981 Boxster Sports Exhaust (PSE) woes - any advice? - Page 5 - Porsche General - PistonHeads UK

Dear Porsche PHers, This is my first post here but I've been a long time browser of the site and know that if anyone can help me, this is the place to ask! I've just taken delivery of a 981 Boxster S (Guards Red, chrono, PDK, PASM - lots of toys, lovely motor) with the PSE option ticked. The one thing most people seem united about on all matters Porsche-related is that, when given the option, tick the PSE box on the spec sheet, but I'm really regretting this choice. The exhaust sounds great when you're pressing on, but there is a persistent drone between 2k and 3k rpm which makes cruising a literal headache. Also, unlike other cars with PSE that I've played with, the button seems to do almost nothing - pressing it results in no "extra" noise, even when pressing on (for comparison, you get much more difference switching my 997.2 Turbo to "Sport", even though it doesn't have 'flaps' or a sports exhaust!). I was assuming that the car would be quiet on a cruise and then crazy when I pushed the button and "made progress", but unfortunately it is just noisy all the time which reduces the all-round ability of the car considerably. At first, I thought my PSE exhaust was broken - perhaps the flaps were stuck open, but Porsche assure me that the system is working correctly (i.e. the flaps are being actuated) and that the "system is loud". What I cannot fathom is why they bother with the button - pressing mine seems to achieve nothing else apart from lighting up an LED next to the button (possibly slightly more pops and bangs on the overrun, but that's presumably a fuelling thing not an exhaust thing). What's the point of the button? Are there are any other 981 owners out there with PSE? Is their experience the same, or is my system malfunctioning? I'm really hoping that mine is "broken" because I can't face using this car as a daily (long distance) driver. My Porsche Centre have very kindly offered to swap the exhaust with the standard one off their demo car for free, but that still leaves me out of pocket on the option and feeling quite disgruntled that the PSE was mis-sold to me. Surely the whole point of having a switchable exhaust is that it gets louder or quieter depending on whether it is activated or not, and the difference is very perceptible to justify the engineering and expense of having valves in the system. Apologies for the long post and the act of heresy by being the first person to ever document a dislike of PSE (!), but I'd really appreciate any thoughts and advice from you Porsche experts. Is the PSE working as you'd expect, or do I have a legitimate gripe? Many thanks in advance! Anthony.

Congrats on the new 981, sorry to hear about the PSE issue though. It sounds unusual, although I've only driven PSE on a 991S not a 981 - the experience was as you describe what you expected though. It wasn't actually 'quiet' when not on, but there was a difference it would be very difficult to miss when it was turned on. Does the OPC have any other current-generation PSE cars that you could try to compare (if you haven't already)? Could it be a mileage issue if it's brand new - I seem to remember talk about the sound changing over the first few hundred miles or so. S

How many miles had you done? My PSE button only seemed to really do anything after a couple of hundred miles.

Edited as I had posted a load of Shoite - sorry! Edited by nsm3 on Wednesday 17th October 16:33

Thanks for the advice guys, the car has done 1,400 miles - I've not really noticed any changes since I've had it beyond the fact that the drone gets noticeably louder over a few hours on a motorway cruise, presumably as everything heat soaks and expands. @Mutt -- does your exhaust note change at all if you press the PSE button at idle? You have to rev the ar$e off mine, and even then the difference is very small. Any drone on the motorway with yours? Mine is quieter in 6th than 7th. Hmmm, I wonder if the exhaust was tuned for the M6 and the PDK ratios are different. Alternatively, perhaps I'm getting old ;-) ...

At idle it gets slightly deeper, slightly more resonant. The fireworks are when lifting off at medium-to-high revs and just when flooring it. Effect is more pronounced when the car is hot. I notice little drone when on or off. I suggest you go to the OPC

tonyj74 said: Thanks for the advice guys, the car has done 1,400 miles - I've not really noticed any changes since I've had it beyond the fact that the drone gets noticeably louder over a few hours on a motorway cruise, presumably as everything heat soaks and expands. @Mutt -- does your exhaust note change at all if you press the PSE button at idle? You have to rev the ar$e off mine, and even then the difference is very small. Any drone on the motorway with yours? Mine is quieter in 6th than 7th. Hmmm, I wonder if the exhaust was tuned for the M6 and the PDK ratios are different. Alternatively, perhaps I'm getting old ;-) ... Sorry to here of your woes, I'm certainly not a Porsche "expert" but I have a 991S and there is most definatly a difference when you press the button. Without button pressed very quiet in cabin, when pressed sounds like your description. Ask to take a drive in another vehicle to compare. Hope it gets sorted for you.

sounds like the flap is broken/stuck open , you can clearly hear the flap open on my car all be it's a Boxster Spyder.

Could be worth unplugging the solenoid and then driving it - at least then it *should* make a difference if its not broken. I.e, it will definitely be on.

Great advice but I'm struggling to find a Boxster S with PSE to compare it to - I'm not aware of any dealers that have them as demos. The dealer I bought it from had a look and said that both of the actuators were working on the exhaust. However, they agreed with me that it had no effect on the exhaust noise at all - I guess that could mean that the flaps aren't sealing internally even if they are being moved externally. They haven't had another car to compare it to as they've only just started delivering them. Can anyone recommend an OPC that might be able to help? I'd be surprised if the new Boxster was the only car where the button was just decoration! I'm loathe to take PSE off until I'm sure they really are supposed to be like this...

I was a little disappointed with PSE in all honesty but I can tell the difference on idle it's just not a massive difference I was hoping it would improve after some miles, still under 1000 miles on ours. Talking of annoying things has anybody else noticed the monumentally annoying passenger seat belt buckle knocking as you drive along, Christ it's bugging me!!!! Where abouts are you?

Uh oh, I haven't noticed anything with seatbelt buckles - I hope I don't now! I'm based in London and Cambridge. Porsche in Cambridge were as helpful as they could be but none of their demos have PSE (and I didn't buy the car from them so didn't feel that I could be too pushy). Andy - do you find yours drones on the motorway cruise? To be honest, it is that which is the biggest issue for me - I bought the car as a daily driver based on a test of a boxster s without PSE: a sensible enough car to cruise in but with potential for fun when required. My car gives me a headache after 50 miles - it reminds me of my old scooby with a 4" straight through on it. I really appreciate everyone's input - this is the first car I've ever bought new and I didn't expect it to be this stressful!

tonyj74 said: Uh oh, I haven't noticed anything with seatbelt buckles - I hope I don't now! I'm based in London and Cambridge. Porsche in Cambridge were as helpful as they could be but none of their demos have PSE (and I didn't buy the car from them so didn't feel that I could be too pushy). Andy - do you find yours drones on the motorway cruise? To be honest, it is that which is the biggest issue for me - I bought the car as a daily driver based on a test of a boxster s without PSE: a sensible enough car to cruise in but with potential for fun when required. My car gives me a headache after 50 miles - it reminds me of my old scooby with a 4" straight through on it. I really appreciate everyone's input - this is the first car I've ever bought new and I didn't expect it to be this stressful! I have a 991 with PSE and the drone between 2k and 3k revs with the exhaust activated is very apparent with roof on, less so with roof off. I agree the drone is unpleasant. But I can switch back to off and the exhaust becomes barely audible. It sounds very much as though your exhaust is stuck in the "active" position. Definitely, take to an OPC for re-diagnosis. Something ain't right

Ah I'm in Leicester so not close, we could of compared cars, I haven't noticed the drone but it's the wife's car and my experiences tend to be a blast along a b road! As said when pressing the exhaust button at idle there is a noticeable change in tone, so it sounds like something is not right

AndyBrew said: I was a little disappointed with PSE in all honesty but I can tell the difference on idle it's just not a massive difference I was hoping it would improve after some miles, still under 1000 miles on ours. Talking of annoying things has anybody else noticed the monumentally annoying passenger seat belt buckle knocking as you drive along, Christ it's bugging me!!!! Where abouts are you? first thing I noticed. 2 possible solutions: - move buckle up to top using horizontal plastic retainer - put some felt pads (stuff you use for furniture legs) on the 'b pillar' where the belt hits the plastic part

