Making my 997.2 look a bit more aggressive

Hi I live in Sydney. I'm a first time 911 owner; specifically a 2009 997.2 black on black cab, with 85,000kms. I love it and use it as a daily driver for 2 hours a day going into Sydney and back home. However, I'd love to make it look a little more aggressive, a bit more sporty. Clearly there are limitless things you can do, but I'm keen to avoid doing anything that is: a) irreversible (i.e. could take back off) and would affect the resale value and ideally b) what wouldn't have been available at the time as a mod so it's 'in keeping'. I'm not such a nut that I'm into suspension, or spacing etc. Really only aesthetic stuff. Having searched a little I can see that these are potentials: Side Skirts A lower front bumper (although I do have a hilly driveway) GT3 smile vent kit (but looks like you cut into the bonnet, ouch) Mesh front grills for fewer leaves Alacantra steering wheel Car Play radio refit (I gather this might be coming soon) I'm so new to this I don't even know where to buy this stuff, and if I walk into a mod shop with it to fit or buy it through them. If you have any suggestions on: a) what things I could do b) which body shops in Sydney / NSW I could get it done, and how I'd really appreciate it. Thanks Rich

You have one of the best 911's built, cab, coupe personal taste ,of course, But it's pretty  well perfect just as it is, enjoy it .

15 or 20mm wheel spacers to push the wheels out to fill the guards, you will also need longer bolts. Both are available from Nice Products at Mascot. they have a catalogue that you can download or ring them to confirm what you require.

@rdflloyd By chance did you buy this car last July (ish) and does it have the crest on the headrests?

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I'm certainly doing that 😀 I've honestly never looked forward to my commute more. Sunday night blues disappear... I'm just attracted to a slightly more aggressive look - without going overboard or not paying homage to the integrity of the design. Thank you! It's funny - to me 20mm sounds so little that it can't possibly have an effect on the look. But it clearly does as I've seen this come up a lot. Do you have a recommendation for which shop to get the work done at? I'm hearing Autohaus, Zag, Autowerks, 'Raf in Brookvale'....but v lost here too. Who knows how to do this? Yes I did, that's the one. Why did you own it before? 🤓

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She's a beauty mate - drives like a dream - enjoy her! ......and my wife still misses it and it is rare for her to comment on any of the cars I've gone through! Regarding looking sportier, all it needs is at least a 30mm drop. Don't get hung up on resale. Mod to your taste

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Its easy, if you know how to change a wheel you can fit the spacers I recommended. Check out the attached video, the guy irritates a little but he shows how it is done. The Nice products spacers are of far better quality, I have 15mm.

Hi Rich, I have a 997.2 C2S which i have done a series of mods too, mostly interior: 1) Door cards - tartan (i was in scotland at the time so why not, 'Scotland Forever' Tartan) - have a spare set of door cards so can return it to plain black. 2) Handbrake - Aluminium see link below 3) Gearstick -  Aluminium (Tartan and Porsche logo modded) Design 911 link for shifter and handbrake 4) Carbon interior triangles for the door mirror covers 5) Carbon key/headlight surrounds carbon example 6) DSC Controller - amazing mod for ride quality DSC Link 7) Switchable exhaust retrofit, going to do the dash integration once the controller arrives. Also did a centre muffler delete with Shark Works style straight pipes. PSE button retrofit forum link 8) Sport design steering wheel - flappy paddle as its PDK Example of steering wheel 9) Leather covered centre console and got lid x2 done (1 tartan and 1 leather with porsche logo). 10) Aluminium fuel cap 11) I did try the EMC2 mod to allow the 991 lip to be installed, ripped it off and to be honest didnt love it. Would go with a sport design bumper if you want a more aggressive look that is not GT3. 12) NMAuto Carplay retrofit to PCM3.0, have a reverse camera which fits into the number plate light which i need to install. Doing this is not too bad but slight nervous times in pulling that apart! I am sure i did other things which i can update as they come to me. Other -1) Ducktail, looked at this but ended up not doing it. Small impact i would get the flying ducktail - to me felt singerish which i liked. CSR full carbon is the top end option it seems. Other -2) Sport/sport plus need to get software update done. Have a new set of buttons which go with the PSE retrofit Cheers, Taffy

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Promise I'm taking care of her. I even find myself patting and stroking her with my arm out the window as I drive. Like a dog haha. Yeah OK on the drop, I'll take a look. Only thing I'm nervous of is my driveway. Any suggestions on where to get this sort of work done in Sydney? Thanks! Ah yes I'd forgotten about this guy! No way I'll do this myself but good to know it's easy for when someone charges me 😀 Any recommendations on where would be happy to do this / change bumpers / do a drop etc? In Sydney? Whoa Taffy I'm gonna have to buy you a beer or two if I ever meet you. So helpful! Love the tartan look, sounds very Singer-esque. Yeah I find the steering wheel lets the car down atm, very plastic and squeaky. Would love a batter one. Thanks for so much effort on this, I'll start putting together a wish list. Any recommendations on where in Sydney would do this type of work? There is no way I'm even picking up a screwdriver too scared / inept. Rich

