Exhaust sytems
 

Hello All,

I am a new proud owner of a 2001 Boxster Base model. Came across this forum and you all are a wealth of knowledge.

I have been investigating performance exhaust systems seems the Fabspeed is direction to go.

I just wanted to hear anyone's opinions on the Borla performance and sound etc.

Thanks again!
Glen
Long Island NY

Welcome Glen from NY! :cheers:

Thanks Dubaday

Welcome!

I did the Borla on mine, it does have drone but with NY/LI driving it never seems to hit that band much. Unless the highway is clear and I am at a constant cruise speed. I don't mind it and it doesn't bother me either. It is fairly loud with the top down, but that growl is awesome when you get it on it.

best bet is to listen to them and make the call yourself.

Thanks for that info. I cant seem to find any soundclips other then the "S" version

I have the Base 986

do you think it will sound significantly different then "S"

also what do you mean by drone? appreciate the feedback

Drone is the harmonics created by the exhaust valves that becomes more noticeable as the exhaust header material gets thinner. Most, if not all, aftermarket headers are made from thinner metal, usually aluminum, so they will have some degree of drone. You've probably noticed the OEM headers on your Box look like they came out of a Soviet submarine they are so thick and clunky looking but work very well and don't have drone. I've got the Fabspeed on my '99 and there is drone around 2.5K rpm but when it hits 3K rpm the exhaust note is a symphony. It is hard to describe drone you really have to hear it and it does drive some people crazy. Find a sound byte of it before you change out your headers so you know if you can handle it and buy a good set of headers that have a splitter in the junction box, smooth bends and cleaned up welds especially at the flange openings.:cheers:

Much appreciated. However I was thinking strictly a cat back system without the header kit. What do you think?

The borla system and the eBay systems you see are pretty similar in design. There is no balance pipe between the two mufflers so drone is introduced. The fabspeeds has a pipe that connects the 2 mufflers and negates the drone.

I don't think the sound will differ between an S and non S.

If you are in LI/ Nassau county area I would be happy to catch up on a weekend morning and you can hear the borla for yourself.

that would be awesome im in Suffolk so we can meet up someplace.

Thanks again.

So you just want to replace your muffler? Dansk makes mufflers for Porsche and they have several models that replace the stock. They are lighter, polished, give you twin pipes and sound great. I have the "sausage" sport version on my base '99.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1459951815.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1459951835.jpg

I have gone from the stock 2001 S muffler that came on the car to a 2003 S muffler modified by FDM (FD Motorsports » Fister Exhaust – Boxster) to an OEM Porsche Sports Exhaust (PSE). The FDM had the best sound by far and I liked the larger tips. But, the PSE is special. I ended up deleting the secondary cats to get some sound out of the PSEs. No drone at all with the FDMs. The other two being stock also had no drone.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ps26c7fcdf.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ps9f606ac7.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...psva4fgk3p.jpg

Chuck that PSE looks amazing! special indeed!
hopefully at some point you can put up a video for us with the PSE and secondary cats deleted, would love to hear that.

i just installed the Fister that you used to have on and i think it sounds amazing it's really making all the right noises BUT deleting the secondary cats is a MUST if you are to get any sound out of it. no drone is also very nice!
i highly recommend the Fister to anyone, a bit pricey but still under the more expensive high end aftermarket ones that sound.. aftermarket.. not that it's necessarily a bad thing but i prefer that Porsche dirty sound.. sounds like something is broken inside the engine and i LOVE IT!

i will try to upload a video of it soon.

What's the difference between the fister and Pedro sport exhaust? Are they basically the same thing or is there more to the fister? Better sound than Crios mod?

This is what you should listen to. Only exhaust system I can personally say has zero drone (other systems I rationalized for awhile, eventually drove me nuts with their drone) is from FD Motorsports.

There is a bit more to the Fister than the Pedro exhaust mode. Both have the bypass pipes but the design is a bit different (not sure that makes any difference to the sound though). Supposedly the fister has more tricks up its sleeve but not exactly sure what they are. One thing I have noticed is the fister has a little metal mesh welded inside the input tubes of the exhaust on both sides. There might be more but that's the only thing I was able to see.

