High Horsepower Boxsters
 

Hello,

I am new here and am very seriously considering getting a 2000-2002 boxster s as my next car in the near future. The one thing that i am concerned about is the fact that i am coming from a mustang and do enjoy a fast car with power. I have done alot of research on the m96 engines and have some questions.

Why is it that some stock porsche engines can hand 700+ hp out of the same design while the boxster engine has a problem reaching 300? I understand that most people who buy boxsters arn't looking for speed machines, but how can the engines be so similar and yet so vastly different in the amount of power that they are able to handle.

I come from the mustang world where all you need is forged internals and a big supercharger or twin turbos and you can hit 1000hp easy. But a lot of porsches (not boxsters) i see are pushing some seriously high numbers too. I see that the Raby engines are coming out with a 500hp turbo spec version in 2010. I applaud all of the work that i have seen Jake Raby do. But it seems like he has done way to much work for an engine that can only handle 500 hp. I understand that his main focus is on reliability, but some people like speed to, and with all of that research and development, 500 seems a little low to me.

I know a lot of people have seen porsches running in places like the Texas mile or eddie bello's porsche going down the 1/4 and laying down some fantastic times and speeds, so why is it so hard for these m96 boxster engines to make power?

I love the porsche design and i really want to get into a porsche because i would like to have a car that handles well, but i need some power to go with it. I know that the turbo engines are the ones makeing all the power, and that they are based off the gt1 engine. But why are the so different from the carerra engines that the boxster 3.2 engines are based off of? It would seem that all of the big power some porsches are making, some one would find a way to fit the crank and rods and such into a carerra engine/boxster engine?

Thanks in advance,
Cody

Considering how many things these engines manage to break, and with terminal results, with their “measly” 300 HP, I think I’d be looking at what basic components you will need to upgrade before you spend a whole lot of time trying to make more HP with the M96……

And there are factory Porsches that are capable of making well North of 400 HP (GT2, GT3, RSR’s, etc.), but those engines are not based upon the M96 found in the Boxster/Cayenne; they are entirely different engines……….

Having 300hp in a car that weighs just over a ton and a half with 11:1 compression ratio and the high torque output may surprise you. That being said the Boxster really excels in handling right off the showroom floor and is what I bought mine for. I've had all kinds of performance cars, including the Mustang, try to keep up with my 201hp Boxster in the winding roads through the mountains and they can't do it. Straight away they would have an advantage but life is not always about strait aways. The Boxster's agility can be used to out perform some seriously high horse power machines on a track.

Hey, Cody -

If you're really a horsepower guy, do not buy a Boxster. Get yourself a late 90's Vette (LS7, maybe?) for about 20K and strap a blower to that bish.

You will not make bigger numbers in a Boxster without spending a crapload of money. Even the 2009 Porsche 911GT2 "only" makes 530HP - and that'll set you back $180K.

An LS7 with stock internals can make 580 horsepower with the addition of 8K worth of Procharger. Build the block and turn the boost up to 14PSI, and you'll make around 800. Of course, you won't be able to turn ever again, and you will go through tires like Oprah goes through Chocodiles. And, of course, If you take that 800HP beast to an autocross, you will probably get beaten by stock Boxsters.

If you want a Boxster for what it is - a great handling, classically beautiful sports car, get one now! They're practically giving used Boxsters away. If on the other hand you're looking for a car that will make a decent showing at the 1/4 mile track, you probably want to keep looking.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

A high power, force induction m96 can be made, but a lot of the cast parts need to be replaced to handle the increased forces. The cylinders themselves probably need to be replaced with "nickies" as well to avoid ovaling. Porsche parts and labor expertise are very much more expensive than Fords. By the time you've built a 700hp boxster, you will have been able to buy an entire stable of Mustangs.

We are already north of 300RWHP from an N/A M96 3.2 base engine taken to 3.6 liters with bore increases and cylinder head/ camshaft manipulation. I can also add one of our billet stroker cranks to the engine and then make it into a 3.8 or 4 liter engine.. All from a 3.2 base engine that needs no conversion done to the car at all, rip the engine out and reinstall what I turn it into.

The factory didn't want any of this done.. They crippled these engines but we have found the limitations. People called us crazy for working with these engines, and maybe we were, but no one is making more power!

What the Boxster needs is torque more than HP...

I have a 500HP Turbo engine in the works now, we already have all the components to support this developed and I know which heads lend themselves to boost more than all others.

That said, 300 RWHP in a Boxster in a well prepped car will give a GT3 a really hard time, one of my customers has already done that.. The key is not upsetting the car's balance.

If you want power it's just a phone call away.

Cody,

Don't buy a Porsche thinking it's another muscle car, it's not. It's more than that and if you purchase one you'll find yourself in a whole new mindset of performance automobiles.

Think of it this way Cody...there's a joke about an old bull and a young bull on a hilltop overlooking a field of cows. The young bull says "Lets run down there and "do" one of those cows." The old bull looks at him and says "Lets walk down there, and "do" 'em all."

Porsche does 'em all.

a 4.0
 

talk to me jake. a 4.0 what kind of torque we lookin at with a 4.0, how much$?

The 4.0 is not an efficient combo as of yet.. The RPM range isn't as broad as it should be/ will be with further enhancement.

I'll post some charts tomorrow.

BTW- I learned that bigger isn't better a long, long time ago.. Size isn't magical.

