Save $676 on the speedART Catback Exhaust Systems for the Cayman & Boxster!



GMP Performance is excited to offer a group buy on the speedART Race and Sport catback exhaust systems for the Porsche 987s. For loads of information on this high quality exhaust system, please see Gator Bites recent Product Review on Planet Porsche, complete with before and after Dyno testing and demonstration video.


This group buy covers all variations of the Porsche 987 (Boxster & Cayman) from 2005-2010. These are covered by three different part numbers, all using the same mufflers with version specific downpipes and mounting hardware. Choose from the following versions:

• 2005-2006 Boxster 3.2/2.7 - Sport (TUV Approved)
• 2005-2006 Boxster 3.2/2.7 - Race (Export Version - non-TUV)
• 2006-2008 Cayman/Boxster - Sport (TUV Approved)
• 2006-2008 Cayman/Boxster - Race (Export Version - non-TUV) (This is the system Gator Bite tested)
• 2009-2010 Cayman/Boxster - Sport (TUV Approved)
• 2009-2010 Cayman/Boxster - Race (Export Version - non-TUV)

The Sport system is TUV approved and quieter than the export only Race system. Systems can be mixed and matched to achieve these group buy discounts:


All orders must be placed by September 30th, 2009. A $1,000 deposit will be requested to hold your spot in the group. The remaining balance will be charged on October 1st, 2009, after the close of the group and based on final participation numbers.

These systems will be built to your desired specification at the close of the group buy and will take 10-15 days to manufacture. They will be delivered via sea freight to our facility in North Carolina. Once in the USA, please allow 5-7 business days for east coat delivery and 7-10 business days for west coat delivery. Standard Continental shipping rates apply from North Carolina to you.

We are offering an airfreight option for $200 additional dollars. The airfreight option will reduce the 4-6 week sea freight delivery time to 1 week. Standard Continental US shipping rates from us to you still apply.


BONUS OFFER - speedART Cayman Power Kit Upgrade:

Upgrade to a complete Power Kit 2 for an additional $4,500. The Power Kit 2 includes larger bore muffler, matching headers, 200-cell German made high-flow cats and ECU flash.



The ECU will have to be shipped to Germany to be reprogrammed and will take 5-7 days. This is the Power Kit upgrade only and you must purchase the exhaust in addition to the Power Kit 2 upgrade. The Power Kit 2 Complete Kit has a list price of $7,184.00. Combine this with the exhaust group buy and save over $700!

 

You should see some of the looks I get when I tell people that I've changed the exhaust system on my two year old Porsche seven times since I bought it. I get responses like, "Isn't that under warranty?" or, "Wow... For such an expensive car you'd think they would put a quality exhaust system in there." When I tell them that there was nothing wrong with my original system, I start to lose them. "So if there's nothing wrong with it, why did you change it?" That's when I realize that these folks simply won't understand. But you will. If you wouldn't, you probably wouldn't be here reading this review.

True sports car enthusiast understand how the right exhaust system can literally transform a car. Take a fantastic foundation like a Porsche and you transform an already great sports car into an incredibly visceral, spine tingling, hair raising super car. You find yourself rolling down your windows and turning off the stereo just so you can hear more of that beautiful flat 6 wail.... You want to learn to heel/toe downshift just because it sounds so damn cool. Ahhhh..... Welcome to chapter 3 of the Gator Bite Exhaust Test Chronicles. This time we'll be taking a close look at the speedART Race Exhaust System.


Why I picked the speedART system:

One of the most common questions I get when I test a product is why I chose it. I first became interested in this system at the 2008 Croctoberfest gathering in Atlanta. I had organized and managed the exhaust test comparison. As we were testing and recording different systems, a speedART equipped car rolled through. I couldn't help but notice that it sounded much different than any other system we tested. It had a smooth, tight sound that preserved the original Cayman voice. I'd heard of speedART before but I didn't know much about them. I knew that I wasn't alone and that the name was not well known within the Cayman community. I started to research the German made product and began to uncover many unique characteristics that piqued my interest.

