Jump to content

Welcome to RennTech.org Community, Guest

There are many great features available to you once you register at RennTech.org
You are free to view posts here, but you must log in to reply to existing posts, or to start your own new topic. Like most online communities, there are costs involved to maintain a site like this - so we encourage our members to donate. All donations go to the costs operating and maintaining this site. We prefer that guests take part in our community and we offer a lot in return to those willing to join our corner of the Porsche world. This site is 99 percent member supported (less than 1 percent comes from advertising) - so please consider an annual donation to keep this site running.

Here are some of the features available - once you register at RennTech.org

  • View Classified Ads
  • DIY Tutorials
  • Porsche TSB Listings (limited)
  • VIN Decoder
  • Special Offers
  • OBD II P-Codes
  • Paint Codes
  • Registry
  • Videos System
  • View Reviews
  • and get rid of this welcome message

It takes just a few minutes to register, and it's FREE

Contributing Members also get these additional benefits:
(you become a Contributing Member by donating money to the operation of this site)

  • No ads - advertisements are removed
  • Access the Contributors Only Forum
  • Contributing Members Only Downloads
  • Send attachments with PMs
  • All image/file storage limits are substantially increased for all Contributing Members
  • Option Codes Lookup
  • VIN Option Lookups (limited)

Adding HP - for the n00b


Recommended Posts

2001 boxster S - stock. - USA

What is the easiest way to add horsepower off of the get go? I see chips and such, but always read about how they are overpriced and not always provide what they offer.

Can someone help a complete mechanical beginner on ways to add power starting from least expensive and simple to major overhauls/conversions?

Thanks in advance!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2001 boxster S - stock. - USA

What is the easiest way to add horsepower off of the get go? I see chips and such, but always read about how they are overpriced and not always provide what they offer.

Can someone help a complete mechanical beginner on ways to add power starting from least expensive and simple to major overhauls/conversions?

Thanks in advance!

buy a different car! seriously, it's extremely expensive to add power to these cars; they're already highly tuned. search the forums to see what others have done; many have asked this question before.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Trade in on a 996, want more? trade in on a GT3 or TT. This is realistically the least expensive way to more and reliable power. Want to keep the same car? I think Ruff makes a supercharger kit for the 996 and you may be able to make it work on a Boxster. It's priced around $20,000, and will certainly be much more if adapted to your car.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

least expensive - go do a DE (Driver's Education) to learn to drive your car. i'm not kidding at all. you will be faster as a result.

also, removing excess weight (removing non-necessary parts - spare tire, etc.) and/or replacing some parts with carbon fiber (front trunk/hood and rear trunk cover.)

middle of the road - lighter, hi-flow exhaust may get you a few more HP.

almost most expensive - supercharger. while a little cheaper than the engine swap, these engines already run at high compression and can't handle much more. many owners have experienced engine failure as a result.

most expensive - 3.4L or 3.6L engine swap. this would include new headers, cats, exhaust, clutch, etc. for a complete job, you're looking at $12-15K. and for that price, you should just sell your boxster and get a 996.

my advice is to do a DE, then decide if you want to add *more*. :drive:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

least expensive - go do a DE (Driver's Education) to learn to drive your car. i'm not kidding at all. you will be faster as a result.

also, removing excess weight (removing non-necessary parts - spare tire, etc.) and/or replacing some parts with carbon fiber (front trunk/hood and rear trunk cover.)

middle of the road - lighter, hi-flow exhaust may get you a few more HP.

almost most expensive - supercharger. while a little cheaper than the engine swap, these engines already run at high compression and can't handle much more. many owners have experienced engine failure as a result.

most expensive - 3.4L or 3.6L engine swap. this would include new headers, cats, exhaust, clutch, etc. for a complete job, you're looking at $12-15K. and for that price, you should just sell your boxster and get a 996.

my advice is to do a DE, then decide if you want to add *more*. :drive:

The only supercharger kit I know of for the Box, is the Imagine Auto kit.

http://www.imagineauto.com/boxster%20sc.htm

It uses an 'all-in-one' supercharger, instead of an intercooled setup. I think with an intercooled setup, there' definately alot more power to be gained for less money.

