In a time when emissions laws and regulations are getting more strict by the day, it is becoming a greater headache for those who enjoy modifying and tuning their cars. Most car enthusiasts will know that a standard downpipe is fitted with a restrictive catalytic converter. While cats are obviously are instrumental in keeping our air clean and breathable, they are no friend of the high-performance car when you want it to perform.
It is for this reason that many people who are interested in tuning a car will often switch out parts of their exhaust system to make it as unrestricted as possible. This is often done by changing the downpipe for a straight-through de-catted pipe or modifying the standard pipe by “smashing” or “Gutting” the original catalytic converter out of the OEM part.
While this is great for performance gains, it can cause trouble with the authorities and inspections, as it is the law that you have a catalytic converter in your vehicle, in order to meet the strict standards and regulations.
However, there are an increasing number of car owners who are dodging fines and penalties by using a Fake or Dummy Catalytic converter
What Is a Fake Catalytic Converter?
A dummy catalytic converter is a special section of straight pipe with a “decorative” housing that is intended to look like it has a cat inside the pipe. These are intended to fool any person who is doing a visual inspection of the vehicle, whether that be at a test center or a cop at the side of the road who pulled you over.
In some locations within the US, if you are caught with a catless downpipe, you might face fines of up to $2,750 and your car could get impounded.
This is where a dummy cat comes in handy. You get all of the performance benefits, but you are decreasing your risk of penalty.
The obvious difference between a dummy cat and a real cat is that these products do not perform the exhaust cleansing function of a catalytic converter in any way.
How can you tell a catalytic converter is real?
The only real way that a catalytic converter can be proved real or fake is by emissions or “sniffer” test. There is no way for a cop at the side of the road to tell if you have a fake or a real catalytic converter installed on your vehicle.
People who are in the know can usually tell if a car is a straight-through exhaust by the sound, but it would be impossible to prove fact without the proper testing equipment. (If your state has annual emissions and inspection for vehicles, you may need some help from a tuner to ensure you pass those)
Where Can you Buy A Dummy Or Fake Catalytic Converter?
One of the most popular fake catalytic converters is known as All flow test pipes, which can be picked for around $50 usually. This is pretty cheap when you consider how much a real catalytic converter costs
You can find all flow pipes here
There is also another option from a company called ProFlow , who also produce these types of exhaust modifications
Can you Gut Your Existing Cat?
The simplest and cheapest way to remove the catalyst is simply to gut your existing pipe.To do this, get the car on a lift or stand or however you choose to get under it and unbolt the converter.
Once you’ve removed the converter, the catalyst will look like a honeycomb on the inside. It’s solid and tough to remove, but using a crowbar as a chisel and a hammer, you can break it out.
It can be a slow-going process to remove all of it, but the process can be aided by using a drill with a long bit to start weakening the honeycomb structure, which is very sturdy. Once all of the cats are removed, replace the empty converter shell and your car is good to go.
Warning : If you gut it and don’t get all the stuff out, it will re-enter your intake via the EGR valve and ruin your engine by putting little bits in your cylinders and oil
Fake Catalytic Converter – Good Or Bad Idea?
In my opinion, dummy cats are a cheap way to reduce the chances of getting a fine/penalty/failure due to a visual inspections, especially given their cheap cost.
It must be noted though, that if you run a car with no catalytic converter it will fail a more stringent emission test. In these cases it is best to bring your car to be tested with cats returned to the car, either the original cat , or alternatively, you can use a high flow catalytic converter which is a good compromise between legality and performance benefit
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