"Rating" the normal upgrades everyone wants to do
 

Is there any thread here that "rates" all the standard upgrades that people want to immediately do when they get a 911? Like a thread of some sort that says: <p>"Turbo Tie-rods: actually only marginally better than standard" <p>or, "Front Strut brace: money is better spent elsewhere"<p> I would love to read the truths and misconceptions about all the "DIY" upgrades in one place. Does that thread/list exist anywhere on Pelican? Could we start or compile one? I could start with this: <p> Recaro lightweight seats: Four star upgrade--the car loses weight, center of gravity of my body has lowered probably 3 inches, very comfortable and keeps me in place when cornering at speed. Only issue is the side bolsters press against the door pockets very badly.<p>K&N Filter: One star upgrade--Makes absolutely no power difference; receives one star over NONE simply because it's reusable and if you wash it and oil it PROPERLY it's the only air filter you'll ever have to buy.<p>Anyone else have anything?

Dyno run with a chip reprogramming.

There have been a few such threads... Generally they end up like so:

#1 : improve the driver
#2 : improve suspension
#3 : improve engine/brakes

Emphasis on #1... It's all pretty subjective when it comes to tweaks. Personally the tweaks I've "Felt" the most were the ones my body is in contact with, namely a nice steering wheel and a bucket seat... Then making the car lighter...

Every owner is different....we all have our preferences....its your car and your money....do what makes you happy....not what everybody else thinks you should do....

What makes me happy is spending my money on something that works, not snake oil or go fast stripes. I was hoping the senior members of this group could point out very quickly where the smart money is spent, and where it's not.

A lot depends on how you drive your car. Calling a strut brace "snake oil" is a little misleading. To someone that doesn't track their car and only tootles around town hardly pushing it will notice very little or no difference but someone pushing the limits at the track will feel a significant effect from having it. I think the same goes for other stuff as well. Even a chip upgrade may seem small but combine it with other upgrades that compliment it and it becomes a better upgrade.

DE 5 Stars

I thought the tie-rod upgrade was a good one. Other than that, if your car is a driver, keep the power train and suspension stock. Any weight you can lose is probably a good upgrade, especially if it's free.

Yeah, but that kind of stuff counts towards everything from a skateboard to a school bus. I was hoping for things that were tried and tested specifically for and with a 911, in real world use.

1. Steve Wong chip - really cleaned up the lower end RPM's, and winds up the top end PDQ.
2. B&K Sport muffler - helps a little, plus it sounds cool
3. Sachs Power Clutch kit* - lighter flywheel - big, big improvement coupled with S/W chip
4. Strut brace
5. New Bilstien shocks

* My clutch T.O. bearing fork broke so the clutch installation was not elective.

Replacing shifter, pedal, throttle linkage, and steering bushings make a huge difference if worn out.

My suggestions are all things you can do for free...........to start.
Adjust your pedals so you can heel and toe properly. Learn to heel and toe to the point you use it subconsciously in your everyday driving. This will help you on and off the track and save you a small fortune on repairing your 915 gearbox.
Get as much weight out of the car as you can.
The single biggest change to my car was getting it down to 2387 lbs.
Then buy a good seat.
Change suspension or at the least re-valve your shocks to your new cars weight and suspension upgrades.
Your brakes will be fine and you will notice a hugh brake improvement with a lighter car
Steve

I'm thinking you might evaluate upgrades in terms of cost, rather than relying on others' subjective assessments. The expensive upgrades are worthy of your careful consideration and input from others. The inexpensive ones can be done now, and sometimes the performance increase is on a par with expensive upgrades. List of inexpensive upgrades might include:

Turning gauges so they can be seen.
Changing bulbs is aforementioned gauges.
Reversing wipers.
Taking stuff off the car that doesn't do anything but add weight.
Wiggling all the electrical connections, perhaps cleaning them with vinegar and coating them with silicon grease.
Adjusting, cleaning and greasing everything to factory spec. Heater and fresh air cables, door mechanisms, seat mechanisms, blah blah.
Headlight relays and adding bumper-melting bulbs (costs a little, improves visibility a LOT).
Add a fire extinguisher. This might save your car.
Remove the entire air conditioning system.
Backdate the heater system (this was inexpensive for me. The only real spendy part is the left side deflector. The rest of the system can be made to work)

