Techart Racing exhaust on a 996 - Page 1 - Porsche General - PistonHeads UK

Hi Kev, Does it give any extra power?Would be very interested in hearing what it sounds like, as I am contemplating getting a Sports Exhaust for mine. Cheers Steve

Hi Steve, Don't know if I can make the next VW meet yet so may have to find another opportunity for you to hear it yourself. Manu has some digital footage of it and I'm sure he'd mail it to you if you want. I'm highly sceptical about power increase claims from replacing back boxes- I think not. Having said that, the engine appears to rev more freely now, and the replacement units are significantly lighter than the originals. The main benefit though, as always, is the sound... Kev

Nice one, Kev! Where did you get the job done? You're SO right, of course. I know when I put a (CarGraphic) trumpet array on my rasher, the difference was both immediate and vast - as you infer - au revoir Monsieur 'Oovere! Steve - these mods typically gain you around 20-odd bhp; mine took power up by 22 clicks on the hoof count. Purely from an acoustic point of view though, particularly with Turbos' extra piping, I reckon this is a 'must do' upgrade. Cheers, DeR.

Very precise figure! You must have measured it- and was this in the absence of any other mods such as airbox/headers/CATs? This has always bugged me- I do these mods purely for the sound and haven't been able to convince myself that the car was quicker afterwards, but have never measured it. Scuderia Systems supplied the exhaust and Jazz Porsche fitted it. Incidentally, Jazz had a yellow 993 RSR that looked a bit tasty!

Kevin, the exhaust treatment was the first 'stage' mod I had done: I was following a very precise, measured upgrade path which as of now, am pretty happy to stay with (nice trade off 'twixt horizon assaulting and overall handling balance). This was, like you, initially motivated more by the need for a decent soundtrack than the need for significant extra poke - I always knew that would require not insubstantial mechanical mods - and must confess, the then 430 bhp standing offered little if any perceived extra urgency over the base 408 format. I'll try and dig out what was involved in that first mod ito boxes, etc. How does 996 ownership compare to 360-dom, purely as a driving experience (as opposed to 'ohmiGod I'm in a Ferrari' factor)? I'd also value your thoughts on the F355: Berlinetta or Spider? And whether or not you've tried a Noble - or just your take on it anyway? Cheers, DeR.

You know, they're just completely different. Everything about the 360 feels intense; the look of it when you go into the garage, the sound when you fire it up, the smell of the leather, the feel of the gearbox & switchgear, and then the driving experience. You can't help getting immersed in it, and it just demands your constant attention. It can be quite draining and I never once got out of it with a resting pulse rate . The 996 is more subtle, and understated in almost every way; in fact I tried a 996 a couple of years ago and was disappointed by it. This is because I was expecting it to be a German Ferrari, and it isn't. What you get with the porker is a car that is up for it if you want a hoon, but if you're just knackered and want to get home, it almost drives itself. Unless it's snowing, when it emphatically doesn't The 456 (and the 550) sits somewhere between the two. The 355 is the Daddy in the sound stakes, it really is, and debating which model to go for is counting angels on the head of a pin. Was having this debate with Ninja & Manu yesterday and it comes down to price, looks preference and how well you can hear the engine in the two. Saw a 355 Berlinetta on the way down to Wembley yesterday and it looked absolutely gorgeous. Flat, wide and horny as fcuk. Think I've made my decision and it'll be my next car unless the economy goes completely tits up. Not tried a Noble yet but saw one (Jousts?) at a PH meet. Very impressive build quality and damn tempting. Met up with Robert Farago last year to do a piece on the 360, and when he'd driven it, he said that the Noble had it licked in the handling stakes. Those Nobles shift too. Those are my thoughts- yours? Is the thrall of uber-Porkerdom weakening, or is it a case of too much CPU time devoted to cars and the best one's the next one ? Take care DeR Kev

Is excellent. HUGE improvement, and sounds like a real Porsche at last- nice metallic edge to it and not particularly loud either, so I'm glad I didn't go for the quieter 'sport' version. Suits the car. It's louder than stock of course, but that's a pretty weedy baseline and a bit too like a hoover for my liking. Even the Mrs thinks it's massively better and keeps asking me for the damn keys- you've got a lot to answer for Manu!