North Shore 911

As there are a few threads circulating on this, I thought I'd start a standalone thread on upgrading to PSE on my Cayenne Turbo. Having bought my '19 Cayenne Turbo as a CPO car from Loeber Porsche in the northern Chicago suburbs back in January via a trade in for my 2012 Cayenne S, I love everything about this car except for the extremely underwhelming exhaust note form this magnificent twin turbo V8 engine. The exhaust sound just doesn't measure up to the rest of the car, so I immediately started looking for a better system. Having shopped a few different different options, I landed on installing PSE that I bought from Suncoast and having my indy do the installation (which saved me close to $2,000!). The PSE kit has everything you need, and also includes the PSE quad tips, so considering that the tips alone will set you back $975, the $3,450 I paid Suncoast for the kit seemed like a pretty good deal.

Having completed the installation of PSE, I finally got around to taking a video of the exhaust note to compare it to the stock exhaust from the factory, so here are the before and after videos that show (as best as I can with a video clip) the significant upgrade in exhaust note with PSE. These are NOT cold starts, so both of these clips are taken with a warmed up engine. The first clip is the standard exhaust from the factory:



The second clip is with PSE installed. I left the PSE setting in normal mode until about the 30 second mark, after which you can hear the difference in the exhaust note. PSE is definitely a significant upgrade in my opinion, as even in normal mode the exhaust note is way better than the stock exhaust . Here’s the clip:


Anyway, I love how this ended up and hope that these videos are helpful for anyone who is considering upgrading their stock setup to wake up this beast of an engine on the Turbo. Oh, and I'll be looking for a good home for a great set of Sports Exhaust Tips that I replaced as well as my old stock exhaust system if anyone is interested

Gasguzlr

I did the same thing. When I ordered mine, it was very early in the build cycle and PSE was not yet available for some reason. So I worked it in to the deal and they installed it at the dealership when it came in. I love how it sounds now... it was pretty tame before. But I have to say this... I just bought a 2021 Cayenne GTS for my wife and that exhaust sounds even better. Not enough for me to plan any changes to mine, but it is a sweeter, tighter and meaner sounding exhaust. Still, I’m very happy I made the move and I’m glad to hear your are as well. Some will say why bother if it doesn’t increase performance at all, but I love the sound and when you are spending that kind of money, there shouldn’t be anything about the vehicle that is disappointing to you.

Congrats and enjoy!!

Ross

brakerlord

Don't hack up your exhaust with silly mods. Do it right or not at all. I can't stress that enough. Just save your money. You can get deletes for the secondary cats, but be warned that if you live in a state wth any kind of emissions or annual safety inspection you will fail the visual if you remove the secondary cats. Also you may have to do it yourself because it's highly illegal for a shop to delete emissions equipment on a road Tutuapp 9Apps Showbox going car.

douriel

Wow, what a difference. This has made me consider the same for my 2019 Turbo with the standard exhaust. I agree, the exhaust note is totally uninspiring. If you don't mind me asking, how much did the install cost?

North Shore 911

Not at all. I bought the PSE kit from Suncoast for $3,450 (my local Porsche dealer wanted $4,200), and I had it shipped it directly to my indy who did the install for ~$1,000 (my local Dealer wanted almost $2,200 for the same job!). One thing to note if you have your indy install this: Even if he has the new PIWIS 3 tool, he will STILL have to take it to a dealer to get it fully activated. My guy was able to code everything except for making it visible on the PCM to make PSE selectable on the touchscreen. I think it was only billed to me as 30 min of labor from the Dealer, but I think that was a very friendly discount because it was his buddy.

I can't tell you much of an improvement it is with PSE .... It finally sounds as good as this engine performs, and I find myself rolling down the windows and opening the sunroof just to listen to this thing rolling down the road

Hmet

My experience is a little different. Here is the after video, does this sound similar to what you get in the outdoor? I switch the PSE on at 0:15

North Shore 911

I think a lot of folks are thinking about the impact of PSE only when you compare it On versus Off, but that is not the right way to assess the benefits of PSE. While there is a less noticeable difference between PSE On and Off, there is a HUGE difference once you compare PSE versus the really weak-sounding stock exhaust. So for me, I look at the different exhaust notes between the following three different states:

1) Standard Exhaust (which is the first video clip in my post #1). The sound is super flat with no growl at any RPM and no exhaust burble as the RPM’s come off a hard acceleration. This is how my CPO car was built by the previous owner, and it was not my choice. The Turbo is a more quiet engine anyway versus any of the larger displacement 958 series normally aspirated engines, and unfortunately the standard exhaust on the 9Y0 Turbo makes it sound like a 4 cylinder Hyundai.

2) PSE Off (which is the first 30 seconds in the second video clip in my post #1). The PSE installation is a completely new exhaust run that replaces the stock system including both the front and rear mufflers, so even with PSE Off there is a notable difference versus the stock exhaust note. PSE Off already gives you a deeper and “throatier” exhaust note at idle and under acceleration, with a hint of exhaust burble.

