Catalytic converter removal

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: Vern_in_IL
Back in the 70's there was a "as seen on TV" kind of deal...

They sold straight pipe kits where you can remove the catalytic converter *temporally* and just install this exhaust pipe, to diagnose a bad converter... of course once you installed the straight pipe, you would never take it back off or buy a new converter.

My Dad's '79 Pontiac Bonneville had one. As far as I'm concerned, any carbureted vehicle can see gains if you remove the converter.
JC and the Boys used to sell them. Perhaps they still sell those "test pipes".

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Originally Posted By: exranger06
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8

How many people care about emissions and/or the air quality?

I do. Apparently that makes me a tree hugger. And "tree hugger" is also apparently an insult. I mean, I've never literally hugged a tree, but I'll keep an open mind and maybe give it a try.

I love my Country.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Imight thing twice about a cat on a early 70's restomuscle car like a Sebring 440. If its got lambda control and it aint aJeep. the cat stays on. Though I do recall pulling the hex plug out of the pellet filled cat on my '80 Fiat Strada and let the pellets fly. Made no more power, maybe a bit more bottom end torque - but it sounded a tad better

Top ten ugly cars Ive owned FIAT.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: DoubleWasp
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Since our resident expert has concluded that all CC's are useless and should be discarded, I would like to ask a simple question.

How many here have removed theirs? Please state why.

How many people care about emissions and/or the air quality?

Who else here knowingly violates Federal laws?

Inquiring minds want to know...


Straw man argument.


Is this an example of your limitless contributions here? Just asking...

 

[SteveSRT8]

Personally, we have found that most ordinary vehicles after OBDII have very little to be gained through exhaust mods. Noise and little else.

If talking high performance then that's a different story. But the only performance car I own that has no cats is a replica of an old Jensen Healey and is far from a daily driver.

My sig car is an ULEV and has its original cats in place at 102k miles still working perfectly. Our fleet trucks have never had any cat service required even up to half a million miles. So where are all the failures?

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: exranger06
I do. Apparently that makes me a tree hugger. And "tree hugger" is also apparently an insult. I mean, I've never literally hugged a tree, but I'll keep an open mind and maybe give it a try.

HA! Good one.

I kissed my ole hound dawg and liked it...

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: wtd
I leave mine stock and here where I live, we have vehicle inspections so if your vehicle is supposed to have a cat on it and it doesn't, you don't pass. I see no point in removing them and it's also illegal and you can be accessed a huge fine if someone wants to make an issue about it. Not worth it to me.

Wayne


Good point, Wayne. Especially so-called "professionals".

And it is interesting to note that we could be the next state to get an inspection program if our air quality continues to decline...

 

[DoubleWasp]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: DoubleWasp
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Since our resident expert has concluded that all CC's are useless and should be discarded, I would like to ask a simple question.

How many here have removed theirs? Please state why.

How many people care about emissions and/or the air quality?

Who else here knowingly violates Federal laws?

Inquiring minds want to know...


Straw man argument.


Is this an example of your limitless contributions here? Just asking...


The purpose of asking is what exactly?

 

[bdcardinal]

I took the H pipe with 6 cats off of my 98 Mustang GT and replaced it with a Bassani offroad X pipe. It sounded amazing with my Spintech mufflers. Got tons of compliments from a bunch of people.

My 14 still has cats, but thanks to the Borla noise pollution plan, it sounds a lot better.

I have an offroad X pipe for my 95 Mustang when I get the engine rebuilt in that to go along with the new headers.

 

[DriveHard]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Personally, we have found that most ordinary vehicles after OBDII have very little to be gained through exhaust mods. Noise and little else.



