DEF/ Emissions deletes on vehicles in the USA to be allowed

[russell_314]

I know this is going to be a big topic where I’m from in Texas because many people have pickup trucks. This guy is saying people will be able to have a shop delete not only the diesel DEF system, but catalytic converters on gasoline vehicles.

I’m interested to know how this would affect the car mod community since I’m sure shops will be popping up to do this. I also wonder if the mods might have to be reversed if there is another future policy change or would they be grandfathered in.

I’m not so much interested in the political side but rather do people think this is going to be a real thing and if so would you take advantage of it? For me, my main vehicle is in EV so obviously not applicable and my other car wouldn’t really benefit from any modification.

 

[eyoungren]

I can't answer your questions and I am going to avoid the political side as well…but here is my question for you.

Do you get your news from YouTube videos? And if you do, do you actually believe what's being said?

I'm sorry, I am not meaning to be offensive. But I just do not see some influencer/video person on YT as a legitimate news source. Just my opinion here.

 

[I7guy]

It doesn’t seem possible there is going to be an allowance to delete the catalytic converter. It would certainly cut down on catalytic converter theft though.

 

[Herdfan]

No way would I delete the DEF from my truck as long as it is under warranty. Crate motors are $30K, so I can buy a whole lot of DEF.

And really DEF is not that expensive compared to an $80-100K truck.

 

[Euroamerican]

I know at least one guy who has certain stock/required exhaust system components removed from his diesel pickup trucks to "improve mileage and increase engine performance." For emissions testing, he would actually have the components reinstalled. He hates the government trying to tell him what to do.

His newest diesel pickup truck is about eight years old now, but does require DEF. As far as I know, he has not altered that system though.

In the particular State I live in here in the USA, vehicle inspections are no longer required for licensing. In addition, emissions/smog testing are not required anymore on any sort of regular basis or not at all. Nobody is going to know if you have disabled or removed "smog control" devices in general.

 

[russell_314]

It doesn’t seem possible there is going to be an allowance to delete the catalytic converter. It would certainly cut down on catalytic converter theft though.

That would be crazy. I don’t think many people would do the catalytic converter delete because for most vehicles and unless your existing converter is clogged up, it’s not really an issue.

No way would I delete the DEF from my truck as long as it is under warranty. Crate motors are $30K, so I can buy a whole lot of DEF.

And really DEF is not that expensive compared to an $80-100K truck.

It’s not about how much DEF cost, but rather what it does to the engine. An easy way to tell if a diesel has been deleted is pull the dipstick. If the oil looks remotely clean, it’s deleted or didn’t have all the emission components in the first place. It’s crazy to see engines with 100 miles on the oil and it’s black. Of course if you’re under warranty, don’t touch anything because if you do modifications they will blame the modifications as the cause of engine failure.

I know at least one guy who has certain stock/required exhaust system components removed from his diesel pickup trucks to "improve mileage and increase engine performance." For emissions testing, he would actually have the components reinstalled. He hates the government trying to tell him what to do.

His newest diesel pickup truck is about eight years old now, but does require DEF. As far as I know, he has not altered that system though.

In the particular State I live in here in the USA, vehicle inspections are no longer required for licensing. In addition, emissions/smog testing are not required anymore on any sort of regular basis or not at all. Nobody is going to know if you have disabled or removed "smog control" devices in general.

It’s probably not worth it on a new truck. Especially if it’s under warranty. I live in an area that does not require emissions testing or inspections. I’ve also heard from a used car dealer he had EPA looking on his lot for cars and diesel trucks without proper emissions.

 

[russell_314]

I can't answer your questions and I am going to avoid the political side as well…but here is my question for you.

Do you get your news from YouTube videos? And if you do, do you actually believe what's being said?

I'm sorry, I am not meaning to be offensive. But I just do not see some influencer/video person on YT as a legitimate news source. Just my opinion here.

That’s kind of the reason why I wanted some thoughts on the video. Of course, any YouTube influencer or even legitimate news source as you say can say anything. It would be interesting to see if it’s real or not. I don’t have any skin in the game as I said because I don’t own a diesel and my one ICE car has no need for a cat delete. Even if it clogged up a new cat isn’t that expensive.

 

[quagmire]

Cat deletes are stupid on modern cars or how most people mod their cars. It stems from when cats robbed big power back in the 70's and 80's. So the belief that you will see big power gains from removing the cats on modern cars are obsolete. Modern cats don't rob much power these days.

Yes if you go build the engines to ridiculous levels, then still removing the cats can be beneficial. But Joe Blow idiot will not be doing that and I don't want to be smelling fuel when I am behind you.

I think some of these people are living in lala land in some fantasy world after the latest election......

 

[AlaskaMoose]

We don't have "smug checks" in Alaska, and most drivers leave their cars and trucks as designed, unless the person modifies his or her car for racing and things like that. However, years ago in both Sacramento and or NY, it didn't matter if one could modify the vehicle for the engine to run more efficiently and cleaner, because it would not pass the visual inspection that included headlights, turn signals, and other functions. The smug check was not only at the tailpipe where it really matters.

In reality, newer engines run a lot cleaner than a few years ago, and messing around the emission components, unless one knows what one is doing, will set numerous codes in the ECU.

 

[Chuckeee]

I live in an area where we’ve had some problems with catalytic converter theft. And while it’s not the same thing, after a catalytic converter has been stolen from a vehicle, the engine runs terrible. It’s practically unusable.

 

[Herdfan]

I live in an area where we’ve had some problems with catalytic converter theft. And while it’s not the same thing, after a catalytic converter has been stolen from a vehicle, the engine runs terrible. It’s practically unusable.

I gutted the CAT in my SXS and the engine runs 10 degrees cooler.

And I used to be from an area where CC theft was a big thing. Of course there people also modified their brand new diesel trucks so they could "roll coal". SMDH.

 

[venom600]

Cat deletes are stupid on modern cars or how most people mod their cars. It stems from when cats robbed big power back in the 70's and 80's. So the belief that you will see big power gains from removing the cats on modern cars are obsolete. Modern cats don't rob much power these days.

Yes if you go build the engines to ridiculous levels, then still removing the cats can be beneficial. But Joe Blow idiot will not be doing that and I don't want to be smelling fuel when I am behind you.

I think some of these people are living in lala land in some fantasy world after the latest election......

You'd be surprised how much more power a modern engine can make without a cat, especially turbocharged engines. You do a basic tune and the difference can be pretty dramatic. It doesn't take spending thousands to see or feel the difference. Not saying it should happen, but from a performance (and sound) standpoint, you really do notice a difference. You also notice the soot that covers the rear bumper near the exhaust.