If you've spent any time around Porsches, the speedART Race System will look oddly familiar to you. It looks just like the factory exhaust systems that were installed on 986 Boxsters (1997-2004). It looks like them because it's actually made inside the same shell and with some of the same components. That's a good thing because the shell from that OE part is corrugated T-304 stainless steel. T-304 stainless is fantastic stuff that will last a long time in exhaust applications (it will probably outlast the rest of the car). A corrugated shell can achieve superior strength with less material, which translates to weight savings and noise/resonance control. Reduced resonation of the walls also reduces the risk of cracking welds.



The shape of the housing was made to fit underneath a mid engine Porsche. It wraps around the transmission which makes it look a lot more at home under a 987 than most other systems. The system is essentially made up of three pieces with only two connection points between them. It connects to the factory exhaust hanger at the same points as the original system. Fewer connection points, welds and pieces translates to fewer potential problems. More complex systems will shift more with thermal expansion, they'll have more welds that can crack and more connection points that can leak. The simplicity of this system removes many of those potential problems. Simply put, this system is the closest thing you'll find to a stock design in the aftermarket.

The stock similarities are however only skin deep. Look deeper into the system and you'll find that this exhaust system has been designed for maximum performance. The muffler is a multi chamber straight through design (2 into 1). Inside, it's very different than the original 986 mufflers that used baffle plates and restrictions to quiet the engine. A straight through design is superior at higher gas velocities, presenting much less flow restriction which usually translates into horsepower gains at higher RPMs. More on this later.....

SpeedART is very proud of this system. There are certain design elements that they keep close to their chest, to protect their secret recipe, but they did make sure that I knew that they have been fine tuning this system for years. It took them 15 design revisions to reach this point. Their goal was to create a system that produced more power than stock with a mellow refined voice that would not fills cars with annoying drone or resonance. I must say, they've done a fantastic job.


Fit, Finish and Installation:

This system oozes quality. Everything is made of stainless steel that's been polished to a chrome like luster. Welds are smooth and clean. The exhaust flanges are thick two ply flanges. A two ply flange resists warping during the welding process better than the more common single ply flanges. The exhaust clamping sleeves are the same clamping sleeves used by Porsche on the OE Cayman exhaust system. There's no doubt about it, this system has got to be the highest quality system available for the 987.

Because of the system's factory heritage, it fits very nicely under the Cayman/Boxster. The system resides a little higher in the car than the stock system, but it still looks completely original. The only reason a Porsche dealer might notice that the exhaust has been changed is because the speedART is so nicely polished. I suspect 10,000 miles of all weather use could change this.



The tips are absolutely gorgeous, in my opinion. They're two round tips that I believe are the perfect diameter, measuring in at 3.75 inches. They're nicely beveled and inside you'll notice that they're perforated. This is the 4th silencing circuit in the system, displaying the typical German mindset that refuses to waist any opportunity to add function. There are two nice speedART logos etched into their top edge.




Sound and Driving Impressions:

When I turned the key for the first time my impression was one of surprise. Why? Because on startup the system sounds so close to stock it's almost hard to tell the difference. But listen a little closer and you can notice a slight increase to the low frequency range and a gargle that is just a little bit 'nastier' than stock. Most other systems deliver a ground pounding increase in low frequency rumble. The speedART does not. It speaks a very similar song at idle as the stock system.

A couple of seconds into my idle evaluation and I notice that something was missing. It's the vibration that the more aggressive systems add, probably from their increase in low frequency sound waves. Some are worse than others. The speedART delivers NONE. It's silky smooth. I jumped out of the car to check for exhaust leaks. Outside the car, once again, this is the song that the stock system sings, only a little louder and with an added edginess. Hmmm.... This is not at all what I was expecting, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Ina (my wife) jumped into the car to blip the throttle for me. I told her to take it easy because the engine was still cold. She delivered a couple of short dips into the throttle and what I heard was very cool. The speedART delivers a very different blip than stock, but also very different from the other systems I've tested. It's edgy and rich without being deep or raspy. Its song is sung in the mid range and could likely be accurately reproduced without woofers or tweeters. It has rich mid bass and mid range sound without the harsh raspiness of the stock system or the deep boominess of the more aggressive systems.

