MOTing road legal race car with no CAT

[woodyracing]

Hey,

whats the deal with MOTing race cars without a catalytic converter ?
My 1994 car has no CAT at the moment, but this year i fitted the old exhaust with CAT just for the MOT, it was a real pain tbh.
I've heard somewhere though that a car with only one seat is exempt from having a CAT ?? does it even need to have a CAT or does it just go off the emissions ? i also heard that there could be MOT stations who are race car friendly, any near Silverstone ?

[The STIG]

I belive it has to do with the date the car was built, as to what emissions it emits. And then it goes on Emissions not wether a Cat is present or not. But don't hold me to that.
Now, I'm with a team who has a road legal race car from Northampton, so I could check which one the car went to for that if you like.

Incidentally it failed, the dash wasn't labled right and they didn't like the boot springs.

[peenuts]

My 205 is 1992 does not need a cat .anything after this does to pass a mot
My daughters car is a mk1 fiesta with rear seats removed and most of interia
mot man says test with 2 seats ok but has to be stated on computer at time of test if seats are put back in it has to be retested once they are put back
in plus rear seat belts..

[woodyracing]

Originally Posted by The STIG

I'm with a team who has a road legal race car from Northampton, so I could check which one the car went to for that if you like.

That would be good, thanks.

[The STIG]

Well, it went to J&S autos in Northampton. Suggest youthem up in a yellow pages.

What you could do... and I am not suggesting that you do of course ... is fit the cat for the test, and remove it again when you want to race.

[Tim Falce]

It's all about passing the emissions test not whether you have a cat fitted.
There is a failure bit about "having a part of the system removed" but the tester would have to be pretty ****ty to want to go looking for the catalytic converter.
You just need to think whether it will go through the emission test without.

Originally Posted by peenuts

My 205 is 1992 does not need a cat .anything after this does to pass a mot
My daughters car is a mk1 fiesta with rear seats removed and most of interia
mot man says test with 2 seats ok but has to be stated on computer at time of test if seats are put back in it has to be retested once they are put back
in plus rear seat belts..

Not quite right if you are talking about the UK. The number of passenger seats is recorded but there is nothing to say you need it re-tested if you re-fit the seats afterward. The MOT test is all about what the car is like at the time of the test not the day after. If you make your car illigal later that's your business not the MOT testers.

[quantic]

There is absolutely no way a car that is supposed to have a cat (basically anything after 1992 apart from some vans..) will pass the emissions test with it removed. As for an MOT tester not noticing the cat was missing, well!!!

[JohnMiller]

Originally Posted by quantic

There is absolutely no way a car that is supposed to have a cat (basically anything after 1992 apart from some vans..) will pass the emissions test with it removed

I used to have a TVR Cerbera V8 which had a sports exhaust and no cat. I was worried when it's first MOT came up, but it passed the emissions anyway.

[JohnMiller]

Originally Posted by peenuts

My 205 is 1992 does not need a cat .anything after this does to pass a mot
My daughters car is a mk1 fiesta with rear seats removed and most of interia
mot man says test with 2 seats ok but has to be stated on computer at time of test if seats are put back in it has to be retested once they are put back
in plus rear seat belts..

Stopped making Fiesta Mk1 in 1983.
Rear belts became compulsory in about 1988.

[peenuts]

as it was already noted in the last mot it was fitted with rear seat belts and seats. the mot tester only stated that the rear seats would be noted as missing and only 2 front seats tested for the mot. saying if stopped by mr p.c.
wilst carrying persons in rear would be slight problem. that it might not be road legal and insurance non and voiled saying what mot man says.......plus belts if fitted
can a mr p.c or mot person say different...please let us know.

[MGDavid]

Originally Posted by quantic

There is absolutely no way a car that is supposed to have a cat (basically anything after 1992 apart from some vans..) will pass the emissions test with it removed. As for an MOT tester not noticing the cat was missing, well!!!

Untrue, as it happens. The K series engine is extremely efficient at combustion, many MGFs have passed MOTs with a CAT bypass pipe fitted.

[woodyracing]

Originally Posted by The STIG

What you could do... and I am not suggesting that you do of course ... is fit the cat for the test, and remove it again when you want to race.

its a bit of a pain fitting the old system, or it was last time because the garage had modified a bit they werent supposed to meaning I had to add a bit of pipework to my old one, anyway it passed ok.
The MOT garage I went to last time almost failed me because I had a passenger seat belt but no passenger seat, then he realised it was the other way around - you need a seatbelt if you have a seat. doh!

Also with MOTing, I'm slightly worried a fat bloke will sit in my seat and stretch it.

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by woodyracing

Also with MOTing, I'm slightly worried a fat bloke will sit in my seat and stretch it.

Yeah, we have a fat bloke at our test center, you should see him in some of the cars we get in.