SFO said: AndyBrew said: I was a little disappointed with PSE in all honesty but I can tell the difference on idle it's just not a massive difference I was hoping it would improve after some miles, still under 1000 miles on ours. Talking of annoying things has anybody else noticed the monumentally annoying passenger seat belt buckle knocking as you drive along, Christ it's bugging me!!!! Where abouts are you? first thing I noticed. 2 possible solutions: - move buckle up to top using horizontal plastic retainer - put some felt pads (stuff you use for furniture legs) on the 'b pillar' where the belt hits the plastic part I've also noticed the rattle - very annoying. I just put the clip in the buckle. Cheers

AndyBrew said: I was a little disappointed with PSE in all honesty but I can tell the difference on idle it's just not a massive difference I was hoping it would improve after some miles, still under 1000 miles on ours. Talking of annoying things has anybody else noticed the monumentally annoying passenger seat belt buckle knocking as you drive along, Christ it's bugging me!!!! Where abouts are you? I have a new 981 still only 300 miles but I can say that turning on and off the exhaust switch it certainly makes a difference much deeper getting more so as hotter, a bit of a drone on the motorway but in 7th nearly goes and if off almost nothing. Not sure what to expect with pse on ?? Seatbelt rattle very common mine from day two, I put a little bit of felt on the back and cured ( pound shop table leg floor protectors) .

Do any of you guys with PSE on your 981 S nearer live near to London or Cambridge and have a spare half an hour to compare notes? I'd be very happy to come to you whenever is convenient to see if there really is something wrong with my motor or I just have overly sensitive ears! Thanks, Anthony.

You have mail.

Thanks Mutt! Received and responded...

tonyj74 said: Dear Porsche PHers, This is my first post here but I've been a long time browser of the site and know that if anyone can help me, this is the place to ask! I've just taken delivery of a 981 Boxster S (Guards Red, chrono, PDK, PASM - lots of toys, lovely motor) with the PSE option ticked. The one thing most people seem united about on all matters Porsche-related is that, when given the option, tick the PSE box on the spec sheet, but I'm really regretting this choice. The exhaust sounds great when you're pressing on, but there is a persistent drone between 2k and 3k rpm which makes cruising a literal headache. Also, unlike other cars with PSE that I've played with, the button seems to do almost nothing - pressing it results in no "extra" noise, even when pressing on (for comparison, you get much more difference switching my 997.2 Turbo to "Sport", even though it doesn't have 'flaps' or a sports exhaust!). I was assuming that the car would be quiet on a cruise and then crazy when I pushed the button and "made progress", but unfortunately it is just noisy all the time which reduces the all-round ability of the car considerably. At first, I thought my PSE exhaust was broken - perhaps the flaps were stuck open, but Porsche assure me that the system is working correctly (i.e. the flaps are being actuated) and that the "system is loud". What I cannot fathom is why they bother with the button - pressing mine seems to achieve nothing else apart from lighting up an LED next to the button (possibly slightly more pops and bangs on the overrun, but that's presumably a fuelling thing not an exhaust thing). What's the point of the button? Are there are any other 981 owners out there with PSE? Is their experience the same, or is my system malfunctioning? I'm really hoping that mine is "broken" because I can't face using this car as a daily (long distance) driver. My Porsche Centre have very kindly offered to swap the exhaust with the standard one off their demo car for free, but that still leaves me out of pocket on the option and feeling quite disgruntled that the PSE was mis-sold to me. Surely the whole point of having a switchable exhaust is that it gets louder or quieter depending on whether it is activated or not, and the difference is very perceptible to justify the engineering and expense of having valves in the system. Apologies for the long post and the act of heresy by being the first person to ever document a dislike of PSE (!), but I'd really appreciate any thoughts and advice from you Porsche experts. Is the PSE working as you'd expect, or do I have a legitimate gripe? Many thanks in advance! Anthony. Sacrilege that you don't worship at the altar of PSE?? Burn him!! On a more serious note - it sounds like it's wide open (similar to unplugging the control unit) - which I did to my 997C2S so that it was loud all the time. I run my GT3 the same way .... On the 997 / 987 - I think the default position is open when there is no pressure in the vacuum hoses / switch that controls the exhaust valves. Normally the system would be pressurised (quiet) after a brief period when starting up (button unpressed), so when you press the button it actuates a switch that releases the inlet vacuum pressure and lets the valves swing open. Presto, noisy! You should really be able to hear the difference at idle, plus when blipping the throttle, so out of interest, which button are you pressing?

I'm surprised I wasn't immediately banned for even hinting at a dislike for PSE!!! I've certainly loved it in other cars (and missed it on the Turbo)! The button I'm pressing is the one with the picture of the exhaust on it - the OPC confirmed that the actuators do their thing when the button is pressed so as far as they're concerned, the system is "working". However, it makes no difference to the noise at idle and almost nothing if you rev the ar$se off it - less than the difference between Sport and non-sport on my 997.2 Turbo. The biggest chance is the pops and bangs you get when you lift off, which is highly amusing but not worth the entry price of a headache every time I do 200 miles on the motorway, especially given how nice the non-PSE car was that I borrowed for the weekend. Sticking it in 4th and pulling from 1.5k rpm, you can't hear the difference when switching it on and off as you're accelerating and it drones away at 2k rpm as if the flaps _are_ open irrespective of whether it is activated or not. The problem right now is that the dealers don't have anything to compare to and even they are giving me different advice. Mutt has kindly offered to let me compare notes so I think that's my next step. If Mutt's PSE sounds the same then we'll know that I am indeed a heretic who deserves to be burnt at the stake! Sounds like an odd thing to say, but I really hope there's something wrong with mine!! Thanks for the info - I'll post more if I discover anything else... Cheers, Anthony.

Definately wouldn't expect drone in any modern "every day" sports car like a boxster, 997 or M3 etc. with manufacturer exhaust system etc. Once you compare I reckon you'll find your system is faulty - do report back !

I dont have the booming/drone and at 600 miles also thought that the pse button only made a minor change then as i passed through my own milage barrier i switched to sport mode - now listen to it..huge difference with spit backs on the overun, deep meaningful rumblings much more character etc..I normally cant be bothered with sport buttons but its now a default for me now when i want to have some fun. keith Edited by huytonman on Thursday 18th October 17:22

Hi all, Thanks for all the input - here's the next update... Mutt very kindly met with me so we could compare the sound of our cars. We both instantly felt that my car was louder, irrespective of any sport or PSE settings - much dronier, with more bass even on part throttle. By contrast, Mutt's car sounds perfect - exactly what I was expecting from my PSE: it is unobtrusive until you press on and then sounds amazing; one thing I didn't realise was that the manual transmission seems to give the car even more excuse to pop and bang on the overrun - it sounded awesome! In both our cars, the actual PSE button seems to do very little - it is the exhaust system itself which is providing all the aural pleasure, the flaps add maybe ~10% to the top end but you have to be really pressing on to notice the difference and you still get all the pops and bangs in sport mode irrespective of the exhaust settings. I tried to get some decibel measurements for comparison, but it was pretty hard to do scientifically - it looks like his is about 5dbA quieter around 2k rpm (or 10dbC, if that's relevant - unfortunately I'm not a sound engineer) on the same piece of road I measured mine on (top up, all sport / PSE buttons off). His car is a 6MT which means that he's doing higher revs on the motorway than my PDK, so if anything, I would have expected his car to be at least as loud, if not louder at any particular speed, but it always sounded and measured quieter on part-throttle. It seems like his 6th is very close to my 6th - it doesn't look like Porsche have spaced the ratios differently on the manual car (we didn't measure accurately, it just seemed pretty similar). Realistically, apart from the "toys" that PDK provides, one of its best features could ironically be economy! I still like the PDK for a car that I'm planning on using as a daily driver, but if you're getting the Boxster as a second car, or want the most fun, I think the 6 speed is still the way to go! So what does all this mean?! Well, having hoped that there would be something "wrong" with my car I now find myself in a slightly confusing situation. It seems to be functioning as designed in that there is no difference in the way the buttons work (and most importantly, the PSE button doesn't do much in either car). However, there is quite clearly a perceptible (and measurable) difference in the noise between the two cars on part throttle cruise - Mutt's strikes the perfect balance between sportiness and long-term "cruisability" whereas mine just gives me a headache after 100 miles! The cars both run PASM and the same 20" wheels and tyres, so all of the noise differences come from the engine (and indeed, mine is perfectly acceptable when off throttle) so the only significant difference in terms of sound is the transmission. Is the exhaust tuned to match the ratios of the 6 speed? That might be a contributory factor, but we compared noise across the same speed as well as same rpms and Mutt's car is still a chunk quieter and less boomy at the same rpms in the same gear (I compared readings in his car at 2k rpm in 6th to readings in my car at 2k rpm in 6th). So, however you cut it, although my car isn't manifestly "broken", something is certainly wrong with it. I'd be very surprised if Porsche's quality control thresholds would result in these two cars being "acceptable" - we're talking about a difference that Mutt noticed within a 100 yards of pulling away. I'll go back to my OPC and report my findings, but I can see this being a difficult thing to progress - I can't point my finger to any particular thing and say "fix it", I can simply raise the issue that the car is noisier than other PSE cars and falls below the quality level I'd expect from a Porsche. Generally, the OPCs don't seem to have seen enough of these PSE equipped cars to be in a position to judge my claim which will make it hard to move things forward. My next step is to discuss the options with the OPC and see where we get to - I shall report back!! Lastly, I just wanted to say a massive thank you to Mutt for his time and for letting me hitch a ride in his motor - a great looking and sounding car. What a top bloke! Watch this space! Cheers, Anthony.

