Cheap easy HP gains?
 

Usually installed some kind of awesome new intake on other cars helps it make a few more HP after all the more the engine can breath the better it can power my wheels.

So what are the cheap easy mods I can do to increase the HP or possibly increase my gas mileage.

There aren't any.....................

Cheap is relative, but Porsches are engineered to perform well and be reliable too, so any horsepower you add will not be cheap and it will only be a few here and a few there. I have found cold air intake and exhaust are the most for your money

Desnorkle it (Use this link it works great and takes 10 minutes 10min. Boxster "de-snorkel" Hack! :: Car & Lifestyle Forum)

Change the exhaust.

You can do the Crios exhaust mod: http://986forum.com/forums/diy-project-guides/19770-diy-exhaust-mod-%96-gain-10-hp.html

Plus some other useful tips other members have posted that I saved.

Hacks - Boxster Tech

Greg's Boxster Hacks

Boxster S By-Pass Muffler Done!!!! - Pelican Parts Technical BBS

Make the Pedro Sport Exhaust

Desnorkle looks awesome. Why is it in there to begin with?

Also thanks for the links Eric.

reduce the noise coming from the engine. you won't get any (appreciable) hp gains. there's some debate (1 hp) but i didn't notice anything other than a deeper exhaust noise.

boxster de snork - YouTube

"Res ipsa loquitur"; not one of the ideas mentioned will add power, they will simply make the car louder and your wallet easier to sit on, and in some cases will actually rob output.

There is no such thing as a free lunch.................

I do love a better sounding engine. I was also looking at the exhaust mod, but I might have a guy friend do that for me I don't feel comfortable drilling my exhaust. I'd love if it had more grunt. It does sound pretty good now so I guess I'll have to watch more youtube videos of Boxster exhausts.

Do a little search here, there are a few topics discussing your question.
-snorkel
-UD pulley
-exhaust
-TB
-bypass pipes
-ECU tune
to name a few.

Underpulley is the most noticeable mod IMO, I'd put headers second but they can make some head bolt problems when you install them.

Problem was, I didn't know what to search for, but this list gives me a place to start.

Was just looking in the garage there, I'm curious didn't you go Pcar shopping before you bought a 2011 Camaro or did you end up with it in another way? After that ride acceleration in the 986 is going to feel lessened, it's cool that you report the 03 Boxster feels better in a corner than a 2011 Camaro, not shocking mind you given the difference in platforms.

"There aren't any..................... "
+1
Having done almost all the common mods, I concur. However, there are many expensive, difficult mods that can make the Boxster quite speedy!
A couple of questions to ask yourself before digging in:
1. How much street drivability are you willing to give up?
2. Are you going racing? (Are there any class restrictions?)
3. How long are you planning to keep the car?
4. How much resale value are you willing to lose?

probably an ecu remap.. it seems here in the UK versions it'll grant a few hp and a few ft.lbs of torque for a couple of hundred and if they back up your old ecu profile it can be reversed easily.

here you go SP25.. fill yer boots.... Porsche Cayman & Boxster ECU Tuning « Softronic ECU Flash Tuning

Truth is spoken here:cheers:

...but in the same vein, when I was once asked "why do you speed between lights, you don't get through them any faster" I responded with "true, but it sure feels that way and that's all that matters".:cheers:

I owned a V6 Camaro. It was a great car, but my boxster is just a better sports car. Not to mention just the badge alone give me more street cred. I knew I wanted a Porsche Boxster it was just a matter of when I was gonna get it. I wanted a Lotus for the longest time but when I learned that they didn't have any creature comforts I said to hell with that, Boxster is faster, quieter, more comfortable and I have AC :)

I wanted something a bit, faster or at least better handling which is why I ended up trading for the Porsche.

On the terms of what kind of drivablity, well it's a daily and my only car so um it needs to be smooth. I guess mostly I was looking for cold air intake and simple exhaust mods. Those always make the car sound more awesome and are usually pretty cheap to do and require very little strength on my part.

by the way SP25... lapis blue.. nice choice !

Best way to gain HP on the cheap is to upgrade to an "S" model.

With the exception of cherry Chapstick, there's no inexpensive way to improve the performance of a boxster .

Drop the latte and go to the gym.

Excuse me, are you calling me fat!? I happen to be in very good shape mister, thank you very much. Fail who's next? :matchup:

And yeah I have an S, I own a 2003 Boxster S, Lapis blue, 56k miles, Tiptronic(Sick of driving manual in traffic) Short of some kind of forced induction (I'm sick of people always correcting me when I use turbo over super) I was just poking my head in the mod market. I doubt I'll even have time to do anything that I want to do.

Outside of possibly the LED headlights and maybe some daytime running lights I don't have time to really do any real work. Maybe I should just accept my white collar life and live vicariously though other modders :)

:p

Welcome to 986forum Kaili. It seems you play this game very well. :) You already have a dozen Boxster owners at the ready, to look after your every need. Bravo!

Ok so lets break this down a bit...
You have one of the finest German sports cars ever made (2003 Box S) and you have some of the best mountain roads in the western hemisphere out your back door. It doesn't get much better than that does it?. So now what???

