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I noticed the wheel stud kit and or lug nuts was not covered on the first page. Should this be added? Is there an agreement on which brand most people use?
We recommend wrapping the manifolds or coating them when you live in hot parts of the country to cool the engine bay temps and hopefully reduce engine oil temps so it's not that we expect this to happen with manifolds that have not been coated. This is the first we have heard of things melting across 20 + track cars running our manifolds with AND without cats. In retrospect, realizing that COTA is one of the most thermally demanding tracks we visit in North America during the summer, we probably should have tried to help Shake N Bake get those parts to/from Swain in time for his season. It's nothing something we ever assumed would cause any damage to any wiring/dampers/etc, as none of our prior track history had resulted in anything behavior such as this.
Since my original reply however, I have since been in contact with ShakeNBake. While I have not had any problems such as those mentioned above with the Cobb Tuning, i have reached out to him with the intention to help, reveal something or do anything to try and add some support. I just wanted more intel to determine a starting point.
Hey guys, it looks like I assumed the wrong source of the problem. There was something else unrelated to the headers that happened to cause the fire/extreme heat back there. John was super eager to help me and I'm confident he was going to do whatever needed to get things right. I was too quick to point fingers at the headers - but I do think, as others, including BGB have pointed out, that it's still a good idea to do something to limit the heat conductivity from the exhaust gases.
I noticed the wheel stud kit and or lug nuts was not covered on the first page. Should this be added? Is there an agreement on which brand most people use?
You are right, it is missing and should be added. I don't know that we have consensus on what the "standard" is. Personally I have rennline studs and they work fine. I'll add them as an option and then folks can weigh in on that and we can adjust.
Hey guys, it looks like I assumed the wrong source of the problem. There was something else unrelated to the headers that happened to cause the fire/extreme heat back there. John was super eager to help me and I'm confident he was going to do whatever needed to get things right. I was too quick to point fingers at the headers - but I do think, as others, including BGB have pointed out, that it's still a good idea to do something to limit the heat conductivity from the exhaust gases.
Fabspeed Sport Headers with Swain White Lightning coating just installed a few days ago with OE exhaust system.
NOTE: My guys at TKX Performance said that the re-positioning of the O2 sensors requires un-clipping of the O2 wiring from the OE wire clips and they then have to be retied elsewhere or they would flop down and be too close to the headers.
Similar to OE sound below 3000 RPM. Above 4000 it screams and has more gurgles and pops on decel. All good. Startling for fellow drivers...
Have not driven it enough to notice a difference in the powerband.
Regarding Wheel Studs, I had a failure with Track Studs and switched to M.S.I. on my 987 based on their excellent reputation. I also like the design of those sold buy Tarett.
Sorry for the people who had trouble, and thanks for being guinea pigs for the rest of us I guess. Hopefully the vendors of the aftermarket parts that failed or caused other failures will improve things or at least test and suggest other workarounds.
I am happy to say that this community is one of the strongest I have ever seen, and with companies that strive to work together (despite the competition) to take the driving experience up to the next level, along with the aftermarket upgrades that allow us to do so.
It is important to know that the GT4 performance industry has come a very long way in a relatively short amount of time considering how long this vehicle has been on the market. There are going to some bugs to work out during this period of exponential growth, which I believe took everyone by surprise with it's level of intensity.
That being said, you all have a very active and supportive group of vendors through myself, John at BGB, and Jon at COBB (John, John, and John ) and we are a simple PM, email, or phone call away. PLEASE reach out to us with any technical questions or concerns you may have, as we will have an answer or work promptly to provide one as soon as possible.
For your reference, COBB's OTS maps are fantastic but not optimized for every upgrade configuration. Combine that with taking these cars to their limit (in a mostly futile attempt to keep up with our man Jacy aka ShakeNBake ) there is chance you may exceed the capability of that OTS map. At this point (or preemptively) you should invest in a protune that specifically targets your unique ECU data for optimal performance and drivability, with a cost that is relatively negligible (we charge $250). It would be prudent to contact one of us to accomplish this for you.
