Just had Fabspeed GT420 Package Installed...
07-07-2016, 11:57 PM
#1
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Just had Fabspeed GT420 Package Installed...
Rolled into Fabspeed at around 7:30 Wednesday morning to install the GT420 package consisting of the IPD plenum, 82mm throttle body, BMC filters, Fabspeed's catted sport headers, Valvetronic exhaust and custom tune. Upon arrival I was greeted by the gracious John Gaydos and given a full tour of the facility. Without seeing everything in full swing, there's no way to appreciate the attention to detail involved in the fabrication of Fabspeed components. The whole facility and associated equipment is state of the art.
We started the day by getting a baseline reading of the car on the dyno. I know not to worry about the numbers as much as the change in the curve pre/post modification. Nonetheless, the car started the day at 337hp/299 lb-ft on the Dynojet. Luckily, we'd be able to compare numbers on the same dyno on the same day to appreciate the gains that would be achieved with the upgrades. At this point I was still questioning whether I had made the right choice going with the catted sport headers over the catless race headers.
[/URL]
Stock exhaust and headers came off the car. Does Porsche coat everything in Teflon? I was shocked how clean it looked under there after 2K miles.
Looking at the stock headers and Fabspeed sport headers side by side it is easy to see how restrictive the stock units are, comparatively.
Same can be seen with the stock exhaust vs the Fabspeed Valvetronic.
Ahh, the elusive IPD plenum. This was almost a major hiccup in the installation. Apparently the machine that IPD uses to fabricate the plenum is currently under repair, leaving a slight back order nation-wide. As of Tuesday afternoon we were without a plenum. Luckily, the guys at Competition Motorsports in Iowa had one in stock and overnighted it to Fabspeed for our install. Crisis averted.
Everything in place. Looks much tidier and streamlined. The only thing left to do was put the car back on the dyno and do the protune. Small problem, though - my car had the most recent Porsche firmware and Cobb hadn't written the program for it yet. This was at 5:30 pm and Fabspeed closes up for the day at 6. A call was put in to Conb and they said they would get it done ASAP, which translated to about 2 hours. Clearly we weren't getting the tune done. Also, I had no way to get back to NJ. John didn't hesitate to give me the key to his Cayman R so I could get back home.
I received a call this morning that Cobb came through and everything was up and running without a hitch. John brought the car back to me tonight and I had a little time to take it out for a spin. The car is much more responsive across the whole rev range. You can definitely feel that the torque dip has been addressed and the car feels very linear in the way it develops power. It sounds fantastic. No video truly captures how this system sounds. It has a very race-like quality to it. It doesn't make as much power up high as the race header setup, but it's still an improvement and the sound...oh, the sound is intoxicating in the higher revs.
I don't regret going with the sport headers over the race headers. Volume-wise the sport headers/valvetronic has a lot of presence. The race headers would probably be way too loud for the street, especially with the top down. Performance wise, there's always a trade off - low end torque vs high end hp. I do tend to run my Porsches in the higher rev ranges even on the street but, again, the volume would be deafening with the catless headers.
All in all, I'm very impressed with the system and the effort Fabspeed made. I wouldn't hesitate to call on them again for future projects.
We started the day by getting a baseline reading of the car on the dyno. I know not to worry about the numbers as much as the change in the curve pre/post modification. Nonetheless, the car started the day at 337hp/299 lb-ft on the Dynojet. Luckily, we'd be able to compare numbers on the same dyno on the same day to appreciate the gains that would be achieved with the upgrades. At this point I was still questioning whether I had made the right choice going with the catted sport headers over the catless race headers.
[/URL] Stock exhaust and headers came off the car. Does Porsche coat everything in Teflon? I was shocked how clean it looked under there after 2K miles.
Looking at the stock headers and Fabspeed sport headers side by side it is easy to see how restrictive the stock units are, comparatively.
Same can be seen with the stock exhaust vs the Fabspeed Valvetronic.
Ahh, the elusive IPD plenum. This was almost a major hiccup in the installation. Apparently the machine that IPD uses to fabricate the plenum is currently under repair, leaving a slight back order nation-wide. As of Tuesday afternoon we were without a plenum. Luckily, the guys at Competition Motorsports in Iowa had one in stock and overnighted it to Fabspeed for our install. Crisis averted.