Curiouser and curiouser ...

Not a problem, hopefully the results will help. Your car was definitely louder than my car, it was obvious as soon as we got rolling. Louder in a boomier way, sadly. Was good to meet you anyway, keep us updated with what Porsche say. As a bonus, I had a cracking drive back and discovered an awesome road. Karma?

There seems to be a spread in what Porsche deems "within acceptable limits" in most areas and it is not uncommon to find two apparently identical cars that behave differently. For example, I gather from a long-standing Porsche tech that the 997 steering racks were quite variable and that some cars drove markedly better than others. Some were so borderline that a rack change was required.

The OPC have been very helpful and have suggested that they swap the PSE for another one to see if that "fixes" the problem. I'll keep you posted on progress, although it might take a while to arrange. I'm still mostly glad that Mutt could tell the difference too and it wasn't me getting too old ;-) !! Cheers, Anthony.

FWIW the sound of the Boxster, Boxster S, and Boxster S with PSE are on the Porsche site here: http://www.porsche.com/uk/models/boxster/boxster-s... S

tonyj74 said: The OPC have been very helpful and have suggested that they swap the PSE for another one to see if that "fixes" the problem. I'll keep you posted on progress, although it might take a while to arrange. I'm still mostly glad that Mutt could tell the difference too and it wasn't me getting too old ;-) !! Cheers, Anthony. That's good news - hopefully it will fix it. If not, then it could be a more unique resonance problem which could be tough to solve...

Shame yours seems to be playing up. I know a comparison with 981 is more relevant but on my 987 Box Spyder the button makes a massive difference. It is obvious at idle when the button is pressed. On the move, switched off it sounds pathetic even deep into the rev range. Button pressed, it is amazing and the bangs and pops lifting off are epic. No real booming. It really makes the car with PSE, couldn't imagine it without it. I do fancy trying the mod to have it on all the time and make the switch redundant.

DS240 said: I do fancy trying the mod to have it on all the time and make the switch redundant. Mines been like it for best part of a year. Sounds even better again I think, for some reason. 10 minutes of your time is all it takes.

Hey all, haven't really posted much on here but I do check in now and again. I have had my 981s manual since june and have been waiting for the PSE as an option to retrofit, even with the standard exhaust there is a noticeable difference between driving in normal vs sport + and hence find myself cruising around in sport + just because i love the sound of the crackles and pops. Sounds like you have indeed gotten a dodgy exhaust. Seeing that your dealership has offered to swap the exhaust for you do they have another one spare that I can acquire? Have been pestering west london with no luck..

Hey smoores - I'll check with them and let you know. I do know that they think it will take a while to get PSE in from Germany but I'll keep you posted on my progress!

tonyj74 said: Hey smoores - I'll check with them and let you know. I do know that they think it will take a while to get PSE in from Germany but I'll keep you posted on my progress! Much appreciated

I have a 991 S with PSE.. the difference with button ON and button OFF.. is like night and day. Litterally.. especially at idle. Pretty quiet when OFF and absolutely no POPs on overrun.. but properly loud and POPs like crazy when on overrun.. I properly love it.. and when ON ppl really turn around surprised when i floor it how disrespectful.

The differences are interesting - based on the two (yup, count 'em!) 981 Boxsters with PSE that I've now experienced, this isn't the case in these - the difference between switching it on and off is quite subtle unless you're absolutely caning it. I think this is what caught me off guard with mine - it seems very different to other implementations of PSE on other cars; perhaps Porsche were addressing the general feeling that the older Boxsters weren't loud enough! I must confess that if I'd known how the system would have worked before I'd plumped up the cash for it, I would have thought twice. The appeal of PSE for me was always the dual nature of the experience, having a switch to choose how naughty (and loud) I want my exhaust to sound. Unlike all of the other Porsches I've experienced with PSE, IMO the PSE button (the switch, not the exhaust system itself) in the 981 seems like a bit of a gimmick - I have no idea why they bothered to engineer such a complicated set of pipes and actuators to have such a small effect on the overall sound - certainly, 90%+ of the sound comes from the system itself and not from any flaps that are moved. Driving a PSE-equipped car in Sport mode sounds pretty much the same with the PSE button on or off. It still doesn't seem right to me, but I think it is unlikely that the two cars I've experienced have exactly the same "fault", so I'm assuming it is by design. That being said, of course, it does sounds fantastic so I'm not really complaining. If I can get to the bottom of why mine drones so much compared to others and get that aspect fixed, I will be very happy with the noise, but I'm still curious to understand why the 981 has a seemingly very different implementation to the others though. As a complete aside, I took my 997.2 Turbo out for a spin yesterday - a bit of a shock after the Boxster! Suddenly, that cabin feels a bit dated and the tyre and wind noise is crazy compared to the Boxster (whose fabric roof seems to be quieter than a tin roof!). I'm sure the Turbo is "louder" than the Boxster on the cruise, but it is missing that horrible bassy drone that my Boxster has which stops it from being too wearing on the cruise. I must also confess that much as I love the handling and agility of the Boxster, there's nothing quite like a huge dollop of torque delivered through unbreakable 4wd traction. I can't fathom how impressive the 991 Turbo will be given how Porsche seem to have moved the game on so much with all of their new models.

rosino said: I have a 991 S with PSE.. the difference with button ON and button OFF.. is like night and day. Litterally.. You've got the wrong button there. You've obviously found the interior light switch.

Manks said: rosino said: I have a 991 S with PSE.. the difference with button ON and button OFF.. is like night and day. Litterally.. You've got the wrong button there. You've obviously found the interior light switch. Lol !

Don't give Porsche any ideas - they'll make interior lights a chargeable option ;-)

tonyj74 said: Don't give Porsche any ideas - they'll make interior lights a chargeable option ;-) Want lights in your vanity mirrors? Sir (or madam) will need the Light Design Package. Really.

