Help me with my abysmal ignorance

Inspector71 · 03-09-2011, 11:38 AM

For a street driven car, a daily driver, that should be able to shrug off an occasional pesky Cayman or Boxter

New induction system: filters
headers
Stillen(?) exhaust system

Would that about cover it? My guess is this would run between $3500 and $5000 not including labor.

I plan to copy this thread as the responses are great. I thank you all.

Cmike2780 · 03-09-2011, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inspector71

For a street driven car, a daily driver, that should be able to shrug off an occasional pesky Cayman or Boxter

New induction system: filters
headers
Stillen(?) exhaust system

Would that about cover it? My guess is this would run between $3500 and $5000 not including labor.

I plan to copy this thread as the responses are great. I thank you all.

You should already be able to shake off a regular Boxter or Cayman. The Cayman S is the only one that really comes close, and only in the twisties. A better wheel/tire/suspension setup as well as the engine upgrades you listed should just about even the odds.

BLM · 03-09-2011, 11:57 AM

No real "need" for headers. Their price and installation cost don't warrant the benefits you get. Intake, hi flow cat/test pipe, and exhaust would bring you to between 315 and 330 to the wheels depending on the tune and the dyno. And with those mods you'll be faster than a C2S in a straight line.

Jordo! · 03-09-2011, 01:06 PM

As far as I can tell, LTH's somewhat outperform test pipes (they also replace the cats), but there isn't enough data to verify by how much, nor is it clear, as BLM noted, that the extra whp is worth the huge difference in price.

That said, if you can get a set at a very good price (presuambly used) and don't mind the hassle of installation, it might be worthwhile. I suspect a tune would be needed to really get the most out of them. Once VVEL can be tuned, they might be really worthwhile, but no one can tune that at the moment.

Shorty headers would probably not be worth the hassle at all, as the OEM headers do not appear to be a major bottle neck, but I have not personally seen enough dyno evidence to confirm or refute that assumption conclusively.

BLM · 03-09-2011, 01:13 PM

I myself would love a set of Long tube headers because I personally feel the Z should be kept all motor and there are gains to be had for sure. However, like Jordo said I won't invest all that $$ into them until VVEL can be tuned. When the VVEL can be cracked, I think 340-350 whp with full bolt-ons will be commonplace. Which, again, with an N/A set-up presumable revving to nearly 8000 rpm will be awesome.

And Jordo is also correct in terms of needing an ecu tune to optimize headers. I forget which dyno it was but the addition of LTH without a tune caused some low-mid range torque loss because the AFR was really rich. Also you'd want to raise redline a bit as you would be making power the higher you go in the RPM's.

Inspector71 · 03-10-2011, 08:01 AM

Sorry for taking so long to respond. I was waiting to read over your response. But the Gestapo teachers that watch me snagged my printed copies over night. I'm a public school teacher who is into muscle cars, sportscars, and firearms. I don't fit in very well in my school's Social(ist) Studies department and a certain "cadre" of teachers watch me, everything I do, everything I say, and everything I copy and then run to the boss. Why I do this elsewhere? After what they have already done to me, I like having some fun with them now. Sorry to get off topic. I do appreciate your information.

03-09-2011, 11:38 AM	#16 (permalink)
Inspector71 Enthusiast Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Lee's Summit Missouri Posts: 337 Drives: 2015 Pearl White Z Rep Power: 15	Let me see if I have this right For a street driven car, a daily driver, that should be able to shrug off an occasional pesky Cayman or Boxter New induction system: filters headers Stillen(?) exhaust system Would that about cover it? My guess is this would run between $3500 and $5000 not including labor. I plan to copy this thread as the responses are great. I thank you all.

03-09-2011, 11:57 AM	#18 (permalink)
BLM Enthusiast Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: NJ Posts: 342 Drives: 2011 Silver M6 sport Rep Power: 14	No real "need" for headers. Their price and installation cost don't warrant the benefits you get. Intake, hi flow cat/test pipe, and exhaust would bring you to between 315 and 330 to the wheels depending on the tune and the dyno. And with those mods you'll be faster than a C2S in a straight line. __________________ K&N // GTM // BERK

03-09-2011, 01:06 PM	#19 (permalink)
Jordo! A True Z Fanatic Join Date: May 2010 Location: nirvana Posts: 6,394 Drives: 2023 NATM Rep Power: 417	As far as I can tell, LTH's somewhat outperform test pipes (they also replace the cats), but there isn't enough data to verify by how much, nor is it clear, as BLM noted, that the extra whp is worth the huge difference in price. That said, if you can get a set at a very good price (presuambly used) and don't mind the hassle of installation, it might be worthwhile. I suspect a tune would be needed to really get the most out of them. Once VVEL can be tuned, they might be really worthwhile, but no one can tune that at the moment. Shorty headers would probably not be worth the hassle at all, as the OEM headers do not appear to be a major bottle neck, but I have not personally seen enough dyno evidence to confirm or refute that assumption conclusively. __________________ Enjoy it. Destroy it.

03-09-2011, 01:13 PM	#20 (permalink)
BLM Enthusiast Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: NJ Posts: 342 Drives: 2011 Silver M6 sport Rep Power: 14	I myself would love a set of Long tube headers because I personally feel the Z should be kept all motor and there are gains to be had for sure. However, like Jordo said I won't invest all that $$ into them until VVEL can be tuned. When the VVEL can be cracked, I think 340-350 whp with full bolt-ons will be commonplace. Which, again, with an N/A set-up presumable revving to nearly 8000 rpm will be awesome. And Jordo is also correct in terms of needing an ecu tune to optimize headers. I forget which dyno it was but the addition of LTH without a tune caused some low-mid range torque loss because the AFR was really rich. Also you'd want to raise redline a bit as you would be making power the higher you go in the RPM's. __________________ K&N // GTM // BERK

03-10-2011, 08:01 AM	#21 (permalink)
Inspector71 Enthusiast Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Lee's Summit Missouri Posts: 337 Drives: 2015 Pearl White Z Rep Power: 15	BLM Thanks Sorry for taking so long to respond. I was waiting to read over your response. But the Gestapo teachers that watch me snagged my printed copies over night. I'm a public school teacher who is into muscle cars, sportscars, and firearms. I don't fit in very well in my school's Social(ist) Studies department and a certain "cadre" of teachers watch me, everything I do, everything I say, and everything I copy and then run to the boss. Why I do this elsewhere? After what they have already done to me, I like having some fun with them now. Sorry to get off topic. I do appreciate your information.