[chaudanova]

Part 3: Driving Impressions & Review...

Parts Added:

IPD Plenum setup for 986 Boxster (modified version of Cayman plenum, see pictures above for explanation), 75mm Porsche throttle body (74.xx mm 996NA/987/997), and new IPD 986 boxster silicone intake hose.

Fit & Finish:

The IPD intake plenum is a very solid and well build piece. It is a cast aluminum plenum, feels lightweight, and has an orange colored smooth inner tract lining. The inner diameters of the 3 openings for the plenum are larger than stock, and the Y design seems incorporated with a well thought out design that doesn't sacrifice overall air volume, as the overall plenum is larger than stock.

The 75mm porsche throttle body bolts straight onto the IPD plenum and is perfect fit. Like stated in my earlier posts, you could use the 996NA throttle body, the 987 Boxster/Cayman TB, and the 997 NA & TT throttle bodies, etc..

The new IPD intake piping silicone hose is a one piece fitment from the throttle body to the oem airbox's MAF tube connection, or in my case, to an aftermarket MAF tubing to a "cold" air intake, or cone filter. This new larger hose replaces the stock intake piping. The fitment of the hose is great, and didn't require any modification for fitment. The hose is a multi-ply silicone hose and feels very solid and sturdy. It is currently attached to the TB and MAF pipe with worm-clamp connectors, but I'll be changing these out for T-Bolt clamps and dual beaded T-bolt clamps (although this is overkill and unnecessary).

Installation:

Just a generalized installation summary, although if anyone would like a full DIY, let me know. Removal & installation is very straightforward and can be done under an hour overall. If you're handy, of course you could get it done in 15-20 minutes for the installation.

1. Put the 986 Boxster top in "service mode" & remove the engine cover
2. Remove the OEM plastic intake piping
3. Remove the OEM throttle body and T-pipe as a single unit
4. Fit the IPD silicone coupler/reducers to the OEM intake manifolds
5. Center the IPD plenum in place between the intake manifolds
6. Install new 75mm throttle body to the plenum.
7. Install the IPD silicone intake hose piping
8. Secure/Tighten all clamps and connectors after adjusting proper fitment.
9. Reset ECU & calibrate throttle body
10. Drive aggressively while the ECU readjusts

* Key Note: Make sure you have a healthy MAF sensor! This is very important either way, whether you are stock or modded.

Driving Impressions & Feel:

While a bit of a skeptic, I always do my homework and research on any mods prior to getting into it. I've read plenty of reviews and talked to many people who already have the IPD plenum who have felt great gains, whether it be via the "butt-dyno" or measured by actual dyno before/after runs. As great as that always sounds, I would never actually know how it would be for my personal car and setup until I tried it myself.

My impressions of the new IPD intake setup: Just getting on the gas at low speeds out of the parking lot or onto the street, I could feel the car just rev up faster and just want to go. That immediately suppressed my fears of the potential to lose some low end torque grunt. Fortunately, it felt more powerful on the low end, revved up faster, and did it all much more smoothly and felt much less restricted in doing so.

Midrange and high end feel great. The car simply pulls harder throughout the entire powerband. The throttle response is quicker, and there is less hesitation to accelerate. The sound is also more aggressive, and overall power delivery is very smooth and linear.

Getting on the freeway onramps and overtaking on the freeway no longer feel like a chore, as the car pulls much stronger than before.

This has been a great mod. In fact, it is probably the most rewarding out of all of my peformance mods thus far.

While I don't have any dyno charts to post (and I sure wish that I had done a before and after dyno run), I can definitely say that I'm very happy with the mod, and that I definitely feel that the car pulls much harder and feels faster.

If I had a choice to do it all over again, I definitely would without any reservation.