2001 911 996 simple horsepower mods

[fppmdiamonds]

i bought a 2001 911 996 carrera cab about a year ago. it is an all stock car right now however i am thinking of adding some things to increase the horsepower of this vehicle

i hear k & n air filter is a good mod. as long as the filter is not to oily

thinking possibly headers not sure it this is a good move

i have heard mixed reviews of pretty much any change i am hoping people who actually have made some modifications can give me some advice

not really sure of any good mod's hoping you guys can help me out i am hoping to utilize the DIY option but i am deffinitly open to other mod's as well let me know as i would appriciate any advice! fppmdiamonds@aol.com

[Larry Herman]

I guess that the biggest question is why?  What is your reason for more power and exactly where in the power band are you looking for improvement.  Answering these questions will help with your decision.

A K & N filter & a lower restriction exhaust will help, but only to the tune of a couple percent.  This will probably make your motor feel more "crisp".  Headers will definately provide more hp, along with custom dyno tuning of your ECU.  You can probably pick up 15 or 20 hp there, but most of it will be upper mid-range to top end power.

It's hard to improve on torque through better breathing.  If that is your goal, think internal motor work, or a 3.6.

Finally, know that hp is a drug, and the improvements that you make now will become the new baseline once you become used to it.  To improve from that will get much more expensive.

[Darren]

Larry Herman wrote:

It's hard to improve on torque through better breathing. If that is your goal, think internal motor work, or a 3.6.

Unfortunately I agree with this. Instead of spending a lot of money improving the performance of your 3.4, consider selling your car and buying a 2002+ car that has the 3.6 liter motor. The difference on paper is only 20 hp, 320 hp on the later cars, but from experience the difference is much more significant than that.

Our cars don't really compete too well regarding HP with other cars. Consider a new Nissan Sentra might have 250 hp or so! Modding cars is fun but the best investment per dollar (assuming you haven't already done this) is to attend a few autocross or track events. These events will show you where our cars shine and what makes them different. They will also help you develop skills that will transfer to any vehicle.

[fppmdiamonds]

thanks for the advice... i guess i was thinking more internal motor changes, though mid and top end changes to make the motor feel more crisp can't hurt especially for the fairly cheap cost of some of the filter. i guess short term my best bet to hold off but i deffinitly want to attend an autocross or DE or a track event as i have not tried any of those as of yet.

and i guess instead of getting the 3.6 my best bet is to wait it out so i can buy a turbo in the future but i have to save up for that! if you have any other advice let me know

 

thanks guys,

brian berger g.g.

oh and when you need advice on diamonds or watches I'm your guy

[pearlcoupeg35]

Welcome!

Agree with Larry's post...and will add my $0.02.....

Naturally aspirated Porsches seem to be tough to squeeze a lot of more hp out of...they are tuned very well from teh factory.  maybe with intake/headers/exhaust/tune you will get 25hp (to the wheels)???  Most people wont even really feel that.  The sound will be the coolest thing most likely!

I would go for things that make you able to USE your current hp.  A nice short shifter plus a lowered suspension (pss9s!) and some nice tires would be a great start.  To me, those things always make a care feel 'faster' more than the actual "bolt on mods"

If you really want some fun --- and dont mind spending a little coin --- look at a VF Supercharger for about 100 additional horsepower!...or just buy a Turbo Porsche

[Darren]

fppmdiamonds wrote:

thanks for the advice... i guess i was thinking more internal motor changes, though mid and top end changes to make the motor feel more crisp can't hurt especially for the fairly cheap cost of some of the filter. i guess short term my best bet to hold off but i deffinitly want to attend an autocross or DE or a track event as i have not tried any of those as of yet.

and i guess instead of getting the 3.6 my best bet is to wait it out so i can buy a turbo in the future but i have to save up for that! if you have any other advice let me know

I think what you'll find out when you try an autox or DE event is that weight is a big factor. Cabs and Turbos are heavy. Frankly I think only the most experienced drivers at DE (mostly instructors) are able to properly drive a 996/997 turbo on the track. It's also almost impossible to learn how to drive on the track in a turbo 996/997.

I've been doing DE events for almost 10 years now, and racing for 5 years. My car is a 2002 911 with no engine modifications and it's plenty of car, trust me! From a stoplight that's one thing. Going through the climbing esses at Watkins Glen at wide open throttle is a different matter entirely!

Save your pennies, buy a helmet, and come check us out in the Spring!

[fppmdiamonds]

for DE what else do i need besides a helmet because i am deffinitly in.

[Darren]

A helmet is the only thing you need.

There is a lot of great information in our DE Manual which can be found with this link:

http://www.rtr-pca.org/PDFandDOCS/2003DriversManual.PDF

Some new students show up and have studied things like this, which is a good idea, but not entirely necessary.  At the event you'll be assigned an instructor who will mentor you through the event.  If you show up and know what an apex is, you'll be ahead of the game.

I don't know what the autocross schedule is like next year, but I did see that Myles has posted the DE schedule here on the forum.  If you have other questions about any of this, DE, autox, etc...you should feel free to post them here in posts on the forum and people will be more than happy to give you any info you're looking for.

[AMoore]

Darren wrote:

Frankly I think only the most experienced drivers at DE (mostly instructors) are able to properly drive a 996/997 turbo on the track.

And that is not by choice. The vast majority of the best and fastest drivers in the club drive normally aspirated cars with the exception of a few older, lighter, 930 Turbo drivers.

I met a driver with a 700 hp modified 997 Turbo who admitted that it was a pig that felst like a Cadillac.

[ccm911]

Hello:

Welcome to the club.  For DE I think you will need at the minimum a bolt-in roll bar, since you are driving a cab. 

Guys, correct me if I am wrong.

Enjoy.