Thanks guys, i know im not looking for a muscle car, and i know what a muscle car is, and as much fun as it was, i am looking for something different. Thehe great price of used boxers is too much to pass up. I know this car is not about horsepower. I would mainly want it for the awesome handling and prestige. And i know the engine has problems with the ims and so forth. And believe me, that is already gonna be taken care of right off the bat. I am working that in with the price of the car, because i feel it a necessity. But at some point, i know i am gonna want more power.

If i do get a boxster, i would plan on twin turbocharging the car when i got the money and of course that would mean new stronger internals. But would it be better to get a raby engine, or would it be better to try to fit a x50 or x51 from a gt2 or turbo and then not have to worry about power? Those engines seem pretty stout as those were based off the gt1. And i would really like to get a gt2 or turbo but of course the price of a 911 is ridiculous compared to a boxster and way out of my price range at the moment.

Cody, I will have to agree with the replies you've received so far about the Boxster vs Mustang. My nickname was Mustang Manny for years because I was a Mustang enthusist and owned 8 total, most V-8s and one was a Cobra. I enjoyed all of them but none could compare with my Boxster in the way it handles and feels. If you have not driven one yet, then you need to and if you are still thinking of the Boxster vs Mustang power differences, perhaps a muscle car is for you. What matters most is that you are happy with the type of car you've chosen.

TPC has a turbo kit for cayman/boxster and they have some good results.

Having owned numerous cars including 4 mustangs (3 gt's) It didn't take long to nail down a few of the biggest differences between My Stangs and my Boxster s.

1.) Every 7th car I pass on the road isn't a Boxster.
2.) The minute I hit the back road twisties, I realize I would have ditched my mustang at half the speed.
3.) Gas mileage seemed to be much better in my Boxster.
4.) I never smiled like I do now in a mustang.

Hey don't get me wrong, I loved my mustangs. Seeing I never drag raced them, I felt the need to evolve into a total driving experience not just a rocket attached to 4 wheels. Last time I checked the real world has curves and hills.

Put it this way.... If I ever had the need to lose somebody chasing me in a mustang, corvette or maybe a crown vic ( :D ) give me my boxster "s" on some twisties every time!!!!!!!! :cheers:

From what I've read, the GT engine isn't a simple swap-in for the Boxster.

I have not yet been able to test drive a boxster, but i am almost positive that i want the boxster for my next car. And it will probably just reinforce the fact once i do test drive one. I guess i was just hoping that there was a way to get the power of a 911 turbo into a boxster being the same engine design. But if there simply is not, then so be it. I will just have to save my pennys for a 911 965 or 996 turbo some day!

Thanks again guys, you have all been really helpful!

like i said check out TPC racing they have some good claims and also like u said urself jake has some good modifications. i think what just has to be realized is that when it comes dollars per HP the boxster is alot more expensive than a mustang

Man, Mustang owners love coming here and asking this very question.
Can someone please tell the Mustang owners that its pointless to compare Mustang hp numbers vs Boxster hp numbers.

Since Mustang owners think things are so simple, let me make the response as simple as I can:

Why are you comparing hp numbers between a Mustang V-8 vs a Boxster 6?

Do you not understand that your small V-6 engine is larger than any engine offered in a Boxster, ever? Why aren't you demanding Ford make that V-6 put out 300 hp? Hell, its a 4L engine. They should make it put out 350 hp, easily.

Your V-8 engines have 2 extra cylinders in comparison to the Boxster engine.
Its very easy to make more power when you slap on 2 extra cylinders, and nearly double the engine displacement.

Another thing you need to keep in mind is the engine location, and heat dispersal. The Boxster engine is in the center of the car, and adding a turbo or supercharger increases the engine temps quite dramatically. The engine is already teetering on the brink in stock form, yet you want to force in an extra 100-300 hp?

Don't you think that if it was cheap and easy to build 300 to 500 hp Boxsters, we would all be running around with them?

BC.

Sorry to upset you bladecutter. I'm just looking for information about a possible future investment. I know the numbers are different simply because they are completly different cars. I am wanting a change, which i have CLEARLY stated many times below, and i feel a porsche boxster is what i am looking for. It just is hard for me to wrap my mind around the amount of money it takes to mod one of these things, and that the amount of money some people shell out to do so couldn't build a bigger monster. It would occur to me that some places could completely custom fabricate forged internals for 10k easy, but that doesn't seem to be the case with these cars, that seems to be about half what it takes to rebuild a motor. This is a whole new environment for me and im just trying to see if this is really the route that i want to go.

I have seen some porsche's lay down some world class power and times and was investigating if i could get that much power out of a boxster. I am not looking for another mustang. Again, not trying to compare the cars, i clearly stated i had my fun with my mustang and want something different. HOWEVER i will always like to make a car faster, even if its a kia rio, simply because i am a gear heard. I love working on cars. No matter what it is. And i just am looking for some information about how i could do that with the car that i am looking into buying next.

im about to do some research comparing the cost for a ford marque emblem versus a porsche hood emblem and the corrolation between the price differences of those compared to the cost of mods :dance:


so far i found the ford emblem 24 dollars, porsche 73 dollars... find the % difference... and im pretty sure that is close to what lets say the difference for an exhaust mod will be.. or even headlight mod. etc

im jealous of my buddy he gets good gains on his GT for close to nothing.





this is all just for laughs by the way...but really i might be onto something

Haha, thats neat. That would be a 329% increase. compare that the average muffler price of a mustang of the same model year of a boxster would be roughly 400 for both mufflers. that would come out to be $1316 for an exhaust? That is pretty close as far as what i have seen in my research.