limitedslip

Hey guys,

I'm looking for a way to get rid of the catalytic efficiency codes (eg: on a track car with aftermarket headers).

Before you say "get a tune" I should mention that I'm not really interested in that.

I've seen renowned tuners live on the dyno fail to get gains. I believe modern ECU and factory programming are very capable and I just don't think there are gains to be made (for naturally aspirated cars running pump gas).

Besides, the car runs amazing and I see no need to fiddle with the factory mapping.

I've tried O2 spacers/restrictors without luck.

Any thoughts or ideas?

Thanks!

RAudi Driver

Track car? Street car?

Evolved Rs

Just keep stacking the spacers. I think Fabspeed sells "catted" o2 spacers. Not sure how effective they are. Best option would be to have a tuner disable it.

RAudi Driver

Did you try to the steel wool trick. You can stack all day but if the second O2's see the pulses, they will trigger the light.

limitedslip

Do you know of a tuner willing to do just that rather than sell a full tune?

Edit: just googled it. Will try that.

mchrono

You're not interested in a tune because you've seen renowned tuners live on the dyno fail to get gains, yet you removed your cats on a street car? Pray tell why?

Just curious. Ive found de-catting modern performance cars to be a big mistake. Everyone hated the stink, and really no gains to be had from it.

RAudi Driver

^ have to agree. That smell is enough to drive anyone crazy not to mention if the popo gets anywhere near you, they will smell it and that ticket is brutal. I mean brutal. Something like $2,500 to the driver of the car and another $25,000 to the shop that removed it. If you can't come up with the name of the shop that removed it, well you can guess what happens. I also think your car is impounded right on the spot.

I wouldn't do it, but if you do, I'll meet up with ya at the Angelus Crest shell station and we can take a run through the crest as I'm free from work for the time being.

limitedslip

Sound.

point2point

Don’t need to run catless to get great sound. The aftermarket has many solutions - headers, high flow cats, side muffler bypass, center muffler bypass, center muffler, etc.

Soul Performance

Couple of my guys have tried the non catted Vibrant O2 spacers with the most restrictive of the three included inserts and steel wool stuffed in before the O2 with decent success. Worth a shot.

Regards,
John Gaydos

mchrono

OP, you say you removed the cats for “sound”, and then you subsequently edited your original post to clarify that this is for a “track car with aftermarket headers”.

Are you trying to make your track car louder or quieter? Many track car owners struggle to make theirs quieter to meet sound regulations that some tracks enforce.

If your are trying to make it louder, then I assume you must have no mufflers at this point?

And if this truly is a track car, why do you care about the CEL?

I think at the end of the day, you will eventually come to the conclusion that the last component you will remove (if ever) from your exhaust system should be the cats.

powdrhound

Put a black sticker over the CEL..

limitedslip

I don't get some of you guys on this forum.

Is my original question confusing?

Street, track, louder, quieter, why; none of this is relevant.

I noticed the same circus in other recent threads.

Perhaps if you don't have an answer just move along instead of derailing a thread?

Thanks.

bweSteve

Ok,... well I've "moved along" plenty of times over the 12 days since this thread started,... but now that I read back through its entirety,... you are correct, no one has your answer,...

..... and that's because everyone is just fishing around for more detail on your situation,... and guessing. No harm in that imo.

hope the extensions & steel wool solve your CEL problem.

Btw, powdrhound - that is perfect. .... & hilarious

Tim S.

I get the occasional cel (evolution headers-carless). I ran about 50 laps at a local track yesterday and never popped on. I plan on doing the Vibrant spacers here this week. Vibrant make pretty decent stuff and the price is right.