'88 911 3.2 Performance upgrades?

[SKM911]

I have a stock 3.2 Carrera and wanted to do a few "affordable" performance upgrades. Where would the money best spent?
Air Intake? Exhaust? Chip?........ Help!

Thanks.
Scott

[JeremyD]

Best bang for the buck = premuffler in place of the cat, Sport muffler like the MK Exhaust, Steve wong chip.

[stormmaster]

the air intake mod is free....unless you want to buy another stock lid to cut open....you dont really gain much....but it sounds good....mine is open....exhaust.....get a cat bypass first....M&K makes a great sounding exhaust for our cars....for very reasonable price....or....add a second outlet....like mine has....sounds awsome.....chip....I am not a fan of the chip....they basically bump the timing up a little...power band is moved further up the RPM range...as a general rule...and I lost low end torgue with mine.....I put my stock chip back in....got my fuel mileage back and runs just fine.....if you track your car alot....you may think differently....my car is street only....it just doesnt look like it.....

[stormmaster]

in my honest opinion....the best money spent is on a driving school to figure out how to drive what you have...before trying to outhink what the master minds in the motherland did.....you will be amazed at just how fast your car really is once you learn how to drive it....and unless you spend a lot of time on the track....you wont need to spend a lot of money on mods....I would concentrate on suspension more than engine if you MUST make mods to your car....or cosmetic like others have done...just my .02

[SKM911]

I'm looking at a Performance Products mag and I don't see a cat bypass. Where did you guys get the M&K exhaust? Are all the air intake stuff in this mag a waste of money??

[Super_Dave_D]

The host sells M&K or you can go to his site http://www.mkexhaust.com, Ben (MB911) posts on here quite regularly

[Ducst4]

I am in your shoes also.
JUST got my 89 3.2 and I open the air box
Ordrered my cat by pass ( check fabspeed.com or pelican parts)
And now Im shopping for the muffler, cant decide between dual out or single
Chip next year, 350$ for the best chip, Steve Wong chips 911chips.com

good luck

Let me know what you do

[Noney]

Yes. All the air intake stuff in the Performance catalog is a waste of $$. Designed to seperate fools from their cash. Think about it: would Porsche really put an air cleaner on their cars that robbed the motor of 20+ HORSEPOWER!!!? Please....

However, if it's more space in the engine bay that you're after, and you don't want to ever have to purchase another air cleaner, then a K&N (or similar) may be for you. An added bonus is a little more sound from the intake, but no more power.

Sage advice given above: cat bypass, muffler and a chip for actual performance gains. Our cars have notoriously restrictive exhausts, and they really respond well to mods. From there you can work on the suspension and brakes.

Then get all the seat time you can.

[dmwallace]

I have a '89 3.2 and just changed out the catalytic converter for a Fabspeed euro pre-muffler. I was pleased with the build quality on it and also like the sound (exhaust has a deeper note than before). My future plans also include replacing the stock muffler and adding a chip. You can order all of these items from our host.

Regards,
David.

[SuperClyde]

I don't understand the logic of indicating that porsche engineers wouldn't put a restrictive air box that would rob the engine of 20 HPs yet in in the same commentary promote a new exhaust to achieve some additional HPs. Didn't the same engineers design the intake and the exhaust??? Why would the same engineers leave HPs in the exhaust to be carved out with a new system yet not leave any on the intake?

[Noney]

Those pesky emissions regulations...

[Redlineshftr]

The best mod i ever made to any of my cars was to lighten them... and its suuuuper cheap!

[SuperClyde]

You have made my point- whether it be emissions regulations or not the fact is that HPs were left on the table. Emissions regulations could have been met with the use of a less restrictive high flow cat and thereby leave less HPs on the table. Why didn't Porsche do this- it was within their ability. Did the same thing occur on the intake???

And, if I'm not mistaken euro version 911s with high flow cats generate as much power stock as the same vehicle with pre-mufflers.

And no, I have not upgraded my air-box (it remains stock).

[WPOZZZ]

How's about losing some weight on the car by removing the heat exchangers and the heavy stock muffler. Put on some headers and a M&K and you're set!

As for driving schools, there are none in Honolulu as I run the BMWCCA school here. We have moved operations to Maui since the Honolulu track has closed. AND, instead of a HPDE, we can only do a Car Control Clinic with an autox at the end.

[DYB]

'Why would the same engineers leave HPs in the exhaust to be carved out with a new system yet not leave any on the intake?'

I think the 964 exhaust system is an example of this very thing. Compared to the early 993 motors the major power difference is attribuable to the exhaust. Change the exhaust on a 964 to something like a 993 and you will get anothet 20 odd HP.

I think there is conclusive proof on this board that changing the exhaust gains a bit power and that modifing the airbox gains a bit of noise. Now if you start talking about changing other parts of the induction besides the air box then that is another story.

[Noney]

Well SuperClyde, you'd have to ask someone at Porsche WHY they chose to design the exhaust the way they did. I'm sure they weren't cavalier in their application of the available technology. Perhaps the EPA standards at the time couldn't be met with a "high flow" cat.

But the fact remains, a 3.2 Carrera will wake up nicely with some relatively minor exhaust mods.

[aigel]

The exhaust was a mess on the 80s cars. That's not only true for Porsche but every domestic manufacturer of that era as well. Catalytic converters were pricey and there was not much room, hence they went with single cats. Then you have to route all the exhaust through one cat in a setup where you have no space to start with. Noise regulations were an issue too. Don't forget that Porsche wanted to quit making the 911, so there was a long time where they certainly patched things instead of doing them right with an expensive redesign.

On the later cars things got better, but that's because the later 911 was redesigned from the ground up, including exhaust.

George

[SuperClyde]

DYB- my statement was rhetorical.

I was addressing Noney's earlier comment: "Think about it: would Porsche really put an air cleaner on their cars that robbed the motor of 20+ HORSEPOWER!!!? Please....". It only begs the question- would they, Porsche, do the same particularly great job on exhaust systems- and the fact is there is room to improve the exhaust system notwithstanding the Porsche engineering. Noney's analysis arrives at an illogical conclusion and then doesn't use the same analysis for the exhaust system.

Yes, I know, the exhaust power gain has been proven through conclusive proof and not so for a modified air box/air cleaner system. This is a result of dyno tests and scientific testing.

My point ultimately- Porsche engineer have left (and will continue) to leave HPs on the table for reasons unknown to us. Certainly not the case with the airbox but the analysis used by Noney is flawed.

[DYB]

Fair enough superClyde.

Bottim line is that changing the induction process is more complex than the exhaust. Boring out throttle bodies and Plemums and changing chips to have the right amount of air and fuel at the right times and conditions is a more expensive process that wacking on equal length headers. Thats why folks head strait to the exhaust when then want to do some upgrades.

For sure the engineers left room for improvement, but in the case of induction the improvement is more difficult to attain.

[skinnerd]

Steve Wong chip is no. 1 on my list.
Better driveability, smoother at low RPMs, and more power through then entire rpm range.
Next an exhaust for sure.
I did SSI's and a sport exhaust.
Also I have a larger throttle body and a bunch of holes in my air box....not sure the effect, but looks good.

Beyond that I did some more expensive stuff.
Sport cams....into the engine (but I was there anyway), but they really help a bit.
The best bang for the buck was when I replaced the 8:31 with an NOS 7:31.
The car always ran pretty good, but with the 7:31, the acceleration was....well let's just say dramatically improved.
Again, not an inexpensive upgrade, but a very significant one.