One thing is for sure: anyone considering a Borla, Remus, AWE, Tubi etc..., would not be interested in this system. But then again, I bet there are lots of people out there who have intentionally stayed on the exhaust modification sidelines to avoid the aggressive boominess that those systems deliver. If you're one of them, it may be time to reconsider your strategy. This system is very nice.

After warming the system up, I took her for a little ride. 50 yards into my trip I depressed the clutch and blipped it so I could hear the echo off of our brick building. "BRrrrrrrrriiiipppppp....." It delivers a smooth exotic growl, once again, just like the stock system but with the volume kicked up a bit. I also noticed more sound in the lower mid range and less in the upper frequencies.

As soon as I pulled out onto the street I dug into the throttle a little. The sound was smooth and consistent without variation throughout the rev range. I was listening very closely for 'drone' but at this time I heard none. I rowed the car through the gears and approached a slow moving pickup truck that required me to take it easy. I continued on my normal exhaust test route which presents a cool overpass that echos sound nicely and then a very steep hill that can be used to test for drone. The overpass test was awesome. The system sounds great when echoed off of other surfaces.

When I got to my drone testing hill I dropped the car into 4th gear and climbed it starting from 2,000 RPM. I pressed the go pedal deeply into the floor. Does the system drone? Yes, and somewhat loudly if you really try to make it drone, but honestly I felt bad for doing that to my motor and this test hill is the absolute worst scenario you could apply to any exhaust system, including the stock. I was really ******* it and I would NEVER drive my car like this. It felt like I was going to foul a spark plug or two. I dropped to 3rd gear, lightened the load on the engine a little and the smooth stock sound came back with a hint of boom from 2,200 - 2,800. Honestly, under normal driving conditions, the drone is actually somewhat enjoyable. It sounds rich and powerful, like you're in a car that's hiding something powerful underneath, without crossing the loudness line that would make it annoying.

After my hill test I continued on a twisty back road for a couple of miles. I drove normally, which for me is semi aggressive. When driven normally, the system falls into total submission and sounds stock. Ina commented from the passenger seat that people might be disappointed because it sounds so similar to stock. I explained to her that there are customers for every system and that I suspect there are many people what would like this system for this very reason.

Up ahead we turned onto a state road with a speed limit of 45 mph (the road I do my drive aways videos on, only coming from the other direction, down the hill). I laid into the car a little and that's when you see what you paid for. When you're asking for power, the speedART sounds very cool and very powerful. It delivers just the right amount of interior sound to accentuate the sports car experience. I slowed into the hard right (seen in my drive by videos) and laid into the throttle hard. Oh man, from 4,000 RPM up the car pulls so strongly. The sound progressively increases in volume which adds an element of uncertainty and fear. It feels like the car is going to just keep on building power until it bursts into warp speed like the Starship Enterprise. It's so cool. I pushed the car through a set of essess and then let off to slow down. Blipping the throttle for a heel-toe downshifts delivers a nice audible confirmation that it's time to release the clutch. The volume is louder than stock, but totally in line and unobtrusive.

The only test remaining was my 'Highway Test'. I jumped onto Route 8 North and made smiles out of the on ramp. When under hard acceleration the system sounds so nice. Once up to speed I let off and just drove. During normal highway driving the system sounds, once again, stock. I allowed the car to slow to 60 mph several times. With aggressive systems, you'll get a noticeable boom at 60 mph in 6th gear that will make you want to shift to 5th. Not with the speedART. I almost couldn't believe it so I repeated the test two more times, once even using cruise control, then dropping the hammer to the floor. Nothing. On the highway wind and tire noise overwhelms any drone that is produced at these speeds. You simply can't hear it. Drop to 3rd gear, let her rip and suddenly you're driving a bad *** sports car again.

This system is so usable in the 2,000-3,000 RPM range that I suspect I'll see improved fuel efficiency over some of the other systems I've driven with. You really can apply a lot of power in this range before the sound becomes annoying.

