Upgrade recommendations needed

996ers. I am plotting my upgrades to my car for the next year. I am making small upgrades now, but will invest more heavily in the next 4-5 months which will include an IMS retrofit, but have a couple of questions. Is the IPD Plenum worth the money? According to Suncoast they claim it adds at least 11-12hp and could add much more. It seems to be the biggest bang for the buck as compared to some other adds like headers (+5hp). Coming here for the truth. Opinions welcome. Secondly, looking to upgrade my wheels. I'll keep the originals for when I sell, but want a more dramatic (but not trashy) look. Are there Porsche wheel manufacturers that are most recommended? I am asking because I upgraded my Audi to Hartmanns last yr and they are perfect. However, Hartmann has a very limited assortment and am looking for good alternatives for my 996. thanks!

Cat-Bypass or cell200 cats offer the most bang for buck assuming you're not in Cali. You will lose some low end on cat-bypass if you get X-pipe design. If going cat-bypass, I recommend traditional cross-over design instead. Only go for lighter than stock wheels else it's going to be counterproductive to your go-fast upgrades. Forgestars, Wheel Dynamics, Victor Insbruck, OZ's, OEM Carrera II wheels are your budget friendly options. If no budget, then BBS, Champion, HRE, CCW would fit the bill.

Start with suspension, not power. The 996 does not lack for horsepower, and probably already has more than you need if in good condition. Plenty of great options available. I did Eibach springs and Koni yellows. Car handles much better, and the 1.5" drop looks great. Also pushed the wheels put a bit with spacers - 10" front and 15" rear.

I saw some nice black powder coated wheels around here the other day for $1,100, with nice tires on them. Can't find it now...

How long have you had the car, OP? Generally, upgrades are done to correct shortcomings; if you haven't had the car long enough to determine what you don't like, you may just be throwing money at the wall to see what sticks. Very, very few "power adders" add much power to your car - but at least you'll have the knowledge that you'll be helping put someone else's kids through college.

Hmmmm...I never considered not adding more power. I have owned it for a few weeks. However, I can buy the argument that I haven't owned it long enough to address legit shortcomings. I'm just looking at the list of options now, but wouldn't look to do anything until I understood the vehicle better. I don't want to bastardize the car. I bought it because I've always admired its naturally aspirated beauty and finesse. I've prided myself in making cars "more themselves" and am careful in choosing upgrades. I'm perplexed on how/if I can make the 996 "more", but I don't want to lose the car's natural identity in the process. I want to swap out the air filter with a K&N but on my way to,pick one the clerk told me that based on the info he had it indicated that the part takes 24 hrs to install. Is that correct?!?!

I suggest you Search for and read a Section called "What we learned on the Track" . The K&N is a "Ricer" item that gets little support here. Oil filtration upgrade may be a more productive line of research.

+1 on all of the suggestions so far. And don't worry, it took me awhile to get over the HP mindset as well. What do you plan on doing with it? Strictly street driving, AutoX, DE? This is one of the biggest factors in choosing an upgrade path. And if you are getting the IMS done, be sure to have them change the AOS while they are in the area.

Wheels... Wheel Dynamics...I'm very happy with the wheels I purchased from them. Compared to my stock wheels these are light weight.

you wont get any difference unless you do everything at the same time and be done with it. Do complete free flow exhaust, air intake like K&N, (IPD if you have the extra money), and Good ecu software like revo or evomsit. then youll feel the difference

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How much did they weigh and how much did your OE wheels weigh? Which OE wheels did you have?

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24 hours? I bought (and later sold, since it was useless) the K&N "cold air" box - it takes about an hour and some hand tools. 24 hours? WTF? If it's just the K&N filter element for the stock airbox, you're looking at a solid 15 minutes.

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Sorry bud, but just for the fact that the first mod you want to jump on is the K&N filter and the fact that you don't even know how to install an air filter really tells me that you need to cool down first and not spend one dime of your money on anything until you read more up on things and gain some additional knowledge. Take that finger off the trigger. The best mod you can do now is to read/research to death before spending one dime. Actually, the best mod you can do is to spend it on driving education for Porsche's specifically to get to know how to control your car better.

