Poll: Would you take a Boxster with a Carerra engine over a Carerra or even a Turbo?
 

A Boxster the new 3.6 litre enginge could be the perfect sports car to me.

That would be awesome and I would definitely want to own such a car. So Porsche will probably never build it.

richard
'87 Carrera-3.6L

Here's a can of worms, OK I'll bite.

The Boxster series is positively underpowered; 2.5, 2.7 and yes the the 3.2 S as well. Let me put it another way. If PAG marketed +300Hp in the mid engine Boxster I'd buy one right NOW! Make mine Arctic silver metallic, ROW-M030, et cetera.

Until then, casual sprints in my wifes "hairdresser Boxster" with the installed baby seat will have to do.
Great platform. Needs juice!

Have fun,
MS <img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

two questions or even three

For a convertible yes.
3.6 boxster over 996 convertible
twin turbo over 3.6 Boxster (too many other things that come with the Turbo)

If the car was dual purpose track and street -- prefer 996 or twin turbo, unless I had a convertible requirement. The question is too hard.

We solved the dilema.


<img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

I've got a 3.4 Boxster with upgraded cams and it is darn near perfect. I'd always lean toward the covertible. 3.6 would be even beter.

For now I'm driving my 3.4 and loving every minute. Read my post on this board for more details. Someday when there is a Garret turbo system available and thus less real estate needed for intercoolers I may TT the little beast. I've got enough juice until then and it will take me a while before it seems tame and in need of a shot again.

Do you have the Carerra tranny in your car also?? Or the stock Boxster gear box? Does the Boxster have to be a 97-99 to work? Where can I find a 3.4 or 3.6 litre engine out of a wrecked car??

I've got the boxster 5 speed. Any year will work. Can be standard Boxster or S. Of course standard Boxster gives better over all improvement.

I'd troll the Porsche salvage yards, also many ships that do installs have engines, FVD, Ruf and Gemballa for exaample.

When you get near 300 hp in the Boxster it really turns into a little ubercar.

I think this is what the 911 owners don't realize is that the Boxster is a better balanced car and given enough horsepower would leave the 911 wanting on the track. Porsche didn't build its next supercar the Carrera GT on the Carrera platform (they didn't build it on the Boxster platform either) but rather chose a mid-engine Boxster-like design for it.

Porsche isn't going to kill its bread and butter 911 so you'll never see a 300+ HP Boxster from Stuttgart (or Finland) until the standard Carrera is over 350HP. The 911 simply makes up for its inherent design flaws through additional HP and a few other "goodies".

If I had the funding I'd put a 911 race motor in a Boxster and enter it at LeMans and clean up in the GT class, might even take out a few GTS cars as well. :D

I saw this knowing full well some 911 owners might get upset. Hey I like the 911, I'd love to have a 993 or 996 TT to jet around in, no doubt, but when I step back and look at it from which platform would I take to build a race car from if money were no object, I'd take the Boxster for its superior handling characteristics. It's simply a matter of physics.

Oh yeah, I could get a tan in the Boxster too... :)

Ok off my
<img src="graemlins/soapbox.gif" border="0" alt="[soapbox]" />

I am sure you are correct, at least it works out that way on paper. I have driven and instructed in both cars on the track and will agree that the Boxster is better balanced, but without question the 911 is more fun on the track. The downside to the mid engine is the rate at which a spin will develop without PSM of course. The Boxster with equivalent power-to-weight may be faster, but I can't say for sure, it is certainly way more civilized. I believe aesthetically the Boxster has it all over a 911 Cab because it was designed to be one.

Having a boxtser and moving up to a 911, let me introduce my 2 cents. A properly created mutant is very appealing. The Boxtser would need the motor, 3.6 X51 sounds like the way to go, the tranny needs improvement even from the S. It would need bigger brakes even from the S. The boxtser weighs almost the same as a C2 Coupe. Now you have a wonderful sports car. Shed some weight and it gets better. The problem becomes the chassis. The mid engine does have its own unusual set of spin characteristics. Give me a few months and I'll let you know which I think is worse. Last issue is the top. Although an open top is wonderful for daily motoring, it sucks for racing. The chassis is WAY to soft for serious power and a stiff suspension. There were rumors of a Boxster Coupe with a bigger motor, but that is getting towards what we are creating which presents a problem for the 911s. <img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

I realize people want stiff body cars for track cars, so the question is how much flex is there in a Boxster. Evidently, according to those who have tested front and rear shock tower bars, those bars provide little if any additional stiffness that Porsche got it right from the start. Of course once you dump a lot more HP into a car that could change, but I assume since most 911's have cross bars in the back for additional support that you could add something similar for the Boxster to make it equally as stiff.