I am proud to say we have an industry leading tuner in house named Steve Pearson not 50 yards away from my desk. He is an expert in tuning every make and model (save for the dreaded rotary engines) on the market today. For example, he just finished in house tuning development on the 675LT and the F488 is on the dyno now in progress. For fun on the weekends he flies down to work with Gavin at Autoquest on all their track prepped Porsches, and a performance shop putting out several 1500+whp twin turbo Lamborghinis that will be featured in the next F&F movie.
Steve was also the key player in designing a set of wing risers for the GT4 that we test fitted last week. Not only are they built for function, they look fantastic and just so happen to be the perfect height to not obstruct the rear window. I'm putting up a thread later today releasing the results of that GT4's full street package (GT450 equivalent with Sport Headers) and BBI's harness bar, and will throw some teaser pics of those risers in the thread as well.
Although we all strive for perfection, there are always obstacles to overcome on the way to get there. We are all in this together, and always look forward to working with you to tap into the massive potential Porsche so kindly hid in these cars. Have faith and keep working with us guys
Originally Posted by Vintage72
I have a set of race CG headers coming - now what? I was going to Swain coat them but that does not solve the potential tune issue . . . I guess just sell them and cut my losses?
As a novice that ran Friday at COTA, I can honestly say that I do not need ONE mod on my car to love every second of it . . . even when I am being passed.
Sorry to hear this happened guys.
Don't even think twice about it. After speaking with Jacy his issue was actually a cracked inlet pipe on his exhaust. S**t happens "because racecar" and he has a new pipe heading his way. Send your headers to Swain for peace of mind, put them on, and prepare to start dropping times with a big smile on your face from the increased performance and sound. The factory headers are so abominable that anything is going to be an improvement. No hard feelings not going with Fabspeed
Originally Posted by BGB Motorsports
We recommend wrapping the manifolds or coating them when you live in hot parts of the country to cool the engine bay temps and hopefully reduce engine oil temps so it's not that we expect this to happen with manifolds that have not been coated. This is the first we have heard of things melting across 20 + track cars running our manifolds with AND without cats. In retrospect, realizing that COTA is one of the most thermally demanding tracks we visit in North America during the summer, we probably should have tried to help Shake N Bake get those parts to/from Swain in time for his season. It's nothing something we ever assumed would cause any damage to any wiring/dampers/etc, as none of our prior track history had resulted in anything behavior such as this.
Since my original reply however, I have since been in contact with ShakeNBake. While I have not had any problems such as those mentioned above with the Cobb Tuning, i have reached out to him with the intention to help, reveal something or do anything to try and add some support. I just wanted more intel to determine a starting point.
John your recommendations on coating and wrapping is spot on, there is nothing wrong with your headers (other than having the wrong name stamped on them lol) and your customer service is top notch as always. Big thumbs up, and I look forward to our next chat at some point
Originally Posted by COBB Tuning
Absolutely! This goes for everyone else as well, please don't hesitate to contact us directly with any questions you may have. We strive to make a very user friendly product that you can be confident in and feedback from you guys is always helpful!
Jon you guys have come such a long way in such as short amount of time for the Boxster/Caymans, and all the models of Porsche you support with your phenomenal product. THANK YOU for branching out to our market, you guys have been nothing less than top notch and a pleasure to work with.
For your reference I feel there is a huge market with the 987.1 and the GT3. Would love to chat with you at some point about that.
Originally Posted by rraustin
Fabspeed Sport Headers with Swain White Lightning coating just installed a few days ago with OE exhaust system.
NOTE: My guys at TKX Performance said that the re-positioning of the O2 sensors requires un-clipping of the O2 wiring from the OE wire clips and they then have to be retied elsewhere or they would flop down and be too close to the headers.
