I just took off my downpipe today, and i looked inside and there was nothing inside. I thought the downpipe was a converter, but it was just like a straight pipe. Is this so on all t2's?

 

Yes, it just connects the cat/precat to the turbo.

 

No! If the part you removed was original equipment, it should be a big chunk of iron--a precat with the usual cat guts. If you removed a "downpipe", then you removed someone else's upgrade.



If you are looking to further upgrade the performance of your car, you should consider porting the turbo wastegate since you've got it apart this far. It won't get you any more horsepower, but it might save your engine. I'll warn you, it isn't any picnic, but it is very do-able and very important.

 

do you have any tips on porting wastegates?

 

I have a thread on the evil forum showing wastegate porting