[futureal33]

Hiya all, just as the title says really - what do people with de-cat manifolds do when its time for MOT?

Any help appreciated!!

Thanks

[Cooper S Dan]

from experience, they either go to a garage that they "know" or put a cat on for the MOT

[hey_psycho]

I have got a question about the decat, when in description of the manifold says de-cat, does this mean that there is no catalyst converter?
if there isn't one, does it mean i can straight away connect to exhaust or i need some kind of extension pipe?
thanks

[Rakey]

I'd be more interested to know what they would do if they had an accident in the car, it was then inspected and found to void its MOT and the insurance?

[ScottyBoy]

De-Cat does mean the there is no cat at all! and no you need a pipe the same length as the cat that you have removed to fit in place!

And Cooper S Dan has hit the nail on the head with this question! if you have a sports manifold abd a de cat pipe then they simply take that section of pipe out and fit the cat!

[Maui]

meow

[minioneandrew]

On the janspeed manifold the cat is easily removed - 4 bolts. Bolt on a cat. job done.

[Ant FR]

why bother, i'd rather stay legal with a cat when on the road

[HObzy]

I might be wrong Rakey, but the MOT is about passing the emissions test on the day, therefore having no cat is not illegal perse(sp) providing you have a valid MOT cert, or you could void your insurance if your standard cat had failed mid year and you didn't know. Happy to be proved wrong though.

Have to say though I only whip mine off for trackdays with long straights like airfields or the neighbors go nuts because its too loud .

[ScottyBoy]

Quote: Originally Posted by HObzy (original)

I might be wrong Rakey, but the MOT is about passing the emissions test on the day, therefore having no cat is not illegal perse(sp) providing you have a valid MOT cert, or you could void your insurance if your standard cat had failed mid year and you didn't know. Happy to be proved wrong though.

Have to say though I only whip mine off for trackdays with long straights like airfields or the neighbors go nuts because its too loud .

I have actually spent a good lenght of time googling this as to find the answer! yes aslong as the car passes the emissions test then yes i think your right in saying you dont need a CAT! i cant find anything saying you actually need one just that it says about the emissions need to be within the limits etc!

[Richard Crofts]

Actually I am fairly certain that any car built after 1990 has to have a cat by law...not only for the MOT emmissions test. It is illegal to drive on UK roads in a 1990+ car with no cat if it was fitted with one from factory.

Removal of the cat is something that must be declared on your insurance and if it is then the insurance is only gonna cover you for off public highway use ... they should not insure you for highway use if its off the car.

The police can stop you and inspect the car, if found to lack the cat you can face action

[Cooper S Dan]

Quote: Originally Posted by Yellow_Mini_Scott (original)

I have actually spent a good lenght of time googling this as to find the answer! yes aslong as the car passes the emissions test then yes i think your right in saying you dont need a CAT! i cant find anything saying you actually need one just that it says about the emissions need to be within the limits etc!

couple of things here that are wrong...

firstly. it is (since 1992) a legal requirement that cars sold in the UK have a catalytic converter!

secondly, it is IMPOSSIBLE for a car to pass an emitions test without a catalytic converter, so there would be no point in even trying!

i don't know if people know how much they reduce emissions, but just to give you a raw example, since they introduced cats, in-car suicide rates have dropped dramatically, basically cos there's not enough fumes to gas someone out!! so now ya know!

[robbo mcs]

Quote: Originally Posted by Cooper S Dan (original)

secondly, it is IMPOSSIBLE for a car to pass an emitions test without a catalytic converter, so there would be no point in even trying!

Hi,

You are wrong saying it is impossible

First, to set the record straight, my car has no cat, as it is purely a racetrack / rally car. I am not advocating that people remove cats on road registered cars. Also I have never taken my car for an emissions test.

The catalytic converter does most of the work on cold starts, especially for the first minute. If you use a car that is well and truly up to operating temperatures, and is well tuned, it is possible to pass emissions tests without a cat

I'm not suggesting that people should try to do this, but to say it is "IMPOSSIBLE" is wrong IMHO.

