How much will you spend modifying your 911?

I have a lot to learn about the car before any performance mods will make a difference. I will spend money on a custom install radar detector/laser system.

As most of you know Fabspeed Motorsport offers quality exhausts and performance upgrades for almost every Porsche model that wont get you killed by a pack of angry Porsche purists if you chose to modify it! However, what you might not know is that Fabspeed also does all kinds of other upgrades including suspension, brakes, harness bars, wheels and tires you name it Fabspeed can do it for the track or the road. I encourage anyone to utilize the expertise and years of experience of Fabspeed when considering upgrades for your cars. I will be happy to provide exclusive member pricing for products that Fabspeed offers to anyone interested.

Some of the modified cars look great. However, for me I have no interest in modifying my cars. They are close to perfect as they are. Besides being over 50, at some point I will sell them. While mods are personally satisfying, they may affect the resale value of a car - unless you find just the right buyer. In the end, it is a personal choice. That said, the photo posted by 997fan is damned nice!

It doesn't take much to get to get to five digits in modifications. A good set of forged wheels will set you back at least $3,000 + $1,000 for tires . Lowering springs will cost you several hundred, add alignment, and installation, is easily over $1,000. You want a nice sounding exhaust will set you back several thousand. Not happy with your interior, want to add carbon fiber, a steering wheel and a shift knob will cost you a couple of thousands already. When I modded my Mercedes, I thought it was expensive. Porsche is a lot more and I heard Ferrari is even more ridiculous.

When I find my 991S, I'll only be making one change: stuffing the sound symposer with some foam that I already have...so I won't need to spend anything extra.

Pretty much done everything you can do to a n/a carerra, probably should have bought a gt3 to begin with ,but this has been fun! my bespoke version of a street?track use 911 ,oh and well north of 20k!! ,ill never get it back,but then again i will probably never sell it...lol...

1) In the first 24 hours she'll be wrapped with 3M and ClearPlex inshallah, although this would mean surrendering her for a day to be pampered but it's a must to protect the body, windshield and glass roof. 2) Anytime Porsche releases CarPlay integrated PCM , I'll do the swap. 3) I may opt for light velvet blue colored side intakes inserts. But so far TechArt produce them only in CF which are of no interest to me. 4) I plan not to tune the car at least during the 2 years warranty period. But whether through or after I am tempted to overpower and outrun the stock 991 turbo S. Then I'll go with the tuning company of best power, acceleration and durability shuttering the 3 seconds barrier.

My car is on the "Chesapeake Highway" and scheduled for delivery around 30 Jan. Here's what I'm doing within the first 90 days after arrival, in order of completion Misc from Suncoast (sunshade, painted key covers, etc) $500 Clear bra full front end, rockers, mirrors, A pillars, rear tire splash areas, leading edge of roof $2,750 ClearPlex install $400 GIAC Stage II $3,500 plus labor Europipe Turbo back exhaust $4,900 FVD headers $1,850 Champion Motorsports race diverters $350 Refinish center lock wheels in gloss black powdercoat $1,500 Leather bits from exclusive options $1,900-ish Custom flat bottom carbon fiber steering wheel, spokes and shift-paddles from Nexon Motors $2,900 Maybe DB Carbon sport seat backs $2,500 Maybe switch to ceramic brake pads to reduce dusting $350 Not to mention the necessary support equipment for the center lock wheels Precision Instruments PREC4D600F torque wrench $350 MATCO DR40T collapsible breaker bar $180 Castrol Aluminum grease $50 Stop and Go tire plug kit $35 That's not even getting into the days and $$ it will take me to fully polish, detail and coat with CQuartz or 22PLE. All in all, I'm in for a minimum of $21,165 not including my own labor and shop materials. Yes, I'm a bit crazy... - Patrick

That's it... I'm quitting P9 for good. Seriously when I modified my 987 it went across the globe and came back with 620HP and a 3.7L engine. And I was the craziest here. Nowadays everybody is fighting for my title. Are you throwing the warranty out of the window? When do you plan to go for the exhaust and software tune? Oh, and how will you switch to PCCB for only $350?!! And for the diverters, I started a thread but nobody gave me an answer... Can you kindly address it there? Where's Tom? He's my 987 turbo partner... and we took a vow not to mess with our 991 turbos.