Everything in place. Looks much tidier and streamlined. The only thing left to do was put the car back on the dyno and do the protune. Small problem, though - my car had the most recent Porsche firmware and Cobb hadn't written the program for it yet. This was at 5:30 pm and Fabspeed closes up for the day at 6. A call was put in to Conb and they said they would get it done ASAP, which translated to about 2 hours. Clearly we weren't getting the tune done. Also, I had no way to get back to NJ. John didn't hesitate to give me the key to his Cayman R so I could get back home.
I received a call this morning that Cobb came through and everything was up and running without a hitch. John brought the car back to me tonight and I had a little time to take it out for a spin. The car is much more responsive across the whole rev range. You can definitely feel that the torque dip has been addressed and the car feels very linear in the way it develops power. It sounds fantastic. No video truly captures how this system sounds. It has a very race-like quality to it. It doesn't make as much power up high as the race header setup, but it's still an improvement and the sound...oh, the sound is intoxicating in the higher revs.
I don't regret going with the sport headers over the race headers. Volume-wise the sport headers/valvetronic has a lot of presence. The race headers would probably be way too loud for the street, especially with the top down. Performance wise, there's always a trade off - low end torque vs high end hp. I do tend to run my Porsches in the higher rev ranges even on the street but, again, the volume would be deafening with the catless headers.
All in all, I'm very impressed with the system and the effort Fabspeed made. I wouldn't hesitate to call on them again for future projects.
07-08-2016, 12:28 AM
#2
That's awesome! So no post installation dyno? Really jealous. Can't wait to do mine down the road! Glad to hear about the sound. Did you get a chance to measure any weight savings by any chance between the stock vs the upgraded parts?
07-08-2016, 05:17 AM
#3
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Rolled into Fabspeed at around 7:30 Wednesday morning to install the GT420 package consisting of the IPD plenum, 82mm throttle body, BMC filters, Fabspeed's catted sport headers, Valvetronic exhaust and custom tune. Upon arrival I was greeted by the gracious John Gaydos and given a full tour of the facility. Without seeing everything in full swing, there's no way to appreciate the attention to detail involved in the fabrication of Fabspeed components. The whole facility and associated equipment is state of the art.
We started the day by getting a baseline reading of the car on the dyno. I know not to worry about the numbers as much as the change in the curve pre/post modification. Nonetheless, the car started the day at 337hp/299 lb-ft on the Dynojet. Luckily, we'd be able to compare numbers on the same dyno on the same day to appreciate the gains that would be achieved with the upgrades. At this point I was still questioning whether I had made the right choice going with the catted sport headers over the catless race headers.
[/URL]
Stock exhaust and headers came off the car. Does Porsche coat everything in Teflon? I was shocked how clean it looked under there after 2K miles.
Looking at the stock headers and Fabspeed sport headers side by side it is easy to see how restrictive the stock units are, comparatively.
Same can be seen with the stock exhaust vs the Fabspeed Valvetronic.
Ahh, the elusive IPD plenum. This was almost a major hiccup in the installation. Apparently the machine that IPD uses to fabricate the plenum is currently under repair, leaving a slight back order nation-wide. As of Tuesday afternoon we were without a plenum. Luckily, the guys at Competition Motorsports in Iowa had one in stock and overnighted it to Fabspeed for our install. Crisis averted.
Everything in place. Looks much tidier and streamlined. The only thing left to do was put the car back on the dyno and do the protune. Small problem, though - my car had the most recent Porsche firmware and Cobb hadn't written the program for it yet. This was at 5:30 pm and Fabspeed closes up for the day at 6. A call was put in to Conb and they said they would get it done ASAP, which translated to about 2 hours. Clearly we weren't getting the tune done. Also, I had no way to get back to NJ. John didn't hesitate to give me the key to his Cayman R so I could get back home.
I received a call this morning that Cobb came through and everything was up and running without a hitch. John brought the car back to me tonight and I had a little time to take it out for a spin. The car is much more responsive across the whole rev range. You can definitely feel that the torque dip has been addressed and the car feels very linear in the way it develops power. It sounds fantastic. No video truly captures how this system sounds. It has a very race-like quality to it. It doesn't make as much power up high as the race header setup, but it's still an improvement and the sound...oh, the sound is intoxicating in the higher revs.