Cheers

Robbo

[Ant FR]

Also does the car need the cat???? before removing it make sure.

I know on the 1.8T engine from the Seat Ibiza's and many other Golfs, the engine was designed to run with a cat. People still remove em , but actually end up losing Bhp. i know the MCS engine is no where near as modern as the 1.8t 20v , but its just a thought. personally i would say there are other areas that you can get the bhp from way before you needto remove cats etc.

[wwwebber]

I think that removing your CAT for normal road driving is just irresponsible. Surely these cars are fast enough anyway ?.

[HObzy]

Quote: Originally Posted by wwwebber (original)

I think that removing your CAT for normal road driving is just irresponsible. Surely these cars are fast enough anyway ?.

That was a joke right? Apart from the legal issue which has kindly been cleared up, why is it irresponsible to make ones car faster? or are you talking about the irresponsibility of producing the emissions?

Quick spanner in the works (you'll see what i did there ) do the JCW challenge cars have CATS? I don't think Keiths did?

Even with the Cat in mine was close to the limit on emissions last MOT.

[wwwebber]

Quote: Originally Posted by HObzy (original)

That was a joke right? Apart from the legal issue which has kindly been cleared up, why is it irresponsible to make ones car faster? or are you talking about the irresponsibility of producing the emissions?

Quick spanner in the works (you'll see what i did there ) do the JCW challenge cars have CATS? I don't think Keiths did?

Even with the Cat in mine was close to the limit on emissions last MOT.

It is illegal not to have one and without one your car produces more nasty emissions.

[:: Jon ::]

Quote: Originally Posted by Rakey (original)

I'd be more interested to know what they would do if they had an accident in the car, it was then inspected and found to void its MOT and the insurance?

If it is not declared to the insurance company who would only be able to cover you for "use off the highway" without the CAT then if inspectect and found without this would void the insurance and then you would have to pay for all the costs for all parties involved in the accident. plus the fact if the police are involved you could faces charges for not having insurance and a valid MOT.

[HObzy]

Quote: Originally Posted by wwwebber (original)

It is illegal not to have one and without one your car produces more nasty emissions.

Playing devils advocate for a mo, its also illegal to speed on the highway, copy/download music/video. But people all do those too.

But I'm not advocating doing any of them, or driving without your cat.

Plus while you might be cutting down on your Carbon monoxide and Nitrogen oxide emissions, you are increasing your CO2 emissions and therefore global warming (if you are a believer).

Off of the HOW STUFF WORKS webby for those who genuinely don't know how they work:

Quote:

A catalytic converter is a device that uses a catalyst to convert three harmful compounds in car exhaust into harmless compounds.

The three harmful compounds are:

* Hydrocarbons (in the form of unburned gasoline)
* Carbon monoxide (formed by the combustion of gasoline)
* Nitrogen oxides (created when the heat in the engine forces nitrogen in the air to combine with oxygen)

Carbon monoxide is a poison for any air-breathing animal. Nitrogen oxides lead to smog and acid rain, and hydrocarbons produce smog.

In a catalytic converter, the catalyst (in the form of platinum and palladium) is coated onto a ceramic honeycomb or ceramic beads that are housed in a muffler-like package attached to the exhaust pipe. The catalyst helps to convert carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide. It converts the hydrocarbons into carbon dioxide and water. It also converts the nitrogen oxides back into nitrogen and oxygen.

[Richard Crofts]

Its all by the by as the answer is you can remove it (on the MINi it will give power increase, and noise) but the car will not be legal to drive on a british public road. Your insurance will be void unless declared and if you do declare it then your only insured to drive on private land, not a public road (of course your insurer might be think and not know this but they should)

PS In the Austalia it might be possible for a car to pass an emmisions test without a cat but in the UK there is no way that a modern cat requiring car can pass the stringent emmissions tests set by Europe unless it has a cat. The requirements are quite high on cars post 1992 build (don't forget the emmisisons levels required on pre 1992 cars are different) so unless the car runs anything other than normal fuel it won't pass.