Hi guys, Just a quick update to this thread... I met another Boxster S owner over the weekend - this time the car was equipped with PDK and PSE, exactly like mine. Subjectively, the noises were much more similar between these two cars than between mine and Mutt's. I'm fast coming to believe that the PSE was tuned for the 6 speed manual and that the different gearing in the PDK just doesn't quite match the resonant frequencies on a cruise in 7th. What we can all agree on is that, across all of the cars I've been in, the PSE button does very little (and pretty much nothing to the timbre or volume of the exhaust unless you're above 6k rpm), in direct contrast to PSE buttons on other models where you can tell that you've pushed the button immediately. For those of you who buy this car as a weekend toy or who spend most of your time on WOT, none of this will be a concern at all - the PSE does sound fantastic when you're pressing on, but I'm afraid, for me, it is at the expense of one of the other great characteristics of the car - that being as a great long-distance cruiser: I just find it too droney for the motorway - we're planning on taking ours on a couple of road trips next year, and my girlfriend said she'd prefer to take our 5 year-old 335D Touring instead - not a good sign! So, after much thinking, I've decided that the PSE needs to go (probably back to a standard exhaust) which may get me ostracised from these forums forever, but I'd prefer to sacrifice a bit of the loudness for the extra utility of not having a ringing sound in my ears. One positive thing I have learned is that the owners of the new 981s are a great bunch of guys and gals - every car I've experienced has been fantastic (although I've not sat in a single one which didn't make me wish I'd ticked different options!!) and they all look amazing and go like the clappers. None of my experience is shared by these other owners who all love the great pops and bangs that their cars make - I may very well be more sensitive to these things than others and I'm pleased that they're all enjoying their motors. My OPC is being super-helpful and is trying to resolve this and keep me happy - the current proposal is to swap the PSE for a non-PSE system at no charge, although this leaves me having paid (a lot) for an option that is no longer on my car. I find it a little galling that I've shelled out good money for a proper Porsche system, only to find that it really doesn't match the character of the car (with PDK) and that the Porsche dealers were uninformed that this PSE is very different to other options, especially on the previous Boxster. Caveat Emptor!! Any thoughts / advice on how to proceed? I don't want this single aspect of my first new car purchase to haunt the car which is fantastic in many other ways. Cheers, Anthony.

Someone might be willing to do an exchange for a standard one with some cash changing hands to you. I've got a manual and wished initially that I'd specced the PSE. Sorry but I think you've managed to change my mind on wanting one now. Good luck, i'm sure someone will do a deal if that's what you want.

I have a 991 PDK non-PSE and today have been driving a PSE equipped 991 PDK and to be honest, I wish I had the PSE on my car. I guess it's a whole different scenario comparing PSE on 991's to 981's.

ducgas said: Someone might be willing to do an exchange for a standard one with some cash changing hands to you. I've got a manual and wished initially that I'd specced the PSE. Sorry but I think you've managed to change my mind on wanting one now. Good luck, i'm sure someone will do a deal if that's what you want. that's the best plan .. should not be long before someone shows up surely

I'd give it a couple of months of driving before you rush into a decision - quite often you habituate to something quite irritating after a period of time...it may be just now that you're overly sensitive to the noise as you've been trying to get it fixed... If after a couple of months you still feel the same then move the part on?

Anthony. I may have missed something here but would you consider asking the OPC just to swap your pse for a new one on the basis yours might be broke? You noted Mutt's did not drone at cruise and then came alive at speed ie what you are looking for I think. This is exactly how mine is (on a 987.2s) and the button makes no difference at cruise and only when driving it hard. I would say at cruise it is no louder or boomier than the previous non- pse Box I had. So is not simply that the pipe on yours is unfortunately deffective but fortunately under warranty?

Hi gl20 - that was my initial assumption too, but I've since been in a PDK-exquipped 981 S and they were very similar, so I don't think there's anything wrong with my car and it is just unfortunate that the PSE is a better fit for the 6 speed because of the different gear ratios. I did consider "living with it", but this car was semi-justified on the basis that I'll be using it regularly and, for me at least, it doesn't fit the character of what I was after: I don't want to compromise the everyday practicality and all-round usability of the car for the extra aural stimulus (it isn't like the car isn't stimulating anyway!). I was given to believe that this was exactly what Porsche engineered PSE for - to provide the best of both worlds, with a switch to change between quiet and loud, but IMO they have not got the balance right in this new model. IMO, the Boxster is peerless at delivering the best blend of comfort, practicality, performance and reasonably economical open-top motoring, but the PSE on the PDK is too much - the 10% of the time I spend at WOT doesn't compensate for the 90% of time I'm cruising on long trips wishing it was quieter. That being said, everyone else I've spoken with is very happy with their PSE and there's no denying that it sounds fantastic when you're giving it the beans. Perhaps, I'm just a grumpy old sod with sensitive ears (I did find myself complaining that the cinema was too loud the other day), but I'm looking forward to quietening things down and the OPC have been extremely helpful in sorting things out for me. Cheers, Anthony.

tonyj74 said: Hi gl20 - that was my initial assumption too, but I've since been in a PDK-exquipped 981 S and they were very similar, so I don't think there's anything wrong with my car and it is just unfortunate that the PSE is a better fit for the 6 speed because of the different gear ratios. I did consider "living with it", but this car was semi-justified on the basis that I'll be using it regularly and, for me at least, it doesn't fit the character of what I was after: I don't want to compromise the everyday practicality and all-round usability of the car for the extra aural stimulus (it isn't like the car isn't stimulating anyway!). I was given to believe that this was exactly what Porsche engineered PSE for - to provide the best of both worlds, with a switch to change between quiet and loud, but IMO they have not got the balance right in this new model. IMO, the Boxster is peerless at delivering the best blend of comfort, practicality, performance and reasonably economical open-top motoring, but the PSE on the PDK is too much - the 10% of the time I spend at WOT doesn't compensate for the 90% of time I'm cruising on long trips wishing it was quieter. That being said, everyone else I've spoken with is very happy with their PSE and there's no denying that it sounds fantastic when you're giving it the beans. Perhaps, I'm just a grumpy old sod with sensitive ears (I did find myself complaining that the cinema was too loud the other day), but I'm looking forward to quietening things down and the OPC have been extremely helpful in sorting things out for me. Cheers, Anthony. Seems a shame to take off a PSE when firstly the car left the factory with it and secondly many buyers will want it. I bet it's possible to quieten the thing down, with the judicious insertion of some sort of baffle material.

Anthony - My first test drive was in a 3.4 "S" with PDK but no sports exhaust. It did however have sports chrono and upon my return to the dealer I said how disappointed I was, as the exhaust note was not as good as My 2001 "S" which had a deep howl as increasing revs through the gears. Furthermore, the rather farty popping when lifting off was totally lacking in timbre and sounded too high pitched. It was this that made my mind up to spec manual with PSE and I must say that the sound is simply awesome and no discomfort on motorways. I am guessing that you may have a point that the PSE combined with a manual box for whatever reason actually is worth the £1483. I for one would not be without it and with it there is absolutley no need to waste money on a sound system, mine hasn't been on!!

Anthony, FWIW I drove a 3.4 manual with PSE today. I have a 3.4 PDK without PSE which I've done over 2,000 miles in, so I know what the standard exhaust is like. I didn't order PSE at the time because there were no demo cars with it and I had to draw the line somewhere re options, but I've always been intrigued. Well it wasn't what I expected, or perhaps it's exactly what I should've expected having read your experiences. Briefly, it was the presence of the PSE system that made all the difference, not the button. The button did make the sound deeper and more resonant, but the actual character of the system was there whether the button was on or off. Louder, rortier (can that be used for a non-Alfa?), burbling, popping, wailing..... it did all this even with the button off. It sounded insane, and amazing (although whether that's what I'd want all the time is another matter and not what I intended to explore here). But it was totally different to the stock exhaust, with the button making just a slight difference to it. I think I expected the same as you did - that with the button off it would be like the stock exhaust. I didn't do any motorway style driving, only 15 miles of A and B roads, but I don't think the PDK vs manual distinction is relevant, given how different I found it. Anyway, not sure if this helps at all, but it's another experience which seems to follow what you've found. So sadly, for you, yours might not be faulty. S

For me the PSE is great, yes a bit of a drone on long trips but I just turn it off, For interest so was my old RS and my 430, infact my 430 was always in my ear as you could not turn it off. Fact is most sports car owners want the sporty sound of an exhaust, but also fact is it can get on your nerves. I suppose depends what you want in a sports car.

