Wow. I just read this whole long winded argument on converters. Wow.
If you want power out of your 2.3, ditch the entire exhaust. It sucks. Get a decent header from Speedway, Racer Walsh, or Schofield, take the car to the nearest muffler shop and get a decent 2.25 set up on it. If you want it to look neat get someones old lx tail pipes and have a y pipe installed to make it duals. DO NOT GET FLOWMASTERS, they sound like crap on a 4cyl. I have one and hate it.
Depending on the intake manifold, your wallet and your mechanical ability, you can port or have someone port the lower intake. Gut the upper. The 4 holes in it are useless. It will almost act as the pvc pipe you suggested only its after the tb. I did my intake and picked up 1mpg. It doesnt sound like much but it was worth my 4 hours.
A good tune up is worth some power as well. Bump the timing up. Maybe even a cam swap. Bo Port has a few hydraulic grinds that work well for street cars even without the turbo. Head milling and porting or even changing over to a turbo head with a Ranger roller cam will net some good gains.
I hope Ive helped better than the rocket scientist did, but what do I know I just build engines for a living.
Its not a cop out, I would need to show you diagrams, mathematic figures.
Easy for you to discredit it, but I notice you have no legitimate data or understanding to discredit me either.
I work in the exhaust industry, have a background in mechanical engineering. The rest of that post I did my best at explaining what is going on, and why it produces more power.
If you don't believe it, that is fine, I don't stand to loose anything by people not listening or heeding my advise. I guess it doesn't matter that I fix a lot of these screwed up systems, all to often a car that does not run right, has no CEL or anything, but just hesitates, has no real power, surges, doesn't idle right, gets bad gas mileage. They bring it to me, its got some oversize exhaust system with no cat. Put a cat on it, reset the computer, issues go away. Customer is happy, sends me all his friends. I guess it doesn't matter that my buddies Grand National produces more power with a cat than without. I guess it doesn't matter that my '87 Turbocoupe produces more power than its mods say it should. My setup, which includes a 3" high flow cat, with stock injectors, stock fuel pressure, stock intercooler, 3" cold air intake with cone filter and full shroud, is producing 230 rwhp, though by the hardware, excluding the cat, I shouldn't be able to produce more that 215 - 220 with my setup.
Whats the question? Cats or no cats? I dont understand how you figure that an internal combustion engine works but your off just a touch. I have never in my life seen a restriction in the exhaust help the flow of it. Even a turbo hurts you to a point. But as I said before Im not a rocket scientist, Im an engine builder.
Whats the question? Cats or no cats? I dont understand how you figure that an internal combustion engine works but your off just a touch. I have never in my life seen a restriction in the exhaust help the flow of it. Even a turbo hurts you to a point. But as I said before Im not a rocket scientist, Im an engine builder.
So the question you need to ask is, does it restrict, or does it induct? If it restricts, then yes, its will cost you power, but it it takes unburned fuel found in the exhaust, converts it into a positive heat and motion, then it becomes less restrictive than a straight pipe. It makes the exhaust want to flow towards the tailpipe more strongly than if there was no cat. The trick is that it has to sized properly, placed properly, functioning properly, ideally have the right cell density, and have a cam that is setup properly.
Do you honestly think they went into all that crap at the factory? No.......
If what your saying is true, which to a point in theory is true, than nobody in there rite mind would ever cut a cat off there car. Everyone in the free world with a car would pass every emissions test ever, and you could sit in the garage with all the doors and windows closed with the car running and live to tell about it. (try that and get back to me).
Your talking about whats called the venturi affect. That has the same affect as a carburetor or a set of heads thats been ported for high velocity. In that case what you do is make a STEADY FLOWING chamber with no restrictions in the middle of the path. The air (in this case mixed with fuel) gets sped up to create an affect kinda like holding your finger over a garden hose when running. It sprays twice as far with the same amount of effort behind it. This doesnt work in your case.
The exhaust creates its own vacuum as does the intake. Remember an engine is an air pump. When the valve slams shut its pulling the air back toward it, it has to. The difference between the intake and exhaust is that the piston pulls air in on the intake stroke and forces it out on the exhaust. Thats why if you get the firing order wrong it pops. Its trying to pull air threw the exhaust at the same time as the intake and visa versa.
A cat is a restriction thats the bottom line. Basically it comes down to this, breath threw a straw while holding your nose, than breath threw the same straw only with a cup between both ends. Ill bet you dont breath any easier.