Sport exhaust/powerchip/intake - yes or no?

I recently sold my 96 993 coupe (which I loved) and purchased a '00 cab (I lilke the automatic top and the rollbar of the 996 over the 993 cab). I am happy with the 996, but it is too quiet. I can barely hear the engine with the top down, so I looked into a sport exhaust. Has anyone heard or have any experience with the porsche sport exhaust with cut out switch, the Dansk or the B&B? I called one of the ads in Porsche Excellence and they told me the exhaust woud add 30 HP and make it sound like my 993 and I should look into a chip and intake also for a total increase of 50 HP for about $3000. It sounds too good to be true and if it is true, why didn't porsche do it at the factory?

I have the PSE with the switch. It definately sounds great on the loud mode but I spend most of my time with it muted (about the sound of stock I think) just because of where I am driving etc. I would be reluctant to have it without that because it is quite loud. To my knowledge I don't think the horsepower output changes at all - and that is what my dealer told me - so I think they are probably full of it. But then, I can't say for sure. Barry

Hi, it is impossible to make your 996 sound like a 993….forget it….air-cooled Vs water-cooled…That’s for sure… On the other hand….it is impossible to gain 30Hp from an exhaust!!!!!and deffinetely no way 50 Hp fro exhaust, air intake and chip….996 is a 3.4 and a well factory tuned engine…anything close to 100hp/l is top of the range….and anything above this, very optimistic, and requires well knowledge and money…..($3000 sounds very low to me….iinclusive of parts+labour etc….) Recently I had a look at www.sportec.ch and for stage 1 mod: reprogramming, air intake, sport catalysts and sport mufflers…gives only 320ps @ 6800 (+20) and 355 Nm @ 4600. and all this for around 6500 euros.... Spoertec is a very well known Porsche tuner for Europe standards….. To be more realistic: exhaust+chip+air intake would go up to 325 the most…..sound will be improved, but in no case it will reach 993 standards…. I have just a PSE, and a fab sound when switched on….porsche though states: NO additional Hp increase….just the sound

I was told there is a additional piggyback computer that Racers Group sells that does produce some HP increase for a 996. And there is a X51 conversion kit for your engine that will increase the HP but you will be rebuilding the engine to do it.

PSE with switch and the hack to eliminate the quiet spot around 35 mph. It sounds incredible.

I had a 2000 C2 Coupe which I had Fabspeed Headers and Exhaust(Sound is fanastic) installed, EVO cold airintake and unichip piggy back computer chip. After these mods the torgue range was flatten out and the driveablilty of the car was improved. I had the car dyno'd before and after and it showed about a 20 HP increase at the wheels. Go with Fabspeed exhaust if you want an aftermarket. I don't know anything about PSE.

"... It sounds too good to be true and if it is true, why didn't porsche do it at the factory?" you knew the answer. pse or the like will make your car sound 'right'. chips and intake mods are a waste of time, imo. i would consider the SSK and RoW M030 or x74 as the next two 'essential' mods. and they all use factory parts to boot.

2th, start with the 'orange cap' modification. definitely a nice sound booster. sm

I felt the same way. The sound of the car was very disappointing. It reminded me of a Lexus. I went with Fabspeed Maxflo exhaust, Fabspeed headers and an EVO fresh air intake kit. I have yet to install an ECU upgrade, which is next on my list of mods. I am very pleased with the performance. Here it is in a nutshell: 1. Much stronger, smoother pull off the bottom. 2. flat spot at 2k - 2200 rpms (probably the effects of a larger diameter exhaust limiting back pressure for bottom end) 3. from 2300 rpms on up, the pull is stronger, smoother with some amazing sound - dare I say a Ferrari rasp? 4. top end scream is amazing - it really pulls much harder above 4500 rpms - noone could doubt it. Overall, it is much smoother power delivery than stock with harder pull in the upper rpm's. I am very glad I did it and hope for even better improvement with the addition of an ECU upgrade. I have also heard that GHL exhaust is quite good, but I would highly recommend the Fabspeed headers. Avoid B&B like the plague - do a little homework and you'll find out why. I would agree that the most you'll get from all of this is perhaps 25hp. Remember that what reads on the dyno is not necessarily how the car feels being driven. My car may have only experienced mild gains at best, but the way the car feels and drives has been greatly improved. Only experience with dynos and actual performance can really explain this phenomenon. Good luck!

I have pounder over these mods for a while and can tell you that any claims on HP over 20 HP is full of it. From the people I talked to says that exhaust is purely for sound and that the most you'll get is 3 to 5 HP. This is from the horse mouth at GHL. They also told me that headers at most will get you in the range of 10-12 HP with the mufflers. I have talked to some guys who dyno the cars and said they have seen about 18-22HP from all of these mods. So realistically you will get about 20 HP. Some of the tuners like Steve at Rennsport said that the best bang for the buck is the ECU mod as you'll get the most drivability HP from that mod. IMO if money is a concern go with the muffler for sound and a good ECU mod. The headers are an addition of about 6 HP and you have to ask is it worth $1300. Excellence did a dyno on air tube and the car actually lost HP. This was probably due to heat from the engine, but I doubt that the mod is really gonna make that much more HP at speed. My guess 3-5 HP and remember that HP increase are not addative. Just because one mod make 5 HP and then you add another mod that is suppose to make 10HP, it will not make 15HP. When they work together they might make 12HP. So don't buy into claims

Don't expect any real HP gains from those mods, they're more myth than fact. I had B&B headers and mufflers and really liked the sound, a little throatier and not too loud. I'd go with those again.

if you track a lot, you'll quickly find out the 996's greatest shortcoming is grip. improving the suspension will not only increase cornering speeds, you'll get the best from the brakes and tires. your laps times will drop and the fun quotient will exceed anything a 15 hp increase will get you--promissed. and if you go with the x74, you won't fight the dealer on warranty work either.

Amen to that. My 996 is a completely different car now that I have installed PSS9s with GT3 adjustable swaybars. Single best performance modification.

I have put a full Cargraphic power kit on my GT3.This consists of a full exhaust system,BMC airfilter and a reprogrammed ECU.The car now is much smoother to drive and goes like the clappers.The noise off it is superb,reasonably quiet while trundling,a marvellous howl when giving it some.Not cheap but worth it to me.Cargraphic reckons on about a 30hp improvement,this is hard to tell but it definately goes better than before.Shane

you get for what you pay... cargraphic is ( to my opinion...) one of the best around porsche tuners....

thank you for the response. what is the hack and quiet spot at 3500 rpm. thanks, sam