DANNOV

No, I am not sold on the idea that a chip mod is the best way to get HP. If I was, I would not have done the research and would not have made the original posting, I just would have bought it! I am interested in what others think because I am "on the fence". I was frankly surprised by the results I quoted from the recent Excellence article on the 968. I wish you would read that article and pick it apart if possibe, you are much more of an expert on this stuff than I am. Getting more HP out of any Porsche is very expensive whether you go the chip route or by more traditional means, i.e. intake and exhaust mods. I just want to verify that a chip mod is a viable option. As I mentioned, C6 Corvette owners are getting more HP from just a computer reprogram. It is not unreasonable to think that there is some more HP "under the table" that the OEM's are holding back for whatever reason. Incidently, I misspoke when I quoted a 10% gain, in HP and torque on the C6 from computer mods alone. I went back to check some of the postings on the C6 forum and the verified dyno gain in HP and torque is more like 6% of RWHP, which is coincidently in agreement with the 968 experiment in Excellence. If I can get 10 more HP from a chip mod, the cost is $99 per horse. Powerchip is advertising 23 more HP, so I just discount their claim by 50% just to be careful. After all the 968 got 10 more HP in a verified dyno test. The cost of that gain per horsepower is on a par with the cost of any Boxster exhaust mod that gains more HP. I appreciate your opinions but I am looking for someone that has done a real before and after dyno test, similar to the data available on the Corvette sites. Corvette guys are really very paranoid about being inferior (I think they may have small *****), and in many cases they are extremely careful about doing before and after dyno tests. I also think they like to claim that their C6 is more powerful than other C6's and they like to flash the dyno results as proof. There is a lot of this before and after dyno data available on the C6 from independant sources, but there is nothing on the Boxster or the 996 that I could find. Has anyone out there done a before and after dyno test on a Boxster with a chip mod?

Nick49 I hear what you say, but that chip test that I mentioned in Excellence magazine (May 2006) got a dyno verfied 6% increase in HP and a 6% increase in torque on a 968. Also, the gain in HP and torque was constant across the whole RPM range from about 2000 RPM to redline. I suggest that anyone interested in a chip mod should check out this article. There is a nice dyno graph that shows it all. I think we are talking about different things. You are relating your experience with highly modified racing engines that are already near the HP limit, and perhaps in that situation tweaking the computer chip offers little benefit. I am talking about tweaking the chip in a street car (as in the 968 example related above). What is the difference? The theory is that for street use the mfg. deliberately tweaks the OEM chip settings so that the car can run on lower grade fuel, i.e. not every place has 93 octane available. The chip may also be tweaked to get better gas mileage to meet gov't mandates on fuel savings. The computer chip can thus be reflashed or replaced, enabling the car to run more efficiently on 93 octane fuel at the expense of lower gas mileage, and the flexibility to run on lower octane fuels. That is the theory, and given the example of the 968 mentioned above, there may be some truth to it. I should also add that I own another car, a 2005 Corvette C6. This car has 400HP and 400 ft lbs of torque. It is quite fast and for my purposes it doesn't need more power. Anyway, it is my wife's car. But I folllow the various owner forums on the Corvette C6 and there are numerous examples where tuners are able to tweak the C6 computer and get a dyno verified 10% increase in HP and torque across the entire rev range. In a lot of cases owners have dyno'ed their C6's before and after the computer tuning and verified the increases. It seems like a "cottage industry" has sprung up to do just this kind of computer tuning on the Corvettes. I would not be surprised if there is something to be gained from tweaking my 2003 Boxster S, I would be delighted to get another 10 HP, even if it costs me $99 per horse.

