Hey guys (and gals),

The catalytic converter on my recently bought '01 GS-R is dead (after a week), so I'm in the market for a new one. I've been looking around the forums and it seems like the majority of people think highly of Catco and Carsound cats. Unfortunately, Carsound doesn't make a direct-fit for my year GS-R, and it seems as though Catco doesn't either.

The two most common direct-fit cats for the '01 GS-R coupe are Eastern and DEC. I was wondering if anyone could offer some insight into these cats, whether they may offer performance gains or not, or if they are reliable/long-lasting. I'm most likely keeping the car stock until I have saved enough money to mod it properly (we're talking a few years from now).

However, I wouldn't mind putting in a little bit of extra money should I need to replace parts. From what I've gathered, using a universal Catco/Carsound cat with 2.5" Kteller pipes is the way to go (along with the RSR or Apexi WS2, since quiet is good). Unfortunately, that's going to run several hundreds (close to a grand?) and that doesn't seem worth it to me right now, especially for only a few extra ponies. I'll consider that once I've turbo'd her =)

If anyone has any other suggestions, please share. I was quoted $1019 for OEM >.<
Any input would be appreciated. TIA.

edit: I forgot to mention that the reason I wanted a direct-fit was to save money and also because I enjoy DIY jobs. However, I've never welded before so I'm not comfortable doing so on the GS-R quite yet.