LT4BUD

I don't really understand this thread at all??????? I thought these would go fine on a legal exhaust system. $149

http://www.secureperformanceorder.co...e/powercat.cfm

I guess I better get busy and find out what is going on, I was planning on using these with my new EM long tube headers when they come......

Seems they should work on stock system also???

Have I screwed up again?????

bogus

it's like this - they pass the sniffer? who cares.

VenkmanP

Well, those aren't going to bolt up to his stock system.

You can find bolt-in replacement cats at the usual corvette suppliers.

As others said, you need to get a second opinion. For the dealer to get an O2 sensor code and tell you you need $1800 in cats because cats _could_ cause bad O2 sensors, I'd never go to that shop again.

Unless you have very high mileage for a 96, it's really unlikely that you have bad cats.

If you do have bad cats, then you have other problems with the engine that have killed the cats, and you need to fix those other problems first.

Your cats are warranted 8 yrs/ 80k.

Mo_Bandy

Jake,

They take the outer shell and replace the catalyst inside....

bogus,

I don't agree with the Random technology as being 50 state smog legal... not for 96 and up in california it HAS to be OEM replacement. Muffler shops here will not put an aftermarket CAt on your car here... Been there done that... as i said earlier in Tennasee it is probably a different story...

From the Random site:
" This design, which meets Federal EPA and California ARB requirements, enables virtually any vehicle with a properly tuned engine to meet emissions standards with little, if any power loss (compared to an exhaust with no catalytic converter). Please note that no aftermarket catalytic converters are legal for installation in California on OBD II vehicles (some 1994 & 1995, and all 1996 and later vehicles). "



Mo

silver & red CE

No, you haven't screwed up, unless you live in an area that inspects and enforces the letter of the EPA law. It is illegal to have the cats anywhere but in the stock location. Using long tubes forces you to move the cats to a non-stock location. Even though you will pass IM240 dyno test with those cats in a non-stock it is illegal to have the cats in a non-stock location.

As for using those cats on a stock exhaust manifold/catback, it's a lot of work, cheaper to buy some used ones.

Eric

bogus

ah, my bad... Carsound, the cats from Magnaflow have the ODBII and 50 state legal cats.

For the cats to be found, they have to do a visual inspection... that's the tricky part! hope they don't notice!

In some states, they are just looking to see if a cat is present, but in Cali, they make sure its in the right place. There are parts of the North East that are doing the same things.

silver & red CE

And that it's CARB approved. My buddy has a BB Suburban that came stock with one of the last pellet converters. Even though it gives him a significant mileage increase, he can't upgrade to a modern honeycomb style converter or he'll flunk CA's visual. Since the converter is getting long in the tooth and is marginal, and since the replacement cost is over $1000 from the dealer (no aftermarket CARB solutions for a 15 year old BB Suburban)...he uses a test pipe until the inspection, puts the crappy stock converter back on, passes, then back to the test pipe.

Pretty f'ing stupid, why do Cali folks tolerate this?

bogus

I do not beleive that to be the case. He needs to get with someone higher up the food chain, for find a better shop for his inspections.

That is absurd... no question about it... he is getting messed with. I cannot believe there isn't a carb approved replacement for that.

Perhaps not on the Suburban, but for pickups in general.

silver & red CE

WTF, you think I'm making this up? Believe me, if he could use a low cost replacement, he would. If you're interested in helping, why don't you come up with a CARB approved replacement for a 92 BB subarban? He'd like to help the envirorment, but his home state is really f'ing stupid.

BTW, the gas mileage hit from a pellet converter is significant, esp when he's towing his 7 second bracket racer over the mountains ('cause they closed all the tracks near San Jose). So what's the point of CA's laws when they are self defeating? I guess it makes the CA do-gooders feel good, screw the little man.

bogus

I am not accusing you of lying. I am accusing your friend of not digging deep enough. it's called "making a statement of disbelief". I find it so hard to believe that something does not exist. Yes, I am aware of the crap called "pellet cats". They are uber junk.

At the same time, a little research might just reveal that something exists... so, I did some research.

http://www.hopupracing.com/ma95ovheduse.html

Designed for bb GM applications.

I am fully aware of the emissions regs here... they are sometimes contradictory and are in need of revision, if only to take advantage of technicological advancement.

But what people don't realize is how damned bad the air WAS here before CARB came in. My gf's mom grew up here in LA. She remembers as a girl in the '60s and '70s, the air making her lungs HURT.

What happens is simple... the ocean and the coast mountains conspire to trap air. There is nothing that will effectively stop that effect. So, you keep the air that is in the valley clean as possible.

CARB has lost touch with reality. I would love to see them reorganize and get a little less power. It's something that Arnold wants to do. And I agree with it.

I would love to see CARB accept that yes, a modified emissions system can work as good as a stock system... Just put those on a once a year test plan. IF you want to have it, then you have to prove it, every year.

Are you aware of the air quality that was Pittsburgh, PA? back in the day of steel mills... well, the city, with the EPA, cleaned up the air, kept the steel going (still does) but now you can see the skyline.

As a child, growing up in Delaware during the 70s, I remember snow storms... and I remember the snow piles turning BLACK from soot within a matter of 3 days.

These days, the snow only stains from the sand poured onto the roads for traction. home heaters are cleaner, cars are cleaner, factories are cleaner... it's for the better good of the people.

Why do people have such a hard time accepting that these emission controls help us? without them, cars would be gone... and our air would be a mess. It will only be a matter of time before the rest of the world has to grapple with these issues... Japan did years before us, Western Europe is catching up... next will be India and China.

This is not an issue of "the man" controlling us, it's an issue of the world needing to be protected. If people can't see that, I feel sorry for them.

One final thought... Cali emissions have a thing called a "referee". If a car fails, and has a part that my or may not be EO certed, the referee can make a call on whether it passes. Many parts exist that meet federal guidelines, and because the maker never passed it before CARB means it never got an EO number, it does not mean it won't still pass.

VenkmanP

Well said.

silver & red CE

Buddy, my point was that CA's harda$$ed letter of the law enforcement is counter-productive.

The letter of the law is actually causing more pollution, which, if I read your rabbling rant correctly, is what you seek to reduce.

- Why should my friend be forced to pay $1200 to comply when it reduces gas mileage and performance, esp when the $150 option is just as clean and allows better gas mileage?

- How can you defend this when it actually defeats your objective?

- Why does this make sense to CA apologists but common sense folks just shake their heads and walk away?

bogus

then you didn't read my "rambling rant".

I gave you an option to forward to your friend.

I commented on the shortfalls of the system, and the need for reassessment.

What more do you want?

I am not appologizing for CARB, just explaining it's need. But like somethings, it's day is perhaps behind it. It is time to refresh the system.

wake

OUCH!!!

Check around on ebay to see what you can find... I have a spare set that came off an LT4 crate motor that I found on ebay and I turned out to be the only person who bid on them... I picked up the set for $125, saving them for when the time comes to replace them...

I'm glad I picked them up as they seem to be like gold from the quotes you're getting...