Jay Laifman

I was driving down the road this last weekend in the family (sport) sedan, with the 911 and 356 at home. I came along a non-S Boxster that had an exhaust note that was just terrific. It really ripped through the air. I've been thinking about getting a Boxster, but admittedly the flat sound has held me back. I loved the sound of this car. So, I pulled up to the guy and asked him what muffler system he had. He did not know. Ugh. He said he believed the dealer cut a hole in the stock muffler, pulled stuff out, and sealed it up. The guy did not seem to be a "car guy" and may not have known what really happened. Has anyone heard of this being done? Any specifics? A Boxster is now back on my purchase list.

Jay
1963 Porsche 356B
1973.5 Porsche 911T
1963 Sunbeam Alpine

Chad in NH

Jay,

I haven't heard of a dealer doing that, but I understand that at least one of the aftermarket exhausts on the market is essentially that, a stock muffler with the baffling removed. I'm not sure what kind of effect this has on power, if I had to guess I'd say it has a detrimental effect.

That being said, there are a few mufflers out there that have good reputations for both power and sound. The factory "Sports Exhaust" is popular, but it adds weight, no extra power and is rather expensive. It uses sliding baffles to modify the exhaust note.

Fabspeed (a Rennlist sponsor) offers 3? models of exhaust for the Boxster, all of which reportedly gain a few hp and weigh less than the stock exhaust. The weight savings alone makes a difference. I haven't heard the exhaust note from a Fabspeed exhaust for the Boxster, but I've driven a 996 w/ Fabspeed exhaust and the sound is absolutely incredible. Their website is here.

I've heard bad reports of resonance w/ the B&B as well as the Korda. Not sure about any others.

Another option to modify the sound of the Boxster is the intake. The Evo intake significantly changes the sound of the Boxster, lending a much more pronounced growl during acceleration. Be warned though that there have been numerous reports of failed Mass Air Sensors from the oils used on aftermarket filters such as K&N and the one used in the Evo.

FWIW, I plan to eventually replace my stock exhaust w/ a Fabspeed unit.

RobertG

Ive dynoed, B&B,Fabspeed,BMF, G&H,Dansk,Korda (Tech FX),Gemballa, and FVD. they all sounded better than the stock Boxster S muffler but. They ALL lost 4HP to 10HP and about 2 to 9 ft/trq when compared to the stock Boxster S muffler. After my two weeks worth of dynoing in a controlled environment I can absolutely say that the after market mufflers that are out now for the Boxster/boxster S do not improve performance . they only improve sound but they also have very bad resonance. Thats it! Don't believe the advertisements. I even had some muffler makers send me their dyno charts and they were competely innacurate. I think some of the dyno runs they make are misleading to say the least. Ive you really want some added HP (mid range only,,,as seen from my dyno runs) and an awsome sound only when you stup on the gas getthe new EVO cold air intake. Its based on the powerflow. I registered an 8HP gain in the mid range only. No gain or loss in the top end or bottom end.

Jay Laifman

You said there was a loss in power compared to the stock S muffler. But, what about in comparison to the stock non-S muffler? Are any of these mufflers at least an improvement over the stock non-S muffler, and perhaps justified because of a lower price in comparison to the factory S muffler?

Jay

RobertG

i did dyno a stock muffler off of a 2,7L just for kicks. there was virtually no difference in performance. there was a slight change in sound. I think this was due to the change in exhaust tips. the sound was slightly richer on the stock S muffler.

Pete911air

Chad,
Yesterday we installed a muffler from Joe Fabspeed in a 1999 Boxster. It was manufactured by Dansk. All I can tell you is that my Customer was very unhappy. It has a very anoying harmonic vibration from 2000 to 2800 RPM. So be very carefull with aftermarket equipment. Not everything from @#$%@ is quality.
Pete.

Brian 986S

What's a sunbeam alpine?

Bill Fitzpatrick

Last week my girlfriend and I both purchased pre-owned Boxster S's. Both are 2000's, her's has 11500 miles, mine has 8000 miles. The previous owner of my car installed Fabspeed Headers and Exhaust. After driving both cars quite a bit since the purchase, my car "feels" faster. It pulls harder under acceleration and pushes you back in the seat harder when you get on the gas. We have not timed them or "raced" them, but will probably take them up to the track to get a better idea of the difference in performance. The Fabspeed definitely has a distinct tone in the low RPM range, which I could understand some people not liking. When I cruise through parking garages at low speed it can even set off some car alarms. Personally, I like it. :P Perhaps the combination of Fabspeed Headers and Fabspeed Exhaust gets you the true performance gain, versus just the exhaust.

Jay Laifman

You know, with all this talk about aftermarket companies having issues with bad resonance, makes you kind of appreciate that surely Porsche had similar problems, yet found a way to do it without that problem. I still want to find one that sounds good and is louder than stock. Power loss is unacceptable, but not gaining power is OK too. I'm looking for improving the sensorial experience, not the tiny bit of hp for that back stretch on the race track.

Jay