I am down in Melbourne so not much help for Sydney, most of the mods are not hard and any half decent mechanic or auto elec who can follow the instructions could do it. If getting leather trim be very careful, to wrap plastic parts is actually a really thin leather type of product. Normal leather wont bend or shape correctly, if needed buy some 2nd hand factory done parts to see / show what is needed. I had major issues and still not 100% with the centre console. If you want it done well consider buying a 2nd hand in the UK and getting shipped to one of the good trimmers there. Start with a DSC controller, that is plug and play change. Changes to the car are best the bang for buck i did. Cannot stuff that up. PDK Shifter swap is also no tools and easy Fuel cap is pretty easy, attaching the tether is the most effort Handbrake needs the console off Steering wheel you need some tools for, XYZ socket / torque wrench. Take the battery off for 30min before touching anything!!! Swapping the carbon parts on was a pain, mostly getting the old parts off. Broke some tabs as they came off... not the end of the world though as they went into storage. Exhaust was a major job on my car as it has been in the UK, rusted bolts left my cutting some, blow torch on others. Getting to line up two different suppliers parts was also not that easy, if your not well armed with tools just pay someone to this one. PCM 3.0, from the UK forum would say only 30% of owners DIY this one. cost of breaking the PCM is high which i think puts them off. Not that hard as it is connecting ribbon cables and fitting additional boxes inside the cabin but your playing inside the PCM... Bumper you want is the GTS bumper sorry. Have some fun with it and make it what you want. I had a powerpoint which i had a page for each area of the car and just put photos/ideas on it (997 or not) and tried combo's on to see what felt right. ie The roof of my car has the outline of the cattle pass road leading into Applecross on it (in grey on a silver car so not that load). Not greatest driving road in Scotland but it is an epic single lane track cutting along the pass. Tip: Get the it printed onto a clear vinyl, doing as a stand alone outline does not work as its too narrow and comes up with the pressure washer. My UK thread throwing some ideas around: 911UK , if i get time will put some photos into a build thread since the car is here now and i just did the exhaust over the weekend.

Apologies, I am late to this posting.  As someone who has spent a lot of time improving the tactile connection of my car I would suggest the following: i) Alcantara centre console storage lid.  On a convertible, this means that driving on a hot sunny day with the roof down you won't have to risk your elbow coming into contact with a black leather covered lid. ii) GT3 or Turbo brake ducts.  These are cheap as chips (around $30 last time I looked) and they funnel a bit more cooling air to your brakes and are easy to fit. iii) Replace the door sills with the long carbon fibre door sills.  Ones like these https://www.supertweaks.com/porsche/porsche-carbon-fibre/porsche-997gen2-carbon-fibre/porsche-carrera-997-gen-1-2-carbon-fibre-door-sills-left-right-long-version make the door sills look so much better and they are available at different price points on line if you search. iv) Front Bumper grill set. https://www.fvd.net/us-en/FVD5059972GRBK/front-bumper-grill-set-9972-c2-c2s-c4-c4s-speedster-black.html v) Paint brake callipers red with Porsche script in black.  A good paint shop will do this. vi) Cold air induction kit.  Despite all the marketing BS, this will add nothing in terms of performance but it adds a really nice throaty induction noise and is one of my favourite (albeit juvenile) modifications. https://www.fabspeed.com/porsche-997-carrera-carbon-fiber-competition-air-intake-system-2005-2008/ vii) 997 Sports seats.  These look great, they provide better 'hugging' through the corners but are not as uncomfortable as a set of Recaros bucket seats.  I made this change and I love the seats, again on a convertible I would consider getting the ones with Alcantara centre cushions so you reduce the amount of black leather that is near your body on hot days.  However, Alcantara can be divisive and it is much more more prone to wear and or marks then leather, so not for everyone. viii) Subtle rear wing. https://www.aliexpress.com/i/1428339256.html wings like this are available across the internet at different price points and for my eye a subtle addition to the wing provides a nice improvement without going to an extreme. ix) Black stone guard for rear wheel arches.  Against the black paint this would hardly be visible but there is a surprising amount of stones thrown up on the rear guards and this would provide some nice protection.  They are available in clear or carbon fibre as well. x) PCCM Plus which is I understand due for the 997 later this year. Money no object I would get something like this, excluding the vents in the front fenders as I could not bring myself to cut the metal: Parts are available here: https://moshammer-automotive.com/models/porsche-997-carrera-s-4s-gts-mk2/ To my eye if you fit a ducktail to the back you need to also replace the front bumper with a GT3 bumper or add a front lip like above picture as it looks a bit unbalanced in its side profile.

