Catalytic Converter - Why? I removed - Yes!!

Hey guys,
I have heard about how the cat-con is a waste of time and money and how it becomes useless the moment you get adulterated fuel in the tank.
So after 50K Kms on my Palio 1.6, I decided the get rid of the cat-con.
I asked my mechanic to remove the cat-con which I though would be easy. It took him 3 whole days to burn through the cat con and now I have kind of free flowing exhaust.
The immediate effects:
1. The lower end torque has gone down a bit
2. Improved mileage - I have noticed a definitive improvement in mileage figures especially within the city. I now get close to 11 KMPL on the 1.6 engine. On the highway, its a steady 14-15 KMPL
3. Power band - The power band seems to have stretched a bit. The 1.6 Torque engine used to almost die after 4250 RPM where it generated peak torque. It now gives me decent surge almost upto 4500 RPM. It may also be the case that the power band has shifted a bit upwards.
4. The sound of the car has improved. Upon starting, she now starts up like a race car (exactly how a Fiat should sound)

I dont know if these are correct. Need to check with the dynomaster tool.

Peter - do you have any inputs on my observations above?

Regards,
Kaustubh Vaze

The cat definitively is a restriction. Removing the element does halp. However, it should be removed completely and be replaced by adequate pipes.

What I am surprised is that low end suffered a bit.

Knowing the 1.6 engine well from Europe, I am also surprised that it does not pull higher up.

Anyways, we need to do some work on the engine. This is externally to start with.