Et cetera. I'm guessing other guys can come up with great upgrades that are free or nearly so. If you're hoping to make your car handle noticeably better, and you've already been to so many DE's and AX's and Driver Skills Day events that you cannot improve your driving ability any further (yeah, right!), then save your money and do the chassis upgrades all at once. It makes little sense to do this one step at a time. You will need new torsion bars, sway bars and shocks.

Dead pedal - huge difference in comfort on long trips and support during cornering...$80 and 35 minutes work (30 to figure out where you want it and 5 to install). I'll never understand why these weren't standard on all Porsches.

eliminate crazy girlfriend

"Upgrades" are subjective, depends on personal tastes, what you use the car for, etc.

On my Carreras (which are street drive, semi-daily drivers), I can't think of much that is an "upgrade" over the stock part, assuming that the stock part isn't worn out.

The few that I would rate highly:

1) 8 or 9 inch Fuchs out back instead of the 7s. Not so much for performance, but it sure looks nice.

2) Aftermarket brake pads that aren't so dusty.

3) Lowering the car from US ride height. Most have already been done, the US ride height was ridiculously high. A good alignment, too (although that's more maintenance than upgrade).

4) I certainly don't object to the ride and handling of a set of Bilsteins.

Common "upgrade" stuff to me rates a "0" (i.e., a negative improvement over the stock equipment, either for looks, function or both).

1. Steering wheels.
2. Seats.
3. Shift knob.
4. Actually anything in the interior.
5. Any spoilers.
6. Window tinting.
7. Any non-Fuchs wheels.
8. Any changes to the air intake system.
9. Any stickers or decals.

Greg has a good answer -

Steering wheel and seats - you are in them / touching every time you drive the car.

From there I will go ahead and go with wider wheels / stickier tires

Suspension - especially if you are driving a tired old car -

From there - I really think it depends on how you drive your car. For 90% of the population - the stock HP is more than enough to get yourself into trouble.

Do some autocrosses, do some DE - improve the nut behind the wheel and come back when you start out driving the car. For me - I did brakes first - only because of sebring - then did the engine when my valve guides turned out shot - then did suspension when I had to wait for the suspension to settle before I started transitioning at the track.

But it changes with the person/car/situation.

Upgrades done:

-Bilsteins
-Carrera tensioners
-DC15 cams
-Ditched AC
-Backdated heat
-Stainless steel brake lines

Upgrades remaining to do:
-Turbo Tie rods (have parts)
-Backdated exhaust (have parts)

And later on: Tbitz CIS to EFI conversion.

Replaced the fuel lines - I sleep better. (a couple stars for prudence?)

I get your intent...

So here are few, jut before I pack it in for the night:

Polybronze Bushings/monoballs vs. 20+ yr old rubber bushings: 3.
Precision. Expensive to do but the car is much more controlled. Not a 5 due to the cost. It's a big financial commitment. Requires full blown corner balance. So you do it because you are ready for it, or opportunity makes it happen. Can fix an evil car.

This is actually one step down the slippery slope. Take this one, and you could be on a path to ruin!

You could skip this upgrade, if your bushing were in good shape. And add the other good stuff for a modest gain.

Sport Shock/struts: 5
A good value, better handling, solves old car handling woes.

Stiffer Torsion Bars: 4
Definately better handling, But a cost issue due to a new corner balance and alignmnt. But not as involved as the PB/Monoballs.

Brake cooling ducts and Race Pads: 4
I like to stop. Now. Without drama. On some tracks, it's required to avoid serious fade. But not all tracks.

New shift bushings and coupling: 5!
What an amazing difference. Best money I spent!

Adjustable Sway Bars: 4
Should have done this sooner. Nice to play with varying amounts of under/oversteer. But not urgent to upgrade from stock.

