Which type of cats are better?

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Cats, stock or aftermarket, don't guarantee that the car will be any better at passing emission standards. I have tuned several cars that passed cleaner than needed minus a cat so I disagree that aftermarket can be less effective. My .02

How the engine is setup as well as how well it is tuned are also factors in how clean an exhaust is. However, the more cells a cat has the better it can clean the exhaust, but it can't overcome an out of tune engine's extra dirty and exhaust and can even be melted or poisoned by it. Moreover, a cat with less cells or less substrate can't clean the exhaust as well. Also some aftermarket units use ceramic honeycombs which are weaker, do not last as long, and flow less than OEM stainless steel honeycombs.

Also there were several different types of cat converters used on G bodies. The original 231 V6 in my Regal used an extra long and more restrictive converter, while the HO 305 I swapped uses a shorter and wider cat that is less restrictive. You can tell if a car is running a cat or not by the exhaust smell. Catless cars smell a lot more while running.

Funny enough, cat converters are also effective against mice. The honeycomb prevents mice from climbing up the exhaust pipe and into the engine, where they urinate all over the internals and corrode them up. It is known to happen to engines that sit for extended periods without cat converters.
 
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You have to ask yourself: If a Demon can make 840hp with cats, why can't I?
 
I put Magnaflow in my Pypes X member. They'r 8-10 inches long and about 4 inches across, fit real nice. I have a 79 Elco with Hooker long tube headers . Reading our Pa. PENdot regs it sounds like inspection is going to be a challenge. Antique plates don't even exempt a vehicle any more. At least the way I read it.

Antique tags in PA exempt you from both safety and emissions inspections, but you have to re-title the vehicle and your restricted to 1 day a week of driving, or only transporting to a repair facility , car show, or club meeting. I think your also not supposed to drive at night. Classic tags would require you to pass a visual for the factory requirements of that model year. Pre 75 no cats required. Regular plate is same as classic. Or if you drive less than 5000 miles a year your also exempt no matter how its tagged/titled.
 
Best cats are the ones that curl up on the bed at night and keep your feet warm........

I remember running a "converter test pipe" for years on my Malibu, guess I didn't study long enough.
 
Antique tags in PA exempt you from both safety and emissions inspections, but you have to re-title the vehicle and your restricted to 1 day a week of driving, or only transporting to a repair facility , car show, or club meeting. I think your also not supposed to drive at night. Classic tags would require you to pass a visual for the factory requirements of that model year. Pre 75 no cats required. Regular plate is same as classic. Or if you drive less than 5000 miles a year your also exempt no matter how its tagged/titled.
Last time I looked into Pa Antique/Classic registrations (been a few years) Both had the same driving limitations with number of days, the night driving, storage had to be inside, must prove to have a registered daily driver, have it inspected at an enhanced inspection shop to make sure everything is stock/O.E. type parts (no wheels, exhaust, altered/day 2 body panels, etc...) of that production year, stock like it was new. Only Classic need a safety inspection, no emmissions sniffer or visual. I haven't found a shop that woud let one ore two things slide but yet I see in Indiana County almost 100 (yes that many clapped out) late '70's to early '80's Mercedes 300D's across the county with both plates. But a change that when into effect that is cool (but we can't use) is that an Antique registration can sub an original plate (up to '75) in place of the antique plate.
 
Last time I looked into Pa Antique/Classic registrations (been a few years) Both had the same driving limitations with number of days, the night driving, storage had to be inside, must prove to have a registered daily driver, have it inspected at an enhanced inspection shop to make sure everything is stock/O.E. type parts (no wheels, exhaust, altered/day 2 body panels, etc...) of that production year, stock like it was new. Only Classic need a safety inspection, no emmissions sniffer or visual. I haven't found a shop that woud let one ore two things slide but yet I see in Indiana County almost 100 (yes that many clapped out) late '70's to early '80's Mercedes 300D's across the county with both plates. But a change that when into effect that is cool (but we can't use) is that an Antique registration can sub an original plate (up to '75) in place of the antique plate.

Yeah they changed it about 2 years ago, no more pictures, no more inspections, but you have to get it re-titled. The sniffer test (dyno/2 speed idle) would only be in the enhanced emissions areas ( around Philly/Pittsburgh) and after your car hits 25 years old it reverts to the visual inspection.
 
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