hey ladies and gents, since winter is basically here and my boxster is just gonna sit around.. i was thinking about installing a turbo setup in it for next summer. has anyone on here done a single turbo or know where i could go to get some help with this?

how much do you guys think this would cost me.. im not trying to burn a hole in my wallet but im looking to spend up to 4k on motor work.. if not turbo what would you guys recommend with that price range to add a few extra HP to my wimpy boxster! im trying to get myself an early xmas present..

thanks in advance.
-ken

 

someone that may be able to offer you some boxster advice would be josh (jp st louis). i haven't seen him online much these days but he'd be someone good to talk to. =)

 

oh...i see josh found you on another thread already! lol!

best wishes for your boxster!

 

im just getting really bored of it.. wanna buy my body kit jody?!..
just needs paint.. lol since i never took it to the shop to get painted..
haha i might just turn it back to stock and go trade it in.. who knows.. i want something different with more power..

 

i'd love to take you up on the offer ken, but i'm kind of in the same boat as you. i don't really want to put much more $$ in mine at this point. eventually, i'll be getting something a bit newer. possibly a cayman or boxster s (but a 987). we just finished having recaro seats, harnesses, sport steering wheel, and some other work done to todd's this month so we're going to chill out through the holidays and winter now. lol!

i hate to see yours go, but i understand being torn between deciding to put $ into yours to make it faster or to put the money towards something else that already has it. i think if you're bored of your car....then it's not such a bad idea to look for something else that might excite you more! i'm not bored of mine yet. but when i am, i won't put any more $ into it. i'll just sell it and get something else. shhh! don't tell her that! i don't want to hurt her feelings! haha!

 

MORE POWER IN the 986 with coilovers and GT3 swaybar and you will never look back! I am telling you the cayman is great and I like it because of the hard top but I always leave my hardtop on. Some of you like that wind in your hair feeling blah blah blah...Not me I want to go fast and handle like a Ferrari and since a Ferrari is not in the budget I am keeping the box and making it go fast both in cornors and in a straight line. the fundamentals of the boxster with the mid enginge and light weight makes it an amazing choice but to each their own. My motor work starts tomorrow!


Not to mention if you trade it in you will get about as much in trade as an old accord. So you dummp 5-6K in it and make it perfect! Some people spend that in wheels. Silver lining my friends silver lining

 

haha yeah i am kinda bored of it.. i bought the car completely STOCK and had it for only a little over a year now.. i invested a lot of money into it already and thats not even including the money i just recently spent on repairs!!! since i got DICKED over by champion motors out in redmond! i havent even gotten the chance to paint the kit to make it look decent! i wouldnt mind keeping it if it had a little more power to it.. but like i said im not trying to spend a whole bunch more. im still trying to do a few more upgrades before i make up my mind.. maybe the boost will change my mind and make me wanna keep it for a little longer.

 

ALWAYS use joeacc (member here) for your bodywork he is in Buckley but does such a great job on many of the 6speeders cars inc Vincetdds 993TT and BruceM RSR and of course mine. There is no doubt that as soon as my motor gets in the new bumper sitting in my garage and some other tricks will be done by only him. The guy takes care of of all the details and keeps you in the know through the whole process. This is comming from a complete skeptic that does not trust hardley anyone touching his car. Oh and the GF MINI will be there next spring for a respray on the front then both will go to Silversurfer for clear bra.

 

$4k for any kind of forced induction, will just not cut it. Most of the kits are over $4k, plus install. For around $4k, you are looking at intake, flash, headers & exhaust, that's about it. However, that will really help, & make the car feel so much more alive, happier to rev.
It will feel like another car, & sound so much better!!

Depending on the miles on the car, a light weight flywheel & performance clutch really helps.

I know you already have a exhaust, but getting a "kit" (headers, cat & muffler) will work slightly better then a custom setup. You might also want to put some coin in the suspension, getting a nice coil over setup, will help the car so much.

If you want some solid prices & options let me know.

 

Quit wasting your time with the turbos. Put a V-8 in it. Hehe, just kidding.

 

nope a 3.2 with a 2.5 crank and it should put out 300+ whp and be all NA (plus rev higher). That is what I would do if I had not got a good deal on a 3.6 and already owned my SC'r. I still am looking for a set of 3.8X51 cams.

 

hmm, how much HP gain would i get if i did take the simple route and dropped a few grand on little stuff like intake, flash, headers & exhaust.. my boxster is the NON S model so im barely pushing 200hp and the S-3.2 is around 250hp.. would i gain about 50HP doing little stuff listed above or should i just take that money and put it towards a 3.2 swap.. im looking to do some mods soon but i guess this is something i cant really jump into and need to put some serious thoughts into.

im trying to stay away from motor swaps or anything that requires disassembling even though a shop will be doing all the work. it just sounds like its gonna cost me an arm and a leg to even get some power out of the boxster..

info on my boxster so you guys can get an idea of what im working with.

base 1997 boxster non S
108,XXX miles
2.5" straight pipe exhaust setup with tips from cat back
all new beru spark plugs
new serpentine belt
4 new o2 sensors from pelicanparts
everything else is stock and untampered with
NO CEL or any signs of problems with motor

compression test:
cylinder 1: 175
cylinder 2: 165
cylinder 3: 170

cylinder 4: 165
cylinder 5: 170
cylinder 6: 165

those are the numbers i got after fixing all my misfires and o2 sensor codes the car was throwing.. car doesnt seem to be misfiring anymore!
not sure what kind of numbers im suppose to get out of the boxster.. is my compression low or is that normal?

thanks in advance guys..
-ken

 

Dam, looks like you are at a crossroads.
First off, your compression is great, the important thing is the difference between cylinders, you don't want more then 10% deviation.

There are a couple of options.....
1. Sell car get a newer S
2. Install a Supercharger, or Turbo
3. Do a motor swap
4. Just do a few bolt ons & be happy with it.

While $4k to spend is a lot of money, it's really not in terms of what you want from it. Serious HP gains cost serious money & then you have all the supporting things that go with it.

The easiest thing would be to get a newer S, & move over the body kit, or other parts you want to keep.

Next big one would be to get a 996 motor & stuff it in, there cheap, & make great power! Then you can add 996 motor upgrades, & get even more.

Or do a Boxter S motor swap, or rebuild to S specs. This will cost a lot, but you will have a brand new fresh engine.

Of course a SC or turbo, but you are looking at almost $10k or more by the time you are done. It will stress the motor, & might need a rebuild sooner then you would like.

Then there are simple bolt ons while not giving the best gains, it will transform the power band & make it feel much more lively. It will not stress the motor. But I doubt you would get much more then 250hp from it, if you added a few things.

 

ahh.. haha im still stuck on what i should do.. i have a few other cars to tune and play with and maybe i should just leave the boxster the way it is and do small upgrades and just be happy with it.. ill continue researching and look around to see what i can afford and what i cant afford.. maybe ill just part the car out and sell the car stock and go buy a new car thats actually a 6speed.. haha thanks guys for all the help.. ill keep you guys updated if i come up with any plans to get more input on it.

 

You should buy Josh's 3.2 motor from his. Then do some internal work to it before it goes in.