Cut off one of my cats?

[Isles4evr]

Does anyone know if it would be ok to cut off one of my cats? I want to make it louder,and I figured that one cat and muffler would be fine (flowmaster 40 series). The guy at minkee said that if it has 2 cats from the factory I have to have 2 cats on there. I figure that since I could cut off the cats and run a single hi-flow cat, that removing one factory cat would be ok. Let me know

Chris

 

[mdrut]

Not sure, but I think it will create problems with the computer..New engines are designed to run with a certain amount of backpressure..If you remove one of the cats, this is going to free up the airflow, may cause problems..Why not get a high quality cat back system designed for your vehicle?? Probally be cheaper in the long run.

 

[tbomb]

mdrut: im not condoning cutting off a cat, but if he does, couldnt he just reset the computer to re-learn with less back pressure? or would the whole thing still be all screwed up?

 

[fordkrazy]

you will be doing your wallet and the environment a disservice if you cut off one cat. one cat is just as restrictive as two( the first one does the restricting). the more that people take advantage of being able to work arround the emmissions equipment on their cars the more complicated(and power robbing) the equipment will be in the future and it will be even more expensive to modify for performance.

 

[Gopher]

if you want loud then take off your muffler and have a turn down pipe. I've done this to experiment and it sounds awesome at idle, but i lost power. It sounds cool for a little bit, but then the loud drone i got in the cab hurt my ears. I''m 21, so no i'm not old to give you an idea on the sound level. The sound i got from having no muffler hurt more than my 3 12's, because the sound of the exhaust is constant. Do what i did to have a compromise. I have a 2 chamber flowmaster with a side exit. My setup is cats then about 4 inches of pipe then the muffler and about another foot of pipe. That made a difference with sound. It's louder than having the muffler and pipe to head out the back of the truck. Actually you could have cats, muffler and then turn down pipe right out of the muffler. That way you have the sound bouncing of the ground.

I know someone will comment on this. Yes i have been talked to about having the exhaust dump underneith my truck. I have a good seal on my back hatch and have no problems with smell and i've had this setup for well over a year. Just be careful about this. That was one reason why i have the exhaust dump to the side of my truck

 

[Isles4evr]

I have a flowmaster 40 series on there right now (2 chamber i believe) w/ dual out the rear. It sounds real nice, but i want it louder. Maybe will just cut off the muffler for now to see how it sounds and if I decide that I don't like it i will just put it back on. I have to goto the muffler shop this weekend anyway because I flatned one of my tips last week .

Chris

 

[Gopher]

actually, depending on how they hooked up your exhaust, you should be able to just loosen 2 bolts after tha cat to drop the pipe behind the cats. That way you dont have to cut anything

 

[LukeDog3D]

The truck will still run fine with only one c converter, or with no c converter. The computer either learns it or doesnt care about backpressure. I know plenty of people running w/ gutted cats in 4.0 rangers, and explorers. Running poorly is not an issue.

 

[fordkrazy]

running poorly is not an issue but dumping a ton of hydrocarbons into the air for the sake of meger HP increases is an issue. you have a big 2 thumbs down from me. im not some tree huggin hippy but the cat converter does significantly reduce pollution and the gains in HP and mileage does not justify taking them off. we need to try to keep our environment as clean and as pollutant free as possible. if you believe in the tread lightly policies of most states then there is no reason why you wouldnt agree with me cause treading lightly in my books means to respect nature and the environment, on or off road.

 

[LukeDog3D]

Well put fordcrazy. I guess I should've mentioned that I wasn't incouraging immature actions, but just clarifying the rumor about making the truck run bad.