Are there any benefits to cutting out my catalytic converter?

Question

Hello everyone!

I have a 1989 Buick Riviera and I am seriously thinking about cutting out my catalytic converter. I was wondering if I would notice any improvements on power or fuel economy? What about the noise level? Currently, I have a custom dual exhaust system (V-Force) that is LOUD! (I would recommend this brand of exhaust to anyone who wants an awesome sounding vehicle for half the price!) Will the absence of a cat make it louder? Lastly, the most important question of all...will I see flames coming out of my tail pipes at night? I know that vehicles that are strait piped will have flames coming out the tail pipes, but what about a vehicle that has mufflers? Do the flames pass through or no? Thanks for all of your help and have a great day!

Oh yea, and the county that I live in has no emission laws/testing so this is an easy, fun, and legal upgrade to my Riv! And since my car is an '89 I don't have to worry about sensors and all that electronic crap that newer cars have.

Answer 1

catalytic converters are there for a reason... an exhaust is there to take environment-killing fumes from your engine and heat... and blow it out of your car... a catalytic converter is specifically there to clean the air.. Unless you want New Englands next winter to hit a low of 75 Degrees F, then DON'T cut out your catalytic converter. As for the performance increases youll get from cutting out your catalytic converter ... BArely... If you replace a factory exhaust system with a professional exhaust system you can expect to gain 10 horsepower *MAX*... cutting off your cat.converter may add 2 horses.. but thats about it.. and thats not worth the damage your emmissions will create. If you think cutting off your cat.converter will add 10 horsepower magically, you're nuts..without going into specifics, i can tell you that cant be true for one obvious reason... NO ONE would have one! every1 would cut theirs off anyways, therefore.. to save a waste of money putting cat converters on their cars that people take off anyways... car manufacturers would simply create cars w/o cat. converters on them. Once the environmental commities got on their as*es, the car companies would be forced to make some other way of filtering out the air produced by engines.. and that hasent happened and never will.. ruining any skeptisisms on whether or not i was right saying removing a cat.converter will only add 2-3 horsepower.

With a dual exhaust, becuase the air will be seperated and bent around the pipes as they seperate and split to opposit sides of the bumper.. i doubt it will make your exhaust much louder. I know you're thinking that cat.converters slow the force of air blowing through the pipes (faster the air blowing out the louder the noise in the mufflers) ... and you're prolly right.. but because youre bending the air so much by having dual exhausts.. i doubt youll get much louder pipes.

A flame shouldnt pass through a muffler even if it is strait. having flames come out your tailpipe is illegal (i know because on "pimp my ride" they tried to do that but got caught by their boss who told them its illegal =) Educational TV) If you want flames to come out of your tailpipe for car shows or showing your friends, you can buy flamethrowers that i think you put into your muffler and it will shoot flames out your tailpipe... If i were you and i bought one, i would buy a new heatshield to put on my exhaust pipes to keep them from overheating a lot.

hope that helps! goodluck!

Answer 2

Catalytic Converter Cutter

Answer 3

Dual Catalytic Converter

Answer 4

the noise level most likely wont go up. you may notice slightly better power but it would be nominal. fuel mileage again may go up but may not enough to really even matter. the increases are due to less back-pressure and more freely flowing exhaust gases. and last you wont see flames out the tail pipe. 99% of street-able cars cant produce flames out the exhaust tips unless it has been fitted with an igniter. the only way to do that with out igniters would be to have a wild cam in the car that just dumps tons of raw fuel into the motor after a high speed run. but having such a wild cam wouldn't make the car very street-able. its hard to stop a boat with out vacuum for the breaks, you know?

Answer 5

I don't believe it is legal for you to remove the catalytic converter. If it falls off of a vehicle as old as yours you don't need to buy a new one. (A muffler shop told me that rule).

You should notice improved mileage and horsepower since there is less back pressure without the catalytic converter.

The noise level didn't change on my truck for the short while it didn't have one. The muffler was they key to the noise reduction. I don't expect that flames will make it through your muffler.

Answer 6

Go ahead. You can buy a "catalytic converter test pipe". Google it. You probably won't notice even a little difference, though, unless there was something wrong with the converter in the first place.

Answer 7

not unless its a sports car it will sound like a rice burner maybe on a truck or a honda. and backpressure is good for your valves in the winter i live in a state that its cold 4months out of the year and you can really dammage your valves by taking to much off.... this is a comfort car not some car you want to be racing around the block... and fyi flames mean that your timing is off and your not burning up all of your fuel meaning your getting poor mpg

Answer 8

In a 1997 vehicle you're probably okay as far as avoiding engine damage, but the lack of O2 sensors will be an issue. You should be able to find a performance chip for your engine control computer that will compensate.

Answer 9

i own a repair shop,and yes you do have sensors that you have to worry about,,that car has as many as the newer ones do,,but you probably wont gain anything from cutting it off,unless its stopped up,,other wise ,,your just going to make it a lot louder,,that's about it,,a good exhaust system might help it to sound a lot better though,,good luck with it,i hope this help,s.

Answer 10

From everything I have read it sounds like all cutting out the catalytic converter will do is make your car less efficient. The engine needs the oxygen reading and back pressure provided by one to run as efficiently as possible, cutting it out will just mess with the oxygen sensors, possible even resulting in a fall in horsepower. Beyond this, I had the converter go in an old Accord I drove, and standing around the thing could be painful because of how irritating the exhaust became.