Lip Spoiler and Wing: 3
They really work. I like the look. But this is a tweak to a well set up car and fast driver. Wing won't make a slow driver faster.

Pop-off valve: 5+
Saved my box on many occasions. Best overall value.

Race Seat: 5
After using my Sparco for 2 years straight I put the stock seat in for a few weeks. My goodness I felt out of control! I never appreciated how much of a difference it made.

R-Tires: Another 5!
Sticky is good. Especially compared to older street tires....

I haven't done much to my car, I have only tracked it a few times.

Shifter Bushings, BIG help
SW Chip, well worth it.

Yes, this is exactly the kind of thing I was looking for! This board could really use an "FAQ"-type list of good upgrades to do, and pointless upgrades to avoid. With easy access to this information on one page, there would be fewer newb questions to shift through on the daily BBS, leaving more room for everyone's favorite, "Ultimate Pictures of Your Porsche Next to a Fire Hydrant Thread!!"-type stuff. But I know there is an inherent conflict of interest though, to put up for easy viewing a list of things to NOT buy for your Porsche on a site that lives off selling those exact parts. :(

drilling holes in keys, door handles... = pointless

for a newb the most important things to do are in the long term + commonly neglected maintenance thread

Light flywheel = 5 for auto cross, 2 for daily driving
WEVO Shift kit = 5 no miss shifting from 5th to 2nd

+1. For me exhaust and wheel/tire upgrades are a must. The rest can wait.

I'll throw in my $0.02, although I'm far from an expert.

1. A very extensive cleaning of the interior. Not an upgrade so much, but like seats and wheel, when you are inside the car it makes a big difference. But maybe I'm just saying this because when I bought my '75 it took me three days to clean the interior and exterior, the car was so incredibly dirty. It looked completely different when I was done. Replacing seats will be my next interior upgrade.

2. Shifter bushings. The first project I ever attempted. Easy to do, inexpensive and gives gratifying results.

3. Front oil cooler. This is my next big project, to get the turbotrol mounted and working correctly. Performance? Won't make the car faster, but will make the engine last longer.

For pure performance, you probably can get pretty good bang for the buck with exhaust upgrades, particularly if you can source a higher performance one from the used parts classifieds here.

Good thread! I'll be following the suggestions here.

----

Tom '75 targa

Street car basics for a '74 w/SC motor (personal ratings):


1) Carrera chain tensioners (5)

2) Air box pop off valve (5)

3) Lower to Euro spec (4)

4) Bilstein shocks (4)

5) Modern sticky tires (4)

6) Remove A/C (3)

7) Light weight, cloth sport seats (3)

8) Bosch H4 headlights (2)

9) Strut brace (2)

10) Turbo tie rods (2)


Markus
'80 SC Targa

DE car / weekend driver basics for a '83 w/carrera motor (personal ratings):


1) Turbo tie rods +5

2) Bilstein Sport shocks +4

3) Better Tires +5

4) Remove A/C +2 (I miss the comfort)

5) Light weight sport seats +3 (again I miss the comfort)

6) Strut brace +2

7) Spoilers +4

8) Back-date heater +2

9) Brake upgrade (MC + calipers) +3

10) 993 Brake cooling fins ++5 - best 40 bucks I spent

I think the question in the OP was (to paraphrase) "what's most likely to make me happy."

Thinking back to all the mods I've made over the years, the most dramatic improvement resulted from replacing my shift-coupler.

I picked my car with most of the upgrades already installed. 1st group were at the top of my list.

- premuffler, sport exhaust
- mild chip (but turns out this was false)
- k&n intake & filter
- 17 inch & tires
- lowered to euro specs
- H4 headlights
- Nardi wood wheel
- Momo anatomic shift knob

- stainless door thresholds
- racing pedals
- fog delete front valance w/ chin spoiler

Great thread! Thanks Hotwatermusic! I totally get what you're asking for and agree that it's useful in making a strategy.

