What's your favorite mod?

[Caguy]

I would like to hear members opinions on what there favorite mods are. Which ones were worth the money? Which mods you wouldn't live without now that you have it?

[Izzy]

My opinion, I like this order:

1. Mufflers - anything but OEM standard (PSE, GHL, BB, Fabspeeds, etc)

2. V1 hardwire (can't live without the arrows)

3. Speed wire sensor cut off for Cabrios (to operate the top while moving)

4. Remote extension (big convinience)

4.5 Get the clear side markers (cheap and easy)

5. Spacers, 17mm rear and 7mm fronts ("wider is better", and looks a lot better)

6. Eibach Springs (or coil overs if you want to spend more)

7. Red calipers (bling factor)

And get some Rejex, I have tracked and power washed the car, plus regular washes. That stuff is STILL on the car. Anything else would be history by now.

[White987S]

Porsche Sport Exhaust!!!

[1999Porsche911]

My favorite mod and probably the most beneficial to the longevity and performance of the car is to make sure you never allow Mobil 0W40 touch the engine. It is ok to use for squeaky hinges and the like, but it is poisonous if taken internally and like a laxative, it may cause loose stools. :rolleyes:

Edited June 24, 2007 by 1999Porsche911

[wross996TT]

My favorite mod and probably the most beneficial to the longevity and performance of the car is to make sure you never allow Mobil 0W40 touch the engine. It is ok to use for squeaky hinges and the like, but it is poisonous if taken internally and like a laxative, it may cause loose stools. :rolleyes:

So you go to the factory and have them leave it out of your car as this is what is delivered in the new car?...seems like the biggest waste of time and money for a mod I have ever heard.

My favorite mod...exhaust (Europipe Stage 2), then GT3 seats...the rest were fun as well.

[1999Porsche911]

My favorite mod and probably the most beneficial to the longevity and performance of the car is to make sure you never allow Mobil 0W40 touch the engine. It is ok to use for squeaky hinges and the like, but it is poisonous if taken internally and like a laxative, it may cause loose stools. :rolleyes:

So you go to the factory and have them leave it out of your car as this is what is delivered in the new car?...seems like the biggest waste of time and money for a mod I have ever heard.

My favorite mod...exhaust (Europipe Stage 2), then GT3 seats...the rest were fun as well.

Actually, the best of the 996 models (99/C2) came factory filled with 15W50. :lol:

Edited June 24, 2007 by 1999Porsche911

[Izzy]

Caguy, forgot the cold air intake. Probably your best bet is to do a search for "mod" in the 996 forum. That way you can see more than one person's opinion. Also may see some pics of what the mods look like and how difficult to do. The best part is that this cars are almost put together like a Mr. Potato Head, so it is not too hard to change them. Have fun driving.

[gchu]

I have my mods in this order:

Bumper Plugs, Clear Side Marker, PSE, V1 Hardwire, SmartTop, SSK, Red Calipers, ROW 030

[lIRATIl]

3. Speed wire sensor cut off for Cabrios (to operate the top while moving)

Is there a guide on how to do this?

[exophthalmos]

What's V1 hardwire?? Does remote extension allow you to lock/unlock the car at a greater distance? How do you do that or where?

Edited June 25, 2007 by exophthalmos

[Izzy]

Use the Search function, gentlemen, you will find all you need in the DIY or other sections.

This is the convertible while moving bit:

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?s...ertible++moving

[Yoops Racing]

Favorite mods so far ranked in order

B&M Short Shift kit

RSS Plenum

EVO Vflow

Alum Speedo Rings

Edited June 27, 2007 by Yoops Racing

[vlad]

Short Shifter

GT3 delete kit - more room for your left leg - (I am in the UK) - and a link to the 993 dash - a slightly retro feel

Techart steering wheel - nice annd chunky

Twin tips 'cos they look nice!

Cruise control - in progress

[UT_Porsche]

This is all cool and what not... But how much and where do we find things?

The other day I was searching around and I found K&N's intake system and a 4000 dollar exhaust system. B&Ms short shifter is like 500 dollars. Other than body upgrades I haven't found a thing. Not even the clear side blinkers.

[Caguy]

You have to search around on the web. Sharkworks is great, bumperplugs.com is great (best deal on B&M shifter I've seen). Ask around for a particular item and I am sure you can find a member with a recommendation.

[Long Islander]

My fav five:

Garage door opener remote installation in overhead lighting console

Painted bumperettes (black rubber from the factory on pre-2002)

Chrome lug bolts from Ralph Boothe

Non-smoker kit

OBC installation with stalk

[UT_Porsche]

You have to search around on the web. Sharkworks is great, bumperplugs.com is great (best deal on B&M shifter I've seen). Ask around for a particular item and I am sure you can find a member with a recommendation.

