If you were doing one mod??

Hi there, I have a 987.2 CS only street driven, not intending to ever track the car. If I was to do one performance mod that would get you the most bang for your buck what would it be? Within reason money is not an issue. Thinking headers and cats. Car has PSE now and want to leave that be. Any other suggestions? Again one mod.

Mark, Sport headers with 200 cell cats Joe Henley

Short shifter

Since you are using street tires , I would recommend an ATB LSD Wavetrac. With street tires , your nannies are working overtime in spirited drives. With the Wavetrac, your rear traction is greatly improved, especially while using throttle steer out of corners. You simply cannot do this without a LSD as the inside tire will spin due to weight transfer and alert the PSM nannies. The Wavetrac will also help threshold braking and trail braking while not completely locking up the two rear wheels. The unique feature about using this limited slip diff is it works in front of the PSM so you can keep it on. It works very well in the wet with the Cayman as the rear wheels are not locked up tight like clutch style LSD 's, so you do have extra traction out of the slippery wet corners. I would put the LSD on the same level as long tube Soul , or Cargraphic headers .

Beat you that one, just installed a Numeric .

Yep, that one is high on the list as well. I really like the Numeric shifter as well as the cables.

Was looking at Soul Performance headers and cats and the softronics tune. Headers state a 8hp increase. The tune states 30hp. Never heard of a tune getting that big of an increase with no other modifications. If that's the case it would make much more sense to go with the tune for $1k than the headers and cats for 3k.

Mark- Talk to John at Soul regarding HP of headers and the additional boost from a tune.

One mod bang for the buck? Tpc racing Turbo. Hands down. Prob not the popular option but by the time you install all the bolt ons like exhaust and intake and chip your prob spending 8-12k and making maybe 350hp at the crank. For 16k installed for the stage 1 with a lightweight flywheel and x51 clutch you have 460hp...I was in the same position as you last year trying to figure out what to do to get some more power. After crunching the numbers the turbo just made sense. It helps that tpc is just a few hours drive from me. But they had the car for less than 2 weeks and it came back a monster.

@Nj987s - this is the best advice that DFI engine owners forget about. Are you concerned about engine wear? What miles you had on your engine after going for the turbo? Do you daily?

If its only 1, I'd go 200 cel cats (probably soul or fab). and you didnt ask but a tune for 2 and then LSD for 3.

What does "bang for your buck" mean to you? What does "performance" mean to you? Better handling? More power? Better braking? Crisper shifts and tighter steering feel? Louder intake/ exhaust noises? Enhanced street cred? In my opinion, the most important modification is tires and improving the nut that holds the steering wheel. That's the most bang for your buck to get more out of your car.

No this is a weekend/nice day toy. But I put about 10k on it last year. I’ve put about 2k on it since the turbo. I’m not really too worried about wear I know there are cars out there with many tens of thousands of miles on their turbo engines with no issues. Any additional power/mods will cause wear. Even just bolt NA mods. For me it’s worth it. If I stay off the gas and shift around 3-4K (normal sedate driving) it drives like stock. But it’s there if I want it. I would have no problem dd this car with the turbo.

If you have a PASM suspension , then the one mod would be the TPC Racing DSC Sport module. Transforms the handling of a PASM car.

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@Nj987s - very cool, thanks for the info!

I would second the TPC turbo, I’ve had one on my 2008 Boxster S for about 16,000 miles. I also did their stage 2 suspension, Greddy boost controller, and the GT2RS BOV. Other mods Include the factory short shifter, Wavetrac diff, the SprintBooster throttle module, wheel spacers, and MPSS tires . The only thing that I didn’t do that I probably would have done in retrospect is the X51 clutch. The weak link on my car has been the clutch, I am in the process of remedying that with a Spec Stage 3+ setup because I want to keep the dual mass flywheel. I originally wanted to use the car for HPDE/track days but after completing these mods, I decided that it’s better to rent track cars and not risk harming my beautiful baby! I absolutely love the turbo, the Boxster with this setup and 7600 RPM fuel cutoff is a fun car! it really is wonderful to drive, and except for a leaky turbo seal and a broken rear sway bar has been trouble free. Some would argue that you lose throttle precision with the Sprint Booster , but it adds an extra edge of insanity that puts a smile on my face no matter how rough of a day I have had! I plan to give this car to my seven-year-old daughter one day, so I’m not worried about resale value. -Franc

@Franc, that is absolutely awesome, for street use I would have gone with a turbo on my M97 as well, but I planned to do some occasional track. I like that you're keeping the car for your daughter, I need to do something like this one day too

My mod would be improving my driving skills!

GT3 brake master cylinder and a set of more aggressive brake pads. Nothing inspires more confidence than a super-firm brake pedal! It ain’t sexy, but as a track rat it ranks right up there with a set of wheel studs as my favorite mod.i know you said you had no plans on tracking the car... so this is likely rather low on your list. Different strokes for different folks I guess. Good luck!

I second the idea of improving my driving skills. My car (06 Boxster base) can perform much better than I as the driver can....

Should probably repeat the fact that it is a slippery slope. Porsche did a great job engineering these cars. There's a few weak points that enthusiasts like to upgrade, but those select items are great to upgrade when they become due for replacement. Once you start upgrading individual parts, it's not just the mod bug that gets you, it's the endless cycle of chasing Porsche's perfect balance. Upgrade tires and you'll find the suspension is the weak point. Upgrade suspension and you'll find the car could handle more power. Upgrade headers and exhaust and you'll find that induction flow doesn't match the improved flow of the exhaust . Upgrade the intake and inlet manifold and you'll find you need more cooling. Upgrade the radiators and you'll find you can push the car harder and longer and brakes become the first thing to fade. Upgrade brakes and you'll find yourself stopping so much quicker that you can justify adding more power. Go with a turbo and you'll find you want more grip. Upgrade to wider wheels and tires and you'll find that the car grips the road better than you grip the terrible stock seats. Upgrade the seats and then you'll consider that you're only a few mods away from a racecar. Then, someone in a bone stock 987 base with good tires , upgraded brakes, and thousands of experience hours will pull away from you on the mountain roads or track. A foolish person would then trade up for a faster car and repeat the process. Learn to drive your car at 100% and it will become clear what you should upgrade.

Soul Performance Headers and a tune. Performance plus a great change in tone. Sounds like a proper flat six with their headers . A nice plus is the ease to modulate the sound; drive off nice and easy and stay quite. Get on it and get rewarded with a nice growl.

really depends on what you feel are the issues need addressing but here are some ideas: 1. fresh hi temp brake fluid & gt3 brake ducts 2. air filter 2. good set of fresh tyres 3. new absorbers

Porsche owner to mechanic: "What can I do to make my car faster?" Mechanic: "Take driving lessons!"