What about driving it in 6th gear instead?!

mnk303 said: For me the PSE is great, yes a bit of a drone on long trips but I just turn it off, For interest so was my old RS and my 430, infact my 430 was always in my ear as you could not turn it off. Fact is most sports car owners want the sporty sound of an exhaust, but also fact is it can get on your nerves. I suppose depends what you want in a sports car. The E46 M3 standard exhaust gives you both - zero drone when at a steady speed and full on rasp when pressing on...any drone is down to slack engineering / design IMHO.

As I said earlier I have been wanting to fit a PSE to my manual S for a while and the dealerships are still not coming up with the goods. Do we know that your system is 100% correct and if fitted to a manual would exhibit all the correct pops and bangs ? If so i would definitely be willing to try and work something out..

Hey smoores, As far as I know my exhaust is/was fine - my OPC is swapping it over with the standard exhaust off their demo model so I can't help you out with your quest (although they might actually have a spare one in stock IIRC). I'm disappointed that the PSE isn't a good fit for my requirements on the car (and I still find it frustrating that the actual button doesn't do anything), but the OPC have been brilliant and we've reached a mutually beneficial resolution. I'm excited about getting the car back with less drone and resigned to a life of being shunned for being the only person in history to take a PSE _off_ a Porsche! Cheers, Anthony.

After having driven my PDK and PSE equipped S, I also noticed a drone around 2000 to 2200 RPM in 7th gear which translates to about 70 km/h. Is that about the range you noticed it? And I also could not tell a lot of difference at below 4500 RPM in terms of sound with the button on or off... but the car does sound fantastic. I have not been able to test it for the last 2 weeks because it now sits in Germany waiting for a ship to bring it across the pond. Here is a video of mine with PSE on driving on the Bormio side of Stelvio if anyone wants to hear how it sounds: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2f5RbgO1ao

Anthony which is your OPC? very very keen to get one fitted..

also if you haven't done the swap yet I would love to get in there, obviously willing to pay an amount for the exhaust as well (mine has the shiny tips btw)

Mine is in the process of being switched over as we speak so it is too late for me to go any other route (and in any case, the OPC have worked extremely hard to keep me happy so I'd like to see it through with them). I've been dealing with Alan at Exeter - I think they got a spare PSE in just in case mine was faulty (it wasn't) so it might still be sitting on their shelf! Good luck with your search! As everyone says, it does sound fantastic, but the button does pretty much nothing which was the disappointment for me: I hoped that I could have the sound when I wanted it but no drone when it was switched off, but that's simply not how it works in this model - you get pretty much 100% of the sound whether it is switched on or not. My car simply spends too much of its time on a cruise for me to put up with the drone for the sake of the times I would love having that soundtrack behind me when pressing on. It definitely is a personal thing but I'll enjoy the car more this way round! Cheers, Anthony.

Ok, no worries. Will give them a call tomorrow. Thanks for the info though

Small update, the spare exhaust is being fitted on Monday. Thanks for the help, much appreciated

smoores said: Small update, the spare exhaust is being fitted on Monday. Thanks for the help, much appreciated Cool - let us know how you get on drone wise - interested in the outcome of auto vs. manual !!!

steve singh said: Cool - let us know how you get on drone wise - interested in the outcome of auto vs. manual !!! Will do, gonna do a before and after vid as well for pure sound comparison.

Another update which I found interesting. I currently have the sports tailpipes on my stock exhaust. Turns out these are exactly the same as the PSE ones and you can order the PSE system minus tailpipes if this is the case.

Interesting. I am still following this thread. Keep the updates coming.

Here is the before vid. Super excited about monday. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfK99AHLCzI&fea...

Hello 981ers I've got a 981S manual with pse, and to be honest it does not sound anything like as good as any of the clips or videos I have heard - main examples I have used are shmee150's blue aqua blue one on YouTube or the porsche website. Really despondent - it's one of the biggest reasons I bought the car. Took it in today and the salesman and mechanic both more or less said. " it's working - give it a few more thousand miles" (I've done 900) Is mileage a big factor here or have I been fobbed off? Great car otherwise, don't get me wrong, but I'm a noise man first and foremost. Cheers Paxto

Ah I remember this thread! I suppose I should do given I met the OP at Porsche Cambridge to compare noises... As I mentioned last year, when my car was brand spanking PSE was a bit disappointing. It took a couple of hundred miles for the noise to really get going, but by the time we'd got from picking the car up at Porsche Mid-Sussex to North Wales it was making exactly the right noises. For maximum noise, you really need to have the car hot. Best noises come from a good thrashing. Also, blipping on downshifts is mandatory. The overrun is also entertaining, worth experimenting with a few lifts of the throttle at high RPM. If it's not sounding like a rice-based breakfast cereal, something is amiss. It should be loud. Hope this helps.

Mutt, Thanks I remember a few of your threads. Car is new ish I've been running it in as per running in advice on another thread. 4000 rpm - occasionally 5k. Done 950 miles now. How many miles are we talking, I'm not sure I can wait a few thousand more as I don't do that many miles. Took it to the OP at Hatfield who rolled out a 2000 mile PDK with pse which was a wee bit better, but not much to be honest. Cos that one was more or less the same I felt like I was complaining about nothing, and that's just how they are. Today after visiting hatfield I gave it some beans up to 6-7000 rpm - hoping it would "unblock" something and make it crackle as well as pop. It sounds good and pops, but still lacks that certain "evilness" that's in the crackle and the cackle that I see on every video I watch . I want EVIL. :-)

Paxto said: Mutt, Thanks I remember a few of your threads. Car is new ish I've been running it in as per running in advice on another thread. 4000 rpm - occasionally 5k. Done 950 miles now. How many miles are we talking, I'm not sure I can wait a few thousand more as I don't do that many miles. Took it to the OP at Hatfield who rolled out a 2000 mile PDK with pse which was a wee bit better, but not much to be honest. Cos that one was more or less the same I felt like I was complaining about nothing, and that's just how they are. Today after visiting hatfield I gave it some beans up to 6-7000 rpm - hoping it would "unblock" something and make it crackle as well as pop. It sounds good and pops, but still lacks that certain "evilness" that's in the crackle and the cackle that I see on every video I watch . I want EVIL. :-) Run it in, drive it properly for a while and then let someone else drive it whilst you listen from the side of the road. The car will sound different from how you think it sounds.

OK, hands up. Mine does not have PSE but it is loud and crackly on overrun and deliciously, metallically rorty on acceleration/. Excellent.

Bennachie said: OK, hands up. Mine does not have PSE but it is loud and crackly on overrun and deliciously, metallically rorty on acceleration/. Excellent. You sure you've not got an 'ole in it?

Zyp said: Bennachie said: OK, hands up. Mine does not have PSE but it is loud and crackly on overrun and deliciously, metallically rorty on acceleration/. Excellent. You sure you've not got an 'ole in it?

Maybe you've got my missing PSE lol

Something certainly does sound wrong, as mine is very noticeably different with the PSE switched on (also on a manual S). The exhaust note changes completely (when higher up the rev range) and it pops and crackles all the time. Put it in Sport mode too and it becomes almost anti-social, loads of big pops, bangs and noises

Zyp said: You sure you've not got an 'ole in it? Actually two.... Both in the centre of the car, at the back. There are six other 'oles leading through a large alloy thing............

Well mine has now done just over 2,200 miles (so fully run in) and when hot is almost anti-social, when driving down high streets in a low gear and then lifting off suddenly. I've watched people jump at the pops & bangs on the over-run, but it's even better at 7,750rpm in a tunnel! I love it! Howver for the first 500 to 1,000 miles it was much quieter until it "sooted up" ...... still noticeable, but much quieter!

Had no problems with my PSE. In fact I am now using it to cover up the irritating squeaking coming from the passenger airbag cover and the creaking from my seat... Love the car's dynamics, not so impressed by the cabin quality...

Not far short of 7000 mls. now, in manual 981 "S" with PSE. Sport button pressed and Derbyshire Dales for the weekend, sunshine all the way. On overun the rooks thought they were being shot at!! How good does it get!

