Catalytic Converter for exhaust smell

[Bamabluemodena]

Do most people consider the smell of the exhaust when deciding on Catalytic converters. I know from experience that my clothes and my skin smell like I have been mowing grass or riding my dirt bike when I am around cars that have had their cats removed or bypassed. I can only assume that it would be even worse in a car with side pipes and no windows or roof. I know that having cats on a bad *** car may be lame but I really would like to be able to drive the car to work without smelling like the landscaping crew when I get there. Thanks for the input.

[edwardb]

My Mk3 has a pretty modified 302 (306), Quick Fuel carb, side pipes and no cats. I don't get any exhaust or gas smell (in my clothes or otherwise) just from normal driving. I drive it to work whenever I can without any problems, and I work in a professional office environment. I would notice it (and so would others) if this weren't the case. The one thing I am careful about is I generally push it out of the garage before starting. I have a pretty flat garage/driveway, so it's real easy to do. I escape most of the exhaust smell that way, especially the extra it has at startup with the choke on. Bottom line, I don't think a well tuned setup, even with a carb, needs to automatically have odor requiring adding cats.

Now having said that, if I'm working on the car in the garage with it running (like working on tuning) I leave the clothes in the garage. They get pretty bad.

[billjr212]

This is a legitimate concern. I notice it occasionally when I have been driving the Roadster (EFI) and it's even worse when I drive my dad's '42 Ford GPW (carbureted, obviously). I kind of got used to it. My wife always says I smell like "old car." I suspect the carbureted cars will always give you a little more of that smell (though I have no hard evidence or science to back that up, just thinking about it logically).

I don't think running a couple of high efficiency cats is a big deal and I suspect you will find lots of members here that have had to put the cats on for emissions requirements in their states.

Edward - looks like I hit enter about the same time as you. Interesting to see that you haven't noticed it much and that pushing the car out of the garage may be making that big a difference. I notice the smell just sitting at stoplights in traffic once in a while, but you are probably right that the biggest slice comes just in the garage (as well as having a very well-tuned setup).

[Bamabluemodena]

I agree that the person driving or riding in the car does not typically smell it as you are used to the smell. It is most often noticed by other people in the room with you. I know when my gearhead brother comes in the room because I smell him. The cats are often removed from his car of the month, before he even gets a tag on them. Almost all of his cars are EFI by the way mustangs, corvettes, grand nationals etc.

[David Hodgkins]

I run cats on mine, both for the noise reduction and to reduce the gas smell. No complaints at all!

:)

[OVCobra]

I agree with edwardb in that a properly tuned (jetted carb or calibrated efi) should not make much if any smell. Exception being a carb'd engine with choke on...efi cold start is better. If there is a lot of smell, it is probably an indicator of a poorly tuned engine, too rich fuel calibration (carb or efi) and/or late ignition timing. All the cats are doing is "burning off" the unburned fuel from the engine. If you are running stock efi without cats and sidepipes (greatly reduced exhaust backpressure), factory efi tune is likely a little off. IF you want to experience this to an extreme, stand close to a top fuel dragster/funny car engine during warm-up...the slow burning nitromethane will tear the eyes out of you!

Dave