Hi all,
I'm a new member and have been reading all the great threads on aftermarket exhausts. While playing on the PorscheUSA website I see that starting in January Porsche is offering a sport exhaust option on Caymans and Boxsters. $2,100 option that includes some sort of switch to presumably change the sound of the exhaust.

Anyone know anything about this exhaust and whether it can be added to an existing 987 car? I assume the exhaust itself can be added, but wondering about the switch piece. I'm also guessing that a $2,100 option = $4,000+ at the Porsche parts counter.

Too bad this was not an option when I ordered my car.

Cheers.

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Mike C.
2005 Boxster S

Mike,

I too am pretty interested in this option and have asked many questions about it. Most folks here will tell you to steer clear because Porsche claims no increase in power. Others will tell you that it does increase power, but Porsche won't say so because they would have to re certify the engine.

Personally, I find it pretty hard to believe that every aftermarket cat back system tested has been found to add a few horses, but this modified and obviously opened exhaust with less back pressure than the conventional system will not. Unfortunately, I don't think any Caymans have hit the ground yet with this option so there are no dyno runs to look at. There is talk that this option will not be available until January.

To me, the option perfectly compliments a car with PASM. The PASM gives the car two personalities. Daily driver or track day star. And the adaptability means you don't need to deal with the tight dampers on rough road, or deal with soft dampers when you want to carve a turn. PSE goes perfectly with this. You can have a nice throaty sound when you want it, and when you don't just go to quiet mode. What's nicer than that?

This feature has been available on 911s and Boxsters for some time. There are complaints that the system goes to quiet mode automatically between 24-40 MPH because of a compliance issue with German noise standards. But there are many hacks/mods to make the system ignore this.

It's 90% likely that I will order my car with this option. In the long run I will probably go with performance headers, but I love the idea of this adaptive baffle.

Gator Bite,
Thanks for the response.

I also sometimes wonder about performance gains with aftermarket exhaust systems. Guess the dyno is the one true measure since a louder/deeper sounding exhaust could 'feel' faster when it might not be. Guess it also depends on how restrictive the stock exhaust is/was...

The attraction for me is that the Porsche one should be CARB legal, which is a slight concern for me since I live in California. Also, being able to have the PASM tied to the exhaust set up would be great. Lazy me, all I want to do is push one button, not two.

I'm puzzled as to why Porsche added a second set of cats to the 987 exhaust when I don't believe they did to the 997. I'm assuming that the engines are close enough that one (the 987) wouldn't have any more difficult time passing a smog check that the other.

In any case, the various threads on the different aftermarket exhausts are very helpful for when I finally got out and buy one.

Cheers.

__________________
Mike C.
2005 Boxster S

At Laguna Seca in October I had an opportunity to listen to a new 997 Carrera S with the Sport Exhaust, a Carrera GT, a Base Cayman and a Boxster S all start and rev their engines at about the same time in preparation for loading onto a transporter to take them back to the dealer in San Jose.

The Carrera GT was the most dramatic -- raise the hair on the back of your neck sound -- but the Carrera S with the Sport Exhaust was not too far off in this department and I was impressed. Even without additional horsepower, there is something to be said for the sounds these exhaust systems produce, even though they may only benefit the people you are driving past, because, at least in the hardtops, the best place to hear the exhaust is outside the car.

Thanks for the feedback. You make a good point about the people outside the car receiving the most benefit from a better sounding exhaust. For me, I am looking to get some of that benefit from within the car, mainly when I have my helmet on.

Not sure if this is going to get me removed from this forum (I hope not since this has been a great resource for me ), but I have a 987 Boxster S, not a Cayman. Even when at a track event with the top down, the engine/ exhaust sound is not a loud as I would like it with my helmet on.

I trick I learned a few years ago was to wear ear plugs when driving a convertible on the track. The theory goes that if your ears hear the sound of the rushing wind, your brain is programmed to think you are going too fast. With my Miata (aftermarket exhaust and intake), I can wear the ear plugs and still hear the air intake/exhaust. I never checked if I was any faster with the ear plugs, but I do seem to be more comfortable in the car. With the Boxster, earplugs definitely reduce the wind noise, so much that the engine/exhaust fade into the background.

I've recently de-snorked my car, but haven't driven it at a track event since the change. I'm hoping it's a bit louder than stock. If not, I may need to try an aftermarket air intake system. Based on my experience with the Miata, it's the air intake sound that I hear over the exhaust.

If an aftermarket exhaust helps too, even better, since the sound of a Porsche is something everyone needs to appreciate!

Cheers.

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Mike C.
2005 Boxster S

The exhaust from the parts counter at full retail should be around $2K if it is priced like the other porsche sport exhausts.

The exclusive options(anything that starts with X) can be had from the parts counter at the same price or less.

In the past, it was cheaper to buy 18" wheel for the Boxster from the parts counter, rather than from the factory as an option.

IMO, the new PSE's sound better than most aftermarket systems without the droan and loss of power. 99% of the aftermarket exhausts for the Boxster lost power.(this appears to not be true for the Cayman though...)

Also, when we are talking about power gains/losses, it is the total area under the power curve that matters. many aftermarket products quote peak gains, but lose torque elsewhere in the power band making the car slower overall. Peak HP numbers are about as useful as EPA mileage numbers - pretty much meaningless.

I just installed the SuperSprint system in my car and I will post a full review and pictures shortly. This is one system that does not have the 2K RPM droan and is very well made.

I wonder why that was???

singletrack1,
I think it would be great if the PSE was in the $2k range, but I'm assuming that if it comes with the same set of secondary cats as on the stock exhaust, the price is going to be considerably more than $2k.

Thanks for the explanation of the entire power curve. I can now recall seeing a number of dyno printouts (mainly for ECU chips or aftermarket turbo/supercharger kits) where a high horsepower figure was shown, but the description of the driveability of the vehicle was pretty poor.

I look forward to your review of the SuperSprint exhaust.

Hey All,
Anyone know why the Boxster/Cayman have 4 cats when the 997 only has 2? Or does the 997 have 4 that are separate from the exhaust resonators/mufflers?

Cheers.

__________________
Mike C.
2005 Boxster S