Good morning fellow Rice Crispy fans, Thanks for the responses. Few more hundred miles, been taking it out gratuitously on the m1 in blatantly low gears to give it a damn good work out. Not a great deal of change really, and I don't do a lot of miles so the prospect of "giving it a few more thousand miles" as suggested by porsche isn't that appealing if the problem isn't going to be cured by more miles. So been driving it lot harder and further - I've had the lift off backfire/gunfire since day one but no sign of the crackle/rattle which is the really infectious sound for me. Two questions: 1. Anyone with a rorty pse in North west London to compare mine with? 2 How many miles do you need to put on the clock before you start getting the full symphony of snap crackle and pop? Cheers Arthur

Hi Arthur, Mine popped, banged and crackled right from day one. I had the opposite problem to you; I just found it too loud and droney to live with on a day to day basis. I did 3,000 miles on it before I gave up and had it swapped for a normal exhaust, but I honestly don't think it changed much in that time. A couple of guys on here very kindly let me listen to their cars and the exhausts were all pretty similar - which me realise that describing these things accurately is very difficult as it depends on peoples' interpretations and their expectations vs the reality. I'm afraid my suspicion is that if it isn't playing the full symphony now then it is unlikely to change much but listening to other cars really helped make my mind up about how I wanted to proceed so I think your approach is the best one - see how yours compares to other peoples'. Good luck - I hope it works out. (I'm based in South London but as I now longer have a PSE, I'm not sure how much use that will be for you!). Cheers, Anthony.

I have also found that the PSE button doesn't seem to make much difference on my 981 Cayman S. However I find the noise acceptable whether set to loud or not so loud. On a couple of track days my son and I did in France this Summer where Sport Plus Mode was on, the car was very much louder on the outside (which I heard when my son was driving) than it was inside the car when I was driving. In fact it was as loud as GT3s which were also on the track day. There also appears to be an increase in noise when the revs go above about 4,500 - when there is a definite step up in power as well, which I assume to be the cam changing. The car has PDK and on the road I normally have it in Sport Mode as I like the increased sensitivity of the throttle pedal and, however the PSE is set, it makes a very nice noise!

So having read this thread through, it seems that get the full benefit of PSE you also needs sports chrono for the pops and bangs. Is that right? I have PSE but not sports chrono. PSE button makes it sound louder, but not much sign of artillery.

griffter said: So having read this thread through, it seems that get the full benefit of PSE you also needs sports chrono for the pops and bangs. Is that right? I have PSE but not sports chrono. PSE button makes it sound louder, but not much sign of artillery. I have a manual 981S without sport chrono, and PSE sounds fantastic, especially with the Sport button pushed in...crackles and bangs included.

monamimate said: I have a manual 981S without sport chrono, and PSE sounds fantastic, especially with the Sport button pushed in...crackles and bangs included. Perhaps I am confused (only 2 weeks in to ownership) - but the 987 only gets a sports button with sports chrono (I thought). I don't have a sports button, that's for sure.

griffter said: monamimate said: I have a manual 981S without sport chrono, and PSE sounds fantastic, especially with the Sport button pushed in...crackles and bangs included. Perhaps I am confused (only 2 weeks in to ownership) - but the 987 only gets a sports button with sports chrono (I thought). I don't have a sports button, that's for sure. My 981 definitely has a sport button and no chrono... Sharpens up throttle response etc. Don't know how it was in the 987.

griffter said: So having read this thread through, it seems that get the full benefit of PSE you also needs sports chrono for the pops and bangs. Is that right? I have PSE but not sports chrono. PSE button makes it sound louder, but not much sign of artillery. Sport Chrono gives you the Sport Plus button, which has a more aggressive gearshift program. If the noise you're after is shift-related then it seems possible that SC/SP will give you that effect. The PSE 981s I've driven didn't have SC though so no experience of the two together. S

I don't have Sport Chrono on my manual 981 Boxster, but I found Sport Plus mode too extreme for the road in the PDK demonstrator I had for a day, unless you like driving almost bouncing off the rev limiter in every gear that is However, back on topic this is my experience with the sports exhaust PSE off, Sport off - quite civilised, no pops / bangs. Good for motorways PSE on, Sport off - much harder edge to the exhaust note, sounds miles better IMO. Some pops and bangs when lifting off at almost any revs, more of a burble at lower revs. The setting I choose 95% of the time when in the car. Sounds amazing roof down. PSE on, Sport on - much sharper throttle response, same noise as Sport off but a small detachment of artillery troops have set up shop at the rear of the car judging by the amount of pops and bangs, bordering on antisocial

griffter said: So having read this thread through, it seems that get the full benefit of PSE you also needs sports chrono for the pops and bangs. Is that right? I have PSE but not sports chrono. PSE button makes it sound louder, but not much sign of artillery. You shouldn't need the Sports Chrono - that just stiffens (or relaxes) the gearbox mounts (waste of money IMHO). Either pushing the "Sport" button (which also sharpens the throttle response) or the "Exhaust" (shaped) button by itself will produce the noise ....... Oh and I should add that my car is manual and so doesn't get the benefit of the faster shift speeds that the PDK benefits from with Sport Chrono .... Edited by MadMark981 on Tuesday 15th October 10:22

Moog72 said: PSE off, Sport off - quite civilised, no pops / bangs. Good for motorways PSE on, Sport off - much harder edge to the exhaust note, sounds miles better IMO. Some pops and bangs when lifting off at almost any revs, more of a burble at lower revs. The setting I choose 95% of the time when in the car. Sounds amazing roof down. PSE on, Sport on - much sharper throttle response, same noise as Sport off but a small detachment of artillery troops have set up shop at the rear of the car judging by the amount of pops and bangs, bordering on antisocial Loving the "small detachment of artillery" ....

tonyj74 said: Hi Arthur, Mine popped, banged and crackled right from day one. I had the opposite problem to you; I just found it too loud and droney to live with on a day to day basis. I did 3,000 miles on it before I gave up and had it swapped for a normal exhaust, but I honestly don't think it changed much in that time. A couple of guys on here very kindly let me listen to their cars and the exhausts were all pretty similar - which me realise that describing these things accurately is very difficult as it depends on peoples' interpretations and their expectations vs the reality. I'm afraid my suspicion is that if it isn't playing the full symphony now then it is unlikely to change much but listening to other cars really helped make my mind up about how I wanted to proceed so I think your approach is the best one - see how yours compares to other peoples'. Good luck - I hope it works out. (I'm based in South London but as I now longer have a PSE, I'm not sure how much use that will be for you!). Cheers, Anthony. Tony, Many thanks for that reply about lack of sound variation being mileage related. It's still an awesome car, but based on what I've seen below on YouTube and the porsche websites in the US and the UK I think I definitely have a "second tier" PSE system. It just doesn't crackle at all, no matter what I do. It also seems that Porsche Hatfield get more than their fair share of these duds, as not one of the PSE cars I've driven there (3 now including mine) sounds anywhere as good as these cracklers...... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfK99AHLCzI&fea... (Not even a pse system) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2f5RbgO1ao http://www.porsche.com/usa/models/boxster/boxster/... http://www.porsche.com/uk/models/boxster/boxster-s... Any takers for a comparison in person in north/west London? Cheers Arthur

^ hmmm sounds like something's not right. The first two vids are pretty representative of the few cars I've driven - both PSE and non-PSE. Here are a couple more which I think convey the sounds quite well: Non-PSE: http://youtu.be/LRezi04LqBQ PSE: http://youtu.be/kMFU2lvSU1E S

That is quite a difference. I've only driven a non-PSE 981 and it didn't sound as good as my PSE equipped 987.

stevod said: Here are a couple more which I think convey the sounds quite well: PSE: http://youtu.be/kMFU2lvSU1E S Yep, second that. That's what mine sounds like with PSE...

monamimate said: stevod said: Here are a couple more which I think convey the sounds quite well: PSE: http://youtu.be/kMFU2lvSU1E S Yep, second that. That's what mine sounds like with PSE... Oh my god that's firkin amazing. The gargling crackling sound is immense. Want want want...........and should have. Mine merely sounds like it's backfiring briefly on overrun. I've only done 1200 miles though, porsche say give it a few thousand more, and that's going to be 4 months at my mileage rate. Are you of the same mind as Tony that although it changes a bit as the miles go on, all the fundamentals should be there from day one? Cheers Arthur Edited by Paxto on Wednesday 16th October 18:59

Mine did it from day 1, 15 miles on the clock and hasn't really changed significantly (to my ear) in the 3600+ miles to date

Paxto said: monamimate said: stevod said: Here are a couple more which I think convey the sounds quite well: PSE: http://youtu.be/kMFU2lvSU1E S Yep, second that. That's what mine sounds like with PSE... Oh my god that's firkin amazing. The gargling crackling sound is immense. Want want want...........and should have. Mine merely sounds like it's backfiring briefly on overrun. I've only done 1200 miles though, porsche say give it a few thousand more, and that's going to be 4 months at my mileage rate. Are you of the same mind as Tony that although it changes a bit as the miles go on, all the fundamentals should be there from day one? Cheers Arthur Edited by Paxto on Wednesday 16th October 18:59 Mine did it from day one - but with over 2,000 miles on the clock - it's now louder and has a deeper tone with some "soot" build up (obvious in the tailpipes)! You still need to be in Sports mode with the exhaust really hot and at high rpm (with the roof down) to get the full benefit though!