Here's where I'm at:
Picked up a 1978 911 SC that already had; Carrera cam chain tensioners, Carrera fender well oil cooler, bump steer spacers, turbo tie rods, turbo valve covers and 97k miles with "fair" paint (chips/scratches but totally rust free and straight).

What I've done:
Momo steering wheel - 4 - much better feel (the original wheel's leather was coming apart, otherwise I would have waited)
ER quick release front strut brace - 3 - I can feel a big difference in downhill tight mountain switchbacks but you have to be "on it" to feel the dif
New oil/filter, Swepco tranny fluid, valve adjust, plugs dist cap/rotor and tune up - 5 - peace of mind :)
Polk Audio 6 3/4" component door, 4" separate tweeter rear - 4 - PO's speakers were blown
Radiantz LED rear tail/brake lights - 5 - they are bright, instant and last a long time!
New front bonnet shocks - 4 (got to throw away the PO's wooden dowel 'system' ;)
Aimed lights, set tire pressure, lubed hinges, adjusted cables, got familiar with systems

Current "problems":
Brakes pulse - pads and rotors are near their end
Synchros are rubbish 1st, 2nd, 3rd (I'm actually enjoying the 'game' with heal toe, double declutching all over the place making my commute feel like the opening to "Le Mans" :)
Slop in the suspension...I can feel the worn bushings
Heater box in dash is "sticking" or at least protesting, but that's fine I don't know what it does anyway ;)
Shifter is sloppy

So here's my list of To Do:
Brakes - I'm currently looking at a set of Carrera calipers and rotors and ordered stainless DOT lines
WEVO shifter - the vintage look and possibly the Precision Shift Joints (anyone try these?)
Tranny - having a complete tranny rebuild and adding the WEVO 915 Gateshift (anyone try this?)
Suspension this is the big one... ER raised spindles, Bilstein HD, Poly Bronse (or their rubber bushings), new strut and shock tower rubber bushings, Engine mounts, stiffer sway bars, and SLIGHTLY stiffer torsion bars that match the shocks (I go with the custom valved VONS) I want the ride quality of my previous 99 Boxster, but with stiffer sway adjustable bars so I can set corner attitude.
Engine SSI Headers, with M&K two in, one out exhaust (oil lines as well)
Lightness/rightness backdate heater w/floor fans, remove A/C, remove rear bumperettes, remove(d) passenger flag mirror (PO previous problem), replace driver flag mirror (HEAVY!) with Talbot aluminum
Lighting Relay (on order), higher wattage bulbs for Hella H4, and Hella driving lights
Stereo replace crappy install of AWAI CD-skipmaster with Alpine and amp
Paint the stock paint is a little rough, and since I'm keeping it black, I'm hoping it wont cost an arm and a leg, or need to be stripped down to get a fresh coat of goodness
Wheels ...eventually...after all of this, 17 inch Fuchs style either Alton or Zuff..

I'm sure that I will add to/change this list (...hmm backdated wide body hotrod with Big Reds...hmmmm) but I thought I'd chime in with my thoughts.

I'm an ex race/champion winning motorcycle roadracer, previous DE junkie and have autocrossed for years in CRX, Integra, Boxster, WRX, and I currently race Supermoto and flattrack motorcycles so I'm pretty good in a whip. I do, however need to learn Blackjack so there will be DE and auto-X in my future...but I don't want to turn her into a track rat machine.

Oh and by the way. I LOVE MY 911 !!! Even as is, it's so engaging and has such character under the blemishes that I enjoy my commute every day! haha I just also love to improve upon a good thing with balance and without removing the character or soul of the machine. I also want to keep her very streetable, that retains the touring ability and the soul of an epic sports car.

Thanks for the great forum community! I'm enjoying this part very much as well!

Cheers,

- CraigD

I think I slipped off the edge a long time ago....but elephant spring plates are looking way good !!