Briefly, so as not to derail the thread too much: I'm not switching to PCCB, just changing from semi-metallic brake pads to steel rotor compatible ceramic brake pads. PCCB uses ceramic brake rotors and special ceramic composite pads that are made specifically to work with ceramic rotors. You can not use PCCB ceramic pads with steel rotors. The dealership I'm using is part of the "Champion Motorsports" dealership group. If they do the GIAC install and exhaust, they will honor the factory warranty at any Champion group dealership. If I run into any serious warranty trouble I'll have the car shipped and still save a ton of money. The diverters are the factory equivalent of the BOV in your turbo Cayman. The stock ones are not meant for the uprated boost of tuned cars and can fail quickly. Changing them is only advised if you are tuned. They are not a power adder, just good insurance. - Patrick

Yes Hassaan we have a pact to not weaken and do any engine mods. Let Patrick take your title....for now. I am tempted with new headers though. I’ve done the typical full front, mirrors, headlights , pillars and roof edge wrap. Got a carbon shift knob and might get the carbon inner door sills like I did on the Cayman but the crinkled plastic is holding up ok. I was thinking about carbon side intakes until I read they were being stolen since they just snap out and I didn’t want to glue them on. My Valentine radar is enough for my locale but might get a dashcam because of potential driver scams. I have the ceramic pads on the Cayman and they do less brake dust but they caused grooves in the rotors and pedal feel and stopping distances were lessened. Even though the 20 spoke Turbo wheel is a pain to clean I wouldn’t do the pads again. I gave up on the HRE P101s when I found out that a change to the factory finish was going to be over $1500 pushing the cost over $11K for a set.

Good to know! - Patrick

I'm hoping under 3k but I know that's not actually going to happen

My loaded '15 C2S with 3100 miles is a CPO for 5 more years so I'm not inclined to do anything to affect the warranty. It already has the Expel Ultimate film since new so I don't have to do that. It has everything I wanted including the Nav and Bose options, but no Satellite radio. I'm not happy about that, but not aware of any good options at a reasonable price to add that. My known planned mods at this time are: 1. Red/Black check Cocomats already ordered 2. Clear LED front side markers 3. Spectra Photosync window tint, but fairly light on door windows and windshield, and darker on the back and rear windows.

Its time to revise my earlier response. Going on 8 weeks since purchasing my brand new 2017 Carrera S Endurance Racing Edition, and I'm closing in on $9999. So far: Clear sidemarkers AWE window spoilers All windows tinted with 70% ceramic nano-coated 2 ply film Full frontal Suntek PPF , plus other vulnerable areas Red/Black Checkers Cocomats X51 Power Kit for 450 Hp, 406 ft-lbs Torque with full 4 year factory warranty If i get into exhaust mods, I'm probably going to do headers and free-flow cats. That would probably put me over $15k ��. Never would have predicted this, but a great sale price from Porsche on X51 Power Kits to dealers, and competing dealers who were eager, convinced me!

What's the mod you all wish you did first in hindsight?

Similar to the polls in the Cayman and Boxster forums, please choose how much you plan to spend on modifying your 911 in the next 12-18 months.

I want to first pay the car off =) with my 2004 Anniversay 911 , it pretty much has all it needs (now there's the clinch, keep it stock or go all the way) not really sure! Great to post here, my first, take care all! Bill

Just bought X-51 headers and FVD 200 cell Sport Cats. Saving up for FVD ECU flash.

I need 4 new tires this month which always includes a 4-wheel alignment. I finally ordered the M030 RoW suspension kit for my '99 Carrera 2 coupe. I was waiting until I needed 4 tires and the alignment so that I could save a little on the suspension kit installation by only needing one alignment instead of two by doing the tires and suspension kit at the same time. This will actually RAISE my cars stance about an inch or so. From new, the car has had a set of Techart lowering springs which REALLY lower the car a ton. I have had to treat cigarette butts like speed bumps, and the thrill of that has finally worn off. The car has the original stock C2 shocks and struts and the stock C2 sway bars. Now it will have a real performance oriented suspension "system" engineered specifically for this car by Porsche . I'm also getting 4 Pirelli P Zero N4's. I have been using Pirelli P Zero 's on this car since new and they have been excellent at the track and OK on the road. They are not designed to give you lots of miles, but I accept that for the extra grip at the track. I do about 2-3 DE's a year. The set of tires going off are Pirelli P Zero System N3's. I figure that the thicker sway bars and firmer shocks will offset the increase in ride height and thus the center of gravity. I'll try to remember to let you know how all this works out. It will be a couple weeks before everything arrives.

