Who belives in the IPD plenum
 

I have acquired a 74MM T.B. and IPD plenum,. I had seen a U tube VID from a tuner in Australia I think that said they didn't see any performance gain from it..?? who to believe.? Thanks Frank

I have the 82mm GT3 TB and IPD plenum on my CSS. I did not do a tune (not a believer in them), so I did not feel a lot of gain. There seemed to be a bit more grunt in the 2K rpm range, but that was with the butt dyno and I might have been looking for justification for the $750 outlay.

I got to thinking (a dangerous thing for sure) that maybe that combo contributed to my bore scoring by was pushing more fuel into my cyls than the factory setup. But I was told by the engine builder it had nothing to do with that or anything I'd done. It was just a poor design by Porsche. YMMV.

I haven't tried the combo on the 986 yet. I have done the IPD and an 82mm on my 996. It made a difference there and when I also added a quality set of headers the component combination was awesome.

More pull through the entire rev range.

I have the IPD plenum with the 74mm throttle body on my 986 S.

I did notice that the pull is more linear to red line but that could also be because I switched over the the FVD Brombacher "Sound" exhaust. I also have the FVD Brombacher long headers and BMC filter pending install. For the time being, I don't have a software tune, but ultimately did notice a difference. I'm happy with the upgrade.

I dyno'd before and after with the 74mm TB and 996 plenum and did show some linear gains from around 3.5k rpm. From memory it was around 5-10bhp.

996 plenums are (as are the ipd) much larger than stock 986 and should therefore allow a bit of easier breathing at higher rpms, if done in combination with additional mods to the intake to eliminate the other points of restriction (tiny MAF housing and restrictive air box). In my mind you either go all the way or youre wasting a lot of time and effort. Even if you redo the entire setup, don't expect more than a small gain in power.

On a side note, I've never seen such a ridiculously overpriced piece of automotive tech as the ipd plenum. The 996 cable driven TB plenums can be had for under $30 and are the same diameter. "oh but the ipd is Y shaped" lol. Pedro thought he could get around their patent and create a similar setup with the addition of an air splitter on a larger plenum and the only dyno run I've seen with that piece of hardware LOST the guy top end power. "Don't forget about the textured lining to improve linear flow " theoretically true, but unless you're doing that to the rest of the intake then this is a total waste.

And this is all coming from a guy who just spent the better part of the winter completely redoing the intake to a short ram CAI with 82 mm TB. I don't regret doing it (this was part 1 of a much larger project so necessary regardless of gains at this stage) but the results are not earth shattering by any means.

Hope this helps.

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The shop that does all the major work on my car isn't a believer in the IPD plenum and larger TB. They recommended against it for my car both when it was a stock 3.2 and again after they rebuilt my engine as a 3.6. They said they've never seen much of a power increase on the dyno after installing one, and have actually seen power decreases in some instances. They also told me that the 68mm throttle body on the 3.2 was big enough, it was also used on some BMW engines of larger displacement. So for now, I haven't added it to my car.

It came with the car I bought that blew a rod,..I would now have all the component's to do that upgrade...But I have the lonely 2.7 I also have the 987 air box I was surprised to get the IPD and the larger TB,..So that's why I asked didn't want to go thru all that for nothing..But maybe it helps the 2.7 .. I want to work on the 3.2 first Tho cant mess up a engine with a big hole in the top off it..! Thanks Guy's appreciate the Info...Frank

I initially had my fences up on the IPD plenum etc. but curiosity got the best of me so I dove in head first. Suffice to say, the mods put a smile on my face every time so I have no regrets. I can certainly respect everyone's opinion on where they stand on this topic, but if you have the opportunity to try it out, I would highly encourage it. Don't knock it until you've tried it. Enjoy your cars in good health!

This has been a very discussed topic on the forum. Pros and cons, price. I think in the end for best results it needs to be used with an exhaust upgrade to see most benefit. This is based off following many threads of discussion no experience. :D

I believe that if your going to go with it you have todo the package from the air box to the tail pipe to see the real benefits.
I have also heard that the real gains are in the higher RPM range as in 3000 and above.

I'm just in the process of building mine and was hoping for more bottom end improvements. By going with the IPD I may be adding performance in the wrong place but thats OK (can always use top end ��)

A naturally aspirated engine needs lots of money for little gains.
I have the IPD plenum + 74mm TBt on my 2.7l. and of course I noticed little gains.
More Air intake + gas + better exhaust = more power (that is a no brainer)

BUT don't expect a turbo kickin' in. Only subtile gains are possible.

Just an update: I installed the BMC air filter today and flashed my DME/ECU with the FVD Brombacher tune. There is a significant difference in throttle response and the engine pulls all the way to redline much faster and much more linear. Dare I say it, and there will be nay-sayers, but the car is scary fast after 3000rpm all the way to redline. It's going to take a bit of adjustment and seat time for me to get used to it. I'll go as far as to say that with the tune, this car can keep up with the big boys on the highway.