In terms of sound they are different. Fister is a lot more raspy which I love. I had a Pedro exhaust some time ago and it didn't sound as good. Granted I had all 4 cats back then and that had a negative impact. I only had the fister with the 2 main cats and I know it makes it louder and makes it crackle and pop.

This is my 3rd muffler so if I had to do it all over again it would be the fister with the cat delete pipes no doubt about it. It's a mod I will never regret and makes my day every time I drive the Boxster.

do any of these systems add horses at all?

very little.. removing the second set of cats and adding a muffler with better flow (aftermarket ones probably work better for that) adds a little. also, by doing that you shed some weight which is great. not with the Fister thought.. i think its the same weight as the untouched OEM, it felt heavy in my hands.

i probably shed around 40lbs when i removed the cats and had this light muffler from Top Speed. car felt a little bit quicker but not by much.

if you want to add noticeable power with exhaust mods you have to get sport headers and tune the ECU otherwise it all seems negligible. Porsche is known for putting restrictive headers on the Boxster to keep the power down, we don't want it to be a 911 now..

most of us have done it for the sound more than anything. if you get it right it really transforms the car for the better but i will say that i am just about DONE with exhausts and rusty bolts!! :D

I too just received my 2001 Box-S and my research shows Fabspeed, though a bit expensive for headers, and exhaust with tuned computer is best upgrade for sound and performance

thats true but things get expensive with Fabspeed. Good system thought if you could snatch it used from someone but they dont come around very often.

keep in mind when adding less restrictive headers (especially cheaper Ebay ones) things get a lot louder and drone shows its ugly face especially with a cheaper muffler as well.

I went with top speed exhaust with secondary cat delete, cost just over $500 sounds amazing

I LOVE my Fabspeed, but I've never heard the Fister exhaust. That is until this weekend when I get to hear Chris' :cheers:

I have a combination exhaust on my 993 of both Fister Stage 2 Mufflers and a Fabspeed X-Pipe with 200 cell Sport Cats. Again this is on my 1996 Porsche 911, not a Boxster, I'm posting to relay my opinion and experience with both manufacturers since over the years I have purchased a dozen or more different exhaust set-ups. With the Fisters you send them your muffler and they rework it and ceramic coat it if you wish then send it back to you, not too pricey but not cheap ($480 w/o coating plus shipping), well worth it IMO.

Here's a pic of the Fabspeed X-Pipe with the Sport Cats under my 993, it doesn't do justice to how beautifully they are made:

<a href="http://s46.photobucket.com/user/coreseller/media/IMG_0788_zpswzzw0kyu.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f101/coreseller/IMG_0788_zpswzzw0kyu.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMG_0788_zpswzzw0kyu.jpg"/></a>

Fister's website for Boxster exhausts: FD Motorsports » Fister Exhaust – Boxster

<iframe width="854" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JKVSHq7DteQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

With Fabspeed they are definitely not cheap, I can say that their craftsmanship and quality are unmatched, EXCELLENT products!!!!

Here's a vid of my old Box with a B&B exhaust, it was both pricey and droned lol:

<iframe width="854" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EgD7a9zuBJE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="854" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5fXXVBndVaM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

your fabspeed sounds pretty amazing man i wont argue with that! but it's a bit too rich for my blood :D

thats what i paid for the Fister and for what it is i think it's not too expensive considering zero drone, great craftsmanship on the bypass pipes fitting and best of all its your OEM muffler so that thing will last forever.

I have one of these I've yet had a chance to test. From what I've read on here and youtube, it's not much louder than stock. It's also only 3 lbs lighter than a stock muffler. Sound is important to me too, but I want to loose that boat anchor muffler too. I'm half tempted to cut it open to see if there's any weight I can remove from it.

