I'm trying to decide whether to remove the cat from my exhaust or remove one (or more) of the silencers. The car is a 99 GTV TS (phase 2 155bhp) so doesn't have the pre-cats or lambda censors as far as i know. The previous owner already has a BMC air filter installed in the standard airbox. Car has 78k on the clock if that makes any difference i.e. the cat being clogged up over the years making it more restrictive?
What I'd like to achieve is the best overall gain in sound, throttle response, driveability and power between the two methods. Although I don't want the exhaust to sound too loud or boomy either and have to keep the tail pipe standard to keep on the better side of the law and not annoy the neighbours or look like a chav.
Now i know that removing the cat will make my car fail an emissions test so i won't be making any modifications until after my car has done it's N.C.T. test (Irish MOT).
Price really doesn't come into it either as a very good friend of mine is a metal fabricator by trade so i will hopefully be getting him to knock up a straight through pipe as a direct replacement which i can then re-install for any further N.C.T.'s etc. for the price of a few cans of carlsberg.
In my mind I'm leaning more towards removing the cat rather than a silencer as i presume it would be more beneficial overall. Just thought I'd get the opinion of a few of the more knowledgeable folk off here before i let Rory loose with the angle grinder!