I don't regret going with the sport headers over the race headers. Volume-wise the sport headers/valvetronic has a lot of presence. The race headers would probably be way too loud for the street, especially with the top down. Performance wise, there's always a trade off - low end torque vs high end hp. I do tend to run my Porsches in the higher rev ranges even on the street but, again, the volume would be deafening with the catless headers.
All in all, I'm very impressed with the system and the effort Fabspeed made. I wouldn't hesitate to call on them again for future projects.
We started the day by getting a baseline reading of the car on the dyno. I know not to worry about the numbers as much as the change in the curve pre/post modification. Nonetheless, the car started the day at 337hp/299 lb-ft on the Dynojet. Luckily, we'd be able to compare numbers on the same dyno on the same day to appreciate the gains that would be achieved with the upgrades. At this point I was still questioning whether I had made the right choice going with the catted sport headers over the catless race headers.
[/URL] Stock exhaust and headers came off the car. Does Porsche coat everything in Teflon? I was shocked how clean it looked under there after 2K miles.
Looking at the stock headers and Fabspeed sport headers side by side it is easy to see how restrictive the stock units are, comparatively.
Same can be seen with the stock exhaust vs the Fabspeed Valvetronic.
Ahh, the elusive IPD plenum. This was almost a major hiccup in the installation. Apparently the machine that IPD uses to fabricate the plenum is currently under repair, leaving a slight back order nation-wide. As of Tuesday afternoon we were without a plenum. Luckily, the guys at Competition Motorsports in Iowa had one in stock and overnighted it to Fabspeed for our install. Crisis averted.
Everything in place. Looks much tidier and streamlined. The only thing left to do was put the car back on the dyno and do the protune. Small problem, though - my car had the most recent Porsche firmware and Cobb hadn't written the program for it yet. This was at 5:30 pm and Fabspeed closes up for the day at 6. A call was put in to Conb and they said they would get it done ASAP, which translated to about 2 hours. Clearly we weren't getting the tune done. Also, I had no way to get back to NJ. John didn't hesitate to give me the key to his Cayman R so I could get back home.
I received a call this morning that Cobb came through and everything was up and running without a hitch. John brought the car back to me tonight and I had a little time to take it out for a spin. The car is much more responsive across the whole rev range. You can definitely feel that the torque dip has been addressed and the car feels very linear in the way it develops power. It sounds fantastic. No video truly captures how this system sounds. It has a very race-like quality to it. It doesn't make as much power up high as the race header setup, but it's still an improvement and the sound...oh, the sound is intoxicating in the higher revs.
I don't regret going with the sport headers over the race headers. Volume-wise the sport headers/valvetronic has a lot of presence. The race headers would probably be way too loud for the street, especially with the top down. Performance wise, there's always a trade off - low end torque vs high end hp. I do tend to run my Porsches in the higher rev ranges even on the street but, again, the volume would be deafening with the catless headers.
All in all, I'm very impressed with the system and the effort Fabspeed made. I wouldn't hesitate to call on them again for future projects.
I practice and race shifter karts a few times a year at Englishtown Raceway, so i'll be sure to drop you a line when i'm in the area. Be sure to let me know of any local events, i'd love to make a trip up there 
I'm looking forward to getting you set up in the future as well, you have a heck of a car haha.
I did not get a chance to weigh the parts, but when I get in the shop this morning i'll see if we haven't boxed up George's factory parts yet so i can get those weights. As we build back inventory i'll see if I can grab some weights of our products as well.
To note, we went out and got some GREAT footage late yesterday....with a dead microphone
I did take off the mic and got some footage driving the car back to George, so I will upload that after the marketing guys go through it and try to clear up the footage.
__________________
Porsche Performance Specialist
John@Fabspeed.com
215-618-9796
Fabspeed Motorsport USA
155 Commerce Drive Fort Washington, PA 19034
www.Fabspeed.com
Porsche Performance Specialist
John@Fabspeed.com
215-618-9796
Fabspeed Motorsport USA
155 Commerce Drive Fort Washington, PA 19034
www.Fabspeed.com
07-08-2016, 05:30 AM
#4
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On a personal note...
