Cat Shields. Yay or Nay?

I'm thinking about getting cat shields for my new 4Runner.

I haven't heard a lot of stories about cats getting cut off people's cars anymore (or the news has other things to report?). I had them on my Tacoma because during the pandemic Taco's were easy pickings.

I found this set by CaliRaised and they seem reasonably priced:

https://caliraisedled.com/products/catalytic-converter-shield-fits-2014-2023-4runner



The best part, they're direct bolt on. My last ones I had to have a shop install them, because they had to drill holes and move stuff around.


Who has them on their 4Runner? Have ya'll seen less being cut off vehicles in your area? Have you seem more? The same?

 

i put those on mine - i guess they were having some fitment issues early on, but they fixed them - we bolted mine on in about 15 minutes (with a lift) and they fit perfect with plenty of clearance and no noises

 

Good to know they bolt on so fast. I'm strongly leaning towards adding these to my ride "for peace of mind". I think of it like car insurance. I'm glad I have it, but I pray to God I never have to use it.

 

Big giant thread on this - started by me. Search.

 

Stainless steel bolted to carbon steel seems like a bad idea: dis-similar metals, corrosion, etc. Am I missing something? How can this be a good idea and why not use carbon steel for cat shields?

 

Nah

 

Yay

 

For the cost cheap insurance. If your set gets stolen it will probably be very long waiting for new cats if it’s anything like the tundra’s are wait time. I have mine just did not get them on yet.

 

What would stop the thieves from just unbolting these before cutting the cat?

If parking in your driveway is the concern, I suggest surveillance cameras, a dog, and a 12 gauge

 

Maybe they have security heads on the bolts? Besides the bolts, some of the cat shields appear pretty open on one side, or easily bent out of the way.

i guess it’s like a “club” for the steering wheel. It makes would-be thieves move on to easier pickings.

 

I did notice the open sides on the Cali Cat Shields. That, coupled with the fact that a lot of people had install issues, made me decide not to get them. I always park my vehicles in a garage. For home and work. I have a covered and secured parking garage at work, and I park it in my home garage over night. It's rarely if any of my vehicles are parked out in the open over night.

The Cat-Shields on my Tacoma were not open at all, except for vents for heat dissipation. They totally surrounded the cat, but the Cali style for the 4runner doesn't. I will get a shield, just not from Cali, or RIGHT away.

 

A yay for me. Had the TalonsGarage on my Tundra and have it on my 4Runner. The theft seems to have calmed down this year but for the price it's worth putting on. Talons is super friendly and ships instantly. Some Tundra members were waiting 4 months to a year for replacements last time I was paying attention.

 

I was gonna with Talons but decided to try the Cali ones. I had the Valhalla’s on my tundra .

 

I have a different brand ("Cat Security"), but similar concepts. There are enough bolts and with 2-3 different heads on them that if nothing else, it would take some time and make a lot of noise. The hope is the thieves would just move on to easier pickings. A possible problem with that is someone on Nextdoor.com in my area recently reported cat thieves in their area, several cars lost their cats, and several cars with cat protection plates were vandalized (e.g broken windows) apparently because the thieves were pissed off.

In any event, considering the very high cost of new cats (even with insurance after your deductible), and the apparent long supply chain delays finding new ones, to me its worth the added protection, even if its not foolproof.

 

It's more expensive, but if you are also considering skid plates you could get cat shields from the same manufacturer that integrate with your aftermarket skid plates. I got a set of 3 RCI skid plates and they threw in the cat shields for free. They bolt on in such a way that once installed, the bolts are not accessible - so it is impossible to remove them without removing the entire skid plate. At about $1000 for the whole package (on sale), it's still less than the cost of replacing the cats.

 

They are looking for the easy grab via torch in 30 seconds or less. They dont tend to carry socket tools on these.

That said, nowadays cat thieves are armed and in some cases (Like in Chicago) they are using automatic weapons. Those who care to get in a shootout over a cat, I mean to each their own I wont judge.

https://youtu.be/yApLzBoSdLY?si=DFSNAc9ClSm86WDM

https://youtu.be/KKhOB3ACKyM?si=stLsITlj6vIy60EA

https://youtu.be/N1RO3mja68c?si=AMhXUoGoucpN3tUm

 

I have an RCI trans plate with the cat extensions. They are just fine.

I didn’t like the fact that I could slide my 235lb self under the truck without needing to jack it up. If I could do it then so could someone else.

They are a theft deterrent not a theft preventer.
Like OP said they want to get under and out quick.
I just made my truck less desirable of their time… sorry everyone else.

 

yay for me. I bought a package "deal" from Cali at this past years Toyota Jamboree in Texas. Got the shields and rock sliders. I have a $500 insurance deductible so for me this was a no-brainer. My neighbor has a 4Runner and her cat was stolen while her daughter was in school. They also had to wait for about a month to get a replacement.

 

Ridiculous!

Definitely not worth getting shot over. Seems like the cat shields are about all you can do.

I watched all the videos and didn't see anything about automatic weapons though.

 

I think for right now, I'm going to wrap my catalytic converter in asbestos. If you steal it, you will die slow and painfully.

 

Check out video # 2, the thumbnail shows the automatic rifle. There was actually one that happened with an AK47 in Chicago back in the Spring and I cant find the video.

 

I have the RCI ones on as well. Just one more level of complexity / added time to steal. Most of the thefts I’ve seen details on, they show up with bolt cutters (for those that wire them up) and reciprocating saws, not ratchet sets.

 

I can't tell what it is, but I figured it was an AR-15, which are semiautomatic.

If people are actually using fully automatic weapons, It just makes me wonder what's really going on. I have a hard time imagining how random meth addicts are getting their hands on fully automatic weapons.

 

FFS, nobody is "using fully automatic weapons." They were banned nearly 40 years ago.

 

FFS, I'm not the one who said "they're using automatic weapons." Maybe read the comments I replied to before you reply to mine.

 

Have a look at MillerCat, they have a Cat guard that looks hefty and in two different metals.

 

That was my point. Obviously some random tweaker isn't going to be able to get his hands on fully automatic weapons. So, either the post I was quoting was incorrect, or there's something else going on.

But, I can't imagine anyone smart enough to figure out how to get their hands on fully automatic weapons wanting to waste their time with a couple of catalytic converters.

 

Maybe inflation is taking its toll on them too, lol.

Be careful suggesting that organized crime might get involved with the catalytic converter racket, or someone here might get triggered and suggest that you are ignorant and insult your entire state.

But that is what I meant earlier. I don't know why organized crime would bother, because It just doesn't seem like there's enough money in it. But, I also don't see your run of the mill petty theif getting their hands on those types of weapons.

I also thought that maybe the poster I was replying to earlier was referring to semi-automatic weapons as automatic weapons. Maybe I should have asked that question directly rather than fishing for the answer with sarcastic comments. But, where's the fun in that?

 

I love how this thread started out about Cat Shields, and now we're talking about drug cartels, automatic weapons, meth use and castle doctrine.