Hi Gang,

I am new to this board and found it though a link from one of the members of another board. I looked over this board and it looks like a good place to ask some questions about some upgrades I would like to do to my 1988 911. All help/feedback is appreciated!

I would like to do the following:

1) Headlamp upgrade. Question, what are my options here? Is a xenon option kit? Or might the way to go is to some sort of upgrade from what I have now, the orginal, and then add some good driving lights in place of my fog lights?

2) I would like to get a few more hourses out of the engine. I am thinking the way to go is to do an exhaust upgrade. I looked up the stainless system on PP, looks like $1,500K+ for something like this. Do I really need this option or can I buy a "really good" system for less and then get them coated or not and still get good performance and a few more horses?

3) Short Shifter: I would like to add this to the car. Is there a kit made for 1988's that I can do myself? I did not see that option here on PP parts.

4) I would also like to upgrade my suspension a bit to give me some better handeling, are the turbo tie rods the way to go? Is there another recommended mod that would help as well?

Thanks for the help, now that I have some cash saved up I am ready to do some mods

 

Hylow HID bulbs/ballast, search internet.

Tie rod ends dictate reliability only.

 

Hello -

Concerning your upgrades you have a few choices:
1)
There is a xenon kit available for these cars but it involves using the old style removable 7" like off the early 80's USA cars, so you would have to ditch the existing headlamp rings and housings. It doesn't look as clean and it's expensive.
You can also "backdate" to the Euro H4 assembly. It's cheaper than the Xenon kit, looks the same as what you have but you still have to change the housings. I haven't spent the time behind H5 headlamps but it's a general belief that the Euro H4's are superior. As for driving lights, check out Performance Products, they have a selection there.

2) Exhaust? Good low dollar approach to making power is to use a Euro Pre Muffler (NOT A CAT BYPASS PIPE) in place of the CAT and ditch the factory muffler for a high flow design, like a Flowmaster. On Pelican, guys have done dyno runs with your era car and have noted 12-15 HP gains with this setup. Doesn't seem like much but it's a Porsche- they didn't leave much HP on the table. This setup makes virtually the same power as the top dollar SSI + expensive muffler (typically $1600.00) setup you're looking at now, it's been verified by several sources. As a point of reference, you can buy the euro premuffler for around $300 at Pelican, and your local exhaust shop can get you a flowmaster installed for around $200.00. That's full retail price folks - do the math. Sounds great, esp when you're on it. There's several options with mufflers here.

3) never seen a short shifter for g50's. Put Mobil1 instead.

4) suspension mods - it depends on how you're using the car - but the sky's the limit. Heavier torsion bars, Turbo tie rod ends are nice but most usually wait until their existing ones need replacement. It's said it's not that big of a difference. If it's a street car, get it lowered, aligned and corner balance as a way to start. If you're tracking the car occasionally, then heaver torsions. But, talk to a pro concerning which bars to choose! Depends on how you're using the car. These things look great dropped down a touch. Also consider wider rubber, either larger Fuchs or a good 17" wheel for an improvement.

have fun,

rjp

 

Brandon,

My two cents:

Headlamps: go with H4's - much better optics than H5's and you have choice of lamps. If you go with larger wattage bulbs, install relays to prevent the turn signal switch from ending it's life early.

HP: In addition to what Randy P said.... I'm not a proponent of SSI's on the 3.2 engines. While you can install them and you will get some benefit, the pipes are on the small side for the 3.2, and you won't get the benefits that the 3.0 and earlier engines will get. You can also explore changing out your chip - one option is to upgrade your exhaust/intake, then go find someone with a dyno who can also cut a chip geared to your specifics.

Short shifter: There isn't one for the 87-89 G50.

Turbo tie rods: Recommended. It brings precision to the steering. For $110-$125 in parts and not alot of labor to install, I noticed more precise steering every time I turned my SC steering wheel.

Suspension: As Randy said, the sky's the limit. You need to define what you want to accomplish. For a better suspension for spirited street driving, for example, you can increase your torsion bars by 2mm to 3mm and upgrade your shocks. Of course, if you start down the dark path of track driving, you'll find one 'improvement' leads to another, leads to another.....

 

Randy, I'm very interested in your suggestion about the Euro Pre Muffler and the Flowmaster replacement muffler. With this set up, you do keep the factory heat exchangers? I hope this isn't a dumb question. Thx.

85' Carrera Coupe 3.2

 

I have a question about this Euro-Pre muffler and Flowmaster setup. Does the sound get to be too much over a long trip? I am really thinking about this option but am afraid of the drone of the exhaust getting to be too much at cruising speed. Thoughts?

