BEST after-market exhaust system for Cayman

OK - what is / are the best after-market exhaust system(s) for a Cayman S or R? Main criteria: more hp, good-looking, and more of that pure Porsche flat-six wail. We're looking for the best, not the best-value, although silly-money options should be ruled out. The PSE option is around $3,000 but as a general concensus does not offer enough? Capristo, TechArt, Gemballa....I'm sure there's many other exciting tuners I didn't hear of yet. Any advice?

FVD Brombacher Sound version! Very little drone, nice tone, nice looks and fit, and very affordable.

IF you can get it RINSPEED exhaust the most delicious sound you will ever here i was very lucky to find one it is unbelievable. i get compliments from everyone even ferrari owners.

Roger, As you know I like my Capristo and hopefully that Croctoberfest 2008 video of all the different exhausts gives you some ideas of how different ones sound.

TPC Racing Cayman Muffler w/whistle tips TPC racing makes a great exhaust system... absolutely no drone and comes w/optional whistle tips. Definitely best $/hp ration.

You want the best? Meisterschaft's titanium system, the only one of its kind of the Cayman as of now. In stainless steel, REMUS, Austria made, 304 stainless steel, definately a high pitched option!

Borla is also excellent. I love mine.

OP - you will now get an answer from everyone with an aftermarket exhaust saying what they own is best. You will also get posts from each vendor saying what they sell is best. Just a hunch.

Guilty Exhaust selection really comes down to preference and objectives. 1. What is your budget? 2. What is your preferred sound? 3. What are your performance goals ? 4. What tip design do you prefer?

I don't even have the car yet....but the best value option I've found is Geert Carnewal 's exhaust . He just modifies the stock exhaust to improve the flow. The sound is a bonus. Hard to beat the price....and you keep your factory tips (stealth option). Carnewal.com Geert's video of the sound. YouTube - Carnewal - '09 Cayman S DFI with GT Exhaust

AWE Exhaust , love the sound, fit and finish. The install was perfect. AWE Tuning

Thanks all for your replies, I'm delighted with all the interesting options I now need to investigate in more detail. I plan to keep my CR as-is for about one year before taking the plunge into the after-market world, that should give me enough time to focus my thinking. Mr Gtscayman, yes you are absolutely right of course I did not think carefully enough about that possibility; I've had 11 replies offering 12 different opinions, but difficult to know which ones are plugging their own product. So I think what we need in the posts is: - please declare any commercial interest in your proposals - please mention if it's your own system, or a friend's, or are you able to have made a comparison amongst several systems? - yes, I would definitely like to maintain a strong Porsche character in the sound, I do not want my Cayman to start sounding like a Corvette or even a Ferrari! - a vague indication of budget required would help, not because money is the over-riding factor but because it helps if we are comparing like with like up to a certain point - having said that, I have some very general figures in mind: 2-3,000 dollars would be very reasonable, 3-5,000 would be high-end, over 5,000 needs justifying... - a genuine hp gain of 15/25 should be achievable and would be noticeable. Hope I've managed to help with a few of your points .

RogerM Make it 13 ....FABSPEED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! with Catless Heades of course

Re: RogerM I don't know what's the best, I have used 2 exhaust set up, here's my option. Capristo complete exhaust system Good: Best sound for driver and passager, period. It makes the cayman sounds like an V8. Noticeable hp gain in mid-range. Bad: Loud and raspy sound for people who aren't in the car, the sound is not pretty IMO. I didn't believe it until my friend recorded a vid for me. When in open mode, it loses low end touque, when in sport mode, it loses mid-range hp. Tubi + TPC racing headers: Good: very solid and nice sound, best sound I have ever heard so far. Not giving up any torque or hp at any power band. Bad: a bit drone at 2.5k-3k rpm range, not serious.

Re: RogerM I have to disagree with your assessment here, at least under the "bad". People outside the car love the sound too, in fact a friend of mine drove my car on the highway and did some flybys past a group of us in a minivan and it sounded great. I've had people at the track tell me how good it sounds at speed. I think your friend has a problem with his video camera microphone! Also my dyno charts clearly show about a 5hp gain across the board when in forced open mode vs. sport mode on the dyno and torque is virtually identical so any variance between your sport and open modes vs. what closed mode? I'm not sure what you base that on, but obviously different dynos vary and conditions and cars vary. Capristo doesn't advertise any HP/torque gains with the valves open vs. closed. You can also program when your valves open, and how long they stay open before closing so you could quite literally tune your car on the dyno for the best HP and torque were you so inclined and had the time/$ to futz with it. I agree about noticeable HP gain, just yesterday I broke the wheels loose at 48mph going into 3rd gear on a dry road at 50 degrees, car has more power than I remembered it having.

