exhausts

[gusto]

Any advice on the relative merits and implications (MOT?) of removing the catalytic converter from the standard exhaust on a 1.8K or a 1.6K? Is this a sensible way to increase BHP or should I really go for a different exhaust - if so what?

 

Also a Caterham specialist (flat floor set up etc) near Bath?

[Mike Bees]

If your car was SVA'ed with a cat then it'll need it at MOT time too. If it was factory built pre-SVA then it'll need the cat at MOT time. If it was built from a kit pre-SVA then it won't need it at MOT time.

 

Just removing the cat and keeping the same manifold is a waste of time, it's a big free-flowing cat which loses you less than 1 bhp.

 

Changing to a complete better exhaust will be more useful. The "easy" option is to buy either the 4-1 or 4-2-1 competition exhaust from Caterham. On a 1.6K there seems to be little difference between the two (from a back-to-back test that I've seen), on a 1.8 the 4-2-1 apparently does "work" and fill out the torque around 4000rpm.

 

Mike

[gusto]

Thanks for your comments Mike. You say "The "easy" option is to buy either the 4-1 or 4-2-1 competition exhaust from Caterham"....which I'll probably do but any advice on noise? Mostly to be driven at Castle Combe where they have a pretty strict 100dBa limit.

 

Many thanks anyway for your help.

[Mike Bees]

If it's an untuned K then you'll be fine on noise with the Caterham 4-1 or 4-2-1 and 5" silencer. They do 6 and 7" silencers for the 4-2-1 if you want to be really sure.

 

Mike

[gusto]

Thanks Mike - just to press the point, it's a 1.6K supersport (a friend has a 1.8K supersport with the same question) - so would you recommend the 4-2-1 for both of us, particulalrly in view of the noise issue?

 

Thanks.

[Mike Bees]

If you're buying a complete new system then that's probably the best route to go. The 4-2-1 works best with the 1800, on a 1600 it appears to offer very little performance advantage over the competition 4-1, but it is available with bigger silencers.

 

I think that 1.6K Supersports are OK at Goodwood with the competition 4-1 (definitely OK on 'noisy' 5-car 105db days).

 

Mike