PSE Question

I'm thinking of adding PSE to my 00 C4 Cab. Car's just too damn quiet now. I was thinking of doing the install myself, however it may be just plain easier to have the dealer install, I'm still up in the air on that. (Would love your opinions) I was thinking of just installing the mufflers and not doing the electronics. Can you give me the pros and cons of the electronics section of the install? Thanks so much!

I love to DIY most things on my car, but my dealer only charged me $100 to put them on. That was well worth the time I got to spend with the wife on a Saturday afternoon! When we got PSE installed I told the wife that it was going to be another $7-800 in labor and we could always add it later. She has told me numerous times that she is glad we didn't install the electronics! There is NO better sound than the flat 6 singing away through a PSE.......the way every P-Car should leave the factory. Just intoxicating.

Thanks Dell, I appreciate your respnse. You don't find PSE too loud to have a conversation or talk on the phone while driving? Again, many thanks

no problems at all......it is just a nice throaty growl. unless of course you are at WOT then she really sings!

I run my 99 C2 on 03 C4 mufflers with installed PSE pipes full time. Nice sound, yet quiet enough for around town driving. Total cost: $100.

You will love the sound if you dont mind the extra pounds.

I have the PSE with the electronics and I love the option of having it quiet when coming home late from work. BTW I did it DIY, not difficult at all. Good Luck, Tom

Installing the electronics is a bit of a pain but I am glad I did it. I don't use the switch too often but it did take up one of the blanks in the dash. Installing the mufflers themselves is a very easy DIY project. I say go for it. The sound is very adictive....

The switch should be the reason you get PSE in the first place......otherwise get something cheaper. I like quiet in the morning.

Here is my write up on my PSE install. If you are halfway handy with tools, and have done any sort of wiring before, this instal is not that hard. The instal itself breaks down into 3 logical parts that can be done over time. PSE is a great mod.

Is this what we're talking about here? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=8024715923 Since exhaust is my first mod, I'm leaning this direction - you never hear anyone say anything bad about the PSE, other than the weight. Universally, everyone seems to love it. Fabspeeds are sometimes too loud or too racey, GHL's not loud enough, but the PSE sounds like a winner. Is this the ticket?

Nutbeem, I too was looking for the PSE before deciding on Fabspeed. After a lot of thinking I decided to go with the reduced weight, slight hp increase. The one on ebay you're looking is NOT the one with the switch. When I asked the seller about it, he/she said "that it doesn't have the electronic control(we have found that nobody uses the switch anyway)." If you look at their web site they do sell a version with the electronics. I think it was close to $1700. If you want a factory PSE try Carlsen Porsche. Out of the ten dealers I checked with over the last three weeks, they were the cheapest ($1500). Sunset was $1800, Brandywine $1599.

Just went through the same decision. Ended up paying about $75 to have the mufflers installed at an independant shop in town. Deceided against paying an additional $4-500 for the electronics as I figured I could always DIY it later for much less. VERY glad I didn't pay the extra. Love the sound, why turn it off? '00 Cab.

If you are going to pay someone to install just the mufflers and DIY the electronics at a later date, do yourself a favor and at least have them put the steel braided vacuum lines from the kit on the mufflers BEFORE they are installed. It is WAY harder to do it after they are on the car. Tom

Great points, I can't really see myself turning it off. There needs to be a travelling road show with 3 996's on a trailer that visits your home, one each with a GHL, Fab and PSE, and they sit there and rev them on the trailer so you can decide. Then the guy hops out, takes your credit card, and has a grease monkey pop them on your car. That would be sweet.

Nutbeem - The pics on the bay link are not PSE cans. That is a pic of stock (non PSE) exhaust. Please look at the two pics below. The first pic shows two stock exhaust cans. The top can is totally stock. The lower can has been modified to sound much like PSE by removing the plug on the right end of the can and connecting a pipe from the new opening to the center pipe. The second pic shows Porsche Sport Exhaust (PSE) cans. The circle on the left exhaust can indicates the mechanism that operates the "quite" or "loud" mode, which is activated by the electronic signal. The circle on the right exhaust can indicates the "extra" pipe that connects to the center pipe. There is a damper in this pipe that is opened or closed by the electronic signal, producing either loud (open) or quiet (closed) sound. This is the "extra" pipe that the mod (or hack) in the first pic was attempting to duplicate. Now if you go back and look at the pic on the ebay link, you will see that the ebay pic is like my first pic, which is the stock exhaust. It could be that they (the sellers) don�t have a pic of the PSE and are just using the pic of the stock exhaust as a representation for the PSE. However, PSE should have the mechanism that controls the "quite" & "loud" modes. If is does not have that mechanism and the additional connecting pipe, is is NOT PSE. I want to make sure you don't pay $1,200 for something you already have on your car.

Know anyone who wants a pair of stock cans? I could use the garage space.

Thanks, Tim - I sent an e-mail to the seller, I'll see what he comes back with, and I'll check it against your pics.

LiveNupe - I am interested. I figure I could get a local exhaust shop to do the PSE hack to one set and keep the second set stock. I am leasing the car so if I decide not to buy it at lease end, I will need to revert back to stock condition before I return it. PM me with a price.

i'm confuse you a little more. check out the cargraphic export exhaust. i have strangers pulling up to me at lights telling me how cool the car sounds it has the pse tone, but it is probably 10 percent or so louder.

What could be interesting would be a hack to wireless control the loud/stock valve! Saving 6-7-8 hours in the shop, not having to rip out the interior etc. How hard can it be?!?!