Does the PSE on the 981 revert to quiet mode between about 30-50 mph like previous ones. Ifso has anyone moded it so its always on ?

TBKBABAB said: Does the PSE on the 981 revert to quiet mode between about 30-50 mph like previous ones. Ifso has anyone moded it so its always on ? Good question - I'm not actually sure .... I'll check tonight on the way home! I can tell you that it appears at it's loudest on start up from cold .....

MadMark981 said: Good question - I'm not actually sure .... I'll check tonight on the way home! I can tell you that it appears at it's loudest on start up from cold ..... I'm guessing if you havent noticed it doesnt, also interesting that its loud on start up, another thing that annoyed me about previous PSES that you couldnt turn it on until the engine was started.

TBKBABAB said: another thing that annoyed me about previous PSES that you couldnt turn it on until the engine was started. That is not the case with my Gen 1 CS. Switch the ignition on, press the PSE button and then start her up.

Trev450 said: That is not the case with my Gen 1 CS. Switch the ignition on, press the PSE button and then start her up. My 996 worked like that but current Cayman R doesnt

TBKBABAB said: I'm guessing if you havent noticed it doesnt, also interesting that its loud on start up, another thing that annoyed me about previous PSES that you couldnt turn it on until the engine was started. Right - no discernable difference at road speed - only revs. I should clarify my "loud on start up comment" though .... - So the valves are fully open on start up from cold, regardless of whether the exhaust button is activated or not. Funnily enough - according to the dB meter - this is when it's "extra loudest"!The valves then shut after approx. 30 seconds and it goes into "quiet" mode unless you've pressed the button to activate the exhaust and it stays "loud". Default position is off - as it is on all 997 / 987 generation onward Porsches, and I say that because the 996 PSE Default was "loud" at engine start (as it should be IMHO). You can press the button to activate it's "loud" mode with the ignition on before you start the car - but as above - if it's cold (and on choke), the valves are fully open anyway.

MadMark981 said: Right - no discernable difference at road speed - only revs. I should clarify my "loud on start up comment" though .... - So the valves are fully open on start up from cold, regardless of whether the exhaust button is activated or not. Funnily enough - according to the dB meter - this is when it's "extra loudest"!The valves then shut after approx. 30 seconds and it goes into "quiet" mode unless you've pressed the button to activate the exhaust and it stays "loud". Default position is off - as it is on all 997 / 987 generation onward Porsches, and I say that because the 996 PSE Default was "loud" at engine start (as it should be IMHO). You can press the button to activate it's "loud" mode with the ignition on before you start the car - but as above - if it's cold (and on choke), the valves are fully open anyway. Thanks appreciate the Info, at least you can turn it on before you actually start the the car.

tonyj74 said: Hi Arthur, Mine popped, banged and crackled right from day one. I had the opposite problem to you; I just found it too loud and droney to live with on a day to day basis. I did 3,000 miles on it before I gave up and had it swapped for a normal exhaust, but I honestly don't think it changed much in that time. A couple of guys on here very kindly let me listen to their cars and the exhausts were all pretty similar - which me realise that describing these things accurately is very difficult as it depends on peoples' interpretations and their expectations vs the reality. I'm afraid my suspicion is that if it isn't playing the full symphony now then it is unlikely to change much but listening to other cars really helped make my mind up about how I wanted to proceed so I think your approach is the best one - see how yours compares to other peoples'. Good luck - I hope it works out. (I'm based in South London but as I now longer have a PSE, I'm not sure how much use that will be for you!). Cheers, Anthony. Hi Anthony It's now a long time ago, but I have read your thread with interest as I'm ordering a Boxster S with PDK, nearly everyone on here says go for PSE, but I test drove a demo one and liked it roof down under acceleration and overrun - can't remember what difference there was with switch on or off. The one thing hated was the drone at cruise 60-80, the revs are low and I noticed immediately the horrible boomy drone especially with the roof up. How have you got on with the standard exhaust - is it nice and quiet at cruise, and how about when giving it beans with sport pressed does it still sound reasonably good? Gordon

Hi Gorsh, I'm convinced that PSE was designed for the manual cars as they are less droney at normal cruising speeds due to the lack of a 7th gear. Thanks to some very helpful folks on here, I had the opportunity to benchmark my car against quite a few others and it seems that 6th in PDK = 6th in the manual if you want a noise comparison. If you are sensitive to the drone, you may find a manual car a better option, or just need to resign yourself to driving everywhere in 5th or 6th! Incidentally, all the PSE cars had very similar deicbel readings so I was also able to confirm that my car wasn't "special" and that the PSE button does very little to change the boom despite what our perception may be (i.e. it is there pretty much regardless of sport / PSE settings). On a cruise, the difference is immediately noticeable; on the standard car the frequency is still there but it is far less droney and I don't find it intrusive. On sunny days with the top down, I do miss the loud button, but the rest of the time I don't regret the choice at all. I may be particularly sensitive but I found it gave me a headache and tired me out on longer trips (i.e. more than 200 miles) whereas the standard car is pretty good (only marginally louder than my tintop 911 I reckon but it is wind noise rather than road noise which is a bit kinder on the ears). As a result of the swap, I've been able to use the car more often and take longer journeys where I've enjoyed the quiet and comfort (and pretty economical) cruise in 7th. At the other end, this is still a Boxster with a better than "reasonably good" exhaust and engine note, especially with the roof down and at higher rpms; if I hadn't experienced how good PSE was, I don't think I'd feel I was missing anything! I'm just gutted that Porsche couldn't find a way to make the sound more "switchable" so you could have the best of both worlds. I hope that gives you some comfort - if you're in the London / Cambridge area, you're more than welcome to come out for a sound test. For me, swapping out the PSE gave me a car that I could enjoy far more often which is what it is all about. I miss my headaches far less than I miss PSE and this is a great car in any form. Enjoy the car - I'm still loving mine after nearly 3 years of faultless running! Cheers Anthony.

