Question for K-man

I was wondering... to get to 305 rwhp... what mods and what cost would it take to get to that scenerio... Since I may be without a car for long periods I am reconsidering a CS especially pulling these power gains...

I say around $8K. Evo-Milltkek-Awe+ECU. I have very similar set up, except TUBI and no ECU.

I know for certain I have published this before but here are the RETAIL prices on the items you need to get to 305 rear wheel horsepower. 1) De-Snork - $5 for mesh and paint 2) EVO Intake - $349 3) GIAC ECU Tuning - $999 4) Milltek Headers + Milltek or AWE catback exhaust - $5000 So for $6350 RETAIL you can easily do it. YOu can get each of those items above for less if you shop around or go with a group buy. If you take the full retail of $6350 and divide by 38 hp gain that would be $167 per HP gained. As a comparison a 3.8L motor in a 911 makes 355 hp, a 3.8L X51 makes 381, a 26 hp gain (at the crank). The kit costs $16k or $615 per HP from Porsche. BTW the Tubi catback doesn't gain as much HP as either the Milltek or AWE as shown by tommasson's dynos in the UK.

thanks I appreciate the repost... Also, as a fellow modder to my M3 I understand exactly the most important part... $$$ per horsepower... That is a good price.... I was wondering... though what those CGT seats set you back??? I am however extremely happy to see a new seat option from porsche, which may be just enough more for me without having to do the CGT seats..

Those are the 996 GT3 seats in leather with Porsche crest, the Carrera GT3 / 997 GT3 seats are a little different and are very very pricey. The 996 ones can be had for $1500-$2k if you shop around.

When it all comes down to it, $6400 is not that much money for 40hp especially when you compare the other alternatives such as a Kompressor or 3.8ltr swap. I think it's harder for people that never owned a German high end sports car and want to mod because when you look at how much you can do with $6500 to a 350Z or Evo, S2000 etc. it is a much harder pill to swallow when you see the prices to mod a Porsche, BMW etc. I wonder if Porsches tactic to increase hp, other than DFI, is to design better headers and exhaust since they seem to be restrictive and the culprit. If that is the case then I wonder if these future mods will be needed as much as they are now to yield that extra hp.

Is it not better that Porsche install a really lousy exhaust system so when we ditch it we get free monumental power gains? Bring it on.

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You can slip the dyno operator $20 and he will make SURE you have 305 whp. The associated cost of your 305 hp is pretty much not getting warranty coverage unless you want a court battle should anything go wrong with your car... plus you probably get engine lights from time to time from the non-oem cats (just guessing, I have never seen an aftermarket exhaust that never throws a code).

Kor, does that mean everyone else that has seen my car get 305 on the dyno has slipped the dyno operator some cash too? Come'on man this is from one of the most reputable shops in the country and are you REALLY going to accuse them of taking bribes and me of giving them? Do I have CEL lights? Sure, from time to time and I've said that, what do I do? I whip out my OBDII reader and clear them. That's the price you pay for 100 cell or 200 cell cats instead of the factory 600 cell units. Anyone who doesn't want that should go catback exhaust only. Warranty? I have full warranty and my local Porsche dealership works on my car and has no issues with my mods. If a mod is causing a problem then yeah I would expect them not to fix a modded part, such as a cat blowing out of a header or something, and I wouldn't ask them to. I'm sorry if you are anti-modding or don't believe the dyno numbers, but lots of folks here have modded successfully. Does anyone have to? Nope, but there is that option if they want to.

The cats as you said is what's causing the CEL lights like you said, but didn't or shouldn't the GIAC ECU package you got tweaked so you won't get those CEL's? Kor, any exhaust header mod is not going to infringe on the warranty unless the car fails and they can prove it was those aftermarket parts that was the cause.

Actually, "they" don't have to prove anything. They just refuse warranty service & it is you that has to initiate the dispute & arbitration process at which you will need to present expert opinion that your mods did not cause the problem. All that time you are either out the repair cost or without the use of the car.

