elsenorfon

Is there a way to post more than 2 pics at a time?? :P

MORE!

Let me start by saying that I just got my Boxster S in February and just recently found this site. In just a few weeks I found so much invaluable and helpful information here at renntech, and also at babblers, so I'm trying to give a little back. It's not much, but those in the market for spacers should probably take the time to read this since it's hard to find out REAL information on these products. I also want to be very clear that I have nothing to do with the manufacturer or seller and have no vested interest. These are just my thoughts, and although I do not have any Porsche experience, I do have a lot of tuning experience so I'm pretty familiar with what is and is not a quality product. This won't take long since there's not a ton to talk about, but please read if you're interested in widening your stance. Install Install of these wheel spacers is as easy as removing and reinstalling your wheels since all you're doing is putting a spacer on the hub before putting the wheel back on. Please note that the rear wheels have set screws included for the spacers making it even easier to install. Quality, Looks, and Performance The quality of these pieces is top notch. The cut of aluminum is gorgeous and the machining is very clean. They are a slightly different silver than the colour of the wheels but this is only noticeable if you're looking closely at the hubs. Having a wider stance is much, much sexier in my opinion. I hated the gap between the outer wheel well and the actual wheel, it was just plain ugly. The front is a 7mm increase on each side and the rear is a 14mm increase on each side which seems perfect to me. I didn't have the foresight to take before and after pics, just after pics, so although you can't tell how dramatic a difference it makes without it-it still looks way way better! Performance is also improved for turning. I have no way to measure this but it does feel like it sticks even better than before in the corners. The car is already great at handling, so although not necessary it is still a nice perk. Final Thoughts I am very happy with the spacers. My biggest complaint is that I felt they were a little pricey. I paid $350 for the spacers and the bolts together (the bolts are longer than stock so this is important). In reality it's probably a pretty fair price, but it still seems expensive to me :P Either way they're a great upgrade to a great car! I highly suggest them if you have the cash.

One more!

Let me start by saying that I just got my Boxster S in February and just recently found this site. In just a few weeks I found so much invaluable and helpful information here at renntech, and also at babblers, so I'm trying to give a little back. It's not much, but it's hard to find out REAL information on these products. I also want to be very clear that I have nothing to do with the manufacturer or seller and have no vested interest. These are just my thoughts, and although I do not have any Porsche experience, I do have a lot of tuning experience so I'm pretty familiar with what is and is not a quality product. I know some people out there must be curious about those LED taillights on eBay that are only $200. I actually gave them a shot so I wanted everyone to know what to expect. I'm sure most people don't expect much :) Install Install of the taillights is very straight forward. Remove the plastic nuts from the rear trunk and they pretty much pop right out, not much else to say here. Quality These taillights are made in Taiwan and although the exterior of the light looks very slick, it is apparent where it's made when looking at the inside of it. The screw posts aren't as long as the stock taillights' so 2 of the plastic nuts could not be reinstalled which annoyed me a bit. My bet is that these lights are hit and miss when it comes to that, I'm sure some actually fit perfect, but these ones on my car do not. You get what you pay for right? Very mediocre fit and finish. Final Thoughts The pictures I have attached tell the tale the best. If you like the look of them, then it's a great deal. I can get past the mediocre interior fit and finish because the exterior of the lights actually do fit quite well and have a very nice flush look to them. I do notice that they are maybe 1mm smaller than stock and do not quite hug the taillight groove, but it's VERY hard to notice unless you're really looking for it. I would like to note that it's important to tighten the screw rods farther than it feels proper to do, this is what gives it a flush fit. At first I did not do this because I was afraid they wouldn't hold up to the torque and they looked terrible. They did indeed hold up to a little torque and they now looks miles better! So far so good with the LEDs, they work great. The first pic shows the LEDs lit, but I'm using my Blackberry camera so it's a little hard to tell what it looks like. Overall I'd say it's a decent product and if you like the look of it then it's a no-brainer considering they only cost $200. There are a couple of sellers on eBay selling them, and although I will not include a link, if you just do a search for "boxster led smoke taillight" you will find them. Please hit me with any other questions I may have neglected.

I just wrote up a pretty comprehensive review on the NHP muffler, just check this forum for it and you should have some good answers. cheers!

Just 2 More!

