A bit better exhaust note - Fabspeed?
 

A buddy of mine just got a 2008 Boxster. It's one of the special edition orange ones. I was literally stunned at how much better his car sounded than my car does and his has the 2.7L vs. my 3.2L. His car has a great grumble at start and idle, really sings at WOT, but has almost no resonance while cruising.

So now I'm sucked in wanting to get a bit better sound out of my 2004 550 SE. I've read the new Fabspeed system is based off the newer 987/Cayman Porsche exhaust design. I'll either try just thier bypass pipes or just their exhaust first and try adding the headers later. My biggest hesitation in going ahead with the exhaust vs. only the the bypass pipes is I really like my unique 550 double stack exhaust tip which I would lose if I put the full exhaust on.

Anyone have any experience with:
1) Just the bypass pipes
2) Just the exhaust
3) The whole system

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Mike

Mike-

I have the "new," current FabSpeed system on my car, and yes, it is based off the 987 system,, albeit with different midpipes. I am running mine with TurboWerx headers and the performance and sound is fantastic. The current system is, indeed, resonance free.

I like the exhaust tips you have on your car, and it would be somewhat of a shame to lose them, but you are not going to get an appreciable change in exhaust tone by just deleting the secondary cats.

If you're willing to do some cutting of the heat shielding of the rear bumper, you can install 987 headers and the full 987 exhaust on a 986, which in hindsight, I wish I had done, as I do plan on doing a 3.6 swap at some point. With the FabSpeed, at least, if you do want to do this later, you can just exchange midpipes.

Hope that helps.

Patrick

Mike, no offense to Patrick, but the secondary cat bypass pipes do indeed create a much nicer, deeper tone and a real growl under acceleration. I have Fabspeed bypass pipes on my '02 S and the sound is amazing. I've also upgraded to a PSE (Pedro Sport Exhaust) that adds the dual external pipes; this has given me the ultimate sound with absolutely zero resonance. One of these days I'll post a sound file.

What is that in the picture (stock muffler off the 02 S or PSE)? Sorry for being ignorant I'm just learning about the exhaust options.

My favorite sound that I heard was the Fabspeed on a 911 - that was a nice sound!

-Steve

If you buy the OEM PSE (Porsche Sports Exhaust) system for your car, you can transfer your current exhaust tip to the PSE, and the PSE sounds great. It is not cheap (around $1700), but it does sound very nice, with no resonance, and leaves your car fully factory. I'm not talking about the pre-02 PSE that has the exterior Sebring Pipes, I'm talking about the 02-04 version, that has the hidden bypass pipes. It allows you to keep your current exhaust tip.

I want a muffler setup with THIS as the tailpipe:

http://tailgunnerexhaust.com/imgphotos/FIGHTER.jpg

I have the Fabspeed muffler that I bought for 1300$ brand new on my 2000 S and I'm surprised at how quiet it is. It's louder than stock, but not nearly as loud as I thought it would be:(

It depends if you have the older or newer FabSpeed exhaust. The new one is based off the Cayman system. I do think the PSE sounds nice, but it is awfully expensive and does not offer any weight savings or flow improvements. I can see the secondary bypass pipes sounding nice, along with the Pedro mod.

On a side note, if anyone is interested, I have my old FabSpeed system sitting in the basement. Just back from FabSpeed with a new midpipe under warranty and freshly polished by them. Send me a PM if anyone is interested.

Patrick

how much power does a base 2.7 really get from these exhaust mods?

in my experience, having modified several cars - exhaust mods tend to not make a huge difference, but if they do, it's usually in responsiveness or way way top end power.

do the cat delete pipes, headers, or muffler setups do much to make a car *noticeably* faster or is it all about sound.

i'm on the verge of buying my dad's 2000 2.7L - and bone stock it sounds amazing. i wouldn't pay money to change teh sound. i maye could see doing it down the road if i was going to pick up 10-20hp...but somehow i don't see that happening.

am i wrong - does a full ehxuast make *real* power you could feel?

I can't say if my system adds power (probably negligible), but throttle response is far quicker, with no lag on downshift blips. I must also add that I have an Evo Hi-Flow intake on the other end.

In my mind it's worth the sound alone...sounds like a mini GT3RS.

Better exhaust note by changing exhaust - yes.

Looking for hp gain? Plauhease.

Friendly reminder:
Your car is god-damn pre-tuned by german engineers. :cheers:

Increased power? Maybe, at the top of the rev range. Better throttle response? Absolutely. Better sound? Thats a judgment call only the individual can make.

I am running TurboWerx headers with the "new" FabSpeed exhaust (yes, I'm catless), combined with the RoW software program, and a lightweight flywheel. Throttle response is amazing. I am probably making a smidgen more at high RPM. I love the way it sounds, and my setup does not have any resonance issues.

I am working on welding in some high flow cats into the midpipes in an effort to be more socially responsible.

Hope that helps

Patrick