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Hey guys! Long time listener, first time caller. I have a 2006 997.1 coupe and I’m having the time of my life. This is the first “fun” car I’ve ever owned, and I am positive that I’m now spoiled.
As with everything else in my life, I want to mod it and make it better. I’ve learned a ton from reading here and I look forward to learning more!
So I’m thinking of several upgrades:
New tires: current ones are Hankooks and rears are juuuussstt about to the wear bars. $1750 for 4 new Michelin PS4s
exhaust: current exhaust sounds too tame. Want something more aggressive. Cost unknown as there are so many options
front suspension needs rebuilding. Not super sloppy but the shop that did my PPI said it would make a great deal of difference if I installed some new components
shifter is rough between N-1-2–almost grabby if that makes sense. would like to fix that
i need Bluetooth and CarPlay on my head unit. Cost there is about $2k.
so, all that being said, how should I prioritize these? I think tires first is a no brainer. But after that? What order would you do and why? Tint removal and ceramic replacement already lined up for next week.
I believe in and try to prioritize maintenance over mods. So change transmission fluid, refresh suspension, and replace tires first. Then go with the exhaust, infotainment, and aesthetics. My $0.02.
Don't know how bad the front suspension is. How many miles on your car? I had a 2006 C4S until traded with around 45K miles on it. No suspension issues. Do you know if your car has any or a lot of track time?
Other than that, I had a Tubi exhaust on that car and it was killer. Almost stock quiet with just a deep angry growl and then just what you want once past 3,500 rpm. Not obnoxiously loud. Just right. Not the least expensive option out there but you pay for quality sound and weight. Much lighter than the stock mufflers.
Don't know how bad the front suspension is. How many miles on your car? I had a 2006 C4S until traded with around 45K miles on it. No suspension issues. Do you know if your car has any or a lot of track time?
Other than that, I had a Tubi exhaust on that car and it was killer. Almost stock quiet with just a deep angry growl and then just what you want once past 3,500 rpm. Not obnoxiously loud. Just right. Not the least expensive option out there but you pay for quality sound and weight. Much lighter than the stock mufflers.
it doesn’t feel terrible to me at all, but having never driven a Porsche prior to owning this one, I don’t have a baseline. It corners great and doesn’t seem to roll a great deal. Very “sticky” coming through the apex and accelerating out. I don’t know about whether the car has been tracked, but I don’t think it has. I intend to change that. 😉
that exhaust you describe sounds like exactly what I want. I’ll have to check into that!
also, thank y’all for the tip on the trans fluid. Sounds like a pretty easy DIY job and a great way to bond with the 997!
Also, what gear oil do you guys recommend? I'm thinking about using the Mobil 1 75w90 as recommended on Pelican, because it's immediately available. But if it's better to hold out for OE fluid from Porsche, I don't mind doing that.
consider the MR 12Volt/Rennline phone mount option - will be a lot cheaper, get you most of what you need w/o changing the interior look dramatically
If that doesn’t work for you and you go ahead and replace the head unit, keep the stock one - some prospective buyers prefer the stock look so no harm in keeping it around in case you decide to move on to another 911.
Also, what gear oil do you guys recommend? I'm thinking about using the Mobil 1 75w90 as recommended on Pelican, because it's immediately available. But if it's better to hold out for OE fluid from Porsche, I don't mind doing that.
Get the OE Porsche trans fluid (PTX, I believe). 3 quarts/liters I believe is what you need. Supposed to help that 1st gear notchiness. I didn’t experience that so I can’t say. Plenty of DIYs, it’s pretty straight forward: undo fill port first, then drain port, drain, close drain port, fill until it starts to dribble out, close fill port, enjoy.
There are lots of threads on the infamous 2nd gear shift.
Gear oil change has helped many. Also new motor mounts if they are sagging. Also possibly tranny mounts or FS? inserts.
The first two helped mine considerably. Going to install the tranny inserts next time its on a rack.
Welcome and enjoy !
yes, had it completely detailed with wheels off when I bought it. Made a huge difference! Just clicked over 53k miles.
Replaced trans fluid with Valvoline synthetic tonight. Made a huge mess and took forever but I got it done. gonna drive it in the AM and see how it does!
it doesn’t feel terrible to me at all, but having never driven a Porsche prior to owning this one, I don’t have a baseline. It corners great and doesn’t seem to roll a great deal. Very “sticky” coming through the apex and accelerating out. I don’t know about whether the car has been tracked, but I don’t think it has. I intend to change that. 😉
that exhaust you describe sounds like exactly what I want. I’ll have to check into that!
also, thank y’all for the tip on the trans fluid. Sounds like a pretty easy DIY job and a great way to bond with the 997!
Check the marketplace here on RL and Ebay. Every now and and then a used set of Tubi 997.1 mufflers come up for sale. A new set is $3,200 at Champion Porsche in Pompano Beach, FL: https://www.championmotorsport.com/p...bi-997s-ex.htm
May seem steep compared to taking your mufflers to a muffler shop and have a "Gundo Hack" done for around $200 or $300. Some swear by this solution while others say it sounds right in line what you paid for it compared to high end after market exhausts. In other words, some think the "hack" sounds just fine while others compare it to the sound of a fart can. Highly subjective obviously.
And in case you're not aware, the Tubi for the .2 cars is different. It's designed around the addition of the center muffler on the .2 cars so it comes with x-over pipes to replace the center muffler.
09-02-2022, 11:39 PM
Upgrade priorities