Similar to OE sound below 3000 RPM. Above 4000 it screams and has more gurgles and pops on decel. All good. Startling for fellow drivers...
Have not driven it enough to notice a difference in the powerband.
Looks superb with the coating, and thanks for the feedback on the O2 wiring and results you have seen so far! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the powerband once you put some more miles on her
Just an FYI guys- I'm at COTA today for the Edge Addicts event if anyone has any questions, wants some logs setup, etc. Just come find me between garage 24 and 25, white inTech 28' trailer and a yellow C5 Z06.
How well are you guys getting along with Heal-toe'ing? I put an adjustable pedal on my car day one - which has made it really easy. I didn't realize how easy in comparison until I drove a friends car today. It's still relatively easy, but takes a bit more effort.
How well are you guys getting along with Heal-toe'ing? I put an adjustable pedal on my car day one - which has made it really easy. I didn't realize how easy in comparison until I drove a friends car today. It's still relatively easy, but takes a bit more effort.
Took some adjustment from my last car, but I can do every downshift except to 1st which I haven't been doing while moving. I actually had to train myself not to blip as much as I had been before, but now I can just roll the right half of my foot over to the throttle and blip for a pretty reliably smooth shift.
That said, I only heel-toe on the road. On track I use Sport.
How well are you guys getting along with Heal-toe'ing? I put an adjustable pedal on my car day one - which has made it really easy. I didn't realize how easy in comparison until I drove a friends car today. It's still relatively easy, but takes a bit more effort.
As always perfect pedal placement from Porsche. Mine are stock. The engine revs so fast,but once you get used to it,it's bang on with every shift. I love it!
No kidding. After my GT4 euro delivery, I got back in to my 987.2 CS at home... and the engine feels like it's connected to a 50 pound flywheel.
Actually, overall I was surprised how different the old car felt... getting into the GT4 didn't feel worlds different, but going back to the 987.2 CS felt like I was driving an Accord, it was soft everywhere.
No kidding. After my GT4 euro delivery, I got back in to my 987.2 CS at home... and the engine feels like it's connected to a 50 pound flywheel.
Actually, overall I was surprised how different the old car felt... getting into the GT4 didn't feel worlds different, but going back to the 987.2 CS felt like I was driving an Accord, it was soft everywhere.
I know the feeling. Drove factory GT4 a few weeks ago and near threw the keys to my Cayman R across the parking lot after driving it home. Felt like a lethargic slug below 4500rpm. Few days later I had our Race Headers installed with a Protune and it helped BIG TIME. Way more responsive and revvy, and pulls like freight train from 2500rpm-redline. I was more than content until Realdrray's GT4 showed up for a full package last week...I'm back in the same boat again now wishing I had a 3.8L
I know the feeling. Drove factory GT4 a few weeks ago and near threw the keys to my Cayman R across the parking lot after driving it home. Felt like a lethargic slug below 4500rpm. Few days later I had our Race Headers installed with a Protune and it helped BIG TIME. Way more responsive and revvy, and pulls like freight train from 2500rpm-redline. I was more than content until Realdrray's GT4 showed up for a full package last week...I'm back in the same boat again now wishing I had a 3.8L
Send it down! There are several GT4 owners on the West Coast that drove our latest Cayman R with the 3.8L X51 swap and they all said the same thing "can you make my GT4 pull like that through the middle of the rev range?!"
06-22-2016, 02:41 PM
) and we are a simple PM, email, or phone call away. PLEASE reach out to us with any technical questions or concerns you may have, as we will have an answer or work promptly to provide one as soon as possible.
) there is chance you may exceed the capability of that OTS map. At this point (or preemptively) you should invest in a protune that specifically targets your unique ECU data for optimal performance and drivability, with a cost that is relatively negligible (we charge $250). It would be prudent to contact one of us to accomplish this for you.
lol) and your customer service is top notch as always. Big thumbs up, and I look forward to our next chat at some point 