As far as which car is more "fun" on the track, I think that is subjective and that either car could be considered more "fun" than the other given circumstances and drivers.

:)

Oh, and I'm still getting a tan... ;)

Does anyone really prefer the 911 Cab to the Boxster?

The Boxter will never be as stiff as the 911 Coupe no matter what you do it. Well, not without adding 400kgs of weight (and perhaps not even then)!

I can understand the points being made from a Boxter owners view - and that is of course that their car is best, that the 911 is less stable etc. - but this is not true. Amongst other things, the 911 has less weight transference under heavy braking as well as much better traction than a Boxter will ever achieve.

As to the point about 'given enough horsepower, would leave a 996 wanting on the track' that is pretty much the same with ANY car. $20-25000 on my car would get me a RUF conversion with around 450hp. That would also leave the 996 'wanting' or even 'panting' on the track.

A cabriolet will never be the weapon of choice if you are looking for outright, allround performance. Having said that, I do like the Boxter and for people who live in warmer climates who do not require a pure performance tool - it does make sense. Especially if you really need a tan.

Sorry if this sounds harsh, but it is not my intention to flame. The driver is what really counts. A very good driver in a 2.7 could keep up with an average driver in a 996.

I will concede that "fun" is subjective, but if I could choose where I wanted the additional power, I would prefer it in my 911 and give me another gear too. The Boxster is great the way it is, but does need the glass rear window (more weight).

<img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

being a early 911S guy and having tracked 911's since the mid 80's and instructing many POC and PCA drivers for many years and having owned a 996 and a Boxster S. I feel that I am very qualified to open my mouth.
FACT: Porsche states that the Boxster chassis is as stiff as a 996 C2 COUPE. This is a bonafide fact.
FACT: The Boxster is lighter than a 996 C2 Coupe.
FACT: A Boxster with a 3.6L X51 engine would simply leave any 996 in teh dust on any track.
FACT: Its easier to spin a 996 than a Boxster I know. Ive done ALOT of skid pad work on both cars. The rear engine and the shorter wheel base of the 996 allows you to see the rear end take the lead. With the Boxster's Mid engine and soft front bushings and longer wheel base make the Boxster push out of turns. Thus preventing or making it harder to induce a spin.
FACT: TTP makes a 3.6L twin turbo Boxster with 650HP that is truely an engineeing masterpiece.
FACT: Porsche will never put a 3.6L in a Boxster. However they will put in a detuned 280HP 3.4L engine in the car.
FACT: It is very easy to get 30 HP out of any Boxster S by replacing the intake,headers and remapping the ECU. This alone will make it as quick or a little bit quicker than a 3.4L 996.
FACT: The Boxster S is the Sleeper super Sports car that Porsche doesnt want anyone to know about. Its the true modern Porschephile's Porsche. People that "diss" the Boxster S as a lesser Porsche don't know what they are talking about.

Robert G
69 911S
85 911 Turbo
00 Boxster S
Stock 3.2L Engine
TTP Headers
handmade Cold Air intake (I built it)
Stock Muffler( Because its the best in performance)
remapped ECU
H&R twin spring coilovers
GT3R Brake system
front and rear strut bars
short shift kit
Big Willow track times 1:32
Streets of Willow, 1:14
Pomona Fairplex dragstrip 3-01
0-60= 4.88 sec
1/4mi=13.02 107 mph

RobertG. I could not agree with you more!! Having similar time as yourself with all the Porsche cars, the Boxter S is a bloody WOLF in Sheeps clothing.

A reason why I guess we have a lot of fun with HP Upgrades and Engine Conversions we build.


Theo