The fun stuff:
Making the driving experience even more exciting. As others have suggested, bolt on mods and performance add-ons are really quite weak for this car and will most likely leave you unsatisfied at best, or cause problems at worst. Gentle suggestion, leave the motor alone for now and really get to know her a bit. If you still want to tinker after a year or so, have at it.

So if not hp add-ons, then what? The secret sauce with these cars really is all about high performance tires. The difference is amazing! Most new Boxster drivers have no idea how a fresh set of excellent rubber will transform your car. I drove on lame A/S tires for two years before I figured this out and I couldn't believe the difference it made. Like adding 100 horsepower in terms of excitement. Don't wait, do it now. Find a good used set of takeoff Boxster rims on craigslist for around $400 and add nice fresh high performance tires all around. You will absolutely love it. If you choose wisely you will spend around $1k and it will be the best money you can spend on this car. Save those All Season minivan tires for winter snow days. ;)

Ok now the boring stuff:
To get the most out of your car, change the oil and filters every 4-5k, change the brake fluid annually, warm it up gently when cold, and drive it like you stole it with some serious canyon carving at least once a week. It keeps her healthy and happy.

You have my 2c. Don't be a stranger. :cheers:

This I like, I might change the title of the thread to be, how best to enjoy my new sports car :p

After I get a new stereo new rims and tires are totally on the list. My all seasons are ultra high performance according to tire rack (Kuhmo Ecsta 4X), I always drive gently until warm ;)

I was actually happy to see 255's on the rears because the camaro had 245's all around and before I got down and took pictures of my tires I didn't know how big they were, I am most most happy with their girth. But I'll get out there and give some new tires a spin come spring. I do plan on a little autoX or maybe some track racing next summer, but we will see.

There are those that disagree with the above sentiment, especially for the S cars.

Riddle me this. If the the 3.2L 6 was engineered to live up to it's potential, how was porsche able to get 20% more horsepower out of 6% more displacement using the same compression ratio and cams in the 3.4?

I love boxsters, but it seems the were given a load of salt peter at the factory to keep them in there place.

There are no cheap Mods, but there are ways to get more out of these cars without spending 10's of 1000s of dollars.

Appreciable gains can be had with some exhaust work, intake work (throttle body and filter) and an ecu flash. If you do the most of work yourself this can be done for ~1500 or less depending on how far you want to go.

I don't know what the OP is driving, but the first places I would look are rear cat delete pipes, underdrive pully, intake.

I think the "Desnorkel" is a bad idea. It's the equivalent of adding a "hot air" intake. It will likely increase air filter change intervals as well.

Look here: Technolab/PedrosGarage: Porsche PPI, Porsche Service, Performance Parts

I just installed these headers. They fitted perfectly & seem good quality.

Great value for money.

eBay Australia: Buy new & used fashion, electronics & home d

Woah that is a great deal. I might consider doing some headers especially for that price!

If you install headers, you will need to have your ECU flashed to ROW specs; if you don't, you're engine will throw a CEL for the catalyst (or lack thereof). Australian cars are delivered as ROW cars from the dealership, so they don't have that problem.

Also... Colo has emissions laws that mirror Commiefornia's so it may not pass smog inspection with headers/ROW flash. No smog, no tags.

Yeah I kinda hate emissions. Well I'll just enjoy the beautiful sound of my car as it is.

Especially with a Tiptronic you need low rpm torque & for that there is no replacement for displacement which requires bigger pistons.



http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1345593199.jpg

This sir is pure Porsche Porn! Shame on you for posting this...not!

That is a pretty engine.

I know of at least 1 Boxster somewhere in CO that is running completely cat free with a ROW flash...no problems with emissions testing as of yet.

Not only will a cheap set of eBay headers fail to give you any power or performance gains, there'll render your vehicle non emissions/OBDII compliant .

The headers give it a definitive kick in the ass, mine were the Chinese set that everyone mailgns yet they were made beautifully, fit perfect, sounded killer and gave as good a gain as the underpulley. No emission issues either although NY is still pretty weak on that test.

I'd like to meet up with some other Porsche owners here in the metro area, any know of a specific region forum where I can meet other owners?

You cannot say that all of the cheap eBay headers will not give additional power. Porche's stock set up is awful from a flow standpoint. Eliminating the catalyst that is shaped like a coffee can with a port on the side would most certainly allow the motor to breath better.

Right in your town. A good bunch as I recall:
Rocky Mountain Region Porsche Club

True. But, once you've removed the headers/pre-cats and replaced them with a cheap set of headers that have primaries that are probably no larger than 1 5/8 in diameter along with the even more restrictive 600 cell secondary cats still in place, what do think you'll gain ?

Princess, there is one forum member that lives in the Denver area that has a Boxter with a 3.8 engine...

However I am pretty sure that if for some reason you end driving his car, you will be saving coins for a couple of years for a 3.8 engine :p

I have not seen posts from Cloudsurfer lately, but he may be lurking around.

Enjoy your Boxter on those beautiful CO roads (just watch out for the deer...) ha!

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