The drive to NJ in the Spyder was incredible. Valves closed the exhaust configuration is docile and comfortable, with minimal resonance in the cabin even under high gear load between 2000-3000rpm. Valves open and the sound turns into a gorgeous wail into the higher rpms. Enough overall sound level to unconsciously accelerate next to the concrete divider and under every overpass with the windows down for the full experience. However, not loud enough IMO to cause any discomfort when doing so. Perks of the Sport Headers versus the Race Headers with the full package.
Funny story...there was a somewhat annoying Prius next to me on the NJ Turnpike matching my cruising speed too long for comfort. Bringing the RPMs up to about 3400rpm in 6th, lifting off throttle, and Just touching the pedal as it fell below 3000rpm caused a series of thunderous burble/overrun that had me busting a gut laughing as the Prius moved over a lane and backed away. What a lovely feature
Upon dropping off the Spyder to George and picking up my Cayman R for the drive home, several things immediately stood out in comparison between the two cars.
1. The shifter in the Spyder is much tighter with shorter throw and a much better feel. My shifter now feels sloppy with throw so long it might have taken a lunch break before reaching the next gear
2. The clutch engagement point is much farther down in pedal travel and stiffer in the 987.2...the quicker and lighter clutch engagement with little pedal travel in Spyder was very nice, although threw me for a loop at first i'll admit.
3. The brakes on the Spyder have fantastic initial bite, and confidence inspiring/progressive pedal feel. Coming up to the first stop sign on my way home, I nearly rolled into the intersection as the CR brakes felt like a brick with little initial bite, requiring a substantial increase in brake pressure to accomplish the same performance as the Spyder. Payday will result in Pagid Yellows or Ferodo DS1.11, possibly new rotors.
4. My happiness with the sound of my 3.4L with Race Headers and factory PSE has reached it's end. Although fantastic in it's own way, I need some more overall sound level and aggressive overrun. This will be accomplished with a 987.2 specific version of the GT4/Spyder Valvetronic Exhaust System.
5. Hill assist on both vehicles throws me off and I don't like it...Pete C. knows what i'm talking about haha.
Overall I am very very impressed with the Spyder. The potential sound and performance is astonishing, and the development of 981 chassis is a night and day improvement over the 987.2. It is worth every penny more in value, but still wish they had kept hydraulic steering for better feedback with the road. To note, the Spyder feels like the more exciting street-driven experience over the GT4 although I personally would always choose the GT4 for it's overall better track potential...I am a track rat and need a roof
The drive to NJ in the Spyder was incredible. Valves closed the exhaust configuration is docile and comfortable, with minimal resonance in the cabin even under high gear load between 2000-3000rpm. Valves open and the sound turns into a gorgeous wail into the higher rpms. Enough overall sound level to unconsciously accelerate next to the concrete divider and under every overpass with the windows down for the full experience. However, not loud enough IMO to cause any discomfort when doing so. Perks of the Sport Headers versus the Race Headers with the full package.
Funny story...there was a somewhat annoying Prius next to me on the NJ Turnpike matching my cruising speed too long for comfort. Bringing the RPMs up to about 3400rpm in 6th, lifting off throttle, and Just touching the pedal as it fell below 3000rpm caused a series of thunderous burble/overrun that had me busting a gut laughing as the Prius moved over a lane and backed away. What a lovely feature
Upon dropping off the Spyder to George and picking up my Cayman R for the drive home, several things immediately stood out in comparison between the two cars.
1. The shifter in the Spyder is much tighter with shorter throw and a much better feel. My shifter now feels sloppy with throw so long it might have taken a lunch break before reaching the next gear
2. The clutch engagement point is much farther down in pedal travel and stiffer in the 987.2...the quicker and lighter clutch engagement with little pedal travel in Spyder was very nice, although threw me for a loop at first i'll admit.
3. The brakes on the Spyder have fantastic initial bite, and confidence inspiring/progressive pedal feel. Coming up to the first stop sign on my way home, I nearly rolled into the intersection as the CR brakes felt like a brick with little initial bite, requiring a substantial increase in brake pressure to accomplish the same performance as the Spyder. Payday will result in Pagid Yellows or Ferodo DS1.11, possibly new rotors.
4. My happiness with the sound of my 3.4L with Race Headers and factory PSE has reached it's end. Although fantastic in it's own way, I need some more overall sound level and aggressive overrun. This will be accomplished with a 987.2 specific version of the GT4/Spyder Valvetronic Exhaust System.