To me the best upgrades were in descending order from most value to least:
Turbo tie rods(gives steering a very direct feel)5
Steve Wong chip + Fabspeed pre muffler4
Bilstein shocks3
Swepco in transmission3
Boxster brakes over Carrera rotors(this is controversial, but I like it)3
Strut brace2
RennAire pro cooler0(save your money)

sometimes the upgrade depends on what is wrong with the car or what you are going to do, IE, de's, autocross, daily driver.

sloppy shifting? short shift kit vs just replacing all the bushings.

ride height too high- rear? suspension bushings, torsion bars

in my case, torn, dryrotted seats- upgraded to sport seats.

and the big one, engine needs rebuilding = bigger and better. for me, my 2.7 is tired so i bought a 3.0 to rebuild

I couldn't agree more with the comment to fit new shift bushes and coupling. I had a really notchy box that was sloppy in 1st/2nd and too tight in 5th. After 3 hours at my local mechanic's the car came back feeling completely different. if shifting is an issue then definitely do this.

I used to quote the speed of my car as 0-60mph in 6 seconds PLUS GEAR CHANGES but now the sarcasm doesn't seem justified.

Another improvement I had done was to replace the pre-muffler on passenger side (my car is RHD) with tuned headers. This keeps the exhaust length the same on both sides which dramatically improved drivability sub 3500rpm. Doesn't do much for horsepower but torque is improved lower in the gear. I was really surprised at the difference. SSI's would have been another option for me but the cost difference in parts and labour is about 5 times as much. More $$$ for other tweaks.

Upgrades
 

Change : [rating] : ~$$ from what I can remember.
Comment

Seine Shifter "gate spring" for 915 transmission: [9] ~$150
Great difference on street but incredible secure feeling on track.

Bilstein Sports (rear): [5] ~$260 pr
Only tried on street, not track testing yet.

Strut Brace: [3] ~$250
Got it early in my P-car ownership, so it's hard to compare.

Race seats: [7] ~$300 (cheap pair) Upgrading to OMP TRS's
Really does hold you in at autocross and DE.

4 or 5 point belts: [5] $?

MOMO Prototipo: [7] $190
Great feel. Smaller diameter of original.

Headers/2 in 2 out muffler: [8] $1400
~14hp increase

EFI: [8] $2300
~14hp increase

Fuchs, 7 and 9: [9] $1500

Front/rear FG bumpers and FG duck tail: [8] $1400
Really helped get my car down to around 2260#

Rebuild foot pedal/bearings (gas/brake/clutch): [8] $20
Big difference.

Rebuild shifter bushings and linkages: [8] $30
Big difference

I did some things for my eyes, some for comfort and others for faster responsive driving.

Love the look ! - 7” & 8” Fuch replicas - Kumho ASX 225x50x16” and 245x50x16” - Also put on a Carrera tail and a front valence/lip from 84 up with recessed fog lamps

- 5mm rear wheel spacers - New axles and CV joints - Adj. rear drop links
- Rear sway bar - Bump steer kit - Strut brace - New ball joints
- New ARM bushings - Elephant racing poly bronze front bushings
- Bilstein shocks- front/rear - front skid plate - Sway bar bushings
- Turbo tie rods - Alignment + Corner weighted - Cross drilled rotors
- New brake pads front/back - Stainless brake lines
- 380 mm steering wheel
- Short Shift kit
- Shift coupler
- shifter bushings

As my 86 cab was neglected when I bought it the following were necessities rather than upgrades:

1. Replace filthy/smelly old carpet
2. Recover torn and cracked front seats
3. Replace soft top with bad rear window
4. Replace all 4 worn out Bodge with Bilsteins (OK, maybe this is an upgrade...)
5. Replace all suspension bushings
6. Replace worn out tie rods with Turbo style (Maybe another "upgrade")
7. replaces brake lines, master cylinder, rebuild calipers
8. replace shifter bushings
9. Replace all 4 tires
10. Repair A/C (I live in SOCAL)
11. Fix oil leaks (Bermuda Triangle)

Upgrades include:

1. Seine shift gate
2. Fuse panel from Fred
3. headlight relays

If you have an SC then make sure you have a pop off valve, Carrera chain tensioners and upgaded steel head studs.