ShawnM981

I got very lucky last August and got a chance to build a BGTS. I previously had a few 997 S cabs that I absolutely loved, then a 981 BS (sport chrono, x73, fabspeed valved exhaust, 6MT) that I thought I was going to keep forever, I got hooked on the mid engine after driving numerous 991.1s. Then the 718 4.0s we’re announced. At that point I wasn’t quite ready to pull the trigger on a new one but knew I wanted one, then in August of 21 I made literally one phone call to a local dealer and got an allocation that locked 4 days later. Must have had a horseshoe up my *** that day.

Fast forward to 12/23/21. The 981 is gone to a fellow rennlister and I got to do PEC Atlanta delivery (10/10 experience - if you’re considering it, do it).

Left PEC and immediately drove 750 miles home, a great way to knock out a big chunk of the break in period. I ended up doing the rest of it over the course of the next couple weeks and finally let it rip. The engine and sounds above the 4k mark were intoxicating. The car pulls like a freight train compared to the 981. I love the 18 ways, blind spot monitoring, keyless entry, LED headlights and GTS interior compared to the 2 ways and plastic almost everything from my 981.

But there was an issue. I’m not sure if I ever would’ve admitted it if I wasn’t able to fix it, but while the car sounds phenomenal in the high rpm ranges, the noises below 4k are total garbage. For my use, which isn’t quite a daily driver but does spend a lot of time doing day to day chores, it was unacceptable. Compared to any of my previous Pcars it was almost embarrassing. Whenever people first heard it they’d ask if it was broken. It can’t breathe. Does it have covid?

Fast forward again, Fabspeed GPF delete OAPs installed mid February. This made a definite improvement in overall sound. It still didn’t fix the valve issue though. Listening to those opening and closing and the associated exhaust notes really hindered the driving experience for me. The 981S lacked the power this engine delivers, but the sounds and emotional feel had me missing it.

Next step after reading too much on here, ordering valve controllers and then deciding against them was the Softronic tune. Finally got it installed yesterday morning. I decided on the tune vs just the valve controller for a few reasons but I have to admit the most exciting part of it for me was simply keeping the valves open. What a remarkable difference. The butt dyno and my girlfriend tell me the car is absolutely faster, the pull through 2nd and 3rd is violent, and the sound, most importantly is now what it needs to be. Not too loud, the 981 was definitely louder, but the tone and volume just work so well for the car, and now it can be just as fun under 4k as it is howling towards my new 8k redline. It’s now the car I wanted it to be when I ordered it 7 months ago. It may not be this exact 718 4.0, the Spyder speaks to me, but if this is really the last ICE mid engine Porsche, I’ll have one forever.

Pics because why not

Guaji

I agree with regards to the low Rpm lack of sound. I dislike the metallic rattle sound of the valve actuator closing then reopening. Sounds exactly as my 718 turbo 4 sounded. I need to find the thread about wiring the exhaust actuator in the open position.

Nick_CT

The colour looks good, as does the manual gear ****. Similar spec to mine and I love it. I also hated the sound under 4k so I just unplugged the vacuum lines and that made it sound really great, we don't have monitored GPFs here so with just the lines disconnected the sound isn't bad at all. I've got an M-Engineering dongle arriving in the next day or two, looking forward to seeing how much of a difference a tune makes. And, having full control over the exhaust button will be a bonus. What's your opinion on the tune itself, because us with a GTS are getting quite a nice upgrade considering we're being upgraded to GT4 power and a bit more?

ShawnM981

The tune definitely improved power and delivery. The 2nd and 3rd gear pull feels drastically more powerful. This is the first time I’ve ever tuned a car and would certainly recommend it at this point.

Soul Performance

Superb spec on that car! Great story to read, and wish we'd been a part of your journey but happy to see you've got that driving experience dialed in. Scott at Softronic knows his stuff and has done a great job on this new platform, we enjoy working with him

Regards,
John Gaydos

ShawnM981

Thanks John - I was on your website yesterday - If I wanted to go one step further would you recommend catted headers or back box exhaust? What’re pros and cons to each?

SlickxAC

Depends on what you want. If you like the tone the headers will add more volume. If you want more volume and the tone then you get the rear section.

dnimi123

Probably dont want the headers for the Boxtser and the rear would be enough

slilley

I've been on the fence about the Softronic tune vs. just getting a Cargraphic valve controller, but this review has tipped me in the direction of the Softronic. Thanks for the feedback, @ShawnM981 !

Currently I've got my exhaust valves wired open, and the sound is glorious - most of the time! But when you are trying to sneak out of the house (and neighborhood) at 5AM for a day at the track, having control over the PSE valves is a huge plus.

Disabling auto-start-stop and cylinder deactivation is just icing on the cake to me. I certainly don't need the extra 200rpms, so would opt to leave the redline at the stock 7,800 for my GTS4.0.

Soul Performance

It really comes down to personal preference and individual goals. Sound is subjective, and there is something for everybody. This is a basic description below of the ROI on different sections of the exhaust system on this new platform. That said, we should have a more in depth about what you mean specifically about "one step further" because that's what going to dictate which way you should go to on the headers or muffler replacement. Give me a ring at 4848836197 and we can get into the nitty gritty, an educated decision is the best decision

If you like the sound level and like the character of the car...then get our valve controller kit
If you want more sound level and like the character of the car, you just want more of it...get a set of our OAPs and the valve controller kit
If you are okay with the sound level but would prefer a higher smoother pitch to the character/tone of the car...get our valved exhaust with our valve controller
If you want more sound level And a higher smoother pitch to the character/tone...get our OAPs, valved exhaust system, and our valve controller kit.
If you want more sound and high smoother pitch, loud and proud all the time with little worry for low rpm cabin presence...get our race exhaust system
If you want to further amplify the sound results of any of the OAP/Muffler/VC setup and go after some more performance, then you bring the headers into the mix.

Regards,
John Gaydos