the dreaded exhaust question (again)

[jmatta]

Changing any of those items will likely yield little more than a lighter wallet. Most that have made the changes have only seen minimal HP gains, if any. If you wish to make your car quicker, you really have two options; increase displacement or lose mass.

Displacement is expensive, but so are add-ons that provide little payback...reducing weight is very cost effective, until you get into panel replacement.

[2K3_Boxster_S]

You can get 18hp if you do intake and full exhaust. see NHP exhaust thread.
Whether that's a minimal gain is dependent on what an individuals perception of expected results is compared to $$$ spent. It's not a cheap upgrade and it can't be done through ebay.

[Cloudsurfer]

Originally Posted by 2K3_Boxster_S

You can get 18hp if you do intake and full exhaust. see NHP exhaust thread.
Whether that's a minimal gain is dependent on what an individuals perception of expected results is compared to $$$ spent. It's not a cheap upgrade and it can't be done through ebay.

Hate to point it out to you, but the NHP is made in China "cheap" stuff.

[2K3_Boxster_S]

Originally Posted by Cloudsurfer

Hate to point it out to you, but the NHP is made in China "cheap" stuff.

Wrong. made in Canada. not even close to ebay cheap. Welds are beautiful, no fitment issues. China doesn't use T-304 stainless either. You got the wrong company.

[jmatta]

I think 18HP is pretty optimistic...there's no substitute for torque and you're not going to get appreciable increases with modifications. Gains will be at higher RPMs where it's mostly unused. I am not a technician, but have worked with my Porsche engine builder for years on track setups and know where dollars should or should not be spent.

[ekam]

NHP headers never look right in my eyes IMO, with the unequal length runners and side-entry high-flow cat. I've never seen any of the big companies use side-entry cats. You do get what you pay for really.

[The Radium King]

thanks everyone, i appreciate the information. also, thanks for the heads-up on maxspeed - good to have a canadian vendor available (less shipping and duty for us canadians).

i'm not made of money, but i like to tinker. i'd save up for a performance exhaust if it provided benefit without detriment (torque loss at lower rpm). looking at the dyno results on the maxspeed website (NHP vendor) there doesn't appear to be a reduction in torque or power except for a bit of torque at 1800 rpm. otherwise a net increase.

those with experience in these things please advise - can you feel the torque loss at lower rpm? can you feel the hp gain otherwise?

dyno

thanks again.

ps - 2k3 - how do you like the shifter? i've read that b&m are too stiff; how does the schnell feel? is it the same unit that maxspeed sells for $99?

[2K3_Boxster_S]

Originally Posted by ekam

NHP headers never look right in my eyes IMO, with the unequal length runners and side-entry high-flow cat. I've never seen any of the big companies use side-entry cats. You do get what you pay for really.

I didn't really care for them either that's why



These have been delivered and waiting to be installed. I am going completely catless and the sport Cat headers will be up on ebay soon.

[Cloudsurfer]

Originally Posted by ekam

NHP headers never look right in my eyes IMO, with the unequal length runners and side-entry high-flow cat. I've never seen any of the big companies use side-entry cats. You do get what you pay for really.

Maybe I'm wrong about where they're made, but no one who knows anything about fluid dynamics, especially as it pertains to internal combustion exhaust design, would design a header that looks like that. Any decent headers you see will have merge collectors, and if catted, will have smooth transitions into and out of the cats- NOT a flat piece of metal welded to one side with a pipe on it (such that exhaust flow only goes through the middle of the grid) and then an exit on the side (so that whatever flow makes it through the middle of the grid has to now make a 90 degree (or tighter) turn in an extremely small radius.

Made in China or Canada or for all I care Nigeria, that's not the way to design a well flowing header.