Hello all... its been a while since I have posted anything. I tend to read a lot more than I post. I don't consider myself an expert but I have learned a lot on these forums so I thought I would do a write up about some of the modifications that I have made to my 996 Carrera 4 (2001) and have been very happy with I might add. And yes, I can definitely feel a difference in its performance and responsiveness.

Side note: The mods that I have made are over the past 4 years, well 3 years actually since I was in Afghanistan for one year (2014-2015).

Listed below are some of the performance/engine mods that I made and a brief description of the install (I will discuss performance at the end).

1. K&N cold air intake - install - not that bad, directions were kind of small and hard to follow at times but I remember using my iPad to assist.

2. GT3 Throttle body and IPD plenum (competition) - install on the plenum was tight and took a little longer than expected but I was able to do it. The GT3 Throttlebody was easy to install.

3. Oil filler tube - ugh... a lot of cuss words here. This is not a mod but I broke the OEM tube while removing the air intake; therefore, I went ahead and replaced it while I had the engine apart. Out of all the mods that I have made, this was the hardest. After removing the drive belt, alternator (no fun) and finally replacing the oil filler tube, my hands and knuckles were smashed up and some blood may have spilled all over my garage floor but I was able to do it and successfully.

4. Agency Headers - install was pretty easy, probably the easiest one I have done. There is one bolt on each header that connects to the Kats that proved to be difficult to reach but not that bad. On that note, the headers were the last thing I did, after the the Kats and exhaust; therefore, I learned my lesson and bought the gaskets and new bolts prior to beginning the work.

5. Fabspeed 200 sport cell Kats - broke some bolts and had to deal with that same bolt that I mentioned in the headers but overall not too hard.

6. Fister Exhaust - this was one of my first mods and it took some time. I broke a few bolts and then had to order new ones so my car was on the jack stand for about a week before I finished it.

7. Hawk brake pads - Not a mod but recently did this - honestly, its just changing brake pads if you have ever done that before but I am very happy with the Hawk pads.

8. Softronics ECU tune - Its pretty much a plug and play and the tune, at least from what I can tell adapted to the mods I made just last week (headers, IPD plenum and GT3 throttle body).

The mods listed above were not in that order however.

As for performance, I have read hundreds of comments and post that argue against modifying a 996 because you aren't going to see or feel any difference. I beg to differ. I can definitely feel a difference and I am going to have it dyno'd soon to confirm what I feel. I guess the question is, is the difference worth the time and costs? I think that will depend on you and your bank account. I don't think I, nor anyone else for that question for you. As I mentioned before, these mods have been conducted over the past several years and a couple of them out of necessity; replacing the Kats for example, one of them was bad and I had to replace them but honestly it probably would have happened anyhow. Now in hindsight, if I would have saved that money I probably could have bought a supercharger or turbo kit for a few grand more than what I have invested right now but I enjoyed the process. I enjoyed learning about my car and having confidence in the upgrades, working on it and now I am enjoying (my favorite part), driving my car. It is so much more responsive and faster now than it has ever been before.

In closing, I would like to thank all those who take their time to write-up great DIY posts and some of you have "attention to detail" down to an art. In addition, I want to thank Dan at Vivid Racing. He was quick to respond to all my questions and give me guidance/direction as needed.

Thanks again,

JC

 

Congrats on your mods. While those mods may not make a bunch of overall peak power, it does help flatten out any dips, provides better throttle response, but most importantly provides a greater range of broadband power by increasing the area under the curve where it counts IMO. That coupled to the sound can make for a more pleasurable and sporty driving experience.

 

Totally agree and thanks Alpine003.

 

Nice write up on the modifications.
You addressed both getting more air in and out of your engine.
Hope to see your dyno results sometime.

 

Thanks NY...

As soon as I can get it to the shop to be Dyno'd I will post the results.

 

Sounds cool. Let us know what the results are for sure!

 

New member here, and one who comes into this being very realistic about this car and its abilities and limitations. I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this, but would you say the most important and first mod would be the exhaust? I feel like the motor in its stock form is just on the verge of having some proper throat and an exhaust, while probably doing little to nothing for power, is worth it for the sound alone. Right?

 

996togo

I was the same way when I first purchased my car.

My suggestion

Unless you have a brand new car, or have a very detailed service history, then start with the basics.

These cars require PREVENTATIVE maintenance.

There are many ways you can throw money at your new car, you should start with making sure all fluids are up to date with changes or flushing ie brakes, gearbox and coolant change all of your filters including cabin filter.

How many miles/how old are your plugs and coils?

Items that are known to be stressed, ie, motor & trans mounts. Why would you want to build horsepower and not be able to harness because of old and worn mounts.

Believe me, that right there you burn through more than a $1000 with no problem

Just my $.02

 

Good advice that is!

 

Agreed even if I have records when I buy a preowned car especially a European one I always do the above, and it does typically run 1k plus

 

Thanks for the write-up - nice job! Did you do anything preventative about the IMS bearing?