I have been considering doing the Powerchip modification to my 2003 Boxster S. Powerchip claims an increase in HP from 258 to 281 HP and an increase in torque from 229 to 247 lb.ft. Cost is $990. Ordinarily, I would question how this is possible from a mere modification of the computer chip. And, I know that many of us (including me) have doubts about this kind of modification producing the promised numbers. But it is interesting that the new 987 S has been boosted to 280 HP in some mysterious fashion, i.e. displacement has not changed, compression ratio is the same. I suspect that Porsche improved the breathing or changed the cam, but does that account for 22 more HP? It makes me wonder if Porsche didn't get a fair amount of that additional HP from some computer tweaking itself. I did an extensive internet search, not just on Google but also directly on Porsche forums like this one. All I found were responses from people expressing doubts, but I found no one did an actual dyno check and concluded the chip was no good. I did find some postings from people who installed a combination of things (new exhaust+air intakes+chip) who were disappointed with the results but these were cases where the interaction of unrelated pieces might have been responsible. I did not find any postings were someone installed the chip by itself and was dissatisfied. I installed a chip on my 1985 911 many years ago, and there is a noticeable improvement in performance., but I can't put a HP number on the improvement. I notice in this month's issue of Excellence there is a story about someone doing a chip mod on an old 968 and getting a dyno verfied increase in rear wheel HP from 190.8 to 202.3, or 11.5 HP (+6%). That chip cost a lot less than the Powerchip and it was a cheap way to get more horses. But, the point is that it did add HP. I just have a hunch that there is more HP to be gained in the 2003 Boxster S that can be gotten by a chip mod; and as I mentioned earlier, I suspect the Porsche got some of that 22 HP increase in the 987 in that fashion. If I can pickup 10 HP more, that is $99 per horse. I suspect that that is about what each additional horse would cost me if I went to a new exhaust system. Any opinions?

Just for your info, TireRack has a remote tire pressure sensor system for about $229. Look at their site at: www.tirerack.com When you go to a new set of tires you could get this installed with little problem. I understand it works OK, it flashes an alarm when the tire is below 22 lbs pressure. There is a small warning device that gets the signal from the sensors, and it goes in the cockpit where it can be hardwired into your car electrical system. My Corvette C6 has remote pressure sensors that give me an actual pressure readout for each tire. It is a nice system. When I go to new tires on my Boxster I may have TireRack install the remote pressure sensor.

Porsche may not recommend runflats but I would not be very comfortable if I owned a new 987, and instead of a emergency spare tire, I got a can of fix-a-flat and an air compressor. I have a 2003 Boxster S so at least I have an emergency spare. I happen to also own a new Corvette C6 with runflats. It is my wife's car and there is a certain element of comfort knowing that she is not likely to be stranded somewhere with a flat. But, a lot of Corvette owners do not like the runflats and many are switching over to standard Michelin PS2's or to Yoko's. The Corvette runflats are hard riding and most people feel that their road holding leaves much to be desired. I would say that the only Corvette owners who like runflats are those value the convenience, very few if any think much of the tires for their handling qualities. In fact, it seems that Goodyear has made a special runflat for the Z51 Corvette (that is the performance version) that is so soft, that owners are only getting about 8000 miles on a set of tires. Lot of unhappy Corvette owners. These are the Goodyear F1 Super Car tires and they do improve the handling of the C6 quite a bit. But you get the good with the bad, to improve the handling of this particular runflat, Goodyear has to make a very soft tire that wears out very quickly. Many Z51 owners just wear out the soft tires ASAP and then switch over to conventional Michelins, they also carry a jack and a patch kit for emergencies. I would not put runflats on a Porsche.

I have Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires on my wife's C4 Corvette. These are great tires. Fine for handling, and very good in the wet, with excellant wear characteristics. Look at the test on the TireRack website. The Michelins test results rank very high in the TireRack ratings. But they are not cheap.

Very simple job, I did it a a few months ago. Remove ashtray, remove screws holding the ash tray console piece to the console. Lift up the ash tray console piece, you will see that the window switches and heated seat switches just snap into the bottom of the ash tray console piece. If you closely check it out you will see how the switches snap into place. I believe there were wide prongs on each side of each switch that can be depressed and the switch will easily pop out. If you look at the underside of the nonsmoker piece you are about to install, you can see how the switches snap in.

Tool Pants Now that was a fast reply....thanks for the tip.

I recently bought an aluminum look shift knob and boot to replace the stock knob in my 2003 S. A simple replacement, but sometimes things that seem so simple to accomplish are hard to do. I am almost ashamed to ask for help on this one. Does anyone know if the old stock shift knob is merely a tight press fit to the shifter shaft, or is there a setscrew somewhere that is holding it to the shaft? I don't think I can get the old knob off the shaft without exerting substantial force. I cannot see any setscrew holding it tight to the shaft but before I force it I want to make sure it is not screwed down. I have looked at various diagrams and line drawings of the shifter and it seems like there is nothing holding the knob to the shaft except friction. At first glance it looks like it is a press fit, but I noticed that my new knob has a setscrew beneath the knob under the leather boot that holds it tight to the shaft. It makes me wonder if the old knob might have a setscrew also, but if it does I can't seem to find it. I am considering clamping vise grip pliers to the shaft just below the body of the shift knob, and using a big wideblade screwdriver to wedge the knob upward to break its hold on the shaft. I am sure that those of you who have installed the B&M short shifter have removed the shift knob. Anyone have any tips about what should be a rather simple task?

