PRL catless smell

Man, kinda don't want to put my brand new RV6 Catless Downpipe on now.......

LightX said:

Why not run Flex to counter the smell...

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I'm in the process of my 3rd custom tune :/ until then I'll see how it is

francomakou said:

I'm in the process of my 3rd custom tune :/ until then I'll see how it is

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I was considering a catless setup and got more excited about it when I saw your post on IG.
Are the sound and the smell really that bad compared to the catted version?
Was there a significant increase in power, or is it not enough to justify going catless?

ThatDustyFox said:

I was considering a catless setup and got more excited about it when I saw your post on IG.
Are the sound and the smell really that bad compared to the catted version?
Was there a significant increase in power, or is it not enough to justify going catless?

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I do have the front pipe as well so mine does sound worse than my friends.

I don't trust my butt Dyno anymore. I honestly don't know.

The smell does get better once it breaks in since the metal is brand new. If you do stop at a light, you will smell it. Ethanol should take care of that.
The cat acted like a resonator and doesn't have that initial rasp when you get on the throttle as well as when you're off of it.. that rasp is quieter

The smell is pretty strong. I also have a catless dp and it's noticeable enough to always have the ac/heat on recirculating. Otherwise it's too much smell for me. Windows open at a stop... Same thing. All in all it's bearable but in hindsight now that I'm in my mid 30s i feel cated would have been a better choice for me.

MavicTB said:

The smell is pretty strong. I also have a catless dp and it's noticeable enough to always have the ac/heat on recirculating. Otherwise it's too much smell for me. Windows open at a stop... Same thing. All in all it's bearable but in hindsight now that I'm in my mid 30s i feel cated would have been a better choice for me.

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I read mixed review here regarding the smell..
I agree its age thing probably, i just hit my 40 and I feel bad for creating more pollutants especially i can actually smell it and noticed it myself daily.
I have the catless dp fp.. it sounds fine for my taste its the smell that got on my nerve. I am literally shut off the engine which time i am at red light stop.
I meant with window up, and circulating air.. it dont smell it in the car but whoever outside or car besides me always roll up their windows. I feel that i am not being socially responsible.. no offence to anyone. It just my personal thought

Some mention ethenol ... it is not commonly available in canada here. I cant find any station that sell e85 fuel.

I got the PRL Catted Combo during the initial pre-order. Never smelled a thing after the metal wore in and conditioned. I threw a CEL for inefficient cat readings after months and hundreds of miles, but I think all the crap I snag in my catch can more than offsets any potential less-than-OEM cleanliness. I live in the city and ground O3 was screwed before I even owned a cute little 1.5L to contemplate changing pipes on.
The one question no one seems to be asking is if the catless is better at removing exhaust heat than the catted pipe. Catted has more static mass, a design inherent to exchanging flow over as much surface area as can be, and is not a 'straight' pipe. Static-state runtime conditions with good cooling flow ought to be minimally different, however, I suspect that my catted pipe acts like a nice heatsoak-promoting thermal mass in traffic. Which is annoying, because I can have IAT2 temps in excess of 30-40F over ambient just during my commute from May to about this time of year. If it is nearly 70F and spirited driving is followed or interspersed by long lights and congestion, 30 to 40 degrees is not unusual. The difference between the responsiveness and boost building from the beginning to the middle of my drive on an 80F+ day is remarkable. IAT2 in the 90's is like having a mod you forgot about when compared to 120's.
A regret I have is not being aware that pipe wrapping is a thing. If I had known better I would have taken the pipes out of the shipping bubble wrap and directly wrapped them and probably sprayed them too. I have a CVT and am considering installing a water spray system for the intercooler next year. I'm convinced the heat stored in the catalyst causes enough transmission of heat at a stand-still that partially nullifying the increased intake temps at the intercooler is a better approach than just trying to contain the heat.... Stand-still doesn't seem to help a wrapped pipe as much as dropping charge temps to win back what I see as sunk charge density. Plus removing and reinstalling a pipe that is not broken- do not want. Nothing to base this on but conjecture.

IronFusion said:

. . . Which is annoying, because I can have IAT2 temps in excess of 30-40F over ambient just during my commute from May to about this time of year. If it is nearly 70F and spirited driving is followed or interspersed by long lights and congestion, 30 to 40 degrees is not unusual. The difference between the responsiveness and boost building from the beginning to the middle of my drive on an 80F+ day is remarkable. IAT2 in the 90's is like having a mod you forgot about when compared to 120's. . .

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Before the water spray, a couple very economical options are worth trying: the honeycomb grill and a turbo blanket. Forum members have seen significant IAT reductions from these very cheap mods.

Do blankets lead to the need to use a timer, or changes to bearing wear?

IronFusion said:

Do blankets lead to the need to use a timer, or changes to bearing wear?

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From what I've been told, most modern turbos (including ours) don't need a timer since they're water-cooled and continue to cool the turbo after shut off.

As for bearing wear. . . that's above my pay grade.

Here's a great video about blankets though: https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cu...videos/a29999/how-much-a-turbo-blanket-helps/

And to reiterate: the honeycomb grille lowers IAT's considerably with almost certainly no downsides.

here in NY they are real strict. It's not written in this link but I heard the first offence fine is about $2500 for the car owner if they remove the cats.For shops that remove them it's even tougher.
https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/90781.html