tonyj74 said: Hi Gorsh, I'm convinced that PSE was designed for the manual cars as they are less droney at normal cruising speeds due to the lack of a 7th gear. Thanks to some very helpful folks on here, I had the opportunity to benchmark my car against quite a few others and it seems that 6th in PDK = 6th in the manual if you want a noise comparison. If you are sensitive to the drone, you may find a manual car a better option, or just need to resign yourself to driving everywhere in 5th or 6th! Incidentally, all the PSE cars had very similar deicbel readings so I was also able to confirm that my car wasn't "special" and that the PSE button does very little to change the boom despite what our perception may be (i.e. it is there pretty much regardless of sport / PSE settings). On a cruise, the difference is immediately noticeable; on the standard car the frequency is still there but it is far less droney and I don't find it intrusive. On sunny days with the top down, I do miss the loud button, but the rest of the time I don't regret the choice at all. I may be particularly sensitive but I found it gave me a headache and tired me out on longer trips (i.e. more than 200 miles) whereas the standard car is pretty good (only marginally louder than my tintop 911 I reckon but it is wind noise rather than road noise which is a bit kinder on the ears). As a result of the swap, I've been able to use the car more often and take longer journeys where I've enjoyed the quiet and comfort (and pretty economical) cruise in 7th. At the other end, this is still a Boxster with a better than "reasonably good" exhaust and engine note, especially with the roof down and at higher rpms; if I hadn't experienced how good PSE was, I don't think I'd feel I was missing anything! I'm just gutted that Porsche couldn't find a way to make the sound more "switchable" so you could have the best of both worlds. I hope that gives you some comfort - if you're in the London / Cambridge area, you're more than welcome to come out for a sound test. For me, swapping out the PSE gave me a car that I could enjoy far more often which is what it is all about. I miss my headaches far less than I miss PSE and this is a great car in any form. Enjoy the car - I'm still loving mine after nearly 3 years of faultless running! Cheers Anthony. Thanks for the reply Anthony I haven't tried a manual with PSE, mainly because I'm 99% sure I want the PDK, the car I drove was a 2014 S demo with PDK (last September) and luckily we took it on a motorway for a few miles, the drone/boom was horrible, I mentioned it to the salesman and he looked at me blankly saying there was nothing wrong with the car 'they were all like that'. Well, if they are all like that it doesn't make it right! I am amazed more owners don't complain - maybe they don't want to lose the sound in other driving conditions, or they don't want to admit they made the wrong choice, or maybe they just don't notice due to few motorway miles and mainly A and B road use for pleasure. Anyway, I'm with you even though motorways don't exist where I live (Isle of Man), but I will be using it for holidays around the UK in summer months and I think I would rather have a slightly less raucous car anyway - it will still go like stink and sound good, should hear the 'honest' sound of the 6 cylinders better too rather than them being drowned by a loud exhaust. Lastly, I'm well past the age when I want to 'pose' by having a loud exhaust, the car looks fabulous and can pose very well without making a noise about it!

Wow, this thread lives again! I love the PSE on my 981 Boxster S. I'd order it again without a moment's thought.

mhh said: Wow, this thread lives again! I love the PSE on my 981 Boxster S. I'd order it again without a moment's thought. Hi mnh I accept the vast majority on here love the PSE, on another thread I highlighted just how few cars it seems to be fitted to - only 11 out of 84 cars available as AUC when I checked the other day, so it's not as popular as some would have you believe. I too do really like the sound in all situations except cruise speed (light throttle) with the roof up, and on a car with PDK. Maybe it's sensitive ears, I don't know, it would be far better if the system was switchable (as they claim) then when it's off it would be as standard but that's not the case. If it turned off properly I would definitely have it as there are times I would enjoy the sound.

Gorsh said: mhh said: Wow, this thread lives again! I love the PSE on my 981 Boxster S. I'd order it again without a moment's thought. Hi mnh I accept the vast majority on here love the PSE, on another thread I highlighted just how few cars it seems to be fitted to - only 11 out of 84 cars available as AUC when I checked the other day, so it's not as popular as some would have you believe. I too do really like the sound in all situations except cruise speed (light throttle) with the roof up, and on a car with PDK. Maybe it's sensitive ears, I don't know, it would be far better if the system was switchable (as they claim) then when it's off it would be as standard but that's not the case. If it turned off properly I would definitely have it as there are times I would enjoy the sound. I have the manual Boxster S, with some 20K miles on the clock. Never noticed a drone at all, roof up or down, including all day cruising on autobahn at all speeds. I can onily imagine, as others have said, that's it's a PDK-related issue (if there is an issue at all) .

981 CS PDK with PSE, never been 'concerned' about the cabin noise under any conditions, but can't say whether that is down it not being there or I just don't care? Looks likely to be a customer orientated issue?

Thanks folks - only one thing for it - I will try another one before finally deciding, I suppose like most things it's a personal preference and deciding if it's £1500 well spent. Gordon.

My car is PDK. Turning the PSE off quietens the sound perfectly but even motorway cruising with the exhaust open doesn't drone particularly on my car. With PSE off, there is no real exhaust noise at all. Maybe I'm lucky. Edited by mhh on Friday 14th August 09:19

I wish I'd read this thread a month ago. I had a PSE fitted to my 2015 Cayman last week and am very disappointed. As others have commented I expected it to be quite until the switch was pressed but I find that it is loud all of the time and the switch makes no noticeable change in sound whilst younare driving but a slightly lower note is heard from the outside. The boominess in the cabin whilst cruising at 70 mph is appalling, so bad in fact that I may revert to the original as fortunately I asked the garage to keep it.

mogli882 said: Thread bump! @Gordon and Keith How did you guys get on? Did you revert back to your original exhaust Keith? Hi Hussan Shortly after my last post here in August I decided to get a Boxster S and was still dithering over choosing PSE as an option - but then I had the chance of a Boxster GTS build slot - that decided it for me as it was too good to miss a chance like that, it comes with PSE as standard plus a lot of other options I wanted on the S. I understood the exhaust on the GTS is a little different to the S, and I decided if there was a slight boom on the motorway I could live with it as I'm not doing a lot of motorway miles in it on a regular basis. Anyway, I had no need to worry as the exhaust is great - lovely throaty sound with PSE off and with it on it's a louder sportier sound plus the pops and bangs on change down and overrun. With the PSE off it's fine on a motorway too, I don't really notice the exhaust on cruise, it's louder when overtaking even on part throttle but never boomy like the Boxster S I test drove. The longest journey I've done so far was from Northern Scotland to Heysham - over 400 miles with three short stops en route and I never thought about the exhaust once - in fact we found the car to be very comfortable on a long trip (20" wheels with PASM) very relaxing drive and not in the least tedious. So I'm really non the wiser regarding S models, mine is absolutely fine and is part of the character of the GTS. I don't always have it on as it sounds good when off - but for a fun brisk drive it's brilliant with it on. If you find the car you're interested in is boomy then I would pass on it or at least put it on hold until you've tried another car without PSE. You might even find that a different car with PSE isn't boomy as most owners on here and BoXa.net love PSE and have no issues with it. Sorry my answer isn't conclusive, but it's really down to how you feel about a particular car - keep test driving ones of interest and you will find one you're happy with. Good luck in your search! Gordon.

Gorsh said: Hi Hussan Shortly after my last post here in August I decided to get a Boxster S and was still dithering over choosing PSE as an option - but then I had the chance of a Boxster GTS build slot - that decided it for me as it was too good to miss a chance like that, it comes with PSE as standard plus a lot of other options I wanted on the S. I understood the exhaust on the GTS is a little different to the S, and I decided if there was a slight boom on the motorway I could live with it as I'm not doing a lot of motorway miles in it on a regular basis. Anyway, I had no need to worry as the exhaust is great - lovely throaty sound with PSE off and with it on it's a louder sportier sound plus the pops and bangs on change down and overrun. With the PSE off it's fine on a motorway too, I don't really notice the exhaust on cruise, it's louder when overtaking even on part throttle but never boomy like the Boxster S I test drove. The longest journey I've done so far was from Northern Scotland to Heysham - over 400 miles with three short stops en route and I never thought about the exhaust once - in fact we found the car to be very comfortable on a long trip (20" wheels with PASM) very relaxing drive and not in the least tedious. So I'm really non the wiser regarding S models, mine is absolutely fine and is part of the character of the GTS. I don't always have it on as it sounds good when off - but for a fun brisk drive it's brilliant with it on. If you find the car you're interested in is boomy then I would pass on it or at least put it on hold until you've tried another car without PSE. You might even find that a different car with PSE isn't boomy as most owners on here and BoXa.net love PSE and have no issues with it. Sorry my answer isn't conclusive, but it's really down to how you feel about a particular car - keep test driving ones of interest and you will find one you're happy with. Good luck in your search! Gordon. Thanks Gordon - much appreciated, glad you found the right one

Hi, I've just bought a 981s with PSE and exactly the same as you the exhaust drone at motorway speeds drives me mad, gives me a headache and makes it an unpleasant journey. Did you ever manage to rectify the problem? I've only had my 981 a week but already wondering about selling and looking for another without PSE. Thanks, Dave