That would be harder than just installing the stock PSE electronics, or should I say wiring, as all the PSE electricals consist of are an electrically controlled vacuum switch, a relay, and a dash mounted switch. Anyone can install them in a few hours. The most tedious part of the installation is to run 2 wires from the relay bracket under the drivers footwell back to a punch out grommet to drop the wires into the engine compartment to connect to the vacuum control switch. That involves a lot of tucking the wire under the carpet, and lifting some carpet in the rear package tray of the car to find the rubber grommet. The rest is very straight forward. The idea of installing the wiring for PSE being a major job has become an urban legend.

Tim, you are welcome to my cans when I get to NC in 6 months. Of course, free of charge.

Dell - Thank you! See, Sata really DIDN'T forget me this year! Merry Christmas to ME!

As long as you can wait 6 months, they are definintely yours. I tried to give them to the local indy where I got my work done last week and they said I should kepp them should I ever sell the car. Yeah right, this car is never leaving my garage! So, instead of sending them to the local trash heap, I would gladly give them to a home that could get use out of them.

Dell - I'm glad you were able to put that in perspective for me!

Anytime

Any further thoughts on "other" NC location you had emailed me about?.... or you considering just the original two locations?

Nixed the "other" locale. Still just the original 2.

Tim- Call Jim over at Eurowerks. They can do the hack for you on the stock cans.

Nick - Thanks for the recommendation.

Anytime Tim. I've been very happy with everyone at Eurowerks. Some SWEET cars over there, too. If you go by, check to see if the black 930 is still around.

About that ebay PSE, the guy says they're the real deal, OEM, sans electronics. He has 1500 feedback, with almost 100% positive - I might give them a go to save 500 bucks on electonics I don't need. ???

Get it I got PSE with electronics and didn't install the switch Glad I didn't bother - you can easily pootle around town under 3000 RPM without a raucous blare Whereas at WOT its fantastic

Ask him to send email you a digital pic of the cans and then post here so we can verify. The pic he posted is NOT a PSE system. We need to be able to see the vacuum acutators. Also, I wold ask him why the electronics are not included?????? If you order a PSE system new then the electronics come with it. When I bought my cans from Brandywine for $1499 they came with EVERYTHING and they were not my first choice. I looked into the same vendor you are looking at in the online auction and just didn't feel that I was sold that they were a GENUINE PORSCHE PART. I get hesitant when they say OEM. That can mean just about anything these days. Are the OEM parts form a Porsche parts counter or are they cans made by the same manufacturer that supplies Porsche......those are NOT the same.

Before bidding on E-bay, go to the Departstop web page and look it up. When you go to the site click on the "replacement parts" icon on the left side of the screen. This should take you to a screen to click on exhaust. Once there you will see a listing for 3 exhaust systems. The one on e-bay is the top one that says OEM stamped exhaust. The two below it say GENUINE SPORT EXHAUST and have the electronics. I also talked to the guy there and was told the same thing you were, but upon inspection of the web site I found otherwise. If you shop around a little you will be able to find the exhaust from a Porsche dealer for 3-4 hundred more. Good luck.

Gert from Carnewal also sells OEM PSE mufflers without electronics. Saves you some money, and you most likely never will need it

Gert has great prices and alot of his items have shipping included, but the Euro is kicking our US dollar right now so it doesn't make cost effective sense to buy against the Euro right now. Plus you will have to pay duty taxes on the product once it gets to the states which isn't really stated up front.....ask me how I know. And FedEx charges a fee plus duty that they come asking for. FYI....Gert has the cans for 1475Euro which is nearly 1800USD right now. When it was a 1:1 relationship or even favored the US dollar Gert was the place to buy EVERYTHING.

Now I'm freaked out - I'll e-mail him for pics of the unit, see what comes back. I may just end up taking it to Rusnak and having them throw it on. I'm so juiced about this exhaust, I'm ready to hand over the credit card.

Don't let emotion seperate you with your money when it comes to mods. Every mod I have put on the car I have thoroughly researched and then price shopped.

Departstop link: http://www.departstop.com/996TeqPref_Race_pg1.htm The first set of exhaust offered is called PRESS Sport Exhause (whatever that means) for $1,295.00, which is NOT Porsche OEM PSE. However, they also have the "real" PSE listed lower on the page for $1,695.00. It is the same price ($1,695.00) for the "up to 07/01" models and for the "from 08/01" models. The latter version includes the "sound deactivation" as they put it.

Regadless of year the best of the 2 choices is the newest PSE cans (02+). They have the actuators on top (vacuum controlled via switch is hooked up to electronics) rather than the bypass pipes on the exterior. I have the 02+ cans on my 00 and they sound GREAT! As for the departshop vendor don't you find it odd that they have a picture of a TRUE Porsche PSE system on their website and it does NOT match the picture they have on their auction??? Sounds like caveat emptor if you ask me. Can't stand it when vendors try to make it sound like they are selling one thing but it is just vague enough in the description that when you get the product they come back and say, "I NEVER STATED THEY WERE GENUINE NEW PORSCHE PSE CANS!".

Dell � Is that pic on their web site really TRUE Porsche PSE? Inall of the pics I have seen of PSE, the "connecting pipe" is much thicker than the pipe in the pic. Is that a pic of the "up to 07/01" version of the PSE? If so, then I guess that is the first time I have seen a set of pre '02 PSE cans. As for your "vague description" comment, I'm right there with ya. I just want to help make sure Rich does not get screwed in his pursuit of PSE cans!

The pic on their website is one taken directly form the Tequipment page on the Porsche website. The one they are showing is the 02+ cans. You can see the vacuum controlled actuator on top. The 99-01 cans have a pipe that comes out of the top of the can and runs the length and then goes back in on the other side. I'll see if I can't dig up a picture..........

Just how much heaver is PSE