Not attacking...just wondering...
Who is "we"?
It is hard to argue the qualitative statement of "very little to be gained", but I would pretty much disagree 100%. You put true long tube headers on almost any engine and you will get gains you can FEEL. (and sadly hear, which is why they are not used by OEM's)

 

[1foxracing]

On cars I don't bother. Motorcycles are a different story, every sport type bike I have purchased the past 12 years or so has had the heavy catalyst equipped stock exhaust removed and replaced by full titanium race exhaust systems.

 

[spackard]

> How many here have removed theirs? Please state why.

To look inside. To see how rusted together the bolts and nuts were, before I tried working on the O2 sensor.

> How many people care about emissions and/or the air quality?

Meh. I care far less than Mary D. Nichols.
More importantly, if an entire bureaucracy is run by appointments, not by votes, then where's the Democracy? How many people care about Democracy?
(You should hear the youngins talk about the pollution in LA. When I was young if you wanted to see the mountains you had to be driving on them.)

> Who else here knowingly violates Federal laws?
Formerly dead broke Hillary Clinton.

Oh, and in CA it's not a rolling 25 year limit, so you'll still be smogging a car. Even a '61 has 'smog devices', but anything 1976 or newer gets tested.

 

[Nayov]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
I should ask another question;

How many of you have ranted about EPA right on this forum?


I know, right? The OP sure has. I had to read the opening statement a couple of times to make sure I read it right that he supports a government mandate.

Here, a car will pass an inspection without a cat if it is older than 1979. Not sure how they can get away with avoiding that fed reg.

 

[aa1986]

Originally Posted By: Nayov
Originally Posted By: Vikas
I should ask another question;

How many of you have ranted about EPA right on this forum?


I know, right? The OP sure has. I had to read the opening statement a couple of times to make sure I read it right that he supports a government mandate.

 

[turtlevette]

I replaced my Grand National's cat with a test pipe. That helped performance then I had the mufflers removed. You couldn't tell any difference in sound at idle and normal driving around. At full throttle it sounded a bit loud but not much. The turbo acts to quiet the exhaust.

So I guess I'm a federal law breaker. Definitely knowingly break state and local laws of various kinds. Street racing counts, right?

Oh and I stole a pen from work.

 

[DoubleWasp]

Well.....um.....what about this resident expert guy? Is everyone sure they aren't ready to get out the tiki torches and storm the castle, Frankenstein style?

 

[asand1]

I have never removed a cat from an equipped vehicle, but I would run an aftermarket y-pipe headers in a nissan with the converters that break up and enter the combustion chambers.

Running a cheap high flow cat is as bad as no cat usually. They tend to last just long enough to pass inspection, and burn out and crumble.

 

[aa1986]

Originally Posted By: DoubleWasp
Well.....um.....what about this resident expert guy? Is everyone sure they aren't ready to get out the tiki torches and storm the castle, Frankenstein style?

Not content with co-opting the word "expert" into a label inviting derision, they who have chosen to do so

, have now preceded it with the word "resident" to make it even more biting.

But I have no idea who the bogeyman is. Or even the strawman.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: qdeezie
For me personally, I've been attacked on other forums for suggesting that they should keep the cat on their vehicles (even if it's an aftermarket high flow cat or a cheap cat). I get accused of being all kinds of treehuggers.

Fact of the matter is if you are driving and you pull up behind a vehicle without a cat, the fuel smell coming out of their exhaust is downright offensive (in my opinion).


You have done so and never known it!

(Note that vehicles were built without cats to 1997!)

 

[Vern_in_IL]

Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Originally Posted By: qdeezie
For me personally, I've been attacked on other forums for suggesting that they should keep the cat on their vehicles (even if it's an aftermarket high flow cat or a cheap cat). I get accused of being all kinds of treehuggers.

Fact of the matter is if you are driving and you pull up behind a vehicle without a cat, the fuel smell coming out of their exhaust is downright offensive (in my opinion).


You have done so and never known it!

(Note that vehicles were built without cats to 1997!)

g
Just add some MMO to the gasohol for nice smelling exhaust, and it also keeps the pipes clean.