[KerryLange]

I had Renegade install an LS7 for me in my 2004 Boxster and I love the result. The two things that most change the car (in my opinion) are the engine sound and higher engine compartment temps. Neither factor changes the car enough to be a detriment (again, in my opinion).

The engine sound is of course like a Corvette, particularly in the cabin; however, from the outside of the car it's not obvious, that is until you stomp on the gas. Then, there's no question the engine is no longer Porsche.

The LS7 runs hotter than the Porsche engine by 10 to 20 degrees. So, the centre console gets warmer than it did with the boxer engine and behind the seats get a little warmer than stock too. But as I said, it's not enough of a change to really consider it a negative.

On the other hand, the upside is tremendous. At any speed in almost any gear there is power and torque to spare. With the LS7 the tires break loose from time to time but traction is surprisingly good (mid-engine helps). Handling is exactly the same as it was before. At least if the handling has changed I haven't been able to notice it. I autocross the car and take it to track days as often as I can and can tell you the car is just plain faster now. The car still behaves the way it did before the swap and I now have the added benefit of being able to oversteer whenever I want. If the car understeers, a tap on the throttle brings the back end to where I need it.

Renegade spent quite a bit of time working on the parts for the kit. I know because my car was sitting in their shop waiting for them to finish engineering the pieces. I drove the car back home well over 1,000 miles without an incident and have been flogging the car since without any major issues. A loose wire led to an overheating issue at one event (the electric water pump stopped working) but it was an easy fix afterward.

All-in-all, I'm very happy with the change!

I would agree, though, that it's not plug 'n play swap. I don't think you'd need to be a genius to do the swap but it will take some cutting and welding, though there's not lots to cut 'n weld. Part of the firewall needs to move forward about 1.5 inches, meaning you loose a bit of leg room as well. The guys at Renegade seem quite helpful when you run into issues and they're developing installation instructions with lots of pictures. Perhaps in the next few months they'll have some good material available on their website or through their Facebook page.