Finished my third mod last night (RP Supercat) and I though it would be appropiate to say hi and introduce myself after a few months of lurking.

I have had my 8 about 5 months, I bought it a few hours before my wedding. So far the Supercat has been the easiest install; SR Pullies (I bought them before I discovered rx8club.com), REVi intake and duct are my other mods.

Anyways this forum rocks and hope to be an active member of it. :D

 

Welcome to the club :D

How'd you find your super cat as well as your other mods. Would you do them again?

 

I really like the supercat and intake, I could not tell a difference on the pullies. I did a lot of research on the cat and intake through the forum before I bought them.

Thanks!!!

 

Glad to see you here, welcome to the board.
The RP Cat is wonderful. I am really happy with it as well.

-HS

 

welsome bro! So how do you like the 8 compared to an A4? The pullies were pretty much a fluke. FANMAN, (a forum member) had them installed and nothing was gained. The RP pipe is badass. Congrats!

 

What next ? Cat Back exhaust (sound) ? Piggyback ECU ?

 

The A4 was a good car, AWD is great in winter. But it was always sidelined in the shop and Audi service sucked! Plus it was difficult to mod compared to the older B5's.

The 8 really is a perfect car for me, a few mods can't hurt though

Next up is RB front and rear sways and I am waiting to see what happens in the plug and play ECU arena.

Thanks!!

 

did you have any problems with the lack of a hanger on the RP piece? I seem to read that some people say its necessary to fabricate one and some don't...

 

I haven't had any problems without the hanger. If it starts to make a racket I will have it welded back on.

 

how much is the rp supercat? and where can I get it? it is not on there site... any help would be sweet!! thanx

 

Get one from www.rx7.com. Just ordered mine this week. Can't wait for it to arrive :D

 

Welcome to the forums!

I just got my RP Super-cat installed today and it is great. I was a little concerned it would be too loud, but to be honest it is only a little louder than stock. I have the stock cat back on. Also, this may be placebo effect, but it seems to rev a little easier and accelerate a bit better. Number one thing I did notice was that this thing is light compared to the stock cat and I mean really light. This cat is at least 50% lighter I would guess.

Good product.

 

Did you do the install yourself? If so, how was it? What tools do you need to do it? With mine arriving for Monday/Tuesday, I am thinking about doing it myself. I know its a quick job to get done at any muffler shop - but I would like to think I can do it.

 

What, if any, tuning did you have to do after install?

 

I don't know if Former A4'er install his super-cat on his own but my buddy and I did it on our own. The time was roughly 3 hours, but we had a couple of problems. Here are a couple of pointers after doing the install.


1. If you have access to a lift then use it, it will make life much easier. But, If you are using jack stands then use 4 if you have them. If you do not have 4 then place 2 on the passanger side of the car.

2. Let the car/exhaust cool completely. I mean 100%. We had a problem removing the nuts from the front end of the stock cat. 2 of the 3 nuts started to fuse to the bolt. I will have issues if I need to install the stock cat again, don't let it happen to you. Our theory is that things were too hot and ultimate cause the threads on the bolt and nut to start to fuse. Might be a good idead to apply some antiseize on the bolt ends or even WD-40 prior to removing the bolts.

3. When removing gasket of the back end of the stock cat use an razor blade or x-acto knife. Do not use a screw driver you will damage this gasket.

4. When removing the HO2 sensor unplug it first. This will make it easier to remove and prevent putting strain on the wire while unscrewing it. The release is on the top forward side of the connector. Takes a little patients, but it will prevent bigger issues if you take the time to do this.

Barring any problems with the nuts on the forward end of the cat the total install time should be roughly 2 hours, start to finish.

This is a fun and simple piece to install. Hope this helped a bit.

 

I was suprised that I had not trouble whatsoever. After getting the car on jack stands it took my buddy and I only 1 hour. We removed the two braces that are in the way then removed the o2 sensor. After that is was smooth sailing. We had a breaker bar which really helps loosen any tight nuts.

This can be a very simple install, the breaker bar and a buddy really will help. After moding Audis the RX8 is pretty easy. The 2001 S4 has like 4 o2 sensors in the exhaust!!

 

We were suprised too. I think it is an easy install and we also made good use of a breaker bar. We managed to get the forward nuts most of the way off with no problem then they just ceazed at the end. We were like WTF?? Well once we cooled things off we managed to get them the rest of the way off and could inspect what had happend. My buddy is a Mechanical Engineer and also a pretty knowledgeable wrencher. So I think his theory of heat could be correct. Cross threading does not seem likely unless there was damage to the end of the bolts, which is possible.

I agree with you this install is pretty easy and I recommend it to people who want a chance to work on their own car.

 

Once the cat is warmed up you really can't tell too much of a difference in sound. Also someone asked what tools are needed:
12mm socket (i think)
14mm socket
large flat head
jack and jackstands
good light

Make sure you give time for your cat too cool down before you remove it because it can be freaking hot!!

 

Don't forget special O2 sensor socket (at any auto parts store) or 22mm (7/8") open end wrench. Also a torque wrench.

 

Its a very easy install, no need for additional hangers... fits like a glove.

I would recommend buying RPs bolt and gasket set... just for the bolts. The bolts on my stock Cat had welded on due to the high heat... i had about 12k miles on my car at the time.
If your car is farely new, you might be able to remove the bolts from the stock cat.

-HS

 

Thanks - I have the bolt and gasket set coming too. I have a torque wrench - does that mean someone has torque specs for the bolts? Or do they come with the RP Supercat?

Thx

 

I can get you the torque specs no problem when I get home. Shop manual is worth its weight in gold :-).

 

Yes Please!! :D

 

Ok. Torques starting from front of the cat to the back of the car are as follows:

3 nuts on cat - 28-37 ft-lbs

HO2 - 22-36 ft-lbs

Front tunnel member (skid plate) 13.8-18.8 ft-lbs

Rear tunnel member (rear skid plate) - 13-19.4 ft-lbs

2 bolt rear nuts - 33-44 ft-lbs

Small piece of advice. When torqueing front and rear flanges work your way up a little bit at a time. For example the front flange start at 25 for all three, then 30 for all 3, then 35 for all three. The flange areas are very important, you don't want an exhaust leak. My method my be a bit overly safe, but if it is important enough to do, it is important enough to do right.