My 3.6 has headers, cat delete pipes and a GHL twin can muffler. Love the sound of the muffler but it is a little loud and does have drone at 2400 - 2800. I have been thinking about what to do as I don't want to quiet it down too much and don't want to add much weight. I finally decided to add two resonators ( one each side ) before the u-bends leading into the muffler. Took it to a local Porsche shop and they took some measurements and we're going with 12 " overall length Vibrant brand . They came in today I'm dropping off the car tomorrow morning. So I'll chime in tomorrow with the results but I think it will take off just enough edge/resonance to make my exhaust perfect.

I have the PSE (welded open) on my '01 S. I really prefer the look of the standard S and would like more sound. How does yours sound with the cat delete? Any negatives to installing them? I've been tempted to go the eBay route because they're cheap, have the OEM S look, and from what I've heard, actually sound decent.

I've also got a Dansk cat back muffler...
http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/a...psr8ach7yv.jpg

Try to drive one with an "Ebay" exhaust if you can- before you buy. I installed a Beluga cat back and found the volume and drone offensive. After two weeks I reinstalled my Crios- modded stock one. Now I can hear my stereo and I'm not embarrassed to drive in my quiet neighborhood.

I installed the TopSpeed Cat Delete pipes. They were $160 shipped from TopSpeed. It improved the sound (IMHO) but still is not as good as the FDMs. The install was easy but I have heard that the cat delete pipes could cause heat issues to the drive shaft rubber boots.

I am not sure what you did when you "welded open" the PSEs. The default to the valve is open... the louder position. If you welded the valve open you may have set them to the quieter position.

The previous owner had the exhaust installed and it was welded when I got it. There were no vacuum-actuated valves installed, so if the weld was removed (which we did), the valve freely moved (and quite easily.)

The reason I removed the weld, initially, was because there was a rattle internal to the exhaust. We removed it, played with the valve to determine the "loud" setting, then put a little spot weld to hold it in that position.

Congrats Chuck...love that PSE! It is on my to do list as well :cheers:
Did you get the valves etc. as well (probably not really necessary, I guess) ?

It sounds much better and louder than stock unless you open the stock muffler up and cut a hole in the first baffles at the intakes. That allows the exhaust gases to go straight back to the outlet instead of winding through the other baffles. I had that done to my OEM and it was a toss up on sound but the Dansk looks much better and I like the dual tips instead of the whale blow hole.

I was doing some exhaust research here on the forum and one of the best suggestions was to do the Fabspeed secondary cat deletes and just leave the rest of the system stock. At $600, it seems like a cheap and easy approach to drop some weight and pump the sound a bit. Plus, you can always add other components later.

Also thstone recommends the $300 Topspeed muffler, and I trust his opinion as he drives and races his box like The Doctor intended. Check out his build thread. Awesome stuff.

Gotcha..... You are correct. The PSE are great looking but lack the right sound. Thus, thus the secondary cat delete (IMHO) is a must.
Thanks. It was a lucky find on eBay.

I didn't install the switch for the valve control. Besides being a challenge to install I would have left it on the loud position all the time anyway. It would be cool to have just to make it a "complete" install.

Take a look at TopSpeed's secondary cat deletes. I bought a pair from them last year for $160 shipped. Email them and let them know you are a 986 Forum member. I don't believe that the Fabspeed pipes are worth $400+ more that the TopSpeed ones.

Chuck, By drive boots you mean the rubber cv boots, right? Haven't heard this before. Do the deletes take a different path closer to the boots? Do they get hotter than the secondary cats?

I got this information from Steve Tinker that seems to know what he is talking about. Below is a link to his posting on the topic.

http://986forum.com/forums/444517-post14.html

His post is a result of a thread I had started regarding my installation of the cat delete pipes;

http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/56660-added-secondary-cat-delete-pipes-topspeed.html

Thanks Chuck!

They all drone at some level. The Fabspeed is best as you say. It delivers some additional performance. That being said, your best bet is to keep your stock exhaust and invest in a new intake. After market intakes deliver a beautiful sound that
Makes it really hard to keep your foot off the accelerator just to get the rush of sound right behind your ears. I wish i had not put the fabspeed exhaust on my car. I had the intake first.

When i said performance increase i should have qualified that by saying only if you invest in the complete replacement, headers, cats and all. The cat back won't give you anything extra but noise