Make 98 gt just a little faster, please help im a noob at this Options

[drumbum]

Im a noob at this so this may be an easy question. I was wondering how i can add 10 more hp to my 98 gt to make it as fast as my 7th gen celica gt before i wreked it

or is it possible to make my stock 98 gt have 190 hp or however fast the stock 7th gen celica gts is

Im sure the first one should be fairly inexpensive but how much would the second one cost. Im really not wanting to spend a lot of money. Just to make it a little faster.

[GriffGirl]

I've got a 2.25" catback w/aftermarket muffler (it's a TRD style canister muffler, IDK what exactly it is, it's stainless and my guess is that it's made by whoever made the TRD muffler, because it totally doesn't look/feel in my hands like a cheap-o POS) with stock headers and SRI. Anyway, I truly don't know if there's an actual viable HP gain with this setup, I don't know enough yet to be able to estimate/measure HP just by driving, but if I were to hazard a guess I'd guess approximately a 5-6 HP gain. There's DEFINITELY a noticeable increase in throttle response at least, and I've also noticed a very slight gain in response at RPMs above 4-4500, whereas before, well, it was just gutless.

I'll be swapping out my stock headers (yes, it's plural on purpose) for a ceramic coated exhaust header and powder coated intake header that I've ported out and removed the cast markings from. I realize that there are little, if any, gains to be had with this, but I'm only doing it because A, I can, and B, for a pretty engine bay. If I get 2 HP out of it, I'd be thrilled. lol

So while we're on the topic of this, I've got a question. I've been told by a few different people, all of whom are mechanics, that a "high flow cat" is basically BS and that modern catalytic converters aren't any more restrictive than a "high flow" cat. And actually the exhaust shop that did my exhaust a few weeks ago also agreed to this. So what's the real deal? Is this true, is it only true for n/a cars, or is it just false?

[Galcobar]

So while we're on the topic of this, I've got a question. I've been told by a few different people, all of whom are mechanics, that a "high flow cat" is basically BS and that modern catalytic converters aren't any more restrictive than a "high flow" cat. And actually the exhaust shop that did my exhaust a few weeks ago also agreed to this. So what's the real deal? Is this true, is it only true for n/a cars, or is it just false?

The issue is the limits of "modern." If by modern you mean those items designed within the last decade, then yes, high flow is meaningless. If you're talking about since the removal of leaded gas, then design is a consideration.

Short rule: if you're buying it today, it'll be an efficient honeycomb design. This is of course quality-dependant, as poor execution can compromise even the best or simplest designs. By 1990 pretty much all catalytic converters used a honeycomb design with good flow-through, but after twenty years of use the substrate can be coated with gunk (gas quality control is important here), which is part of the reason why many people who replace their cats report such an improvement in exhaust flow and engine response (the other is wishful thinking).

Side note: a manifold doesn't necessarily mean just the monolithic design used on stock Celicas. That's actually a specific type, known as a log-style manifold. Technically speaking, manifold is simply a way of identifying the part where multiple inputs/outputs converge.