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ST cats (was: Was: SM PAX & 'Street Legal?' Now: cats)

To: "'autox mailing list'" <autox@autox.team.net>
Subject: ST cats (was: Was: SM PAX & 'Street Legal?' Now: cats)
From: "Mark J. Andy" <marka@telerama.com>
Date: Thu, 18 Jan 2001 16:57:17 -0500 (EST)
Howdy,

On Thu, 18 Jan 2001, Linnhoff, Eric wrote:
> On a related note, why require factory cats on cars that are supposedly
> following the "street" trends?  Why not allow aftermarket cats?  

ST requires the use of the factory cat?  Really?

> We've already established that the local muffler shop can replace a
> non-functioning OEM cat with an aftermarket "OEM type" unit.  But what's to
> prevent the installation of a hi-flow unit?  Most generic "OEM type" units
> actually perform worse than the stock piece.  What exactly constitutes "high
> performance" versus "stock"?  Is it a measurable difference and if so, is it
> measurably comparable to an OEM unit?  Where is this mythical official Stock
> vs. Aftermarket chart against which we can measure the two combatants?  And
> what are the criteria?  Flow characteristics?  Substrate surface area?
> Cheap look and rattling heat shields?  What?  How do you "measure" an OEM
> cat?  And if you can't positively 100% tell me what exactly constitutes an
> "exact" replacement for the OEM unit then I'm pretty much free to run
> whatever catalytic converter that I want.  You (the potential protestor)
> have to prove that it's not equivalent to the OEM piece.
> 
> I just love gray areas.  ;^)

So you're saying that as long as the stock & aftermarket cat are grey that
its legal?

I dunno if I buy that color is the differentiator between OEM and a "High
performance" cat.

:-)

Mark

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