More pics :D

Let me start by saying that :renntech: I just got my Boxster S in February and just recently found this site. In just a few weeks I found so much invaluable and helpful information here at renntech, and also at babblers, so I'm trying to give a little back. It's not much, but those in the market for a muffler should probably take the time to read this since it's hard to find out REAL information on these products. I also want to be very clear that I have nothing to do with the manufacturer or seller and have no vested interest. If you are interested in information about the seller please feel free to contact me and I'll let you know about my experience with them and point you in the right direction. These are just my thoughts, and although I do not have any Porsche experience, I do have a lot of tuning experience so I'm pretty familiar with what is and is not a quality product. Okay now that I have covered that, on to the muffler. Install Anybody who has installed a muffler on the 3.2 already knows what to expect, there's nothing different going on here than with other mufflers I would imagine. The hard part is dropping the stock muffler, and those famous 2 bolts aren't that bad in my opinion, they only took me about 3 minutes to get off. But this might be because I spent so much time searching the forums first to figure everything out. And removing the rear bumper is absolutely not necessary, I'm really glad I didn't take the time to do that. Installing the new NHP muffler is very easy and quick. The muffler still uses the stock u-pipes and cat clamp, but does come with its own muffler clamp. You also have much more room to install the 2 transmission mount bolts since the muffler is 15 pounds of less mass than the gigantic stock muffler. I personally would have like to have new u-pipes and cat clamp, but I'm nitpicking about that and probably wouldn't want to pay extra for it. :rolleyes: Muffler Aesthetics This muffler is GORGEOUS! In my opinion this is the prettiest muffler I have ever seen on a car. The stainless is very shiny but it doesn't have that cheap chrome look to it. The bottom mesh grill is part of the muffler, and although I doubt it serves any purpose other than aesthetics, is really slick looking. Of course you can only see the grill when the car's in the air, but still it's the little touches that make me happy. The welds also look very clean and the overall fit and finish of the muffler is top notch. The twin tip HUGS the rear bumper in a very nice way. I also want to point out since it's hard to tell in the pics that the tips are solid thick-walled tips and are not small-pipes-inside-fake-tips. Hopefully you know what I mean. And no melting the bumper (which was my initial concern) is not a problem with them being this close. It does not get hot enough apparently. (500 miles and still looks beautiful) Muffler Performance and Sound I'll start with performance since it will be quick. I do not have access to a dyno so I have no graph to show any hp/tq gains. My guess by both experience and seat of pants sensor, is that there is no real performance advantage here. I would say 1 or 2 hp tops which from what I read is pretty standard with 986 mufflers since the stock one is already very good. But I could be wrong, it's just my opinion. Now for sound. First be prepared that this muffler is pretty loud. Nothing overwhelming, but it definitely gives the car a heavy growl. I almost akin the sound to a muscle car to be honest, which isn't exactly what I was looking for, but is still a nice exhaust note. Without a doubt I feel more intimidating when driving down the road.* I know the big problem with 986 mufflers is drone so I'm sure you're curious about that. The seller touts the muffler as being drone free. As of 1 week after install I am writing to confirm that there is indeed drone in my opinion. It's not overwhelming but it's definitely present at times under 3k rpm. This might just be because the exhaust is so much louder than before, but I don't think so. I will say, however, that I've been in touch with the seller and he thinks it may be due to vibration, so next time I get it in the air I'll double check the tranny bolts for tightness. If I find that there is something else causing this drone I will definitely write a follow-up post clearing the muffler's name. Final Thoughts I think the bottom line here is that the muffler only cost $799 which, although expensive to me, is very cheap in Porsche-land. The looks alone are worth that price and if you can deal with a little drone then it's money well spent. I can say for sure that it has less drone than the Fabspeed and the B&B, but other mufflers I have not heard and cannot speak to. If I had it to do all over again, I would still purchase the NHP muffler, so that says a lot. *please note that I also have an aftermarket header by turbowerx which deletes the front cats and adds to the loudness. With stock headers the sound would be approx 5db lower from what I've been told. If you want to know more about the header I am also posting my impressions on that as well so please check the forums or do a search.

Let me preface by saying I just got my Boxster and don't know enough about it. I've been doing my ABSOLUTE best to use the "search" feature to find my answer and haven't definitely so I'm just going to ask.. I have a 2002 Boxster S with a Bose radio, do I have a MOST bus? I very badly want to put an aftermarket stereo in since this one is just awful IMO. I want to put in a radio with SD capability so probably a 2din navigation. Will I have to buy an aftermarket amp or can I plug and play? The sound QUALITY is really not important to me at all, I just want the ability to use SD cards to play my music :) Thanks very much in advance and I swear I spent hours trying to find this answer myself between here and babblers. Cheers Kyle