I'll be installing the FVD long headers later this summer and then re-flash the software. For what it's worth, I like the FVD tune because when you add the different bolt ons to your car as part of staged builds, they allow you to update the tune for free.

My two cents: The IPD plenum alone might not be worth it, and gains will be marginal at best, but when you add in the intake, header, exhaust, and especially a software tune, you are golden. But please do not expect the performance of a twin turbo setup. That's not realistic. Go buy a car designed to go fast.

Any change in sound with the BMC filter? I've been meaning to change my filter and debating between oem paper and BMC. I don't really care if it adds a few hp, I'm just interested in more intake noise! Would it be worth it from that perspective?

Already done de-snork btw

Haha to be honest I'm not sure yet. I drove along the 400 series highways last night with the top down. :D

lol fair enough! Enjoy the weather we're having!

After losing an engine in a race car when an aftermarket filter failed, it's OEM for me!

You can't just tell us half a story and leave us hanging. We want blood. Details! :chicken:

If you've had a remap the throttle request map has mostly likely even altered. This gives the effect of better throttle response and feeling faster as you've got more throttle or go for less travel. This is a similar effect to sports chrono on later cars or a sprint booster.

I have a 2001 tip S with FVD Brombacher Sound version exhaust installed long before intake update. I just this past weekend put in a 997 plenum and 74mm TB. I used 3 inch silicone elbows and 3 aluminum pipe. I kept the original airbox and MAF so that the MAF sensor reading is accurate. Lots of people have tried to tune to accommodate the 987 airbox and MAF and it seems to be difficult. I have no data as proof, but the intake roar is louder and the pull is more linear. After install my car started and ran smoothly with no troubles or codes. For the minimal cost (<$150 used parts) I think what I have done has been well worth my time and money. IPD is spendy, but since you already have it I would install it.

Make believe is so fun! If there were a performance gain to be had here, it would be documented. Your butt dyno or your feelings or emotions are not data. F outta here with that, lol

I've posted before and after Dyno plot previously showing some small gains. Most people never bother putting their car on a Dyno let alone at various stages of mods.

Howdy! It´s been a long and frustrating road for me, during the winter I installed the following on my 03s:

-987 airbox
-987 MAF
-74mm TB
-IPD-plenum (From a 3.4 Cayman)
-New oem injectors (Why not)
-Ebay headers
-Testpipes
-FVD Sound version

The car started right up, but as expected it didn´t run well due to the larger MAF diameter. It runs well the first 1/3 of the trottle position but if I get on the throttle it dies. I had an appointment with a tuner two month ago to fix the MAF part and do the mapping, but due to an extreme amount of bad luck we never got it done. Very long story btw ;-)

Anyway, now I have found another tuner that will take on the project starting tomorrow, so if everything works out I will have my car back in working order on friday, then I will find out at least what my well calibrated but dyno tells me. :p
The new tuner has just changed location and I don´t think they have the Dyno installed yet so, I don´t expect to get any real numbers unfortunately.. However at this stage I just want to have the car back in working order not to miss the track days in June. Wish me luck! :dance:

I have the 987 box, but its not installed yet,..I will do the IPD and the 74 MM TB,.with free flow secondary cats with the topspeed exhaust this weekend..to see if that helps my 2.7 going to also try to complete the 3rd radiator mod this weekend too..but that's very optimistic Iam sure..LOL

Robert, all you need is a 996 tune. You can do this with a piwis. I don't know how much your tuner is charging but buying the piwis com box online is not very expensive and the software can be found with the help of Mr Google.

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Ike, how does the PIWIS.com box online works?

I believe that the PIWIS is a Porsche service tool (pricey as well..) and also that you have to pay a no so cheap yearly subscription..

Could this be a Chinese PIWIS..?

There are two parts to a piwis system - the software and the hardware. For the piwis 2 system (which is no longer used by Porsche), the hardware module was produced by a company called samtec. I don't know the how or why, but those units (which appear to be genuine from samtec, not Porsche branded) are now being funneled for sale through 3rd party vendors in china.

Software is a different story. Obviously porsches software is propietary and copyrighted. There are 2 requirements for the piwis software to work properly - "tester imprinting" which is the active "subscription" for which vendors would have to pay porsche in order to keep their machines running, and a com unit that the software will recognize.

Someone along the way (at least twice that I am aware of) used a hard drive backup system to clone a piwis computer. It is pirated software and yes, it is illegal in every sense of the word. And no I AM NOT TELLING ANYONE TO BREAK THE LAW AND I ACTIVELY DISCOURAGE DOING SO.

But, it's not illegal for me to describe it to the good folks of this forum...

One copy is piwis 15.x and runs on windows XP. This is a very difficult copy to work with in any manner so stay away from it. The second copy is piwis 18.1 which ran on windows 7. This version is very workable. If you buy a piwis com unit from overseas you will have the option of purchasing a tablet or laptop with that software already loaded and the "tester. Imprint" addressed. It adds considerable expense though. On the other hand it is possible to find the software (along with instructions for bypassing the imprint requirements) for download on the interwebs. You have to be tech savvy in order to get it to work, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out - either restore the image as a VM using oracle box or VMWare and use the com unit as usb passthrough, or just use an older PC lying around and restore the image as a physical machine (don't sideload win 7 on a machine that is currently running windows 10, just trust me).

