What is everyone doing to protect the cat converters?

The cons seem to outweigh the pros. And maybe it will affect the re-sale value.
https://greengarageblog.org/13-removing-catalytic-converter-pros-and-cons

 

Looks like a bunch of opinion. Wasted 2 minutes of my life reading it.

 

Did you actually remove your cats? How did that work out for you?

 

I am new to the group and still waiting for my 22 ORP and hadn't even looked at this message thread until today but... I young lady from work had her cat stolen from her little Honda car. I live in Boise Idaho so if it's happening here it must be a pretty bad thing. I had heard about it happening across the nation but had not even given a thought . It might be something to think about if you can't park in the garage. We take a big trip to Utah and Nevada every summer and it would really suck if you were on vacation and have something like this happen at the hotel or while at an Amusement park .

 

Any luck getting photos of the cat clamps as installed?
Thx.

 

A "barky" dog and a Glock 357 Sig! Wirehaired Pointing griffon!

 

Yeah, I live in a very safe place. Mountains, no neighbors with the nearest small town 10 miles away. So, a couple years ago, I loaded up my 5x8 enclosed trailer for a trip from NM to Pa. We decided to stop and spend the night in Little Rock Arkansas. Got a room at the Hampton Inn which has a secure parking lot. Cameras and a security guard that roams the parking lot at night. Got up the next morning to take my dogs out and all was fine. Went back in and took a quick shower. Came back out at 5:30am and the trailer was gone. We checked the security camera and 4 guys in a pickup pulled up next to the trailer, got out, cut the lock and picked up the nose of the trailer, swung it around to their truck and away they went. Probably took 3 minutes. No license plate on the truck. Never got the trailer or it’s contents back. So, as safe as you think you are, your not.

 

Dang, that really sucks! And I 110% agree with your last sentence.

 

I really dropped the ball on this. It got shuffled down the list of priorities. I'm coming due for a 30k service soon, so I will try to get pictures then.

 

Thanks. I’m looking for a solution that doesn’t involve taking off several protection plates every time I grease the drive shaft zerks. There seems to be limited space to install the catclamps as described on their website. It would be interesting to see how your mechanic accomplished it.

 

Finally, pictures are here. In the first picture it shows the cables running through the frame. So even if they cut the exhaust pipes upstream or downstream, good luck cutting the cables. Others have said they have tried these and mentioned the noise and vibration. The solution to that is look at the install and make sure that none of the cable loops are resting against something else. I had my guy use tie wraps in colder areas and if in the hot zone use safety wire to control any cable that might vibrate, or touch something that would make noise while the vehicle is running. It was only a few extra minutes of work to find where the contact was happening and the control it.

 

Thanks for the info and photos.
After a cable is threaded through the clamps on each side of a converter and around the frame how are the two ends terminated? Is there something that bolts or fixes them to one of the clamps?

 

When the cables are routed as specified by CatClamp instructions, and the clamps are torqued and secured by the provided fasteners, the cables cannot move in the clamp. I guess one could describe it as an interference fit. Per the instructions, the remainder of the cable is tucked away and stowed as you can see in this photo of the installation on my Tacoma.

 

Yeah Little Rock is one of the bigger shitholes in America.

 

My neighbor who parks next to me in the parking garage had hers stolen last September. Now 11 months later it was stolen again parking right next to me. Surely mine is easier access in a 4R over an Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. I have insurance so I’m not sure I will bother with any cat protection.

 

The main thing that drove me to install CatClamps was not my neighborhood - which is good - or my concerns about an insurance claim - but that if mine are stolen there is a 3 month backlog to get replacements from Toyota. Not interested in getting CATS from a wrecking yard because I would be contributing to the perpetual cycle of the thieves being rewarded for their efforts. And from what I have read about aftermarket CATS, they are smaller in diameter, choke performance (can't afford to lose any of what is there) and they are not constructed to last. Some have reported having to replace aftermarket units within a couple of years of install. No thanks.

Your insurance company just might give you a discount on your insurance for having the protection.

 

DallasTrdPro, yeah, we were just passing through Little Rock and figured the Hampton Inn would be safe, but, if the theives want it, they are gonna get it.

 

Good points.

 

My business partner and I were there a decade ago. I was inside a gas station and a guy tried to steal his bike off the roof of his Acura while he was sitting in it. I will never go back there again. It’s just a mini Memphis.

 

I just installed C4’s full skids, this is the area around the cats on them if you’re interested. Doesn’t look like getting them out would be particularly easy.