996 Upgrades for Newbie

Hi All Just got back into a 911 after two years away with a number of other German & Jap specials. Bought it from an OPC as it was high spec, 1 owner, minter that I fell in love with despite the OPC price, however the service has been excellent since purchase 6 weeks ago ! Wanted to canvass some opinion on some upgrades I am considering. Spoke to a few tuners today re performance upgrades with two varied responses and large cost differentials: First company (AMD) said to get circa 30Bhp extra I need their Stage 1 kit at £4500 + Vat including Chip , Sports exhaust (sportec) and performance filter. Second Company (DMS) said no real power gains in their opinion from Exhaust and filter change but they had done 40 odd 996 with chip alone and seen circa 25Bhp. As I am looking for better sound when pushing on they said best option from noise perspective was Porsche Sports Exhaust plus their chip which they offered a fitted price for both at "well" under half the above fig which seemed like a bargain compared to the AMD deal for circa 5bhp less? Has anyone tried either of above companies with good or bad results ?? Anyone got any thoughts on the two different approaches or can you recommend any other options to consider ??? As an aside the first thing I had done on collecting car was have the Audio upgraded by a company in North London called Auto Audio. The results for a fairly small outlay were absolutely amazing sound wise and the quality of work was fantastic with nothing cut or bodged and all equipment installed within original housings with all trim put back as factory intended. The amps were installed on a false floor in the boot to avoid any drilling or cutting original trim about, this was then covered to allow normal use of boot. Upon inspection you cannot detect any of upgrades as company have covered everything in matching cloth so as to blend with boot trim etc. I did have an additional base source added which company covered in Savannah leather to match trim. Speakers are the top end Morrel component units and the clarity and sound from these are fantastic ! Look forward to any suggestions re power upgrades.

Had the DMS done at Andover branch, they were not very efficient al ot of unhappy customers the day I was there. Car felt a bit quicker but in reality it was not worth the money. They could have not done a thing to the car and it would be difficult to tell. Rev limit went up though! Jon

Thanks Jon , appreciate your comments, leaning towards just the Porsche Sports Exhaust plus a new filter and leaving chip tuning alone based on your comments and cost of AMD work! Just need to find a good deal on PSE now ! Chris.

I think you are wise to leave the chip thing alone, warrany & re-sale issues out weigh the small gains...in my opinion! If you are a sports car enthusiast the sports exhaust is a must have, it transforms the interaction with the car, there are a host of different ones to choose from, but the great thing about the Porsche item is it is switchable, so you can be "quiet" if you want to (track days, neighbours etc). The only down side is the price when you include the labour to fit the switch, also no warranty issues! Remember if you get an aftermarket system be sure to KEEP the original exhaust for re-sale. It won't add much grunt...BUT it will sound much faster !!! I'm not a fan of aftermarket air filters on standard cars, some can actually reduce power by drawing air from a hot engine bay & they will let more dirt into the engine. Are you a press on driver ? If you are the (030) 10mm lowered sports suspension is a must have for improved handling & cross country pace, it will make the car quicker point to point than a few more bhp. Check your car (under bonnet or in service book) to see if your car has it, the 030 should be listed with the other option codes. It does make the ride more "bumpy" but is worth it, there is also a 30mm drop (as per the GT3) but this is VERY firm on road & better for track work.

There was a supercharger pack available from the States for the equivalent of around £5,000 in one of the Porsche magazines a few months back...gives the 996 a 0-60 of 4.1 odd seconds....sounds like the best value for money to me...I'll try and find the article if you're interested.

Grant Rodney Thanks for your comments , spoke to another respected specialist again today and he also advised against chip tuning and again said exhaust would be the way to go to avoid any issues with Porsche warranty. So i have found specialist to supply sports exhaust and new filter element (bmc). Again the general opinion seemed to be that the induction kits make the car a lot noisier but do not really benefit BHP noticeably. Haggled a bit and got a great package deal fitted for cash, so having it fitted this Friday and already looking forward to the weekend ! Grant checked my spec and no 030 option , however 996 seems a lot lot firmer than previous 993's so this has put me off possible lowering kit to improve handling. If anyone has any experience of suspension upgrades that dont make ride too firm but lower by 20-30mm please let me know however I still have kids to think about on the weekend so really does need to offer supple ride. Thanks again for helping with the decision..........

There is a write up in this months EVO magazine on a DMS 996TT.