Sound Demonstration Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYWfW27DpKU


Power Output (Before/After Dyno Charts):

For the moment of truth I chose to use the same dyno facility that I use for all of my exhaust tests. I took my car to Farnbacher Loles Motor Sport and had them strap my car to their climate controlled Dyno Dynamics sustained load dynamometer. For those that don't know, F/L is known all over the world as an expert in Porsche tuning. They developed the 400hp Cayman GTR and they run their own group of GT-3s in the American Le Man Series (ALMS).





My car is completely stock other than the installation of the speedART Race Exhaust and an opened (desnorked) intake port. I'm running a new factory air filter, stock DME flash and stock headers. There are no other performance modifications on my car. The guys at F/L know what they're doing, and their dyno is one of the most accurate available. My car was run for 5-8 runs for each test and the most consistent (not the highest) numbers were recorded. It's very important to understand this because the results that I'm about to share startled me, and they may startle you too.

Farnbacher Loles believes in using corrected BHP instead of the widely used RWHP. They provide both, but they point out that it's a mistake to compare RWHP numbers because of the fact that every dyno experiences a different 'loss' between BHP and RWHP. So let's get to the results.





This came as a bit of surprise to me, but not so much to Kip who has seen similar systems on his dyno. My butt dyno told me that the system pulled just like the other's I'd tested, but my brain kept telling me that power like this wasn't possible from a milder sounding system. I trust Kip and the results. I was pleasantly surprised by the robust 20.4 BHP gain.


The Bad & Ugly:

OK, I've said it before. Every modification brings a few drawbacks to the party and any product review that doesn't communicate them is incomplete. Please don't over react to the fact that I'm sharing this with you. I will look for drawbacks on every product I test, and sometimes I have to be very critical to find them. With that in mind, here is where I think the already excellent speedART system could be improved (in no particular order):If the speedART genie came to me and said, "Vee can grant you vone vish. Vhich of zeese ssree vould you like changed?" (notice the genie's German accent...), I'd ask him to insulate the inside of the tips. Drawbacks number 1 & 2 are really non existent to me. I believe that #3 is the biggest barrier to me labelling this system 'near perfect'.


Summary:

There are so many exhaust options for the Porsche 987 that they could literally spin your head. Picking the right system can be a tricky task. There are product offerings all over the volume spectrum, the price spectrum and the power spectrum. Every Porsche owner will have a different set of priorities and goals. It's important to understand those goals when picking the right system. On the aggressive side the decision is difficult because there are many good systems to choose from. On the mild side, the offerings are so limited that the decision is easier.

If you're looking for a mildly aggressive system that delivers great power, high quality, nice sound and excellent value, look no further. The speedART is unique and compelling. It sounds so tight, so smooth and preserves the original Porsche voice so nicely. It falls into a quiet submission when driven easily and comes to life very nicely when the 987's power is released. It sounds great without being offensive. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this system for use on a daily driver or for someone that attends sound controlled track events.

I always thought that choosing a mild sounding exhaust system meant that one had to sacrifice potential power. Likewise I believed that in order to gain maximum power you needed to sacrifice drive-ability and comfort. The speedART system has proven me wrong. This system packs a powerful punch, right up there with the best of the aggressive systems, yet it delivers that punch without yelling at you. Don't misunderstand me, under wide open throttle this thing sings a relatively loud song, but it's a nice song that politely communicates the exotic nature of the flat six engine without pushing the boundaries of acceptability.

If you're looking for power, fit, quality and more of the Cayman's already beautiful voice, I strongly recommend you find a speedART equipped 987 and check it out for yourself. I am very impressed with this system, and I think you will be too.


Specifications:

 

WOW !! Thats all I can say about the whole post .
Fantastic sound and the performance gains are extremely good
I am VERY Impressed with this system

Wonder what it would do on my 2.7 liter ?
I have come to the conclusion that the 3.4 liter just has more room to go up in terms of performance gains as compared to the 2.7 liter but this exhaust has certainally got me thinking about trying it out .
Awsome post

 

This thread has been kind of quiet. I sort of expected more activity / interest. No questions?

 

Please PM me about 2,7 exhaust application