Decat is on

[KirkJames]

Well folks, had the decat put on today but I forgot the camera so will take some pics at home in next couple of days and get some posted. They have modified the old cat so that can bolt back in just after the flexi for the mot.

But............

I haven't notice any difference in performance and a minimal change in sound. I am a little disappointed to be honest.
Will the ecu take time to learn?
Inner wing induction kit is now a must!

[Levi]

When I first fitted my sports cat and piper cat back, it sounded lovely but performance felt a bit worse if anything, not responsive. I too felt disappointed. But after a good few miles it started to feel good again.

[Supercharged_Z]

whats the point of a fantasticly free flowing exhaust if the engine is being starved of nice air

[tcb 180]

Mine felt more unrestricted from the word go tbh. Need to sort inlet air out really.

[KirkJames]

Originally Posted by Supercharged_Z

whats the point of a fantasticly free flowing exhaust if the engine is being starved of nice air

The cat/flexi was falling apart mate that's the only reason for doing decat first
Induction is next on list, well after brakes and tyres as safety is more important

[Enright]

Agree with tyres, but brakes - cat amongst pigeons time here: unconvinced unless you're regularly getting brake fade.
Bigger brakes will dissipate more heat and so you can do more stops before they begin to go away, but the limit of how quickly you can stop is how you get ALL FOUR wheels to brake as hard as possible without locking.
Adding bigger brakes may feel better but they do nothing to increase your level of grip - they just help you to reach the locking point sooner. And adding them at 1 end and unbalancing the system is actually likely to INCREASE stopping distances as the rear wheels may not have reached maximum retardation while the fronts are drawing parallel black lines.

[Dan1971]

When my decat went on my old Mk1 180, it sounded better and felt stronger lower down the rev range - just breathed better - (but was fitted after a pipercross induction kit which in itself gave 6bhp improvement - dyno'd).

Standard induction on the 180 simply does not appear to be good enough and should be one of the first things to improve IMHO if you're looking for more power.

[KirkJames]

Originally Posted by Enright

Agree with tyres, but brakes - cat amongst pigeons time here: unconvinced unless you're regularly getting brake fade.
Bigger brakes will dissipate more heat and so you can do more stops before they begin to go away, but the limit of how quickly you can stop is how you get ALL FOUR wheels to brake as hard as possible without locking.
Adding bigger brakes may feel better but they do nothing to increase your level of grip - they just help you to reach the locking point sooner. And adding them at 1 end and unbalancing the system is actually likely to INCREASE stopping distances as the rear wheels may not have reached maximum retardation while the fronts are drawing parallel black lines.

Good job I am only replacing with standard brakes then. It's not a performance issue it's purely maintenance and that my current standard brakes need replacing. Standard brakes do the job just fine for my liking.

Originally Posted by Dan1971

When my decat went on my old Mk1 180, it sounded better and felt stronger lower down the rev range - just breathed better - (but was fitted after a pipercross induction kit which in itself gave 6bhp improvement - dyno'd).

Standard induction on the 180 simply does not appear to be good enough and should be one of the first things to improve IMHO if you're looking for more power.

Yeah like I say, next step after the essentials are out of the way will be cone in the inner wing

[Phate]

Mate the standard brakes are overated on the ZS180, will be fine putting an induction kit on there first.

[KirkJames]

Originally Posted by Phate

Mate the standard brakes are overated on the ZS180, will be fine putting an induction kit on there first.

Need to do the brakes mate, they are getting seriously spongy. They have been on for a long time I think. They really are that bad at the mo lol. Plus haven't got the cash at the mo for any expensive ones. Was going to put Mintex ones on anyway.