Imagine a reliable 450rwhp Boxster for 10k worth of mods? Thats better value than any 911 i think.

Compression is not the be all and end all factor to power gain. I would love to have a big boost boxster, as I know a few good shops in my area that have built many big hp cars, but the fact that Boxster engine 'cant' be rebuilt is a big deterring factor. Most warrantees will not honor a 10k engine replacement claim when there's a supercharger bolted to it.

Edited by vijen6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Your Box S is already a lot of car with enough HP to get most drivers in trouble. It is no dragster but it's got a very good power/weight ratio and few cars at any price can match it's precise cornering, handling and braking. I was at a DE last weekend and watched as skilled drivers in Boxters, 914's, Miata's and Honda S2000's were routinely running down cars with twice the HP and cost twice as much. One guy was bragging beforehand that he has added over $20k in performance mods to his WRX and produced over 500HP. He was getting passed all day. How sad.

If your question really is: How can I get the best performance from my Boxter? Leave the motor alone. Fix the nut behind the wheel first... really learn how to drive your car. There is a lot to learn. Once you start running down everyone in your class, focus on tires/alignment/suspension tuning. Now you are running down Vette's and Vipers and things are starting to get fun. Enjoy! :thumbup:

Edited by Topless
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I dont know about a 3.2L engine, but I can give you feedback on the mods on my 2000 2.7L Boxster, which are still in process, I am having a final remapping of my AutoThority chip, hopefully next week. I will run a dyno on it when it gets done.

The mods I have done inclued a TTP intake, TTP headers and Cats with a stock muffler. I am also using a AutoThority ECU chip. The car is running great, but the dyno shows it is running a little rich over 5K, so the chip will be remapped to take that into account.

Car sounds great, and is quite responsive with a very flat torque curve from a little over 2K to redline. I am seeing 202 HP and 169 ft/lbs on the dyno which works out to about 237 hp and 198 ft/lbs at the crank (figuring a 15% loss). I expect to pick up another 5-10 hp when the chip gets remapped for my intake and exhaust.

When the dust settles, these mods are going to end up costing me about 200.00/HP, so they are not cheap, but I have been having a great time messing with the car for the last couple of months, and it runs like a dream...... at least so far.....

BTW, I am not really in a position to sell my car and get another one. Also, I really like the 2.7L engine, I can get 30 mpg on the highway if I behave myself. Based on my experience, if I would only do one thing, I would get a good ECU chip.

Ed

:cheers:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Your Box S is already a lot of car with enough HP to get most drivers in trouble. It is no dragster but it's got a very good power/weight ratio and few cars at any price can match it's precise cornering, handling and braking. I was at a DE last weekend and watched as skilled drivers in Boxters, 914's, Miata's and Honda S2000's were routinely running down cars with twice the HP and cost twice as much. One guy was bragging beforehand that he has added over $20k in performance mods to his WRX and produced over 500HP. He was getting passed all day. How sad.

Thats precisely why I wanted a boxster instead of the WRS Sti, or even the Lan Evo, both of which is cheaper than the box s and offer loads more hp.

That said, its pretty sad when at a stop light, you have a hard time overtaking a Nissan Maxima (255hp), or a base ML350 (270+hp) with your Porsche, all the DE training in the world wont help you there.

Edited by vijen6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That said, its pretty sad when at a stop light, you have a hard time overtaking a Nissan Maxima (255hp), or a base ML350 (270+hp) with your Porsche, all the DE training in the world wont help you there.

Sports cars are kinda like fighter aircraft. To be sucessful you gotta know your strengths, know your opponent, and fight your fight. Boxters are all about cornering, handling, braking. They are not about straight line street racing.

If drag racing really floats your boat that's cool... just take it to the track. You might want to trade your P-car for a Viper or Saleen Mustang though. They are all about straight line performance. Unless you have enough $$ for an Enzo, no car really does everything well.

