best performance upgrade for 2001 box

[gian77]

Hi everybody, I think I've reviewed almost all performance sites in upgrading performance. But I would like to hear from u guys about your personal experiences on this matter .

What is the best way to improve (benefit / cost$) performance ( ECU / exhaust / headers/ level 1 /2/3? on a 2001 boxster 2.5 engine

P.S. by the way the combo kit from FABSPEED was very appealing.

Thanx

Gian

[Topless]

Porsche did not build a 2.5L Boxster in 2001. They did build a 2.7L and a 3.2L. Which one do you have?

Most of the hp "upgrades" from aftermarket suppliers are effective at taking your hard earned $$ with little or no return on investment. ( no faster lap times on a track)

Want faster lap times?
Listed in order of return on investment.
1. Performance driving school
2. R-comp tires
3. Seat time

[Paul]

Install a 3.6!

[jhandy]

dont waste your $$ on that. Lower it and use the remaining $ on a new sound system.

[tnoice]

I agree with Topless.

-Better tires will make a world of difference.
-Driving school and more time in the car will make you a lot faster than someone with a bunch of upgrades.

Last weekend I was at an autocross and was getting spanked by cars (ie.. A Blue Mazda 3 "ADAM") that were suppose to be MUCH slower (Factory spec wise) than me. Upgrades would not have improved my times by much. Experience plays a much more significant role than upgrades.


oohhh. And this is the financial advisor coming out in me. Take the money that you would have spent on the upgrades and put it in a savings account for the future. You might need it someday.

[edevlin]

Suspension, get a nice set of coilovers and lower the car a little. It will be a stiffer ride, but lots more fun,

Ed

[Wingnut2u]

You will not gain any performance through a CAI, exhaust, etc..as a matter of fact you will probably lose performance

An ECU tune will tweak the drive-ability fun, but for the cost will not add any significant speed at the track.

Best performance upgrades I have done besides seat time at the track, PSS9's and some R-comp tires for the track. But if you do upgrade to R-comp tires I would definitely invest in an X51 oil pan as the extra g's can produce oil starvation

[gian77]

Thanks eveybody. and yes is a 2.7 not a 2.5 my bad. I have a couple of questions?

- PSS9 and R-comp tires? what are they?

and what I really want is a better exhaust sound and Quicker take off.

thanks

[Lobo1186]

pss9 is a suspension kit for the boxster it may not be the best out there but it is very good

RComp tires are just racing compound tires. they may or may not be street legal.

[Lobo1186]

also you can spend alot on exhaust and lose performance. but you can also lose some weight so its one of those things you will have to decide. but if all you are looking for is better sound go with a secondary cat delete. and maybe an aftermarket muffler. the benefit is less weight better sound.

and for performance maybe an under pulley from flat6innovations or LNengineering.

[23109VC]

in a nutshell - there is no "magic" mod that is relatively affordable and will make a LOT of power.... you can spend $2000 on an exhaust and get no real power..it might sound cool...but it won't be any faster.

as others have said - tires and suspension can make you go a lot faster and handle better - which honestly, is what this car is all about. if you want a dragster, you bought the wrong car. there are plenty of cars out there that will spank your car in a straight race. My 2.7 is similar to yours, and while it's plenty quick to keep my happy, it's not a straight line car... my bone stock Acura RL might outrun my box in a drag.... plenty of "family" cars out there will EASILY outrun your boxster.... but on a twisty road...with the top down - you'd be HARD pressed to find a more FUN car...that handles as well....

i'd skip the exhaust. if you have to do one, get a maxspeed catback..they are under $1000 and from the youtube videos i've seen they sound pretty good. know that most aftermarketexhausts will drone and annoy you to death. i did a pedro mufflera nd it is a bit louder, more aggressive sounding,, but not quite the full blown "aftermarket" sound yo may want...albeit with NO drone though..

tires make a huge difference as will suspension. there are a lot of nice cosmetic mods to make your car look very nice which is a fun thing do to a car as classy as the boxster. Center painted consoles look good - as do clearing out your lights if you have hte older amber ones.... pedals.... you can spend endless sums of money on the car...

one other word of advice - some of the money you'd like to spend on mods...save it up for future repairs. you can be SURE you will have those. and not much on these cars is "cheap" to fix. in the last six months I've had to replace a MAF and a water pump...at about $1000.... on a car with only 78k miles.

save for repairs and new tires..things these cars seem to require more often than other cars..

try to enjoy the car for what it is. like you, i like to mod..but i'm trying to remidn myself, this is a car to be nejoyed for what it is...if you must have a FASTER boxster..then sell your 2.7 and buy a NEWER one.

honestly, you would be far better off to just dump the boxster you have, and get into a newer S model..you'd instantly have WAY more power, everything newer...of course you'd be paying more..but as with most things in life - you pay to play / you get what you pay for / insert metaphore here... as most of them are true...

good luck!!