I looked around around and found nothing. Is there any real benefit in removing the cat off a 98 1.8t?

 

Yes there are definite power gains. The turbo will be more audible. Your exhuast will be/smell extra toxic. The gains would be larger if you had a chip.

 

Thanks for the reply.
But how would it sound though?
Im interested in doing it but i dont
want something that will sound
obnoxious? And is there a write up on doing
it?

 

Plenty of write ups. There are pretty much two ways of going about this. The first would be to take the cat off and gut it, then bolt it back on. Thats the cheaper DIY approach, and is used by guys in states where they have a visual exhaust inspection as part of your yearly state inspection. The second, and what sounds more like what you're talking about doing, is to take the cat off and replace it with whats called a "test pipe." Basically just a hunk of exhaust tube with a bung welded into it for an O2 sensor. I don't think you have to worry about it sounding obnoxious, especially if the rest of the car is still stock. If you search for "1.8T test pipe" or some such thing, you should be able to find more threads on the subject. hope that helps!

 

I just installed my test pipe a few days ago, with my exhaust, I noticed it got a little louder, and I can hear my turbo a little more. I wouldn't call it obnoxiously loud, and the drone isn't too bad in the car. Before I had the test pipe, I had a gutted cat, but the TP is much better. If you decide to go with the TP, make sure you search for the anti-fouler trick. It keeps you from tripping the CEL, and it works (no CEL yet!).

 

Ok if i was to go the degutting way where
would i start?

 

Start by taking the cat out, and using a long pry bar and hammer. Smash the stuff on the inside into little itty bitty bits, until it all falls out. Reinstall and enjoy. You will throw a CEL however...

Of course, if you've never had your cat out before, it's going to be a serious biatch to get the stud nuts off the turbo side, and the bolts on the downpipe side are also a huge PITA! Good luck!

 

Im running a hollowed cat. I had to hollow mine as the last turbo I had lost the wastegate in the cat, and it was making it very inefficient.


Havent thrown any cel's about and car runs fine. I still have stock exhause and it made no noise differences. I can maybe hear my turbo a little more. And like 3 more hp/tq.

 

Bye bye cat...you won't miss it

 

I want to do a test pipe... dang emissions test! I was thinking that when I get it tested in Oct. I will put a test pipe on afterwards since the next test isnt for 2 years and in reality I don't see it going that far!