^ IN addition to this, find another speed store, as the guy behind the counter at the one you visited clearly knows jack s*** or was intentionally jerking you around. Neither of these are good. A K&N filter will definitely save you money...if you plan to keep your 996 for at least a decade. Otherwise, buy a new paper filter element and save the money. Keep in mind that if you fat-finger things when you oil your K&N, you will destroy your MAF and spend another $200-300.

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I don't know the comparative weights. I had 2002 C2 stock 18" wheels. Wheel Dynamic weights are on their website. I work on my own car so I had removed the stock wheels multiple times and they seemed heavier. When I got the new wheels they were noticeably lighter. My main concern was not the weight, I like how they look. RS-808 (Rotary Spin FORGED) $1599/set 18x8 (off-set 45) 18-lbs. 18x10 (off-set 50) 19-lbs. Options: Hyper Silver or Satin Black

The RS-808 wheels are one of the best bang for buck "performance" wheels on the market now for our cars. The unsprung weight will aid your car in handling, braking, acceleration, more so than getting an intake or even upgrading to certain set of brake pads, especially if you're coming from heavy GT3, Sport Design, or Solid Turbo Twist wheels.

+1 on Slow down ! Figure out what you want when you are done with your modifications. You don't want to hodgepodge your car. Maintaining your Porsche is costly, make sure you make your current set-up the best it can be. Then learn to enjoy it

I was looking at the RS-808s also in satin black. Those are definitely on the list at some point. I also plan on taking some of the driving courses when they are offered so I can become more adept at what the car can really do. Research is ongoing as is some light restoration work that I am doing myself (i.e. missing/broken trim parts, massive paint correction). The previous owner(s) just let the car sort of become dilapidated in small areas, but according to the PPI tech the engine, tranny, etc is all rock solid which is what I was most concerned about. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not handy AT ALL, but am actively looking to take some mechanic courses so I can learn how to wrench my own ride for some regular maintenance items and also become more knowledgeable. Having said that, I got this car also as a project vehicle to have some fun with since I can't touch my DD as its on an extended warranty until 100k miles.

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6 months ago I had hardly turned a wrench on a car myself. Dealing with repair shops with my previous 911 was so painful that the only way I would get another one is if I did the work myself. My first major accomplishment was just finding the air filter. I felt like I had really accomplished something. Of course i forgot to plug the MAF back in and also triggered my first CEL as well. I then worked my way up to upgrading the shifter, the brake pads, brake fluid, replacing the AOS and water pump, full suspension upgrade, swapping exhaust, replacing subframe and wheel carrier, fully stripping one for the track etc... The surprising thing for me is how much I enjoy working on them and learning. Probably as much or more then driving them. A great place to start is the 101 Projects book for the 996. Most of the articles in it are posted on Pelican Parts website I frequently pickup the book. It has a list of tools to buy and Amazon is where I've ordered most of my tools from. Also check out the torque spec book available from LN Engineering. Just take your time when working on them, be extra detailed, and you will have a blast.

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While I definitely applaud your enthusiasm, the 996 shouldn't be the first "project" car you learn to wrench on IMO, unless you are ready to endure some headaches, both mentally and financially. Not sure what your DD is but it may make more sense financially to wrench on your DD and get a warranty for your 996 instead. Lol.

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Thanks for the tip. Lots of people provided (valued) opinions, but this post in particular gave me info I can actually reference and truly decide what I'm comfortable doing. There's a lot of info in this book I wasn't expecting on little things I wanted to do, but don't want to pay anyone for like replacing side/tail lights. I will start out small and build up as my knowledge grows. I've never maintained a vehicle before as I stated so this is what I mean by "project". I don't see myself changing out suspensions or making it race ready, but who knows... My DD is a late model Audi A6 and I ain't touching it with a 20ft pole as it will void my warranty.