For anyone who might be interested the part number is: 996.424.981.15.VRJ I got it from Sunset Imports. It is a $400 item less the Sunset discount. They were quick and easy to deal with....highly recommended.

That is exactly what I want. Does anyone know where I can get one or even how to identify the part? I recently bid on Ebay ( and lost) for a similar gray carbon fiber shifter and boot. If I won it was my plan to dye the gray leather to black. It went for about $240 to a bidder who topped me by a few $. I have been looking on EBay for quite a while and these things never seem to appear.

I am looking for the part number for the 6 speed shift knob with Porsche crest, with a black boot, that has the aluminum ring at the base. I think this is from the "Aluminum Look" interior. This would be for my 2003 S.

Go to the EVO website that shows instructions for installing the EVO SwiftShift, there is a good summary of procedure for removing console. The site is at: http://www.evoms.com.

Until about 1999, the Boxster had a small horizontally mounted shelf under the dash and beneath the steering column (part # 996 552 173 00). It is low cost, about $20. To gain a bit more space in my glove box, I was thinking about adding one of these to my 2003 S. I have not been able to find a 98 or 99 to see how the shelf is attached, and I am wondering if there is anything different about the 2003 in the area beneath the dash that would preclude such an installation.

No spare tire on the 987! I hated the skinney spare but now there is not even that option. I can just imagine someone with a blown or ripped tire out in the middle of nowhere. SOL with a can of sealer and an air pump. There are many places in the US where you are far, far from a dealer, and a 18" replacement is impossible to find. I have been there and did that, and it was an experience never to repeat. I notice that the recent road test (Vette vs 911 Carrera S) in Road and Track mentioned that the 3rd generation Goodyear run-flats have improved immensely with regard to handling. I wonder how the newest Goodyear Eagle F1 Super EMT would work on a Boxster.

The 987 Product Information Booklets have a lot of good info, diagrams and photos. Is there a similar booklet for the 986? I can't seem to find it on this site. Is it available online? Anyone have a link?

I don't know about photos of the Boxster engine and trans. However, the Auto Atlanta Boxster catalog (www.autoatlanta.com) has a lot of nice line drawings and exploded diagrams of not only the drivetrain, but also practically everything else on the Boxster. These views are probably from the Porsche service manual. I use the diagrams as a reference whenever I am trying to figure out how all the Boxster mechanical pieces fit together. It is a nice visual reference for the Boxster mechanicals. I just downloaded the entire catalog as a pdf file and I load it up whenever I want to look at something that interests or confuses me.

I am planning to mount a digital camera to the center of the rollbar to record my laps at DE events. Does anyone have any tips or suggestions about how to mount the camera to the rollbar? I plan to use my Minolta Diamage X50 - a very small camera - to the rollbar and shoot film clips to be recorded on a 512 MB SD card. I know there are expensive mounts that would work but it would seem that I could fabricate something myself. Any ideas?

In another recent posting, Tool Pants mentioned bidding for a Boxster Daypack (also known as a Boxster Rucksack) on Ebay. This is some sort of pack that sits between the seats of a Boxster and is attached to the rollbar. I might be interested in a bit more storage on long trips. Can someone post a photo of a Boxster Daypack? Also, how do you get one? I did a Google search and found that they are no longer sold in the US, but are available in the UK. Any suggestions about how to obtain one?

Alienz I had a similar problem with noise coming from the fuel door when I locked the car. And then, soon afterward, I discovered that when I unlocked the car, the fuel door remained locked. I was in a bit of panic, how do I fuel my car? I read the manual and discovered the release ring is provided for such emergencies. I pulled the ring and the fuel door opened, however, the ring came away because the attachment point between the ring and cable broke. I fueled up OK, but when I got home I made the mistake of locking the car. I discovered the fuel door was again locked and would not unlock. Lucky for me I had a full tank of gas. I went to the dealer the next day and they fixed it by going up through the wheel well. It was all on warranty. I would caution anyone using the emergency cable release, to pull very gently because the cable is not attached to the ring in the most sturdy fashion.

