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Old 02-20-2005, 05:36 PM   #1
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Question Cheap HP?

I am 16 years old and i have a 1998 Boxster. I am looking for a Cheaper way to add more HP too it. Something under 2K. I am also looking for new tires, any suggestions?


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Old 02-20-2005, 06:06 PM   #2
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16? A boxster? Consider yourself a lucky kid and forget the additional horsepower. Now, go get a haircut and do your homework !!!
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Old 02-20-2005, 06:29 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WoBoxster
I am 16 years old and i have a 1998 Boxster. I am looking for a Cheap way to add more HP too it. I am also looking for new tires, any suggestions?
I think you need to define "CHEAP" for us and we might be able to help a bit.

Re Tires. I have had good luck with Yokohamas. Good tire for the money!

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Old 02-20-2005, 06:51 PM   #4
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Cheap and H.P.

Cheap and h.p. don't play well together in Boxsterland. The mods I have planned for my 04 2.7 to give me about 25h.p. are going to cost about 4-5k...These cars are not cheap to hop up. But with intake, exhaust, headers, cats and ecu you can get real power gains and a much lighter wallet.
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Old 02-20-2005, 08:18 PM   #5
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WoB, hope this will be taken in the spirit it is intended. In your lucky position and at your age I would recommend that instead of putting the $2K into parts to make your car faster, you spend it on educating you to drive even better. There are several performance driving schools as well as local Porsche Chapters' Driver's Ed/Autocross events that would fit well within your budget and produce a better outcome than bolting on various bits of plastic and metal, etc. The stock Boxster has more performance than most people's skill can ever use. It has been estimated that most people don't drive these cars to more than 60% of their potential performance. So one way of thinking about it is you could get a ~35% performance gain (40% would be going to the edge a bit) by improving the driver's skills to utilize the full performance of the car vs. changing the car itself in some way.

Also, this is an investment that you get to take with you when you change cars later and doesn't depreciate like the car and accessories will.

I've done the local autocross "school" and a driver's ed event and it made me a faster, safer driver (and I'd had a few years more of practice up to that point than you ). You'll learn to carry more speed through corners and how to stop better, etc.

BTW, if you need new tires, that $2K could already have found a new home...
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Old 02-20-2005, 09:37 PM   #6
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Unfortunatley, the Boxster just isn't set up for 'tuning' in the way Hondas and their ilk are. There are cheap and not-so-cheap ways of differentiating you Box from others i.e., changing the rear spoiler, new rims, etc., but exhaust seem to start @ $700 or more, intakes at $400, and in the end they really don't add much in the way of hp. Which isn't to say you shouldn't do it, just be prepared to part with cash. BTW, congrats on scoring a great ride at 16. The advice about going to a performance driving school is very good. I just attended the Bridgestone F2000 school at Mosport and I'm 38. I wish I'd done it sooner.
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Old 02-21-2005, 05:50 AM   #7
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The driving school idea is top rate. Thanks for that!
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Old 02-21-2005, 10:26 AM   #8
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Dang! I had to wait until I was 42 to get my dream car. You're either a far better saver that I ever was with a good paying job after school or you have a parent who likes to give you very nice cars to drive and is willing to pay what must be outrageous insurance, huh?

What on earth will you have to look forward to in your 40's if you're driving a Porsche now?

Do the driving school thing as suggested and save the rest though. I've looked into more HP and it's stinking expensive and makes the car somewhat to very unreliable. Maintenance isn't cheap on our cars either, and yours will be far more than most, I'm afraid. Why?

I say this from personal experience as a complete driving fanatic my whole life and the ability to recall how I drove my cars when I was 16.

At 16, a person has a far greater sense of invincibility, and less fear of loss. So, one usually drives faster, is then required to jam on the brakes more, and must prove to all one's friends that Porsches, even non-S models are far faster than the rice burners with coffee cans for tailpipes his buddies are driving. Believe it or not, driving school will show you how to beat every one of your buddies in a race... and they can even be driving corvettes and you'll win!

For the most part, a young, highly spirited driver without driving school = lots of tires, brakes, shocks, clutches, etc.

You may be one of those conservative 16 year old men who drives conservatively, but I must admit if I were you and at your age, I would not be driving cautiously and slowly in a boxster!!!

Oh yeah, don't forget about speeding tickets. If I were you I'd be saving up to pay those and the additional insurance premiums that go with them... no radar detector works well enough to keep a 16 year old out of fine-paying EVERY time.
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Old 02-22-2005, 06:44 AM   #9
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Dang! I had to wait until I was 42 to get my dream car. You're either a far better saver that I ever was with a good paying job after school or you have a parent who likes to give you very nice cars to drive and is willing to pay what must be outrageous insurance, huh?

What on earth will you have to look forward to in your 40's if you're driving a Porsche now?

Carrera GT?
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Old 02-22-2005, 06:59 AM   #10
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Yup -- spend that $2k on cheap tires and driving school.