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Thanks i am going to look into this one. I did this one using some mesh and cable ties, the kits have two styles which can be mounted inside or outside your bumper - i liked the inside style but struggled with the high cost vs the material involved. Saves your radiators eating leaves and rotting! These are pretty good, mine are partially manually. Not sure if all are? You cannot replace the centres like you can on the GT2/3 seats, so retrimming is more effort but it is done. Think this will only be for 997.1 sadly. Very solid agree to this. Like the Moshammer, as Carrera28 noted some big $. Check out the RPM Techniq CSR builds if you want some inspiration on what you can do for a more aggressive look. I looked at getting a build done on a 997.1 X97 aero kit car but it took too long to arrange and the car sold. Price was a lot... GBP 19K Scope was: Low temp thermostat, exhaust, light flywheel, LSD, ducktail, kw suspension, ARBs, overhaul brakes, lots of odds & ends + set up. CSR on Youtube Scroll down for a spin around model of a 997.2 CSR

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These are pretty good, mine are partially manually. Not sure if all are? You cannot replace the centres like you can on the GT2/3 seats, so retrimming is more effort but it is done. Looking at the photos posted your do not appear to be the sports seats ( apologies, if they are as the angle is obscured ).  The sports seats have more side bolstering and 'wings' at the top and look more aggressive particularly on a convertible where they will be nicely visible with roof down The sports seats are available in partially manual or fully electric.  The fully electric ones are called Sports Adaptive Seats and they include bladders in the bolsters and the backrest to enable you to micro adjust the seats to your liking.  I have a set of these added to my car (I bought them before prices went stupid, more than 5 years ago) and they are a fantastic seat.  I daily a car with Recaro SR3's and the 997 seats are almost as good as the Recaro's in terms of bolstering through corners but they are streets ahead of the Recaros for long distance comfort and ease of entry and egress They have a removable centre cushion and provide much better bolstering then the standard seats without being uncomfortable on long distances or difficult for entry and egress, these are not mine but are similar enough ( they are the partially electric seats as you can by the manual adjustment for fore and aft ).

If you;re in Sydney, Autohaus is really good and I have used them a few times. If you do not mind the travel, Autowerks on the Central Coast is awesome. They have my car there at the moment for a full gearbox rebuild and a few other upgrades/maintenance and I cannot recommend Simon and Ryan there enough. They do amazing work and are super helpful. The Moshammer parts are awesome (I have a few that will be made to fit my 996) and agree with Jeff, ducktail all the way. Still waiting on RPM in UK on shipping price to Oz for their Evo tail as wanted the ducting....

If you want the GT3 front bumper look, I’ve got a couple of new “Aerokit” OEM ones that other than the upper air vent cutout are identical. Buy the fvd cutout vent and a competent body shop can do the install for you before painting. Considering the cost of an OEM GT3 front bumper is 5 figures, the aerokit bumper can be had for a couple of grand. https://www.fvd.net/us-en/FVD50599702MM/front-bumper-upper-air-vent-9971-9972-moshammer-tradition-rs-urban-turbo-rs.html

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So much to think about here! thanks. For now I think I'll start with the Moshammer kit and the spacers / drop. Then start on the interior.. This is SO helpful thank you. I know it's a bit predictable but the red calipers do it for me. I've been in contact with Moshammer and I think that's a good shortcut for a newbie like me. So thanks loads for that tip I'll go for it! Then I can spend time on the rest Yeah great I see those two pop up a lot. As a newbie I'm kind of paranoid about finding a Posrche specialist, but in reality I suspect the things I'm asking for are relatively basic eg red calipers - this is not an engine rebuild! Thank you! Yeah I do love that look I have to say. I'm basically replicating the look of a car I couldn't afford ha

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Your not on your own there Mate

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This is the first time I've had a car with a semblance of bucket seats, so in many ways they feel amazing to me. But I don't know what I'm missing - is there another 'level' ha. Thanks a lot for the tip - I'll start on the interior after Moshammer Rich

Hey To everyone that helped me, I ended up getting: The Moshammer 997.2 CARRERA TRADITION RS AERO KIT (C2 NARROW BODY) https://automotive.moshammer.com/product/997-2-tradition-rs-aero-kit-c2-narrow-body/?v=6cc98ba2045f It got fitted by Steve and the team at Atlas Autobody in Artarmon, Sydney. They painted the kit satin and did the calipers red too. I was apprehensive about it all as this was a pure, stock unmodified 997.2 and the purist in me wanted to keep it so. But I love how it's turned out - looks a bit more like the Turbo and just feels more aggressive. I'd highly highly recommend Atlas for anyone in NSW, they were high class. As a newbie, thanks for all your help Rich

Glad you are happy with the job Rich. I am super happy to help out a fellow PFA’er, it was great to have your 997 in the shop, awesome car. We have fitted a few kits in the past to non Porsches and this was certainly one of the better kits we have worked with in regards to its structure and out of the box fitment, didn’t need too much modification to get it right. Take care on those approaches with that lip though 👍

First trip to the city car park this morning and it.....survived 😅