 

As far as the exhaust, go euro premuffler or cat bypass. I used to have SSI's with a bunch of different mufflers and switched back to cat bypass and a gutted factory muffler. Of course back to the standard heat exchangers. Premuffler with Flowmaster should not be too loud. Definetely not as loud as my car with the cat bypass and gutted factory muffler. Two mufflers I like for the bypass or premuffler are the Monty and Dansk. Both sound great, especially with only the cat bypass. The beauty of cat bypasses is that they are cheap.

As far as short shift, I don't know if there is one yet for the G50. If there is and it isn't factory, don't get it. The rule of thumb is factory only on shortshifts. That is what I have in my SC. I haven't felt a need for anything in my G50.

As far as suspension, this is tough. It's like recommending the right wife for someone. Only you can know what you need and what you will use it for. If I can make any recommendation that will not hurt anything is lowering it a hair if not there already, and maybe some Bilstein Sport shocks. Also, move the rear fuchs to the front on the same 205/55 tires and get some 16x9 fuchs for the back on 245/45. I have done that to every Porsche I own.

 

Here's my 2 cents.........

1. If you really want good light, i'd replace the current headlamps you have with the European H4 housings. The lens on the H4 provides a much better light pattern and you can use larger bulbs without the risk of melting the headlamp setup The H5's you have now are mostly plastic. If you decide to go with higher wattage bulbs, you MUST add relays (and heavier gauge wire if you go with 90W low beams- this rocks) or you risk burning out your headlight switch. I'd add the relays even if you don't go with high wattage bulbs. The headlight wiring is marginal at best in the 911.

2. I concur with the other fellas. A performance muffler and a euro premuffler are a good bang for the buck. I did the $1500-plus header system and switched back to the orig. heat exchangers after thinking the header system wasn't worth all the $$$ on a stock motor. A quality computer chip, muffler, and euro premuffler gets you really close to the headers for a lot less money.

3. Porsche makes a short shifter for the G50's. It's the shifter from the Club Sport model. I have it. I wouldn't recommmend it. Why? Because it's the exact same shifter you have in your car right now except that the shift handle is a measly 3/4" shorter. That's it. And it's not cheap- almost $200. Save your money for something more worthwhile. Maybe put that $200 toward your computer chip?

4. Yep. Suspension is a tough one. Depends on your tastes. I like redheads......... <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" /> Be careful here as you can get waaaaaaaay out of hand with the "while i'm in there" syndrome!!! Simply refreshing your suspension with original equipment will make a big difference.

Fresh shocks (Bilstein, Koni or Boge are all the names you need to know), and fresh suspension bushings will go a long way toward tightening up your car. For street driving i'd recommend replacing the bushings with rubber again. That's what I did because i'm a sissy. If you're going to do occasional track stuff, you can step up to the bronze-poly bushings made by Elephant Racing and sold by Pelican Parts. These are the hot setup from what I can see. Stiffer torsion bars make a big difference in the feel of the car too. I changed my stock 19mm front, 25mm rear to 22 front, 29 rear and it made a big difference in the overall feel of the car. Feels much more planted to the road. Not harsh by any means, but certainly firm. Hitting a bump in the road is certainly heard and felt. Though it does not knock your teeth out. I'd recommend the turbo tie rods too. They made a noticeable difference on my car. Steering is much tighter. My old Carrera rods were probably used-up though, so that's why it feels so much better. Got rid of all the play in the on-center feel of the steering wheel. I also relubed the steering rack "as long as I was in there."

Don't forget about your brakes. I'm not saying you should upgrade them, as Carrera brakes are said to be plenty adequate. All i'm saying is make sure they are in tip top shape. Fresh fluid, pads, straight rotors, flexible brake lines, and all calipers operate smoothly (check dust boots for damage and replace boots/reseal calipers if necessary).

Put Mobil 1 synthetic gear oil in your trans. Trans. operates much better and quieter with a synthetic in there. No question about this one. Makes a noticeable difference.

 

Is this the right part from Pelican??
Dansk Pre-Silencer / Euro Pre-Muffler, replaces stock 911 Catalytic Converter (1978-89), Dansk PN 92100S, polished stainless steel.
PEL-99-1012-253 $319.00

Also, which gaskets will I need (all three?) if I am replacing the muffler too?

 

Yep. That's the premuffler you want.

Yes. You need three gaskets for the job. One standard muffler gasket and two odd-shaped gaskets to connect the premuffler to the motor. One is for the left heat exchanger outlet (a kinda triangle/oblong shape) and the other is for the right heat exchanger crossover pipe (a kinda triangle/circular shape).

 

Hey fish, Check out the Dansk aluminized (painted black) SPORT muffler with the 70mm tip. I was told that it is the same inside as the more expensive 84mm polished SS unit at about half the cost. I went with a Fabspeed Euro Pre Muffler, Dansk muffler and a Wltmeister chip (from prior owner) and am very happy with the results. Some are saying the Steve Wong chip is the way to go.