I am actually pro modding My last car got a turbo before it had 50,000kms. I cleared codes with my OBD-2 every week. I am just saying, you get tired of it. Well, actually it didn't bother me too much. But I got tired of people in the passenger seat saying "dude, your engine light is on, whats wrong with your car?" Then when you sell the car... "Dude, I can't buy your car, the engine light comes on." I wasn't making accusations with the slip-the-dyno-operator-a-20 comment... but just trying to make people think... dyno numbers are relative, getting 305 on one dyno doesn't really mean anything, could get more or less on a different machine on a different day. Don't put too much stock in them, they won't make you happy. As far as warranty, I have been in the business of modding cars for too long to not be bitter about it. In theory, and on paper, and under the law, and according to all reason and common sense, your warranty isn't affected by an exhaust (for example). In practice, if you bend a rod or blow a hole in your block or toast your transmission, or even have smaller problems.... even if the mod is unrelated, you are going to have warranty problems. K-man I get the feeling you are a well connected guy with an above average dealership and with maybe friends or at least solid relationships at your dealership; true? You might not have a warranty problem from your mods. But for the common guy who goes in there, most dealerships are very often going to do everything they can to refuse you warranty work, and put the burden on you (whether its legal or not) to prove that they should. Sad but true, even a high class company like Porsche is going to have service advisors or even techs (although in my experience the techs are usually smarter) who pick the "easy excuse". Or they just want to make money or not deal with the headache of fixing the warranty problem. As the poster above me said - they don't have to prove anything . In the real world they send you packing and send you a bill for the diagnosis they've done and its up to you to take them to court if you want your rights upheld. Enjoy months without a car and the heavy legal fees. It happens every single day. Personally if I could buy a RuF supercharger for 1/3 the price it would be on my car the day I bought it, so I really am just playing the devil's advocate here. I'm not a hipocrite: I just like people to be informed that the cost of modding their car is often more inconvenience than you estimate.

Dealerships love to blame aftermarket parts for failures, no doubt. But Porsches are a little different. Porsche dealerships deal in a much lower volume of customers and many repeat customers, so they value each customer a little more than other dealerships do. Also, Porsche cars are nothing more than expensive toys and a certain level of modifications is part of the ownership experience for many. So I think you will find that Porsche dealerships are generally more accepting of mods like exhuast, ect, especially if you pay them to install it. When I bought my 944 Turbo back in 1990 my salesperson told me, "Once you get it broken in, look into the Autothority Stage 2 chips. They pump the boost up and transform these cars into missiles." Kor, have you ever owned a Porsche? What kind of cars have you owned? Just Curious. On a ten point scale representing my interest in modifying a Cayman to gain horsepower, 1 being 'Don't even thin about it', 10 being 'Break out the wrenches', I'd say I am a 3. I don't believe in numerous and frivilous moding. I believe that Porsche knows what they are doing and that any mod will bring it's own host of drawbacks that might outweigh the gains. That being said, I am still very likely to desnork and add an aftermarket cat back exhaust to my Cayman. Based on the numerous testimonials here and the many before / after dyno runs plus my own experience and automotive understanding, I am confident that an AWE or Milltek cat back will result in a noticable seat of the pants improvement. Here are my thoughts on mods: Cat back exhaust - Porsche needs to comply with global noise and polution emmision standards. I believe that working outside of these two restrictions can losen hp. I would aslo love a little more sound. De snork - There is conflicting info on both sides of the debate. But I find it hard to believe that the car can breath as well around that plate as it can without it. Not to mention I'd love to pick up a little more intake growl. EVO Air Filter - Hmmmm...... I'm mixed on this. In my experience, I have done many air filer mods and never noticed any significant gain. I am not sure that an unoticable gain is worth possibly reducing the effectiveness of the air filter. I think I'll leave mine alone for a while. Maybe some point down the road. ECU flash - Many reports of increased low RPM torque makes this mod interesting. But I am scared to mess with such a complex control system that's responsible for mixture, timing, vario cam, etc..... I think I will wait and watch for long term effects. If a company was willing to tell me exactly how they were achieving their gains, I would probably be a lot more comfortable. Super Charging - If you gave me a kit for free I wouldn't install it. You can't significantly change intake pressure without first preparing an engine in other ways (reduce compression and totally remap mixture and timing). Kiss your reliability goodbye. Not a mod I am willing to entertain. Turbo Charging - Same as super charging only worse. This changes way to many variables and will likely turn a Cayman engine into a time bomb. The only way to properly Turbo charge an engine is to have one built from the ground up. X-51 Conversion - Now there is something I would be on board with. Sure, it's an extreme mod and not cheap, but if done properly this can be just as reliable if not more so than a stock Cayman. LSD - Very interested, but concerned about proper installation and gear lash. I wouldn't try this myself, but I would consider having it done profesionally.

I have never owned a Porsche so I can't say with authority that Porsche dealerships are the same as the dealerships for other cars I have had. But I have had european, domestic and japanese cars.

Domestic? Canada makes cars?

I had a '94 Z28 (I was young and stupid, don't hold it against me) that was made in Canada.