Normally I'm a huge advocate of good tires (S02's, Pilot Sports, etc.), but given your age, I say you get a set of Kumhos, because you're going to wear them out so fast doing stupid stuff. I know I did when I was 16!!! Haha, what am I talking about -- I'm 22, and I STILL do!
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Old 02-22-2005, 07:35 AM   #11
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I can't imagine any insurance willing to cover a young driver of any Pcar...
Well, first, legal driving age is 18 here, and then usually, if you are not 25 you'll have beg insurance companies to let you pay them a fortune to insure such a car !
Wow ! Congratulations...you have all this fun NOW, enjoy&be careful, it's not only about money, but about staying alive too....
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Old 02-22-2005, 08:21 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeannot
I can't imagine any insurance willing to cover a young driver of any Pcar...
Well, first, legal driving age is 18 here, and then usually, if you are not 25 you'll have beg insurance companies to let you pay them a fortune to insure such a car !
Actually, in the US, insurance is very cheap on the Boxster. It's less money than I paid on my BMW, and about the same as what my dad pays for his F-150.

Of course, my insurance company kicks BUTT!
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Old 02-22-2005, 09:23 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WoBoxster
I am 16 years old and i have a 1998 Boxster. I am looking for a Cheaper way to add more HP too it. Something under 2K. I am also looking for new tires, any suggestions?
Obviously we are talking the remote control Porsche Boxster right? A 16 yr old with a Boxster sacre blue.
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Old 02-22-2005, 09:26 AM   #14
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Actually, in the US, insurance is very cheap on the Boxster. It's less money than I paid on my BMW, and about the same as what my dad pays for his F-150.

Of course, my insurance company kicks BUTT!
ok, car = cheaper in US. gas = WAYYY cheaper in US. insurance = cheaper...

:ah: grrrr.......
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Old 02-22-2005, 09:32 AM   #15
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Only 2 k to spend? You are going to need a lot more then that to add the kind of HP you might be looking for.
I like the driving school and kumho tires idea. I personally like the Pilot sports more(thats what I have) but I dont tear them up. I almost never intentionally spin my tires.
When I was 16 I didnt have the priviledge of driving a Porsche, but have been fortunate enough to have some very nice cars along the way. I would say enjoy the car as much as you can in its semi-stock condition. It should be plenty of power for you.
If you want to see what I did to my 986(Boxster) the feel free to browse www.09860.com
Enjoy your car!
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Old 02-22-2005, 11:25 AM   #16
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Hey, my first car was a 63 Vette, but of course that was in 67, so it was not QUITE such a big deal.

Paid $2250 for it!

Hmmm, I should have kept that car?

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Old 02-22-2005, 03:55 PM   #17
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Especially if it was a split window coup. Doh!
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Old 02-22-2005, 10:18 PM   #18
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Frankly I'm suprised at all the back-handed comments regarding this guy's age. Seems to me he's gone out of his way to find an informative site and has asked the question we all ask; 'How can my Boxster go faster'. And in reply, most people are making broad assumptions regarding the' stupid' things he's likely to do. At 16, Sebastion Bourdais competed at Le Mans, surely he had the talent and intelligence to snag the ride. I suspect no one said 'Sacre Blue' which should be spelt 'Bleu', by the way. I wont make any judgement calls on that poster's brain-power based on a spelling mistake. Nor will I point out that 22 is a tiny hop from 16, and in no way speaks to any greater degree of wisdom or skill. And aren't we all in a position to consider ourselves lucky that we can afford to drive a Boxster? At 16 or 60? I'd now go get a hair-cut but genetics and time have taken care of that option, and as for homework, I never did it when I had it! And don't anybody get their panties in a twist, just think how you'd feel if you went to ask for some helpful suggestions, and got some of these responses instead.
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Old 02-22-2005, 11:02 PM   #19
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I tend to agree with IceBox. he didn't ask the best way to spend $2000, he asked for the bang for the buck HP gains, hopefully under $2,000. Something we are all looking for, but unfortunately, as we are all painfully aware, $2,000 does not go far in the porsche world. what are we looking at? headers and exhaust? will that net 5HP? 10?

i know for me i am dying to know how porsche got 30 extra HP out of the same 3.2 that i have. or is it the same?
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Old 02-23-2005, 01:54 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by IceBox
Frankly I'm suprised at all the back-handed comments regarding this guy's age. Seems to me he's gone out of his way to find an informative site and has asked the question we all ask; 'How can my Boxster go faster'. And in reply, most people are making broad assumptions regarding the' stupid' things he's likely to do. At 16, Sebastion Bourdais competed at Le Mans, surely he had the talent and intelligence to snag the ride. I suspect no one said 'Sacre Blue' which should be spelt 'Bleu', by the way. I wont make any judgement calls on that poster's brain-power based on a spelling mistake. Nor will I point out that 22 is a tiny hop from 16, and in no way speaks to any greater degree of wisdom or skill. And aren't we all in a position to consider ourselves lucky that we can afford to drive a Boxster? At 16 or 60? I'd now go get a hair-cut but genetics and time have taken care of that option, and as for homework, I never did it when I had it! And don't anybody get their panties in a twist, just think how you'd feel if you went to ask for some helpful suggestions, and got some of these responses instead.
By the way 'Sacre bleu' is spelled 'sacrebleu' in one word, FYI :-)

..and if I'd need to find out info about cheap HP, I'd skip my age in the first sentence of the question, don't you think?

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