What's wrong with a stripped Boxster? I'd love a manual roof and more engine noise. Get the car light enough and it no longer needs the power steering that disconnects you from the road, you don't need the huge heavy tires and the lower mass makes the chassis and brakes more communicative as well. It not only makes the car faster, it makes it more fun in general.

It'll take forever to optimize it that way with all the back and forth of programs and trips to the dyno.

that's what i figured. w/ our forumula SAE setup in the mid 90's, we used an engine dyno room for HOURS to get a program dialed in. didn't know if there was some new tech that sped up the process.....

Correct on the dyno run locally, ship computer to tuner. It sounds like you did a nice job. 99% of the conversions that end up on my doorstep are poorly executed and the customer ends up disappointed :(

I can fix that :)

I'll be test fitting a new airbox that uses a stock Porsche filter next week (in a 986) :) I know it supports 300hp stock.. and it appears to bolt in ;)


B

One trip to a GOOD dyno (4 passes max) and a good tuner will see everything he needs to know. I recently was informed of another person local to me who popped for the 8k software. he is making good power with a "generic flash" for the 3.4 computers. Price was good also!

The tuner just needs good 02 readings!


B

It's an iterative process. No tuner gets it right on the first run. Plus, that's only WOT, there are hours and hours of driveability tuning in addition to multiple dyno runs.

Depends on the dyno, dyno operator and tuner. The good tuners will have maps that they start from.

We did a CaymanS.. we started with the more aggressive 3.6 STOCK tune. Pushed it to the car and then detuned the fuel as needed. Drives like no other CaymanS we have driven. Cam Timing was spot on. Took us 6 pulls total. Rolled it out onto the street and roasted the tires.

We are not tuning a fresh Motec/AEM/Bosch brain here (which can takes days) Porsche didn't leave 100hp on the table for all the engines!


B

6 runs though, trying to do it remotely would take a long time.

6 pulls because he didn't have a base "hot rod" tune for the CaymanS engine. He does now :)

I hear you, but a LOT of "tuners" do it this way.. a LOT.

GIAC
AWE
Softronic
just to name a few..

You buy their hardware and you down load generic tunes based on the mods you list. Want something custom.. they modify a tune they already have and email it to you. Push it to the car.. do a pull.. make change push it again.. make change push it again

Find someone who can download the stock tune from the car, make the changes and push it back without having to email back and forth with the "real tuner"

Those guy's are rare, but when you find them, they have really good base tunes for most of the stock displacement/stock cam'd engines, so 4 pulls and a good 02 reading is not far fetched. The guy I use pulls from a large database out of Italy. Sometimes we try a tune that is already modified, then modify it to work with our car.

There are really good Porsche tuners out there, but they are not typically on the web and they are not typically easy to get a hold of (they are busy)


B

anyone removed their power steering? fill the rack with fluid and loop the in into the out? save a few lbs, gain a few hp?

hadn't really considered it...

i am thinking about removing one of the radiator fan assemblies, though.

My engine bay insulation is starting peel off at the top opening. Is the same material that you pulled out? I am surprised that this came to forty pounds!!! Can get it all out with the engine in? Did you notice a big change in noise? I sometimes run with no storage box and no engine cover insulation. You hear everything....vibrating and buzzing

NO! that stuff is pretty light. the material i'm talking about goes around the sides of the engine hatch, on top of the hatch, and behind the seats. it's VERY thick; it's made of the same stuff the engine hatch insulation is made of. extremely dense & heavy.

anyone know what the ebrake system weights? lever, shoes, springs, cams & cables?

Ah the beige foam like the monster slab inside the cabin?? They put that down the sides of the engine bay as well?

Yeah that stuff could stop a bullet!

yes! it's actually over 8" thick in some spots. once you pull it out, you can clearly see the air intake / exit ducts that go to the inlets on the sides of the car.

without it, it's louder, but really isn't that bad IMO. still passes the wife test; admittedly my wife has a pretty high tolerance for NVH though....

How is it held in? Can you put it back in later?

it's glued down. to get it out, you will more or less rip it apart.

I suppose I shouldn't care, but I always get a little nervous when I make an irreversible change.

So Brad, where are the tuners? Everyone who tunes, I'm sure, thinks they are the bomb. So where's one to go to be sure he's getting what he's paying for?