Okay, my particular item/s are power enhancing things. Exhaust, intake, chip/tune, etc. Where to?

B&M I know is a great shifter, I'll go check bumperplugs.com right now, as well as Sharkworks, thanks for the help!

Edit: What is Sharkworks website? I did sharkworks.com, .net, and did a search for Sharkworks and Sharkworks Porsche on Google. All I got were errors or RennTech forums.

Edited June 26, 2007 by UT_Porsche

[Caguy]

Sorry, I spelled it incorrectly. www.Sharkwerks.com.

Edited June 27, 2007 by Caguy

[Chuck Jones]

UT Porsche: I don't know who's giving you the quotes for those mods, but you can do a whole lot better pricewise if you shop around....and I have a slightly different take on the mods. These mods can add up to a lot of money that you'll never recover if you sell your car. Although you've seen a lot of mods listed here, most are cosmetic. I believe that you should start with function first, then go for form. Since function deals with the car's performance, a good foundation is sequentially the best place to start...which is a good suspension system...you'd be surprised how much that improves the driveability of your car.....although I'll probably draw some flack for my approach...the other "stuff" is basically bling. I'd stick with the performance things first...take a look at the research and comments on the various intake systems, the short shifter kits, the RSS Plenum, a good set of mufflers. The carbon fibre and litronics are neat....but all that is really nothing but eye candy.

[UT_Porsche]

UT Porsche: I don't know who's giving you the quotes for those mods, but you can do a whole lot better pricewise if you shop around....and I have a slightly different take on the mods. These mods can add up to a lot of money that you'll never recover if you sell your car. Although you've seen a lot of mods listed here, most are cosmetic. I believe that you should start with function first, then go for form. Since function deals with the car's performance, a good foundation is sequentially the best place to start...which is a good suspension system...you'd be surprised how much that improves the driveability of your car.....although I'll probably draw some flack for my approach...the other "stuff" is basically bling. I'd stick with the performance things first...take a look at the research and comments on the various intake systems, the short shifter kits, the RSS Plenum, a good set of mufflers. The carbon fibre and litronics are neat....but all that is really nothing but eye candy.

Just me searching online, B&M was where I found the price on their shifter. Shopping around is hard when I don't know where to go, that's why I asked. I will not be doing much cosmetic or performance. Right now I'm trying to get out of my Evo and I already know what a pain all that can be (value lost of modifications, even performance ones). However it is very nice to have someone say "rice is bad" in a mature way, so I'm already pleased to be (hopefully soon...) a Porsche owner.

Short shifter and tint will be the very first things, no offense to people who like the regular shifter, but a 70k sports car shouldn't have such a weak feeling shifter. Next will be paying off the 15-20k I will owe on the car as fast as possible. Then maybe intake, exhaust, some sort of chip/tune (dunno what it is in the 996 world), clear side blinkers, nav/bluetooth. If, after all that, I decide to spend a little more, I might look into suspension and another set of wheels (Likely some TE37 Volks, a friend of mine has a 996 turbo with them and it is beautiful), but, with the luck I've had with aftermarket suspension on both the S2k and the Evo I will likely stick with the factory suspension for quite awhile, especially since the reason I'm getting out of the Evo is to get away from a track hound and into something civil enough to drive around town (however, recommendations on suspension are taken as well ;) ).

What's the RSS Plenum, and do mufflers really help a lot, or do they just make it sound cool (as they typically do in most vehicles)?

[UT_Porsche]

I looked at Sharkwerks... Alls I can say is ****... I thought paying 1500 for a hp gain was a lot. Haha, oh well. Anyway, continuing on here, besides doing a short throw I want a bit of a bump in power without sacrificing reliability/daily-drivablity or my left nut... So what's everyone's thoughts as far as best mods for non-turbos that don't cost an arm, a tooth, and 5 legs?

The GIAC tune is uber expensive, the Evo intake isn't bad at ~500 but K&N guarentee's a hp gain of like 22 while Evo only say's they'll get around 10-12 on Sharkwerks' page. The exhausts and mufflers are all crazy expensive but after doing searching I've found that even muffler changes are adding 10-20 hp. If I can put down around 330-340 hp I'll be totally satisfied, I just want to be as fast as my Evo 8 was, and I figure with 360 and an extra 200 lbs it'll be as fast as a C2 with 330-340.