3) PSE On (which starts at the 30 second mark in the second video clip in post #1). While to my ear this is less of a jump versus PSE Off, it is a MASSIVE difference versus the stock exhaust and it finally fully awakens this awesome engine to my ear. The growl, the burble, and the deeper tone across the rev range is how I think all Turbos should come from the factory. It’s an even bigger difference when you’re driving under hard acceleration pushing up through 4,000 RPM, not to mention the awesome note on downshifts.

To me, the biggest difference in the exhaust note was the move from the standard exhaust to PSE Off, with a smaller difference between PSE On versus PSE Off. So for anyone who is comparing the benefits of PSE, don’t compare the exhaust note between PSE On versus Off. Instead, you need compare the exhaust note difference between the stock exhaust versus PSE. Even if I never turned PSE On, the new exhaust run already makes a big difference versus the standard exhaust, so hitting Sport and Sport+ to turn PSE On just gives me a stupid big grin on my face everyone time I hit the accelerator with the windows down and sun roof open .

Trust me - Nobody who optioned PSE on their Cayenne should feel short changed due to the difference in exhaust note between PSE Off versus On. Once you hear what this car sounds like with stock exhaust you’ll REALLY appreciate the exhaust note upgrade that you chose to install! Just listen to the weak and watered down exhaust note of the stock exhaust in the first video clip in my first post to assure you that PSE is worth it

daveo4porsche

I’ve tried some searching - anyone have a compare of the Cayenne stock vs. PSE for the Cayenne/CayenneS/Cayenne Hybrid?

I have some friends considering a build and they’d like to hear.

apologies in advance for the help request - but my search fu isn’t turning up anything definative.

Hmet

I agree seeing your video. I just think that in my case the outcome is softer or more subdued. That's why i shared my video to get your thoughts on it.

North Shore 911

That’s a great point, I was just hoping to make you feel better about your wise decision to have have chosen PSE on your original build! I think the difference in On versus Off on your Turbo is pretty much the same as what I hear in mine. My videos are shot closer to the back of the car so while my videos seem louder, I hear the same kinds of difference in sounds up on down your rev range that I do when just sitting in neutral.

Where I think you will find an even bigger difference is grabbing a video of PSE On versus Off while actually driving. There is a big difference under hard acceleration with PSE On, and I think that the exhaust burble on downshifts is much more pronounced as well. I don’t have an iPhone or GoPro mount to do it, but it would be great to have somebody post videos of PSE On versus Off during a “spirited” drive to really show the benefits of PSE On. In the absence of that, you can try a few launch mode starts with the windows down to hear the differences pretty clearly (and have some fun!).

XMrTX

I just bought CPO 2019 Cayenne Turbo and same thing i am super happy with my new porsche just sound is not there. So i was searching up my option till find this discussion thank you. I was not sure if buying a PSE kid from dealer with give you button on PCM or no. But sounds like its part of the kit. My dealer is charging 5100 for kid and 800 for installation its all In Canadian dollars. I think its fair price right? Again thanks for sharing the info.

Jimmyk79

Gorgeous agate grey exterior color.

Do you have sports mode on in that video? I do not have PSE on my Cayenne but I do on the 911. With PSE on I also have to engage sports mode which makes a dramatic difference in sound.

Curious to hear your feedback - cheers

Hmet

Thanks. That color is called Quartzite grey. Agate grey is not avaiable on Cayenne as far as I know.
In this video i switch the PSE but not to sport mode.
The sport exhaust sound on the Cayenne turbo is OK but not anywhere as pronounced as the Cayenne GTS (i did side by side comparison). The turbo is built to be more subtle overall, but still has a lot of powers under its hood.
I am enjoying the retro fit PSE (I was motivated to install it after hearing the GTS), but after the fact I would have probably passed on it had i known it's not as sporty sounding as the one on the GTS.

3-Pedals

I ll ask a dumb question. Couldnt you buy the stock gts pse system instead of turbo and install it to turbo if it sounds better?

Hmet

i think it's a good question, and I will answer based on the market I am in and it probably applies to other markets
1- There might be no compatability between the GTS exhaust and Cayenne Turbo. I.e. The parts wouldn't actually fit the Turbo (most probably)
2- Retrofitting a porsche approved option (like the PSE) is done through the Porsche approved Tequipment program (with range of availavle upgrades), and the price for the upgrade is optimized vs buying the sum of the spare parts.
And since the gts comes with PSE as standard, Porsche offers no Tequipment gts PSE. And as such buying the GTS exhaust system spare parts (if they fit the Turbo) will probably be prohibitively expensive.
3- In that case it would be advisable to go through the after market route, which i haven't studied for my Cayenne, but I know there are good options out there (i upgraded my 718 spyder with JCR exhaust and it is fantastic)
Hope that helps