Gutting the cat should i?

[bazippy]

Im really enjoying my turbo at the moment and wanted to make her that bit better, should i gut the cat? and if i do do i require a fuel cut defender? and a mbc?
I have a boost guage already but never decided not to fit a mbc and would prefer not to have one on the car!

ive done plenty of reading but couldnt find if i definetly needed a mbc i know its advised but if my guage doesnt show to higher boost then surely its no problem?! if im right the standard internals shouldnt really go past 15-16psi how much will gutting the cat up the psi? and will it make it bypass the 12psi a cut the fuel?

thanks alot Baz

[Grajey]

It's a turbo.

Doesn't need a CAT test at MOT.

Gut it.

Pig of a job though!!!!

Wait until you have gutted the CAT and driven for a while before making any further changes. See how the car feels.
If you hit fuel cut then fit an FCD. Once that's done then fit an MBC if you want(you probably will) to increase boost. Stick to around 1 BAR(14-15PSI).

HTH

[Ruishy1]

dont gut the cat, take your cat off, and sell it to a scrap merchant, should give you enough cash for a decat, better than having to gut it out and wasting all those percious metals

[craig]

Get rid of the cat, get a berk downpipe. The stock cat weighs a ton compared to aftermarket dp such as berk

[bazippy]

Think ive got confused is the cat near the end of the exhaust? or on the downpipe? how easy would it be to remove it?
Wanting to keep the original looking cat in place was just wanting to up the spool rate and have a little extra sound!

[redmr89]

yep the cat is part of the downpipe on turbos.. gutting it will get a better flow. to do this just remove it and smash the insides out.. and replaice with the empty pipe. if you dont want to smash yours out theres always loads on here for sale pre smashed..

one thing tho the stock downpipe has a really restrictive elbow. i didnt realise this till i removed mine.

an aftermarket dp flows much better and sounds much better. in my opion go for an aftermarket dp..

just mae sure you get a good quality one with an engine brace or a flexy..

[marc GT Turbo]

fuel cut is way above 12psi on a rev 2 turbo. 12 psi is 0.83 of a bar ! standard boost is 0.7 bar which is 10 psi . if your gonna use a MBC then you will have to disconnect the TVSV to avoid spikes which would lead to hitting fuel cut. depending on the condition of your turbo and engine , if its fairly low mileage and the turbo has no issues it would be safe to run it at 1 bar . safe to run at 0.9 bar. though. you will be suprised at just how much difference 3 or 4 psi increase makes i gutted my cat and got £30 for the insides i run 1 bar boost and dont use a FCD .

[Martian_333]

Thats the whole de-cat options discussion sorted for me too then! cheers!

[bazippy]

Thanks for all the help!
My rev 2 has only done 61k and is very sweet so i think turbo and engine are in perfect condition.
Whats a good quality after market downpipe?and how much am i looking at spending on one? id liek to keep the original intact as im trying to keep all the original bits and not mod it too much as its such a clean example of a 17yearold car! cheers for the help fellas!

[RobCrezz]

Ive got a Aussie decat pipe off a rev3 that was cracked but I had repaired. £50 and its yours

[bazippy]

Im driving to france this week i might be able to pick it up on way back,depends how far out of our way it would be, message me roughly where you live and ill try and pursuade the other half into the detour!