[Chuck Jones]

I truly doubt that you're going to get to 330 or 340 to the wheels with any of the mods you mentioned. The best HP mod you can get is a supercharger....and that's going to set you back around $12K. Probably the most reliable way to get horses is save your money and buy a 996TT.....otherwise, you're chasing an elusive butterfly called mod HP. Ask me how I know....I've got just about every mod but a SC....and now I'm looking at a TT.

If you're stuck on chasing mods...then you can spend aobut $995 for GIAC flash....$595 for the EVO CAI, $900 or more for the RSS Plenum, $1800 for Bilstein PSS9's (plus installation and alignment/corner balance etc) ; another $1K or more for a set of headers; another $1200 for a good set of mufflers.....and you can keep going till your VISA screams in agony....and after all that, you'd be lucky if you managed to get another 30 HP.

If I had it to do all over again, I'd buy a top quality set of mufflers for the psychological effect of sound that makes it seem faster, and a really good suspension system (with decent tires depending upon street or track preference)....which does more for your driveability than just about anything.

[UT_Porsche]

I didn't say to the wheels, Dynos all vary too much for me to say what I'd want to the wheels... But here: I want to gain 30 to 40hp to go from the factory 300ish to 330ish. Does that make it better?

I already know I can gain 23 from the K&N Intake, otherwise they'll pay me for the intake. I'm not going crazy and I'm sure not saving up for a TT only because it would be double the money, and currently totally not worth it. Plus, I'd rather save for a GT3 if I was aiming that high. If its really that hard to pull 30 hp (I find all those mods getting you just 30hp to be very odd, but maybe the Porsche engine just doesn't respond well at all) then I probably won't do anything more than the intake and some mufflers and, of course, the short shifter. If I wanted to go crazy, I'd keep my Evo.

I truly doubt that you're going to get to 330 or 340 to the wheels with any of the mods you mentioned. The best HP mod you can get is a supercharger....and that's going to set you back around $12K. Probably the most reliable way to get horses is save your money and buy a 996TT.....otherwise, you're chasing an elusive butterfly called mod HP. Ask me how I know....I've got just about every mod but a SC....and now I'm looking at a TT.

If you're stuck on chasing mods...then you can spend aobut $995 for GIAC flash....$595 for the EVO CAI, $900 or more for the RSS Plenum, $1800 for Bilstein PSS9's (plus installation and alignment/corner balance etc) ; another $1K or more for a set of headers; another $1200 for a good set of mufflers.....and you can keep going till your VISA screams in agony....and after all that, you'd be lucky if you managed to get another 30 HP.

If I had it to do all over again, I'd buy a top quality set of mufflers for the psychological effect of sound that makes it seem faster, and a really good suspension system (with decent tires depending upon street or track preference)....which does more for your driveability than just about anything.

[Chuck Jones]

Then if it's not to the wheels, you may be able to do it....but I have little or no faith in the claims of some of the marketing folks about the level of HP they claim to be able to get from their particular product. The most "scientific" info I've seen lately...and even that is under scrutiny....is related to the RSS Plenum. There have been a number of folks who have dyno'd it as well as run times on GTek and a goodly number of these folks are reporting increased performance by virtue of HP as well as reduced 0-60 times.. Whether the CAI's really produce that sort of HP is up for grabs. I personally run the EVO...and can't tell you if it does much other than sounds great when you go to WOT.

[jmj996]

UT Porsche: I don't know who's giving you the quotes for those mods, but you can do a whole lot better pricewise if you shop around....and I have a slightly different take on the mods. These mods can add up to a lot of money that you'll never recover if you sell your car. Although you've seen a lot of mods listed here, most are cosmetic. I believe that you should start with function first, then go for form. Since function deals with the car's performance, a good foundation is sequentially the best place to start...which is a good suspension system...you'd be surprised how much that improves the driveability of your car.....although I'll probably draw some flack for my approach...the other "stuff" is basically bling. I'd stick with the performance things first...take a look at the research and comments on the various intake systems, the short shifter kits, the RSS Plenum, a good set of mufflers. The carbon fibre and litronics are neat....but all that is really nothing but eye candy.

