Another front bumper question...

[ccstud17]

Hey all,
bumper VS. 11 inch curb...... well the curb sure did win my box is hurtin with about $6k worth of damage. only was doing 15mph (pulling into work parking lot) hit ice, and since we are on a hill I slid for about 50 feet till kissing the giant a$$ curb we have...

only chipped the front bumper, broke both radiators, and "popped" all the front pan safety welds, and apparently it will cost circa 6k. very sad day, but i digress...

I want to lose the miata look and get a better front bumper, I'm not really into the "ricer" look, so i dont want a whole body kit. So after too much explanation my question is. what is the best looking bumper cover WITHOUT getting side skirts etc. pics would be GREAT!

thanks in advance!
SC.

(yes I have searched, but i seem to only see cars with entire kits on)

[Johnny Danger]

Resources - FLAT6BOX

[ccstud17]

Thanks Danger,
You had posted that link on the other bumper page, and I did look at it and many of the links... they all seem to have the "kit" sides on them. I was hoping someone had tried just a bumper upgrade alone. im interested in if the skirts are ABSOLUTELY needed to "tie" it all together

[Perfectlap]

I Don't think my Boxster S would look as current after 13 years without skirting and the GT3 front bumper. Only issue is that you'll need bigger wheels to fill the extra space created by a lower front bumper. However the skirting gives a slightly lowered look, well compared to no skirting

[ccstud17]

:whistles: thats a purtty look! did you upgrade to 18" to fill the gaps?

[Johnny Danger]

Originally Posted by ccstud17

Thanks Danger,
You had posted that link on the other bumper page, and I did look at it and many of the links... they all seem to have the "kit" sides on them. I was hoping someone had tried just a bumper upgrade alone. im interested in if the skirts are ABSOLUTELY needed to "tie" it all together

You raise a good point. Personally, I've yet to see a front bumper upgrade that didn't require side skirts in order to tie it all in. At a minimum, I think you'll need something at least on the level of the aero kit I side skirts.

[rp17]

Perfect lap....Those wheels are nice!! Do you get more scraping the pavement with the lower bumper?

[jcb986]

If you have an earlier Boxster you could upgrade to a 02-04 bumper. I believe they changed the look in 02...not sure though.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by ccstud17

:whistles: thats a purtty look! did you upgrade to 18" to fill the gaps?

I upgraded to 18" factory Carrera (20lbs each) before the GT3 front bumper.
I paid $1,100 from Ernie's Alloys when the deal came up. Ernie (RIP) must have needed cash that week because he said it was basically his cost. I had RA-1 R comps mounted and man did that first ride put a smile on my face. The Potenza RE-11's I have now for summer is a great tire too. But yeah with the GT3 front, I think the wheel well gets too large for a 16" or 17" wheel. Same issue with the new 981 Boxster if you go lower than 19", too big a hole to fill.

Originally Posted by rp17

Perfect lap....Those wheels are nice!! Do you get more scraping the pavement with the lower bumper?

Yep. Gots to be very careful with high driveways and those parking space blocks.
But luckily a decent respray is only $250 away. I've spent a lot more and guess what, some S*** head will come along and back into your car. Last time while I was in gas a station parking lot behind the wheel! Maroon never looked in his mirrors even as I was honking. So personally I do not think it's worth spending a lot to repaint your front and rear bumpers. And truth be told the expensive repaint and the $250 were only different for a well-trained eye (the cheap was a little darker).

p.s
Sideskirts are not factory. Porsche didn't make the 2002-2004 GT3 look for the Boxsters, only the 99-01 GT3 look. So I had to go fiberglass but its held up pretty well.

[Johnny Danger]

Originally Posted by jcb986

If you have an earlier Boxster you could upgrade to a 02-04 bumper. I believe they changed the look in 02...not sure though.

The 986 got a front bumper update in 2003. Prior to that, there were two aero package options - the aero Kit I and II . The aero kit I had a slightly reworked front bumper, along with a very subtle side skirt design.

[Perfectlap]

^ Aerokit II is right off the 99-01 GT3. Pretty clever those Porsche guys...use the old moulds as "hand me downs" for the 986 Boxsters and pre-face lift 996's.
That pic is interesting, first time I saw a Boxster with GT3 seats in a brochure, must have been the Tequipment booklet. Yet another GT3 hand me down...

