Catalytic anti theft idea

So, I'm picking up a 2011 prerunner. I get it sat. I know that catalytic converters are popular to remove. My thought... instead of a cage, ill weld up a bolt in test pipe. But more like a test muffler, I know the cat helps quite it a bit. Will that throw a code? I'll keep the cat and bolt it back in come smog time... Anybody? Anybody? Bueller?

 

There will be a code from the second o2 sensor, but it will not effect performance or operation. Since you are in Cali you may want to be very careful about removing the cat all together.

 

A lot of work, and likely the cats won't like sitting then being relit again.

I have worn cats now and hate the smell, no cats smells even worse.

I'd say if you can weld, you can likely cut sheet metal and make your own cat guard.

 

as has been covered, the solution is you would have a 4x4 and trans skid

 

Well that's a bit of a "cut my nose to spite my face" solution, isn't it?

Every fabricator and their dog is selling a shield these days. That would be the way I'd lean.

 

Don’t do it in CA. I had a car that I put a bigger turbo on a few years ago. The cat didn’t like it and basically wore out prematurely.
A cop pulled my over for a “smelly exhaust” and I ended up with a $2000 ticket from the state referee. The cat was still intact but failed the emissions (only by a little too).

A $300-400 cat shield/skid plate is the way to go…trust me

the ironic part is the cop missed the huge aftermarket turbo when he searched by engine bay lol

 

I don't know why any auto enthusiast would want to live in California.

 

Wow,,I did not know Calli is that bizare....it is tooo orwellian...

 

And don’t forget the $400 registration every year for my 2014 Tacoma

 

Legislated my wonderful 76 FJ40 right off the road. Modified stock engine ran way under emissions limit, banned because stock NOX system, a POS if there ever was one, was uninstalled.
This whole catalytic converter thing is BS. Stop the people buying the hot ones.
It's America, all about the $$$.

 

While im typically not a super green person... for you DD keep all the cats, no one likes to be behind a car that gives you a headache.

If you have the ability to weld up a replacement pipe.... you have the ability to weld up a simple shield. I did it for ~50 bucks - its under the truck so the welds do not have to be pretty either.

 

You clearly haven't lived in CA or experienced the car culture here. Despite the laws, CA is one of the best places in the world for an auto enthusiast. I've often thought of leaving so we could get a larger property but I don't see myself finding anywhere else with the same abundance of car enthusiasts, car culture, race tracks, events and secondhand parts.

The only shitty thing here is the smog laws, specifically mods you can't do. I'm all for high emissions standards, I just don't like the restrictive laws against mods regardless of whether they affect emissions. There are too many people here in CA to let everyone run around without a cat. It's just the reality of the situation. Our air quality and visibility has improved immensely along with these laws and new, cleaner burning cars. No one actually wants to go backwards here, it would hurt not only the environment but also the quality of life. I just wish they'd enact strict emissions standards while relaxing the blanket laws against changing parts. Contrary to the vomit spewed all over the internet, you don't need to be a gross polluter to have a fast car. Even my race car has a cat on it, it's still plenty fast.

Other than the engine mods, CA is fine for cars, better than many other states in fact. Years ago my uncle who was living on the east coast, in a supposedly "free state" and he got flagged during his annual inspection for having an aftermarket shift knob.

 

When I moved to southern California 40 years ago to go to school there were often thirty or forty Smog Alert days each summer - sometimes more - where the air was so bad that outdoor exercise was not recommended and you couldn't see the San Gabriel Mountains from Pasadena, three miles away. We have not had a Smog Alert day in anytime in recent memory - not one. All of those Smog Alert days caused a lot of premature death and disease, especially among the elderly population. The air has gotten gradually cleaner through stricter emission controls and newer, much cleaner cars slowly replacing older, dirtier cars. This is a good thing for everyone in the state or who comes to visit. Is it inconvenient at times? Sure, but it's paid off. This photo of downtown L.A. taken from near the old Nike Missile Tower in the Santa Monica Mountains looking over Bel Air toward downtown last Sunday afternoon, New Year's Day 2023, would not have bee possible in 1982.

 

Yup... there are SOME good things about the stricter laws.

That stated there are some BS rules (like the one that just went into effect with big rigs drivetrains must be 2011+) - or failing SMOG visual for something like the UNI filter mod on the SAIS pump.

 

WTF? That’s like bottling piss in case you run out of water.

why wouldn’t you wait to do such a thing until your cats get stolen?!? Might never actually happen…

smh!

 

Damn, well it was just a thought. If it ain't there it can't get stolen, right? I'ma look into skid plates. besides, this is my daily. My project is a 69 Datsun 510. no smog, no cat. That's the beauty of ca. Besides the sticky weed, hot women, awesome weather (most of the time) clean air-ish (minus l.a.) redwoods, gorgeous coastline, snow to ocean in a matter of hours, oh and earthquakes. Cali is like Mercedes, or what Mercedes used to be. 10 years ahead. We set standards that the rest of the country follows, in due time.

 

Please for the love of god do NOT let the rest of the country follow the standards of what CA is doing.... and this is coming from a person who lives here and enjoys it for the things you mentioned.

I get that if it isnt there it cant get stolen... but its not worth the time or hassle, just make or buy a cat shield, even the latter will be less in $ if you factor in having to either tune out the CEL or have some device to spoof em. Not to mention having to swap back and forth every 2 years or so for smog.

 

Lol louder for the people in the back

 

Florida is a peninsula and we don't have the smog issues California has so Florida will NEVER follow California standards. Cat theft around here is not that big of a business because they're either gutted or straight piped.

 

I'm just here to watch everyone shit on california!

And to also agree that putting in a test pipe just to avoid a cat potentially being stolen is kinda silly. I understand not wanting something you just bought to get vandalized in any way, but it's just not necessary. Insurance should be able to help out in an incident.