Pet De-Cat to See if it Purrs

[CurtisGarrard]

So I have been looking about buying a slip on, not sure which brand yet. Anyway, I have seen that a lot of the site also offer a "de-cat" section of piping to go with the slip on. My question is, what exactly are the benefits of the de-cat and is it really worth the extra $100 to $200 dollars?

I feel like its something that you could make if you where that serious about it.

Thanks guys

 

[ChevyFazer]

I personally don't think the decats are worth that much it's just a piece of pipe i can only see a $50 price difference but the company's don't see it that way, as far as gains, you will primarily only "gain" a deeper/slightly louder tone out of one, wether you have a exhaust or not. It does slightly help performance but not enough to actually notice, maybe 1hp AFTER a dyno tune. The stock one has good enough flow to not hinder performance, but that being said I gutted my stock one because I'm a tight wad when it comes to things that I can make vs buy.

 

[SANGER_A2]

Makes it flow better at the top end, reduces low end power. Also, the cans are cooler with it. And you're damaging the ozone a bit more. In the UK they don't do emissions tests on bikes for the MOT, but they may in other countries.

Definitely increases noise - especially if you have the airbox mod or hi-flow air-filter. I have airbox mod, scorpion cans (with the DB-killers in) and Scorpion de-cat pipe. I've decided it's too noisy for me and I'm going to put original cat back in.

Videos showing the comparisons on my site in the sig link.

 

[DeusEx]

I tried my Leo's both with and without cat.
When I purchased my Leo's they came with free flow air filter (bmc) and de-cat pipe.
Initially I installed the whole kit as it is, removing the cat. But my fellow riders told me that the unfiltered exhaust fumes cause cancer, so I decided to install the cat again! The difference is marginal. Barelly noticable improvement in low end grunt, slightly quiter and a little bit more heat between your feet, with the cat installed.
IMO, don't waste money or personal effort modifiyng/removing the cat. You get nothing... It doesn't weight much, it's not flow restrictive, and it's better for your health and those around you. So why bother?!

 

[CurtisGarrard]

Awesome. Thanks for the advice guys. It always helps to talk to people who have first hand experience. :Flash:

 

[ChevyFazer]

I tried my Leo's both with and without cat.
When I purchased my Leo's they came with free flow air filter (bmc) and de-cat pipe.
Initially I installed the whole kit as it is, removing the cat. But my fellow riders told me that the unfiltered exhaust fumes cause cancer, so I decided to install the cat again! The difference is marginal. Barelly noticable improvement in low end grunt, slightly quiter and a little bit more heat between your feet, with the cat installed.
IMO, don't waste money or personal effort modifiyng/removing the cat. You get nothing... It doesn't weight much, it's not flow restrictive, and it's better for your health and those around you. So why bother?!

Sorry but there is 0 evidence that gasoline engine exhaust can cause cancer, there is some research about wether diesel exhaust can cause cancer but nothing has been proven. The cats are in place for emissions, if vehicles without cats could cause cancer I'm sure there would be no more motorsports

 

[famous556]

One thing I've noticed with both de-catted cars and bikes is that they stink more. The cat helps to burn any remaining un-burnt fuel and makes the exhaust cleaner and smell less.

 

[DeusEx]

I have no evidence.. but it smells less, it burns some unburned fuel, less emissions, so logically it's better for your health imo

 

[ChevyFazer]

They do their job well, there is no questioning that. But as far as being harmful to the individual or those around it, they only way it could be hazardous to someone's health is if you planed on commuting suicide with your bike in a enclosed spaced. With out a cat you might die 10% faster then you would if your bike did have a cat, but unless your putting your mouth over the tailpipe and breathing in (with or without a cat) its no more dangerous to someone then it is just to walk down a city street. Proper tuning has more to do with your exhaust fumes them the cat does. Me and my dad built a 60' Willis with a old dirt track sbc 383 for the drag strip, we later we decided to drop that same motor in a newer, smaller, and lighter street legal truck. To make it street legal, it had to pass emissions, there were no cats, only some pro street mufflers. Well first time it failed miserably, changed the jets since it wouldnt be getting a 250 shoot on the street, adjusted the carb, and played with the timing, and it passed cleaner then my Honda prelude at the time...

 

[SweaterDude]

The point of the cat is to eliminate mercury emissions through the exhaust fumes. and since bike exhausts are in general much dirtier than a car's, ecologically, it is beneficial to keep it in. if there's no noticeable performance gain. i wouldn't spend the money

 

[ChevyFazer]

There is more mercury released from your brake pads then what comes out of the tail pipe, the primary purpose of cats is to reduce carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons, the average small car only releases .4 nanograms per mile, where large diesels with no cats produce roughly the same percentage as small cars per fuel burned at about 6 ng/mile so in other words automotive cats do almost nothing for mercury emissions, and have almost none to speak of to begin with

 

[DownrangeFuture]

Yeah, it seems that cats are mostly pointless. Stupid EPA stuff that got passed and doesn't really do much for emission reduction. A catalyzed engine needs to burn more fuel to run properly, and early models were so restrictive that engines actually ran cleaner/better without them.

Nowadays though, engines are designed to run with cats in the exhaust. Not to mention 99% of modern cats are "high-flow" anyway. So your bike will run just as well with it as without (if not worse without), and it does reduce some emissions, but raises other (arguably) more dangerous emissions. So take it or leave it.

Besides, I wouldn't pet that cat. It's probably really hot...

 

[ChevyFazer]

Talking about the high flow, when I pulled mine to gut it, now I know this is silly but I actually put my mouth on the inlet side and blew through the pipe to see how restrictive it is, and it was as if there was nothing there at all it really does flow freely, and I know they are good for the environment, just trying to clear some "myths" or what have you up about cats, what they do, what they don't, and if lack there of what can or can't happen.