[Kenny Boxster]

Sorry to hear, but at least you're safe. If you are lucky it may turn out to be a lot less than $6k, but it's hard to tell without knowing everything that is damaged, and how you end up repairing it, whether you take it a shop or in your own garage. If it helps, I got a pretty good radiator from this guy:
Brand New 1 Row w O EOC w O TOC Replacement Radiator for 2 7 3 2 3 4 3 6 H6 Gas | eBay

I was initially very wary of buying a radiator that cheap, but the quality is remarkably well. Side by side by the OEM radiator, they are identical. Odds are though, if the radiator is busted, so is the radiator housing bracket. Bought one from Oklahoma foreign- any scrapyard should do. Also, your wheel well arch liner/fender liner is probably out of place. As for your bumper, you can find one floating around Craigslist for maybe three benjamins. If you're thinking about repairing the damage yourself, it's not very difficult and feel free to message me if you need help. I'm a college student, so I learn alot from wrenching on my Boxster. Overall, damage that would cost well north of $1k for me cost me around $250ish for the parts. Being young though, I have more time than money.

[ccstud17]

Kenny, I appreciate the advice, luckily the insurance is paying for this one, otherwise Id be doing myself cause everyone else charges way too much! so far no luck on craigslist If anyone sees any GT3 style bumpers on CL lemme know (pissed crazedlist doesnt work anymore, I can no longer scan nationwide)

Danger: is that kit the same as the GT2? looks the same to me


Right now im leaning towards the GT3 like Perfect lap has, really de-miatas the box with out adding rice to it. any other pics of others are much appreciated before i full the trigger on a GT3

[Johnny Danger]

Originally Posted by ccstud17

Kenny, I appreciate the advice, luckily the insurance is paying for this one, otherwise Id be doing myself cause everyone else charges way too much! so far no luck on craigslist If anyone sees any GT3 style bumpers on CL lemme know (pissed crazedlist doesnt work anymore, I can no longer scan nationwide)

Danger: is that kit the same as the GT2? looks the same to me
No. the aero kit I is nothing like the the GT2.

Right now im leaning towards the GT3 like Perfect lap has, really de-miatas the box with out adding rice to it. any other pics of others are much appreciated before i full the trigger on a GT3

It's become more and more difficult to find an oem GT3 bumper. And, for whatever reason, there are fewer aftermarket companies knocking it off. Somewhere I'm sure there's a company that still produces it, but right now the only one I can think of is the Japan brand Jubily. However, I don't believe they have an importer in the USA anymore.

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[Johnny Danger]

Looks like these people have one.


1999-2001 Porsche 996 GT-3 Look Front Bumper with Lip

[MN 986]

If you can find the AerokitII/GT3 style, I think it is a great choice. I found OEM skirts about a year before I found the bumper and I thought the skirts looked good without the GT3 bumper, but not sure how the bumper would look without the skirts.
I think JD's link to Duraflex has both, which would be the best option if you can swing it. I definitely have to be more careful around speed bumps and driveways, especially since my bumper came with the larger splitter.

[Johnny Danger]

Originally Posted by MN 986

If you can find the AerokitII/GT3 style, I think it is a great choice. I found OEM skirts about a year before I found the bumper and I thought the skirts looked good without the GT3 bumper, but not sure how the bumper would look without the skirts.
I think JD's link to Duraflex has both, which would be the best option if you can swing it. I definitely have to be more careful around speed bumps and driveways, especially since my bumper came with the larger splitter.

I concur. The best scenario would be to find the oem bumper and skirts by virtue of the fact that they're made out of polyurethane. Nothing wrong with high quality FRP though. You just have to make sure that it was made via a high quality mold. Also, FVD/Brombacher offers a GT3 bumper ands skirts as well - albeit pricey .

FVD, Porsche Tuning, Motorsport, Accessories, Motortuning, Sportfahrwerk, Felgen, Bremsen, Leistungssteigerung, Boxster, Carrera, Turbo

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by Johnny Danger

albeit pricey .

FVD, Porsche Tuning, Motorsport, Accessories, Motortuning, Sportfahrwerk, Felgen, Bremsen, Leistungssteigerung, Boxster, Carrera, Turbo

wow. Those guys are pricey. They've got my GT3 seats for $6,600.

[Johnny Danger]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

wow. Those guys are pricey. They've got my GT3 seats for $6,600.

Great stuff. But they are indeed expensive . Checkout the price of the M&M headers and sport cats for the 986.

[Perfectlap]

more shots of GT3 aero silver for you ccstud17

p.s.
I think I paid $1000 for the factory bumper. $300 for the fiberglass skirting. Some forum members (Trigem2K) have also done the Euro edition 03-04 rear bumper that skips the bumperettes. A Much cleaner look. Too bad replica Carrera wheels in Boxster fit are hard to get for $700 anymore.




I thought about doing the GT3 Clubsport cut outs just below the hood line.
Maybe I'll do it in vinyl strips to see how it plays and add the splitter underneath.