New owner - 04S project car - Page 4 - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

boxxster · 01-04-2016, 04:02 PM

No way! mine is a 2005 as well. It's a jcw with intake, pulley, exhaust, and full suspension to give you an idea of where I am coming from. There's just something special about the first gen minis. I understand that is an objectively worse car in just about every measurable way but its just so damn fun to drive. To be fair though, I haven't driven the boxster with the top down yet which is huge part of what it has to offer. I have thought about taking the snorkel off but I've just come across so many conflicting opinions on it. Everybody seems to agree that it adds sound, but some people swear it takes away hp and worsens mileage and others will tell you they think its removal made the car noticeably faster.

TRK, what kind of headers do you have?

GTA_G20 · 01-04-2016, 04:15 PM

I desnorkled my box also. In my opinion in order to get that Honda sounding intake growl you have to step pretty deep into the pedal and often. It doesnt add any power but sounds cool. Im putting my snorkel back in lol Im over that phase,

For what its worth. A close friend of mine had murcielago a few years ago. Had it for about 3-4yrs. Hes had the same as you JCW. He sold the lambo last summer. But kept his min and drives the piss out of it every day, Is Julian de Guzman Leaving TFC? | VFTSS & TFCpics

Hes got plenty money and he loves the mini. Says he will NEVER sell it.
Had one other friend whos had 3 or 4. Crashed 2 times and never once hurt.
I didn't understand what these guys loved about the cooper. Then I bought one...

BoxsterSteve · 01-04-2016, 05:00 PM

Desnorkle and/or Crios mod.
The Crios exhaust mod gives a bit more volume and a deeper, throatier exhaust note.
I'd like to desnorkle mine, but I chicken out trying to remove the vent figuring I'm going to break it.

boxxster · 01-04-2016, 05:05 PM

Crazy. Amazing that someone who had a murcielago can still care so much about a mini. I keep telling myself that I would have to be an absolute idiot to not take a porsche with half the mileage on it at no cost to myself. But alas, here I am looking for people to talk me into it! I snagged a 997 shifter the last week so hopefully by the time I add that and get a chance to drive it with the top down in some nice weather I will come to my senses. I also suppose its somewhat unfair to compare a modified car to a stock one.

particlewave · 01-04-2016, 06:14 PM

I'm with Kevin; 75% sure it's your ballast, 25% headlight switch.

Smallblock454 · 01-04-2016, 08:16 PM

Hi,

well, if the car don't talks to you because it's not hard enough, not lod enough, not direct enough. than you can spend a lot of money to get it there.

Also i think a big question is if a flat 6 in general speaks to you. If not, than you have to look for something else. And don't forget that it's a roadster. Means that you're chassis is never as rigid and stiff as a coupe - that's important if you want to lower the car and want to keep it for years.

Maybe a Box is not the right thing for you. There are other Porsches that may fit better. Have to mention that they might be in a complete different price range, but might fit better for your needs. Or look for a car that has been modified the way you like it. That's maybe more smart and a more inexpensive way to go.

If you like the flat 6 and the Porsche brand, just test drive a 996 Turbo for a more punchy or a 996 GT3 for a more direct and louder experience.

Regards, Markus

boxxster · 01-05-2016, 09:58 AM

I've driven a 997 turbo. It was amazing but even the 996tt are too pricey for me. I've been looking into the top speed test pipes for the boxster. I figure between those, the 997 shifter, and maybe taking the snorkel out it should perk the car up a bit?

I'll take the headlight out and get to the bottom of it this weekend. Steering wheel was straight and psm and abs lights were off when I picked it up from the shop.

