testing catalytic converter
 

As far as I know my catalytic converter is good. No glow, no cooling issues. Is there a way to test the life on a catalytic converter to determine when you should start shopping around? Apologies if this has been asked, I tried using site:rx8club.com but there wasn't much information.

Also, for those of you that have used a BHR midpipe and chosen to remove the catalytic converter, how bad is the gas smell actually? I've seen many conflicting answers to this question, and it usually comes down to whether it was done correctly as to If everything had a gas smell.

It doesn't really have a measurable life. You can take it down and check for clogging/damage, but that's about it. It's fine until it's not. In many cases your first clue will be a P0420 code.

Different people smell differently, there is nothing you can do in the catless midpipe installation to produce more or less smell.

Smell behind your car immediately after starting it cold. That's how it will smell all the time without a cat.

worse actually

You’ll definitely smell gas fumes from behind the car , if you have your windows rolled down and come to a stop you will smell it in your car as well depending which way the wind is blowing.

I used to worry about the Cat convertor. Bought an ultragauge and connected full time to an old Samsung phone and i now monitor Cat temp and coolant temp like my engines life depended on it !

I'm guessing ultra gauge is an obd2 reader? I'll probably pickup one Friday.

I looked it up on amazon and found this device but it doesn't require a phone. This isn't what you have is it? Looks to be a standalone device.

That one will work. I used the Ultragauge Blue which works with a smartphone. Standard version has a pretty blah display, exactly as you see it on amazon. Blue version enables color displays that are far more diverse. For practical reasons, its better to have a dedicated phone running it though (who doesnt have an old smart phone sitting around these days).
Several videos on both units are on utube.

Pardon my ignorance, but why is it more practical to use a phone? The device with LCD looks like it'll fit very well next to defrost vent. The phone seems less practical as I'll have to charge it. Also I have the 09 gt and so I'm thinking about getting a vent phone holder and just letting the aux cord dangle. Im definitely open to advice though I haven't made any purchases yet. My gas gauge is having issues though and itd be nice to see more accurate engine temps and information.

I meant that it is more practical to use a dedicated smart phone for the Ultragauge Blue as opposed to using your regular phone for it and everything else we use a phone for. Dedicated phone sits there displaying gauges the whole time, whereas your regular phone gets used for many functions ( i wont go into whether or not we should be doing so while driving ). I see pros and cons for both versions, and a power/data cable has to be run to the standard unit, while a charge cable needs run to the phone. The Blue version won out for me because of the versatility of the display. This pic shows the first page (i have about 7 pages and more are available) I have the cat converter temp, coolant temp, a settable alarm for each , intake temp and ultragauge temp all on this page. You can change colors for everything, have a combination of digital or analog gauges, position them anywhere on the page. Thats just touching on its versatility over the standard unit which displays basic digital units only.
Just realized this page is displaying "unknown 2010" because my son grabbed it last night to grab a code from his car. It usually displays "2006 RX8". Brings up another pro for the blue version - because the display (phone) and obd2 reader are both portable, they can be used in other vehicles. I believe there is a maximum vehicle count allowable though. The reader remembers these vehicles and has data stored for them.
Sorry about the huge pic size - not sure why that happened !
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...8f1be35a58.jpg

You can set all mins and maxs, rotate the gauges so nominal temp has the hand in the 12 oclock position (i do this so that a casual glance shows all hands at 12 oclock). You can have 1/2 gauges lapped over full gauges etc etc - so many things you can do with the Bluetooth version. I see you are having trouble with your gas gauge - One of the available gauges on the ultragauge is a gas gauge and it knows when you fill up too! Depending on your problem though, the UG may pull data from the same place and therefore have a problem too !
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There is no thermocouple in the exhaust stream, the catalyst temperature PID is merely a calculated value, from inputs such as load, load duration, and a hysteresis of catalyst cooldown between loads.

You could add a thermocouple to the exhaust stream, giving a read on EGT's and if they are spiking from catalyst restriction. Something that may be more economical is hardened pressure sensors before and after the catalyst, which would track changes in the pressure differential across the catalyst.