Catalytic Converters

[Pipes]

Has any one out there removed their cat. converter successfully? That is, without an engine light coming on. If so.....please let us all know !!!! Thanks......

[Mark1]

Im surprised someone hasent told you it is not legal yet.....That is usualy the first response.

With the cfm of the PT motor only a high flow cat would be necessary. Some have moved up to 3" pipes and a high flow cat. The PT motor even with the turbo does not breath so deep the removing the cat totaly makes that much of a gain

[GOLDMEMBER]

I'm using a High Flow Cat on my other car with no loss of power
It sure beats getting busted for removing the Cat

[sakigt]

Originally posted by Mark1
Im surprised someone hasent told you it is not legal yet.....That is usualy the first response.

LOL! Either that or I need a pic first.

[Pipes]

Yes , I am aware that it is illegal to remove the cat. Here , we have to have all emissions checked every two years . So, when it comes time for the emissions check......on goes the old cat. It wouldn't surprise me though if the high flow cat would pass anyway ! I don't know if I would take the chance !! Happy Cruising!

[Mark1]

The hassel of replacing it every 2 years would out weigh the price of the high flow cat. After 2 years the bolts would be pretty rusty making it a big pain to change. But the size of the engine just does not get enuf of a bump in power to make it worth it. At red line it only pumps out somthing like 275cfm, well below anything that would build up to much of a restriction. A high flow cat will handel anything the PT puts out. and you dont have the hassel of Fooling the computer somehow. or the job of puting it in and out every 2 years.

When cats first came out they were very flow restrctive because the extra time was needed to do the conversion. They have not gotten over that stigma. They flow pretty good now, how else can you get 500 horse out of a Viper? There are some race teams that have put them on thier race cars to be enviromental friendly, with no perceptable power loss.

Personaly i am not worried that it is not legal, as the only way you realisticaly get cought is at the emision station. But high flow cats can be found pretty cheep. To me it looks more inviting than replacing it with rusty bolts every 2 years.

[Pipes]

Hi Mark ....thanks for the reply ! I am not too sure exactly what you are recommending ? Leaving the factory cat on or installing the high flow aftermarket one ? Even though we renew our drivers licence plate sticker every year, it is mandatory to have the vehicles emissions system checked every two years before you can renew your sticker. So it definately would be an issue in regards to the cat swapping ! So, I guess, what I am asking in regards to your reply, are you promoting the high flow cat, or leaving the stock unit on ? Thanks.....Pipes.

[Mark1]

Anything to improve flow is a good thing. I would get the high flow cat and a better flowing muffler. The ease of not having to touch it again will make up for the cost of it.

I have tried the " well i will just have to change it later " projects before. They only make it 1 turn and i buy what ever it was anyway.

[Pipes]

Good morning Mark and fellow Cruisers. I have the BTG dual cat back system on the vehicle already........so that end of things has been looked after. My focus on the cat is for one reason. If in fact , the cat is creating ANY backpressure, then it really won't matter what you put after it to increase the flow. The problem is with the first road block......which is the cat. I really wish some one out there knew any solid info on the flow characteristics of the factory cat compared to the after markets. Remember, on these forums, we all put a certain degree of trust into each other for the right info on all our different installs. A good rule of thumb is to do as much investigating as possible in regards to whatever part you are considering installing. This becomes more critical when were start to fool around with the engines and their managment systems. Whew.....pretty dry stuff for a Saturday morning !! These cats are readily available, but I just want to make sure I have the right info and the right part. Thanks in advance for any more assistance that may be ...." in the mail ! "

[Mark1]

Originally posted by pipes
My focus on the cat is for one reason. If in fact , the cat is creating ANY backpressure, then it really won't matter what you put after it to increase the flow. The problem is with the first road block......which is the cat.

Kind of true... But as i said if you replace the cat ( about 30%gain in flow is the industry average ) the muffler is now the problem, so you want to replace it to get the best flow ( as you have allready done )

By kind of i mean ... If the cat causes a 15 % flow restriction, but the muffler causes a 35% flow restriction, you will gain with replacing just the muffler. And there are cars with this problem. Almost all are luxary cars whare the quiet is more prized than the performance, but they are out there.

As far as the right part I would contact the manufacturer. They can match the conversion ratio needed to the cfm flow you want. But soon , if not already , they will have part numbers for the GT.