OPF Technology
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
“Restricted air flow is a limiting factor to making more power.”
In 2018, the enforcement of stricter regulations to curb exhaust pollutants induced by environmental efforts led to the inclusion of OPF in the later car models. The filter is usually positioned in the front section of the exhaust after the Lambda sensor.
Amongst several reasons, the OPF was developed to curb climate change and air pollution by regulating the levels of pollutant emissions escaping from an engine’s exhaust. The OPF’s design contours a honeycomb structure built to capture soot, chemical particles, or other particulates within its wall.
Implications of OPF
In an OPF-equipped car, if a regular cat-back exhaust system is installed, it activates the warning light often sending the vehicle into limp mode, drastically dampening the engine’s performance as well as stifling the exhaust’s sound and tone.
To install a cat-back, many aftermarket exhausts require you to code out the OPF which involves rewriting the car’s ECU. However, ECU rewriting will affect the manufacture warranty because the original ECU settings have been overwritten.
Why the warning light?
Because the OPF was optimized for back pressure, the warning light is triggered when the two sensors measuring the back pressure of the exhaust detect a change.
When the OPF filter is in place, the back pressure increases. If the OPF filter is removed, the back pressure drops. Once the sensors detect a change in back pressure, it recognizes the OPF has been removed, thus triggering the warning light.
With typical OPF-equipped cars, installing a regular cat-back exhaust system will set off the warning light and the vehicle will be sent into limp mode compounding the performance of the car. This is a common and prevalent issue with regular cat-back exhaust systems.
Aftermarket solution
To combat this, STONE manufactured a built-in system incorporated into their cat-back exhaust systems. It acts just like an OPF delete kit, except it does not require a separate purchase or additional installation. This OPF-delete configuration neither requires coding out the OPF nor rewriting of the ECU, which means the manufacture warranty remains valid and no check engine light is activated.
These cat-back exhausts utilize genuine BMW valve motor for durability. Apart from the exceptional ability to enhance performance, these cat-back valvetronic exhaust systems allow you to open or close the valve instantaneously. This eases transitioning from the freeway, to an isolated location, to a neighborhood, so you don’t have to worry about performance loss or restrictions with OPF anymore.
View performance cat-back exhausts:
BMW
Ford
Audi
Mercedes
Porsche
Volkswagen
Others
Or visit our website here.