Big Red is HOME! And the M030 RoW it is SOOOOO AWESOME!!! My expression of happiness is tainted, however. My 996 was so rough and noisy before on those old worn out tires and shortie springs, and now it is so smooth and quiet and tight. Wow! But, I want to give everything a couple weeks to "settle in" before I really thrash it to find out. It is definitely visibly higher than before - somewhere between 1/2" and 3/4" (20mm?) No question about that. But of course that was exactly the goal. And yet it is very visibly still much lower than the stock Carreras and Cayman (-men? -mans?) that were sitting next to it in the service delivery area. So quiet with 4 new P Zero Rosso N4's. Car feels very tight. Not harsh. Tight. They also did four new factory drop links, new bump stops, new upper strut bushings, and a brand new proper (porcelain) hood crest. I think the new hood crest adds 20 horsepower all by itself. I did not push it hard on the way home because the old sway bars were in a plastic bag in the back seat area, and the old struts/shocks/springs/etc were in a big heavy box in the trunk. I just wanted to "feel the force within" without throwing stuff around in the car. Tomorrow morning I'm going to drive the cloverleaf at Butler and Southside to get an early feel. Nothing drastic. I expect the new springs to settle just a bit more over the next month. And the tires need a couple weeks to scrub in a bit. Then I will take some pics to post. Next up - Fabspeed Maxflow muffler set and the 60,000 mile service. Frank says he will get Jamie to try to order the mufflers at a better price than I can get, and he will install them for free when I bring the car in for the 60k service in a couple months. We went to the Fabspeed website on the computer at the service counter and played the install and sound video for the 996 Maxflows. Everybody there thought it was an excellent sound without being too harsh or too loud. And they weigh a couple pounds less than the stock or TechArt mufflers. I wouldn't have bothered replacing the TechArt mufflers but the right rear muffler has developed a loose baffle (after 12 years - go figure - LOL!) inside that makes an annoying rattle on acceleration when the boxes are really hot. It's not coming from the cats so those 200 cell sport cats will have to wait for a while longer. The 2009 Cayman S PDK / Sport Chrono /Sport PASM /etc loaner was a real treat to drive these past few days. There is a LOT to like about this car. And yet... I felt a sense of tension while I drove that car. It just seemed so "intent" on doing everything by itself. I felt closed in, but not as claustrophobic as a Boxster . It was like sunshine and flowers when I got back into the Carrera . And the Cayman "felt" heavy. The 996 "feels" light and happy. Silver Cayman , Guards Red Carrera ? Mental illness? Totally loved the PDK , but I actually did get annoyed after a while with being in 7th gear at 47 MPH and well under 2000 rpm's all the time. I found myself going manual frequently to drop it down a couple gears. Just seems wrong to be at such low rpm's all the time. This PDK had the steering wheel buttons and that is the ONLY whay to go. Paddle shifters are a joke after having these. The gas mileage was staggering. I saw 33.5 mpg over long stretches. Big Red will get about 28-29 over that same ground. And the "city" average was about 4mpg higher than I usually get with the 996 in that same drive. PDK was nice in bumper-to-bumper. The stock seats in my 996 have had 12 years to "adjust" to my butt, but the Cayman seats felt like they were instructing my butt to feel the way THEY wanted me to feel. And they were quite insistent about it. The 996 seats were sooooo nice to come home to. Cayman S with PDK /Sport stuff is VERY nice. But I'm "at home" in my 996 in so many more ways. Why, I can think of about $50,000 of them right off the bat... All up for all parts and labor for the M030 kit and install and 4 new tires and alignment - around $4,000. __________________ Mark '99 C2 coupe. Red... gotta be red. Florida Crown Region, PCA since 1972 Florida Owners Group (FOG), 356 Registry since 1978

It has been a couple weeks now since I installed the M030 RoW suspension. Although I'm certain the springs will settle some more over time, I thought I would post a before picture (left) and an after picture (right). Remember that the before picture is NOT a STOCK suspension but the very short TechArt springs on an otherwise stock suspension. Perhaps I will be able to find a fellow early 996'er with a Guards Red coupe with an original and bone stock suspension to pose at that same street corner for comparisopn purposes. Note the street name. Not a PS. Street is located in St. Augustine, FL not far from where I live. Photo on the left was taken about 3 years ago. Photo on the right was taken today. My goal was to RAISE the suspension without giving up the tightness and trackability. I have "enjoyed" the TechArt springs for over a decade now and the novelty has finally warn off. The TechArt springs were installed when the car was brand new in January 1999. No other suspension changes were made other than alignment. The M030 suspension included sway bars, shocks/struts, springs, and all new rubber bushings. I took the opportunity to put in new front and rear drop links (stock), bump stops (stock) and 2 new front strut bearings (stock). Here is the visual result:

I have no idea how much I spent. I try not to look at the pile of receipts. I posted my mods here: http://www.planet-9.com/911-modifications/50645-my-3-5l-motec-911-a.html Maybe that was the wrong thread :-(

I've already voted, and I haven't done much, but here's a sample of my mods that made my black C2S with sport exhaust and sport chrono the perfect street machine - sport shifter, Escort Passport 9500ci, and some window film for 35% darkening. Not much, but enough.

Bilstein Damptronics, Forgeline wheels, sport chrono update, GT3 LCAs, FVD exhaust , hardwired Valentine 1 and maybe the rear dog bone links.

Cost to Date for my 2011 GT3 Tequipment roll bar: $1100 5 point harness: $500 HPDE Wheels & tires : $6000 (Forgeline wheels and Hoosier R6's) AX Wheels & tires : $6000 ( Forgeline wheels and Nitto NT01's) HD Traqmate set-up: $2000 Red Center lock nut set: $400 Pagid brake pads Front & Rear $ 900 Clear side marker lights: $90 Track alignment: $300 Hi temp brake fliud: $150 Plans in the future Sharkwerks Center muffler by-pass: $2000 Softronic ECU upgrade: $1200 GT - LSD : $???? LWFW: $???? I'm sure I'll get over the $20K

G'day Gadgetman, can I ask why you went the X51 headers and not ones from fabspeed for example? I have 996TT and am looking at replacement performance headers and cats next year also.

K Man S, Seeing how i am waiting for my TPC Turbo, and all the misc pieces in updating various parts so they wont break or just wear out i am somwhere I the neighborhood of 15K for the moment. I will let you guys know how it goes. Should get it installed first week of March on my 2001 C2.

I think I voted in the $3-5k range. I'm picking up a car tonight that just entered the $10-20k upgrade range. This stuff can really add up. I am going to be driving my personal ultimate dream car, though. For something that depreciates, this is a tough pill to swallow..until the engine starts.

Already done: Black/red cocomats Das Schild trunk protector To do: Leather sun visors, steering wheel column, PDK cover, console lid w/ModelID, Tikore lug bolts Thinking about: Fuchs wheelset - I like the classic look of Fuchs (like my 1970 911 -T)

My new non-S 991 was ordered with everything I like from Porsche : - White / Leather Sport Seats in Luxor Beige - Wheel Center Caps with colored Porsche Crest - Deletion of Model Designation - Smoking Package (non-smoker, but I like the lid plus the extra 12V outlet) - PDK - Sport Design Steering Wheel - Sport Chrono - Sport Exhaust Before ordering I tested cars with stock suspension versus PASM w/ PTV + and found the car with the stock suspension more nimble and more immediate in its responses. I never felt any benefits of PTV + (didn't track it at high speed though). After pick up, I plan to add: - Black high quality floor mats (to break up Porsche 's all-too-beige interior) - Das Shield - Clear Side Markers - Wheel spacers (as required to perfectly line up the wheels with the fenders)

has anyone here added wood to a car?

I'm assuming you mean on the inside? :taunt: I've seen some of the factory pieces added before and they are the same as adding one of the carbon fiber or plastic or aluminum look pieces, not too hard to do if you take your time and have some good tools.

Since my 2012 911 GTS came with several performance goodies as standard equipment ( Sport Chrono Plus, LSD , X51, Sport Exhaust , etc.) and also has a black full leather interior with red deviated stitching and alcantara delete, my initial outlay was for improving the interior appearance with additional black leather/red deviated stitching parts (purchased from Exclusive Option), carbon fiber center console, small trim pieces painted exterior color (Guards Red), leather sun visors without those blasted airbag warning stickers, heated multifunction carbon fiber and leather steering wheel, fire extinguisher, drilled pedals, voice control, and a bunch of similar stuff. My next upgrade will be a custom installed stealth radar detector/laser jammer. Before I lose my license!

Whatever it costs to get this.