Quote:
|
Originally Posted by gr8titan
The two rusty "missle looking" sections are the OE catalytic converters. What makes me absolutely positive of this, is the presence of the "honeycomb" shaped catalysts that occupies the widest internal part of tube. They are only about 2 inches thick, looks flimsy without real function that their removal (IMHO-and I could be dead wrong) has little or no significant effect to the total exhaust pollutants (4x2s have only the front cats).
There are tons of threads why 4x4s have 2 pairs while 4x2s have one pair of cats and had been discussed and killed a thousand times BUT no clear-cut reason seems to surface. Anyway, in NJ, new cars have 4 years of no emission testing and I hope and pray that when the time (3 more years) comes to have my Titan inspected, the NJ-DMV does not know the difference between the 4x4 & 4x2 exhausts.
I may just try to punch one section out and document with photos just to see how it works.
|
First, IF you choose to 'punch out' a catalytic converter, DON'T BREATH THE DUST. It contains heavy metals ( Platinum and Paladium in the oxidation
stage you are taling about). These metals can cause lung damage if inhaled.
Second, that flimsy section is a ceramic honeycomb and is quite strong unless abused. Most last the life of the vehicle without a problem.
Third, It was more than enough to deal with what HC and CO emissions the Titan puts out. Nissan makes a purty darn good engine management system and there really aren't a lot of heavy emissions to deal with on a STOCK Titan.
To be honest, there is every chance your new cat replacement pipes won't flow as much exhaust as the converters you replaced. The way resonators
work, they cause turbulance in the flow and can be quite restrictive.
On the other hand, your new pipes look really cool.
You might try this site for general background on Cats.
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/cataly....htm/printable