Hope that answers. Your questions.

Btw, porsche built in this interesting feature to piwis ii - they planned on discontinuing use of it around 2018, so the programming features of the software won't work if your windows system date is set to anything after that time....or so I have been told...

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It gets worse than that. The current version of the PIWIS is PIWIS III, and the last update I have seen for it was version 40.000. As all these units operate only when fully networked back to the fatherland, older versions cannot be updated to current standards, and the networking requirement also allows Porsche to literally kill any unlicensed versions remotely. This system is lease only; it was never offered for sale; first year's lease outlay is $20,000 for a legitimate system.

You are correct, without a network connection the systems cannot be updated. With that being said, piwis ii received support through 2018 so I think it's safe to say that any updates porsche wanted to push out for 986s or 987s would have been distributed by then. The software (at least for piwis ii v18.1) does not require network connectivity for full functionality though, so long as the tester is imprinted.

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Thanks a lot for the suggestion!

Anyway I just got a call from the tuner and the car is finally done!!!! After 1,5 days of tuning, he told me it runs perfect and pulls like a Carrera... Man am I excited.. One more note, he said that the mods I´ve made on intake and exhaust-side seemed to work out well together, very balanced.

Will pick it up tomorrow! will report back! :dance:

Ok, the car is back from the Tuner! :cheers:

The bad part: It seems my emergency brake on one side has collapsed somehow, there is an evil scraping sound inside it, so I can not (should not) drive the car.

The good part: When the emergency brake for a short while stopped making those noices I took it out for a proper spin, and man it runs really really well. You know the old tale "Porsche cut the nuts of the Boxster not to compete with the 911" Well, the nuts are back, and this time it´s personal.. :D
Seriously, it does pull stronger than before and the sound is glorious.. Dark low tone when cruising and angry GT3-ish when stepping on it at high revs. And there is no drone.

Tomorrow I will take a look at the emergency brake, or rather what´s left of it. Then hopefully I can finally get this season started. :dance:

Robert, I am curious. Did your tuner share with you exactly what he did and how he did it? How did he measure performance gains (dyno, street runs)? How did he dial in adjustments? What are your knock sensors (if still enabled) telling you about the setup? Do you have any EGT measurements? Any AFR measurements?

Curious minds want to know!

Also, did you wind up going with the colder dial plugs? (I think that was you who mentioned that, right??

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Ike, must admit that I don´t know all details, but here goes...

Since they have just changed location the Dyno was still not set up yet, so I got no measurements unfortunately. He explained what he did and I guess I understood about half of it.. But in short I belive the steps where -

1) Set up a MAF transfer table to match the new MAF, this was the part most other Tuners didn´t want to get into..
2) He put a broad band lambda in the headers
3) One guy was driving the car while the tuner set the mapping, this took quite some time as I understand it to get it perfect.

I honestly have no info on the other details, after this long time I just wanted to drive the car.. if you want I can PM you the contact info, I guess you are more qualified than me to ask and understand ;-)

Thanks for the info Robert! I'm glad youre back to driving, it's definitely hard to watch sunny days go by without letting the top down.

The MAF table is definitely the first step, followed by smoothing out idle and then building from there. If this guy really built a MAF table from scratch I would love to talk him!

Anyway, I'm happy you're driving again! Have at it brother!

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@Ike, I sent you a PM with my tuners contact info, good luck!

I can confirm that the car goes really well, a bit smelly without the cats though, will need to address that.. Also for environmental reasons it doesn´t feel totally ok without.

I had the same problem - without cats it stunk. And without some kind of muffler it was deafening. I can send you links to what I put on mine if you want. They worked well.

One thing that is for sure though - make sure your exhaust tips terminate behind the bumper. Ever notice on old cars (pre cat era) those things stick out the back like 6 inches? This is why! (Learned that the hard way).

Also, VERY IMPORTANT - if you're working on the car, run a fan under the vehicle briefly before getting under there. The rear bumper acts as a bonnet and traps carbon monoxide since it's lighter than ambient air. I actually got CO poisoning because of this. It was not pleasant.

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I believe!
 

Well boys, now I know..

As stated before I had no chance to get a dyno reading. However last weekend I did my first track event with the newly mapped engine (And my new Hartech race sump, can tell all about that later)

I can confirm that for the first time I was totally even with the 996/997 carreras on the main straight. I also shared car with my father who ran in another class, he noted that the car defenitely had more power than at previous events.

How much extra? Wish I knew, but it´s significant.

:D

Thats very good news..what fuel Octane do you guys run on.. Frank

98 octane (Sweden)

Thats pretty good..My Area the state of Arizona,..and probably nation wide its 93 at best !