5. Hill assist on both vehicles throws me off and I don't like it...Pete C. knows what i'm talking about haha.
Overall I am very very impressed with the Spyder. The potential sound and performance is astonishing, and the development of 981 chassis is a night and day improvement over the 987.2. It is worth every penny more in value, but still wish they had kept hydraulic steering for better feedback with the road. To note, the Spyder feels like the more exciting street-driven experience over the GT4 although I personally would always choose the GT4 for it's overall better track potential...I am a track rat and need a roof
07-08-2016, 09:37 AM
#5
Great post on the back to back driving of the 2 cars.
Loved the story about the Prius - you wrote it so well I felt like I was there witnessing the whole thing lool!
Dang I want this package so bad!! Must be patient!! It will happen for sure!
As for the hill assist. My car has gotten so much better with it that it's feeling natural now. Is there some sort of learning feature or something because now it's just super easy like the assist feature is not even on! But at first it would damn near stall every single time ugh!!
Loved the story about the Prius - you wrote it so well I felt like I was there witnessing the whole thing lool!
Dang I want this package so bad!! Must be patient!! It will happen for sure!
As for the hill assist. My car has gotten so much better with it that it's feeling natural now. Is there some sort of learning feature or something because now it's just super easy like the assist feature is not even on! But at first it would damn near stall every single time ugh!!
07-09-2016, 08:34 AM
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Question. I'm a little tight on budget. Is installing the headers only a good enough change. Without adding anything at all else such as exhaust or throttle response parts? Cause I just ordered wheels and tires.
I would like the opinion also of those guys that did just that part please
I would like the opinion also of those guys that did just that part please
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07-09-2016, 05:53 PM
#8
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Great post on the back to back driving of the 2 cars.
Loved the story about the Prius - you wrote it so well I felt like I was there witnessing the whole thing lool!
Dang I want this package so bad!! Must be patient!! It will happen for sure!
As for the hill assist. My car has gotten so much better with it that it's feeling natural now. Is there some sort of learning feature or something because now it's just super easy like the assist feature is not even on! But at first it would damn near stall every single time ugh!!
Loved the story about the Prius - you wrote it so well I felt like I was there witnessing the whole thing lool!
Dang I want this package so bad!! Must be patient!! It will happen for sure!
As for the hill assist. My car has gotten so much better with it that it's feeling natural now. Is there some sort of learning feature or something because now it's just super easy like the assist feature is not even on! But at first it would damn near stall every single time ugh!!
I'm ready when you are, and you probably adapted to the hill assist rather than vice versa. I still have some work to do haha.
Question. I'm a little tight on budget. Is installing the headers only a good enough change. Without adding anything at all else such as exhaust or throttle response parts? Cause I just ordered wheels and tires.
I would like the opinion also of those guys that did just that part please
I would like the opinion also of those guys that did just that part please
Off the top of my head CAlexio, Quickone, and Unconscionable are all running our Sport Headers at the moment. There are some threads up on reviews of that upgrade as well. If I wasn't on my lovely broken phone I'd link them in haha.
07-10-2016, 10:43 AM
#9
So question - I keep reading in various threads about the IPD Plenum and throttle body not really having any effect on performance other than throwing CELs because of the added air coming through. To me that does not really make sense becuase Iwould think as a layman more air equals to more oxygen which will lead to more power with a tune right?
07-12-2016, 05:09 PM
#10
Three Wheelin'
Looking good, Dr.G! The components look high quality. Love the exhaust tips. Judging from your initial impressions, the mods seemed to have met your expectations. It would be cool to hear the exhaust note of pre and post mods.
07-12-2016, 07:45 PM
#11
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Thread Starter
I don't have any before/after clips but the car sounds incredible, especially at higher revs. Almost makes me regret not going with race headers because all I want to do is keep the car over 5500 RPMs.
07-12-2016, 11:49 PM
#12
Three Wheelin'
Hmm, like the sound of that! (pun unintended!) I am a sound guy; higher the RPM, better it is. You think just getting the Header would make an impact (on sound)? Or, there are many variables in the mix to isolate change in sound? Thanks.
07-13-2016, 02:05 PM
#13
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I know CAlexio has the headers with the stock exhaust - shoot him a PM.
07-13-2016, 03:50 PM
#14
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