Cat Convertor Removal

[3rdTurbo]

I drove behind a WRX yesterday and nearly passed out from it's exhaust fumes as it was gunning up a hill. There was no visible smoke coming out from the exhaust and it did not smell of fuel or oil.

My guess is that the catalytic convertor may have been removed.

Could my theory be on the money? Or is the removal of the cat undetectable unless a tailpipe emmissions test is performed?

I recognise the legality issues with the removal of the cat.

[F6 RAPID]

Undetectable my friend - unless checked.

WRX was probably running rich - mods to the intake and exhaust on the newer ones will see them run rich if they haven't modified the fuel/ignition maps to suit. Won't be the cat or lack thereof.

[DrewBytes]

A car does smell different if you remove the cats - very different - and easy to tell the smell once you know it.

[ms700]

Is it a "sweet" smell?

[plonky]

No, without the cats you can't smell the stale urine and faeces in the kitty litter.....it just smells like unburnt fuel.

[Macktheknife]

that's farken funny Ponch.

[Benny]

Smelling the fumes from an un-cated car is disgusting and very strong. If you start your car in the morning when the cats cold and then step behind it while its idling you'll get a slight taste of what its like. But imagine that smell when the cars at full noise. One way of telling that a car is missing its cat is that it'll blow flames between shifts when accelerating hard.

[3rdTurbo]

  ms700 said:

Is it a "sweet" smell?

Yes it was a "sweet" smell but after a few seconds - it was quite over bearing and making me "light-headed". It was very noticeable.

I was following up the WRX up the long hill on New Line Road heading to Dural just past Cherrybrook.

It didn't smell like raw fuel though and somewhat like a car at start-up as per Benny's post.

[TURBO4LT]

Has anyone tried removing theres ? Unofficially of course....Was wondering if it improved flow much?

[sixfan]

I can't belive you'd even consider removing the catalytic converter!!

Do you realize the amount of harm that would do to the environment???

how can you even consider such a thing? OMG next thing you'll be asking

for CFC refrigerant and Big mac's in those styrofoam containers!

P.S just pull the guts out of the cat and put the empty cannister back in.....No-one will ever know.