What is a catalytic converter and what does it do? What will happen if I take it out and put straight pipe in place of it?

If you take it out it is called tampering with the standard equpment of a vechile. You can get a ticket from the police for not having it, and if you state requires a state inspection it will fail and you will not get a licesne plate for the vechile.

It is part of the emmssions control of the vechile.

Go here and check this out. Good reading.

Howstuffworks "How Catalytic Converters Work" (http://auto.howstuffworks.com/catalytic-converter.htm)

Well you may increase the horsepower a little, increase the emissions a lot, not smell the "rotten egg" smell associated with the catalytic converters. And you will be in trouble for tampering with the emissions system as indicated on other post above if you ever get caught.

If you take it out it is called tampering with the standard equpment of a vechile. You can get a ticket from the police for not having it, and if you state requires a state inspection it will fail and you will not get a licesne plate for the vechile.

It is part of the emmssions control of the vechile.

OK, what I also want to know is if I do take it out, will there be smoke coming out of the exhaust?