in some cases, actually causing the engine to choke out.

Is this still a possibility with vehicles, or do they have some kind of updated engineering on the newer vehicles preventing that?
Has anyone ever heard of a Spyder cat converter getting plugged up and causing performance problems on high mile Spyders?

Just curious...... I don't have a problem.

A plugged cat is always a possibility due to the honey comb design. But if your engine is running as it should, you will not have any issues. Cats are designed to self clean as long as the pollutants ingested are at normal or just slightly elevated levels. They get clogged due to excessive oil consumption, for the most part. The 998's burned oil. But even this was compensated for in those models. The 1330 is a very clean burning engine. It is unlikely that you will have any clogging issues.

[PaladinLV]

From my PERSONAL perspective
I performed the CAT delete to reduce the weight of vehicle and to remove one of the greatest sources of HEAT!
Heat, NOT to the vehicle but to ME!
I would not expect and did not expect any PERFORMANCE unless performing a "Monster" or similar flash to the ECU.
And for me what I personally experienced was worth the few bucks for some additional comfort.

AJ

[BajaRon]

From my PERSONAL perspective
I performed the CAT delete to reduce the weight of vehicle and to remove one of the greatest sources of HEAT!
Heat, NOT to the vehicle but to ME!
I would not expect and did not expect any PERFORMANCE unless performing a "Monster" or similar flash to the ECU.
And for me what I personally experienced was worth the few bucks for some additional comfort.

AJ

A very realistic and accurate perspective. Any power gains are going to be minimal without a corresponding upgrade to the ECU. Still, for the relatively small price and ease with which this can be accomplished. I think there is value to this mod. It could be argued that sound also improves.

[MarkN]

I have a lamonster cat delete without the baffle, stock muffler on my 2022 RTL. Absolutely love the sound! A nice in-line growl, if you want to call it that. Performance difference? Don’t really know. I don’t ride aggressively so that part doesn’t interest me.

[SkipH]

Why I'm gonna replace the cat converter with the "test tube" is after riding in 110 to 118 degree weather a couple of weeks ago testing out my new home built water cooled vest, as I parked in the garage, a very strong alcohol smell emitted from the tank. So strong that I had to leave the garage door open for an hour. I've had this several times before in hot weather and this time was the worse.

[AndysF3S]

I am planning on buying the MFI Stage 2 soon and understand that removing the cat will remove some of the back pressure and increase the noise which I am allergic to. I plan on staying with the factory muffler.

My question is has anyone run the MFI Stage 2 with factory cat and muffler and how does it perform? If you removed the cat and stayed with the factory muffler did it improve the performance noticeably and did it get noticeably louder or too loud?

I get the Thunder city baffles helping the bottom end and changing the sound but would prefer not to go that route. Who's cat delete do you recommend that is just an open pipe without resonator or baffles? 22F3S

If I replace the Cat and don't want to lose bottom end torque is the baffled pipe like the thunder city the only choice? I see they sell the baffles but don't see the pipe itself?

I have emailed Lamonster to see what they recommend with their LG 1330? They sell a perforated baffle LG1329 to tone it down. Has anyone run this combo with a stock muffler; how much louder is it? I know loud is subjective unless you use a dB meter but I would prefer near stock sound with increased performance which may not be possible?

[troop]

I am planning on buying the MFI Stage 2 soon and understand that removing the cat will remove some of the back pressure and increase the noise which I am allergic to. I plan on staying with the factory muffler.

My question is has anyone run the MFI Stage 2 with factory cat and muffler and how does it perform? If you removed the cat and stayed with the factory muffler did it improve the performance noticeably and did it get noticeably louder or too loud?

I get the Thunder city baffles helping the bottom end and changing the sound but would prefer not to go that route. Who's cat delete do you recommend that is just an open pipe without resonator or baffles? 22F3S

If I replace the Cat and don't want to lose bottom end torque is the baffled pipe like the thunder city the only choice? I see they sell the baffles but don't see the pipe itself?

I have emailed Lamonster to see what they recommend with their LG 1330? They sell a perforated baffle LG1329 to tone it down. Has anyone run this combo with a stock muffler; how much louder is it? I know loud is subjective unless you use a dB meter but I would prefer near stock sound with increased performance which may not be possible?

I liked this combo on my F3S with PV3/custom tune:
1.) https://www.baldwinironworks.com/pro...at-bypass-pipe I used the included baffle without the end cap with the stock muffler. Had a very nice rumble.
I watched Paul build my cat delete and install it at his shop in Sparta, Mo. He's only about 20 miles from Lamonster.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I am planning on buying the MFI Stage 2 soon and understand that removing the cat will remove some of the back pressure and increase the noise which I am allergic to. I plan on staying with the factory muffler.

My question is has anyone run the MFI Stage 2 with factory cat and muffler and how does it perform? If you removed the cat and stayed with the factory muffler did it improve the performance noticeably and did it get noticeably louder or too loud?

I get the Thunder city baffles helping the bottom end and changing the sound but would prefer not to go that route. Who's cat delete do you recommend that is just an open pipe without resonator or baffles? 22F3S

If I replace the Cat and don't want to lose bottom end torque is the baffled pipe like the thunder city the only choice? I see they sell the baffles but don't see the pipe itself?

I have emailed Lamonster to see what they recommend with their LG 1330? They sell a perforated baffle LG1329 to tone it down. Has anyone run this combo with a stock muffler; how much louder is it? I know loud is subjective unless you use a dB meter but I would prefer near stock sound with increased performance which may not be possible?

When I put on the Cat Delete pipe I didn't use the Baffle ..... Then I tried a home made Baffle ( modeled after the Thunder baffle ) & liked it, so I kept it on .... JMHO .... Mike

[SkipH]

I finally installed the Test pipe with baffle and it still sounds stock. It did however stop the alcohol/gas smell from evaporation.That top spring is a bit*h...

[BajaRon]

The top spring is definitely a marvel of engineering excellence!

[2dogs]

Successfully getting that spring on and off without spilling any blood can be a marvel in itself.