CrisZenithBlue · 01-05-2016, 10:29 AM

get the top speed test pipes and muffler, you can't beat the joy of the sound for the money. if installed properly with no exhaust leaks there is no drone and it's not obnoxiously loud, just right. crackles and pops quite a bit too.

what does the 997 shifter do exactly? i know there is less play (unlike the sloppy 986) but are the throws shorter as well? i already have the B&M short shift kit installed but i cant get rid of the play.

rp17 · 01-05-2016, 10:49 AM

Great thread thanks for taking the time to document your experience. As far as not connecting with the car, drive until its properly warmed up, then floor it to about 6k rpms then up shift. If that sound doesn't do something for you, with top down and up, sell it..

boxxster · 01-05-2016, 02:52 PM

The 997 shifter is supposed to be about a 15% reduction in throw but I haven't installed it yet so I can't comment how much play it has.

boxxster · 01-15-2016, 12:23 PM

Put in the 997 shifter today. Ended up taking me a little longer than I thought but it was pretty straightforward. Can't say I really think it makes a huge difference on the 6 speed though. Are the throws shorter? marginally. Is it worth your time and money? For a 5 speed, I would say yes since its a bigger improvement. On the six speed though I'd say its debatable. I suppose if you find one really cheap and don't mind tackling the install yourself. Just don't buy one for retail and expect it to be worth it at that price.

AndyA6 · 01-15-2016, 04:23 PM

You do the right thing! Awesome project car.

I had a '04 and did a few things like the exhaust mod, free, TB, 2nd cat delete, UD pulley and it made a big difference for sure. Sound and power very much improved. The hesitation between 3-4,000 rpm gone. Smooth as glas. Search for my thread a few years back.

I hear you, that little bit is missing stock but with above you will be happy. All DIY and parts are reasonably priced.

Handling, I never touched the stock suspension except spacers front and rear with 17" wheels and a front strut brace, good enough for me. Made a nice difference as well. Turn in much better.

So, what I'm saying is fairly simple, with a few fun mods the car wakes up and is super fun!

Oh, forgot to mention, scored a 997 shifter via eBay for $90.

Later,
Andy

boxxster · 02-20-2016, 11:52 AM

So I just spent about an entire week properly detailing the car. Clay, DA compound, wax etc. There was a ton of tar all over the back bumper and on the inner side of all the wheels that took FOREVER to get completely off. Still have a bunch left to do. Transmission fluid will be changed, test pipes are going on, and I still have to protect the top and leatherique the interior. I have to say, I know I said I wasn't crazy about the car initially, but I took it for a proper ride today with the sun out and the top down and we CONNECTED!! What a machine. Really just a joy to drive on a nice day on a curvy road. Handling, brakes, power delivery - all excellent. The 997 shifter actually turned out to be a nice touch as well. I still think it needs just a little more noise to wake it up though. Hoping the test pipes will help in that regard.

boxxster · 02-20-2016, 04:47 PM

Oh and a question about the headlight issue I was having. When I was driving the car during the day, the drivers side headlight (the projector, specifically) goes out after about 5 minutes. If I turn the car off, then back on again, it will go on for another 5 minutes. This is all with the headlight switch in the off position (I have DRLs). However, when I drove it just now in the dark, I had the switch all the way to the right (which basically just turns the interior lights on in my case) and both lights were still on after a 20min drive. So from what I'm gathering, whether or not that light stays on appears to be related to switch position, even though in my case all turning the switch to the right does is turn the interior lights on. Does this sound like an issue with the headlight switch? Or would an issue with the switch cause both lights to go out? Keep in mind, the light that is giving me trouble is the one that was undamaged, not the one I had to replace.

boxxster · 03-06-2016, 08:15 AM

Got the top speed test pipes installed! Exactly what I was after. Sounds great when you're on the throttle but stock volume otherwise. A subtle, but noticeable improvement overall. I wouldn't say it would be worth it at the price fabspeed charges for these pipes, but for what the top speed pipes costed it's a great value. A word of advice, the bolts included in the kit are garbage. All of them accepted 14mm nuts but 2 of the 6 didn't have 14mm heads. I ended up putting the stock bolts back into the welded top nut on the header flange and I plan to change out the rest of the top speed bolts at some point. I also had to cut about a 1/4-1/3" off the adapter piece on the passenger side to make it fit. Drivers side fit perfect, however. I'll try to take a vid if anyone else is considering this setup.

BoxsterSteve · 03-06-2016, 08:29 AM

Hey boxx,
Post up a vid of how the car sounds now. I've done the Crios mod and it sounds great for how simple of a mod it is, but I'm still wanting a bit more volume while on the throttle.
I originally had a two can Brullen muffler on my car when I bought it. I liked the volume it gave, but it had brain rattling resonance between 2500 and 3500 rpm and it was brutal with the roof up!