For minor engine mods edevlins approach makes the most sense to me. Get the car to breath better and remap the ECU to take advantage of better airflow. This should improve performance and preserve reliability. $4000 is a lot of beer money though. Want big HP gains?? Drop in a 996 3.4L to the tune of about $15k. If you go out street racing you are still going to get beat up by those hot rodded rice burners. Is it really worth the money?? Not to me.

Edited by Topless
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's a lot cheaper to make a car handle well than go fast. Buy a mustang and spend 5k on suspension system. Guys run these in SCCA as fast as BMW's and other FR cars but they smoke them on the straights, and give up a little in the turns. Much easier than buying a cheap good handling car that costs 20k to make go fast.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I finally made it back and glad to see so much input....

This car has been like a tattoo...you get one and you want more! It all started when and M3 killed me at a light. I just thought wow, that was just too easy for him. So, I started looking for boosts anywhere I could find them, and that is what brought me here.

I definitely agree that this car is about handling and braking, and it has a great power/weight. But, I thought that with a chip, filters, etc, I might be able to add upwards of 40-50hp when all said and done. And relatively inexpensively.

I was just hoping to get it around the 300bhp area similar to the new Cayman's. Sounds like it would be a difficult task.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I also think edevlin's post is pretty representative/typical of what to expect. From posts I've read over the years, 285 HP (give or take) sounds like the upper end with bolt-ons. I don't think you'll get 300 HP unless you take the engine apart.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I definitely agree that this car is about handling and braking, and it has a great power/weight. But, I thought that with a chip, filters, etc, I might be able to add upwards of 40-50hp when all said and done. And relatively inexpensively.

nah; if you could gain that much power from cheap bolt-ons in a Porsche, the factory would be screwing you. everything is tuned pretty well from the get-go.

I was just hoping to get it around the 300bhp area similar to the new Cayman's. Sounds like it would be a difficult task.

it's possible, but really you'd need cams to get there. you'd trade a lot of mid-range torque to in the process, too. others on here have mentioned DE events; they will make you feel a lot better about the capability of your car. in learning to drive it well on a track, you will come to appreciate the superior handling charictaristics of the box.

when i first got mine, i was coming off of a gen III RX-7; i wanted more power (i only have a 2.5L). i've since tweaked the suspension a bit, but don't really crave the power as much (it would be nice). on a recent trip to talladega gran prix, i had the opportunity to pass two C5 corvettes. outrunning a 150HP gap made me realize that horsepower means nothing without a great chassis or a capable driver.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
Well, I finally made it back and glad to see so much input....

This car has been like a tattoo...you get one and you want more! It all started when and M3 killed me at a light. I just thought wow, that was just too easy for him. So, I started looking for boosts anywhere I could find them, and that is what brought me here.

I definitely agree that this car is about handling and braking, and it has a great power/weight. But, I thought that with a chip, filters, etc, I might be able to add upwards of 40-50hp when all said and done. And relatively inexpensively.

I was just hoping to get it around the 300bhp area similar to the new Cayman's. Sounds like it would be a difficult task.

I've been thinking about this. The 3.2 987 comes with 280bhp and has exactly the same engine as the 986. So from what I read about the 987 it has a revised intake system. Also when I heard my friends it definitely sounded a lot raspier which made me think it might have a different exhaust system also. I'm sure I saw a picture somewhere of the underside of the 987 and it had much more purposeful tubular manifolds.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 11 months later...
2001 boxster S - stock. - USA

What is the easiest way to add horsepower off of the get go? I see chips and such, but always read about how they are overpriced and not always provide what they offer.

Can someone help a complete mechanical beginner on ways to add power starting from least expensive and simple to major overhauls/conversions?

Thanks in advance!

Do you want more HP?

Check these out guys,your super charger will cost you around $7,700.00 if you know how to put it on... LOL of course "desnorkling" would be my first option.

ImagineAuto__Porsche_Boxster_Stage_1.htm

ImagineAuto__Porsche_Boxster_Stage_2.htm

ImagineAuto__Porsche_Boxster_Supercharger.htm

Edited by juniinc
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.