Re: RogerM I have to second K-Man S on the Capristo. Sounds pretty much like his videos except louder. With the complete system, headers and mufflers, I didn't notice any power loss off the line. A big plus for me was stock quiet just diving around but without the congested stock sound. Mine is combined with SRP plus the Softronic flash so that could have mixed my impressions on low end power. The two mods go together quite well. Unless you can find a deal I believe the full Capristo system is > $5K. It is beautifully made and finished. About the only complaint I'd make is they still don't quite get the horizontal tip alignment perfect. The only part that isn't adjustable.

Re: RogerM I have Capristo with the reduced open volume. Many many people at the track say mine is the best sounding of any Porsche on the field. I fine low end torque is better and the transition is smoother in the open mode. The tips align perfectly. Now I drive around town in open mode all the time! :hilarious: After I installed the SRP It now sounds even better!!!!! - burbles and crackles on gear shift if you drive it in a certain way. :dance:

wwjd I would trade you or anyone straight up for your used capristo exhaust ? I have Gen 1 Remus Exhaust and Fabspeed catless Headers with ceramic coating thats how much I like the Capristo

Re: wwjd I already switched to Tubi + TPC now. :cheers: I loved Capristo for 2 years. For me, there are 3 kinds of sound I don't like about the Capristo. first, high rpm sound of Capristo is just louuuuud, but it doesn't sound powerful. second, 1k-2.5k rpm in Open Mode it sounds like broken trunk. Third, when staying on high rpm, the exhaust sounds really raspy, I prefer a more solid tone. That's why I changed my exhaust to Tubi +TPC. Anyways, I did enjoyed my Capristo every bit when I owned it.

wwjd + 100% on the TPC upgrade and sound .I am trying to get there

It's not here yet, but a couple of friends that own a local shop here, went to S.E.M.A. in Vegas last November, and they were all jacked up about the new Remus titaniums coming out in Spring. I don't have any info on it at this point, but i'll bet it will be worth considering.

on a per dollar basis: Agency Power is a winner. Good sound, low drone factor, reasonable price, good power gains.

AWE-Tuning, I am a customer without compensation, but when someone describes an engineering product as a 'masterpiece' or 'work of art', I'm interested. The owner is a stand up guy and builds quality products. From AWE: Stainless Masterpiece +11hp and +9ftlbs torque Direct bolt-on Optional tips Exhaust $1695 Tips $595 2006-08 Cayman/S Muffler - 987.1 Cayman/S (06 - 08) - Cayman/S - Porsche - PRODUCTS

Apparently PSE goes very well with the CR, so actually I'll be sticking with that. But thanks for all the feedback, much appreciated!

I love my Remus. Perfect tone for this car.

I had the FVD sound/export version on my 09 Cayman S and really like the sound. No drone with a PDK . I'm looking at 2 FVD options for my 997.2S. The FVD system from my 09 CS is on the shelf in my garage if anyone is interested.

I think the best way to answer this is 1) State what exhaust you have currently, because it's gonna be the best... for you 2) State the exhaust you would have gotten if you didn't get the one you got My answers 1) Fabspeed maxflow with fabspeed catless headers (of course to me they are the best ) 2) If it was muffler alone, I would have gotten the Remus. If it was the full system, I would have gotten FVD stage 2 package. If I was feeling generous with deep pockets, it would be the Meisterschaft titanium... love the blue tint of titanium systems

REMUS has a new titanium system incoming for the Gen I. It will be much much lighter than any SS offering on the marketing and will delete the secondary cats. We offer it just north of $3,000, which is a bargain for a full "no-welded-joint" titanium system!

+1 on that the best thing is that you are able to switch ON/OFF at your convenience and remember no warranty issues (I dont need extra HP) if needed I will think TURBO :hilarious: :dance:

Hi, Has the titanium system for the Gen 1 been released yet?

The sole Ti system available is from Meisterschaft and is available at 4000 + S/H.

Ah, damn, just reread your post, its from a CS - your FVD in the garage won't fit my base (2.9l) Boxster . Thanks anyway. John F

I'll add my +1 to this. I love mine and judging from the compliments I have received (including from random strangers at traffic lights), so do people hearing it from outside the car.