The 996 is already a great driver for most - yes, you can do more to improve performance, but it is really weakest in its appearance and interior appointments, so I recommend those items first. The only really critical piece to do with the suspension is to get or keep using the best tires you can afford. Tires make a big difference. In completely original form, a C2's appearance is a little bit of a disappointment. The front bumper has virtually no aggressive appearance at all, though I'm pretty happy with the rest of it. Its interior was an improvement over the 993, but that's not saying much because even the newest 993 interior was already > 5 years outdated before it was replaced by the 996 - which got its interior from a 1997 986, so it too was already a few years old before being introduced into the 911. In my opinion, most 996's (unless heavily optioned in the interior) are so below average that you need to upgrade the interior just to bring it up to par with the rest of the car, therefore, it IS actually the best place to start for people that appreciate those kinds of details. You can do a lot of cosmetic things to the car relatively inexpensively (as long as you're not going for a wood or carbon-trimmed interior) that will surprisingly add a lot to the car - my fav's on the changes to our 986 and 996 are:

- tint (including the replacement of the Boxster or 996 cab rear vinyl window with a dark sheet of vinyl)

- white or aluminum speedo gauge face, with aluminum trim rings - BIG difference

- non-smoker kit: for daily drivers, I think it's a must have. Had it in the 986, it didn't come with my 996, finally ended up having to buy it for the 996

- aluminum pedal covers (really - and I was most skeptical about this one at first, but I love the feel, now I always drive with no shoes on)

- clear corner lights

- aftermarket cup holder-one that attaches to the side of the console

- speaker replacements (if you have the basic factory speaker system)

- shifter upgrade (manual trans only) - this can be an expensive one. I swapped mine out for the leather/silver 6-spd shifter with the Porsche Crest on the front and a silver trim ring around the base. Look at the pics - WOW. This upgrade has been my most favorite change in the interior.

- e-brake handle - another expensive one, but it is a relatively easy DIY. Even just having the stitched leather and silver button make a nice difference

- OBC enable - even if you don't have the OBC stick, you can enable the OBC and set it to display the outside temperature. I refer to this more than I ever thought I would.

- iPod input for the CDR220 - I obtained the plug from Becker North America and connected a cable with RCA's to the plug and a headphone jack for the iPod. Not as fancy as other factory connections that also provide a power source to the iPod, but it gets the job done for as long as your iPod battery will last, and will work for any mp3 player, not just an iPod.

- addition of a painted crest to the center of the steering wheel - a very nice, inexpensive improvement to the otherwise dull 4-spoke wheel.

Some of the more expensive mods:

- a rear wing. I got a Strosek 996 rear wing (just the first stage that looks like a more modernized version of the old whale tail)

- subwoofer: I did not have door speakers and I have a cabriolet, so my only practical option for improving the bass was to put a sub in the front trunk. I got an all-inclusive Infinity Basslink, so that I would not need a separate amp, and I'm using the line-out jacks on the CDR-220 via a plug from Becker NA.

Other mods I'm hoping to do soon:

- upgrade to 18" BBS Sport Classic II wheels. I currently have the 17" twists, which are okay, but not great.

- mufflers - if I can find an exhaust for the 996 that sounds EXACTLY like the PSE we had on the 986, I would do it. The PSE on the stock 986 we used to have just about screamed like an F1, and I really miss that with our 996.

Other Best mods I've seen but don't have on my list:

- NAV system install - these look slick and are DIY with a perfect factory look, based on what I've seen in this forum from other installs. If my car was going to be a road warrior, I'd do it, because I can't live without it in our SUV, but I wouldn't use it enough in the 996 to justify the cost.

- front bumper - there are a few 996 bumpers I'd love to have, but this is a daily driver (my wife just as much as me) and unfortunately I really need a urethane bumper. A typical fiberglass replacement on my car would be destroyed within months.

- hard-wired Valentine One - maybe eventually, but for now I don't drive the highway too much (I work from home)

As far as the source for parts - I bought most of it on eBay, even the Strosek wing. The tint and the speakers were locally sourced. The other source was Becker of North America.

Update: I've had one question about the rear plastic window tint for the cabriolet with a vinyl window, here's the details: I had an automotive upholstery shop remove the original clear plastic piece (which was separating in one corner anyway) and sew in a new one. The piece of vinyl comes pre-made in this color. I don't know if there are any real fade problems because it doesn't sit outside too much, but the material is designed specifically for this and is supposed to resist fading. The Boxster plastic window was always sewn in so I didn't see any problems doing it on the 996, and the upholstery shop did that kind of thing regularly to other cars. They even had the clear window material in stock, but it was the shop that recommended I get the colored material after seeing my tinted side windows. The whole thing cost me just over $500. Here is an FAQ entry from a shop in Tuscon that does the same thing (http://www.tucsontops.com/), so you can probably get this done at most convertible top replacement shops:

Q. I have a Mazda Miata and it's time to replace the clear vinyl window in the back. Can I have a tinted or darker window sewn in?

A. Yes, for sure, provided your convertible top is in good enough shape for the repair. The vinyl windows are available in a light green, smoke, charcoal and limo tint. This answer applies to all convertibles that have a flexible window in the back: BMW Z3, 3 series, Mercedes Benz, Porsche Boxster, Honda S2000

Edited July 3, 2007 by John Jones