I have been using a Colgan Bra on My 2003 Boxster S. I use it for highway driving, autocross and track events. It works OK, but the black bra on a seal gray doesn't look that good. I recently saw a color matched Speed Lingerie bra on a Boxster and it looked super. I especially like the color matching compared to the black Colgan bra. But Speed Lingerie is a lot more expensive, about 5X the Colgan price. Does anyone have an opinion? Is Speed Lingerie worth 5x the Colgan price?

I did a dumb thing once with my Boxster key. I pulled into a gas station in northern Wisc. and filled up. I put my key in the ignition and it would not turn. I jiggled the wheel and used a bit more force, but could not get it to turn. Stranded on a Sunday night, nearest Porsche dealer was 150 miles away. I got on my cellphone and started to call 1-800-PORSCHE. As I talked to a person on the line, I happened to glance at my key. Dumb me, I was trying to start my Boxster with the VW Passat key that was on my keyring. It fit perfectly but of course it would not turn. I'm sure that is not your problem, but anyone (like me and my wife) who drives a VW and a Porsche could make a similar error. It was a good thing the key did not breakoff in the ignition.

I did this mod on my 2003 Boxster S. It is a worthwhile improvement. I'm sure there are better quality speakers than those in the stock Porsche kit, but they work well enough for me. I started a thread on 8/14/04 in the DIY section called "Removing Rear Storage Compartment" that evolved into a nice summary about how to install the rear speaker kit. The mod adds a lot to the surround sound effect in the Boxster. My problem before the mod was that the sound all came from the front and sides and it didn't sound natural. I say, do it!

I had my 2003 S with PSM, out to Road America and Gingerman for the first time this year with the PCA. Prior to that time I drove my 1985 911, which of course did not have any traction control, and was not a car to be driven carelessly. I was curious about how the PSM would work, and I must say that I was quite happy with this option. The PSM generally does not come into play unless you do something overly aggressive, in some cases probably something dumb. I like it because it gives you a "hint" that you are pushing the limit. I suspect the fastest laps can be cut when you push just to the limit where PSM is just about to kick-in. In my opinion you want to learn to drive right at that edge. If you can do that you are a smooth driver and are getting good lap times. If you go over the edge, the PSM gives you a hint and might also save your ***. If I went over the edge with my 911 it got very exciting quite quickly, not much room for error. In my opinion, whether PSM comes into play depends upon how "smooth" a driver you are. On a track that I know well I can be very smooth in my driving and the PSM is seldom heard from, even though I am cutting some fast laps. Some drivers are very aggressive, and brake heavy and late, get on the gas early and heavy, and lose traction in the corners. This is exciting but not the fastest way to cut laps. For these guys PSM is a lifesaver, but they may feel it gets in the way of fast driving. At Road America and Gingerman we had rain for a few sessions and this is where PSM really comes into play. In the wet it is very easy to get the car loose and I noticed that if I got on the gas a bit too much or too early in coming out of the corners the PSM would kick-in. After a while you got to know just where the limit was, and it was a good learning experience to develop smoothness and a feel for the limits of the car. In short, if you are a professional who can throw the car around and still cut fast laps, you will not like PSM. But, most of us are not at that level and for us PSM is a great option to have. Just from talking to people and watching others drive, it seems that some who dislike PSM have a macho problem, if they were playing football in the 1920's and 30's, they would be the guys playing without helmets.

We always use the term heel and toe, and that confuses a lot of people. You normally should blip the throttle with the right side of your foot, not the heel. But, that said, I suppose we will get someone to reply who uses his heel. Different strokes etc. The heel and toe term is an artifact of the old days in auto racing, when the accelerator was placed between the clutch (on the left) and the brake (on the right), i.e. a centrally located accelerator (talk about confusion!). In those days - pre WW2 and early post WW2 - some racing cars had this pedal setup. Apparently it was easier to blip the throttle using the heel when the accelerator was centrally located. Also, I suspect these cars had poor brakes and the driver needed as much foot as possible on the brake pedal, thus leaving the heel to do the work of throttle blipping. In modern cars the pedal positions have changed but the the term never did. The Wings device that was mentioned earlier has an extension at the bottom that enables you to use your heel for a throttle blip, but I never used my heel when I had this device on my 911.