And as for suspension, I've been reading this board on the subject. And yes, I would probably do that first before doing any performance mods, but I plan on taking the car to a couple of track days before I do any mods.

 

You've got lots of good advice from some seasoned pros here. Let me add my 2 cents. What mods and in what order depends on your budget, driving style, and if you want to explore the difference at each stage. Here's my suggestion but you still have to decide on which company to go with:
1. exhaust
2. track time and instruction
3. suspension & lighter rims
4. track time and instruction
5. ECU and headers
6. track time and instruction
7. intercoolers
8. more track time and instruction
5. extra set of rims with sticky tires
Depending upon your dealer your warranty will become more and more compromised as you add more mods - once you get to the ECU plan on not much if any warranty. Or you can get a complete kit all at once - there is no down side. However, no matter what you do after awhile it will become "normal" again which means enjoy the newness of the ride as long as possible - and hit the track to enjoy your mods and meet some other cool enthusiasts.
Enjoy, drive safe.
K.

 

I, like you, wanted to go slowly. I was afraid that I might hurt the car. I know, funny but true. Here is the order I went...
1. ECU flash - best bang for the buck,imo
2. Intake - helped very little on lower hp car.
3. Clutch - replace it when it goes. Be sure to get one that will easily hold future power upgrades so you dont have to replace again.
4. Exhaust - not alot of power here but must be upgraded to go for higher power. Much better sound. Choose carefully for exhaust noise level you prefer.
5. Turbo upgrade - Another critical choice based on your driving habits, pocketbook, and future power goals. Do your research carefully!! I also did headers here but they are controversial.
6. Intercoolers - After you do turbo upgrade, stock ICs heat soak very quickly, especially in warm climates.
Lastly I did injectors but you wont have to do those since you have a 997TT. When the battery goes I would try a lighter battery. If you get tired of the wheels get lighter ones. I have not done wheels yet.

Iam not saying this order is correct. This is simply the order I went. If I had it to do over I would probably reverse the order of the exhaust and intake.

Finally, these cars are overbuilt and light to moderate mods (ie under 600 whp) are unlikely to cause any damage to the engine block unless something is installed incorrectly. Many have gone higher than 600 whp without trouble. As long as you maintain the car faithfully and plot your mod course carefully along well established paths you should be fine and have a highly rewarding experiance.

 

Wow! Thank you guys for all the inputs. You guys are awesome! I have to admit that I am a victim for looks. I do like the lowered look with aftermarket rims look and aftermarket exhaust sound.

As for power, I think the car has plenty that I don't think I would go as far as swapping intercoolers or turbos. My original thought was that if I were to get an exhaust system, I might as well get intake and headers, which would lead to an ecu flash. I'm starting to have doubts for header upgrade after reading the posts, sounds like it does very little for the money you spend.

Kafka, thanks for the inputs. I will check with the dealership here about warranties.

MBailey, did you have to reflash your ECU at some point?

 

Yes, actually I got the initial ECU flash followed by two others. One when I upgraded the turbos and the other when I upgraded injectors.