Performance Mods
 

I recently bought a 97 Boxster with 100k miles. I have had it long enough to determine it is a pretty good car. In fact, I love driving it, but would like to get a bit more grunt out of it. Are there any performance mods that can be had for 1k or so that are worthwhile?

I did the following for about 2K. I replaced the factory muffler with a Dansk sport muffler. The sound is great and there are no resonance points that I can discern. This was about 800.00. I replaced the intake with an EVO Highflow. (not oiled as the MAF is sensitive to oil) I just clean it often. I believe this was about $400.00. I then had a chip put on and tuned by computer on a dyno. $700.00. The car ran lean on the initial run with the OBDII at baseline. After tuning the chip it ran about 21HP higher than base.

Nice info Robby! What year and model Boxster? Do you have any graphs to post?

21HP sounds like it would help a lot. I read about the 3.4 drop in yesterday. I got into this Boxster at a price that fits the mold, but do you think the brakes, suspension, etc would handle the 3.4 engine. 14k is quite a bit to spend, but I would think about 5 or more might be required to really handle the power.

I do have the graphs around here somewhere and I will scan and post them. My Boxster is a '99 2.5 so it predates the S. I have not done anything with the suspension and I have yet to autocross or track day the car since the modifications so my opinion about the suspension and brakes is limited to street experience. First of all, Porsche brakes are legendary. If you are having problems with your brakes on a Porsche and they are in good mechanical repair you need to learn to brake. That said, you could upgrade to the Big Reds on the S if you feel you need more but mine feel fine. I have the list of MO30 suspension parts and I plan to drive over to Niello today and get prices. You could also upgrade to the MO30 S suspension.
The 3.4 upgrades are amazing but too pricey for my blood as I have multiple Porsche and BMW, as well as MGB cars in the stable.

Robbie
I too cannot afford an engine swap but I like the idea of intake, headers, exhaust and ecu. Who did your chip tuning? Where did you get the Dansk ($800 is a good price)?

I got the chip from Schatz & Krum in Sacramento. They have a website and they ad. the chip. I forget the name brand. I got the muffler and intake from Performance and they were having a 10% off sale.

On the cheap side, I'd recommend a B&M short shift kit (no affiliation). Doesn't give you any added HP, but makes the shifting more precise.

Not having any problems with the brakes now. was just wondering if you did the 3.4 coversion if the brakes and suspension would be up to the task. The only reason you would put a 3.4 in a Boxster would be spirited driving....IMHO