I just got my GTS three weeks ago. Had some repairs done (sports exhaust flaps stuck closed, one tire pressure monitor sensor replaced, new wipers and wind shield replaced, rubber floor mats). Now that those are out of way, did a little research and decided on the following mods.
1.) Sharkwerks xpipes center muffler bypass: http://www.sharkwerks.com/products.php?pid=193
(Parts ordered today.)
2.) Suncoast Short Shifter Kit: http://www.suncoastparts.com/product/99742498300.html
Tech from dealer recommend against the gt3 short shifter since he says it was not designed exactly for the GTS.
3.) Suncoast GT3 shift **** in alcantara: http://www.suncoastparts.com/product/997GT3KNOB.html
My GTS came with alcantara delete, with full leather instead and leather sports heated seats, leather shifter.../everything in leather really. I kind of like that, all except the shift **** which I have always wanted the swede feel .. I opted not to get the brake handle cap included in suncoast's sale, the gt3 alcantara **** with alcantara rear break handle cap, because feel keeping everything leather (except the ****) would look cleaner. Here's a link to the discount I'm talking about for those interested :
http://www.suncoastparts.com/product/PKGT3XA.html

The above are on order. I'm also shopping around for a good clear bra instal all the way to winshield.

Main concerns are that the Porsche dealership says the Sharkwerks exhaust will void the warranty for any exhaust related faults. Worrisome, especially having just used the CPO to repair the PSE. Also concerned of how the SW exhaust will affect resale vlaue.

What do you all think?? Any opinions, advice, suggestions..will all be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

I would look for a different dealer if practical. My GTS has the SW x-pipes, CPO coverage and my dealer says it's not an issue.

 

I'm pretty paranoid about doing mods that may affect warranty too, but I did the Sharkwerks exhaust anyway since I see little to no way that it could be shown to cause any warranty-related problem. Of course, that's your call. My dealer had zero problems with that.

As for the resale questions, for some it will be a plus for others it will be a negative. In my case, I keep all of the stock parts for my cars and put that back to stock before selling. You won't be able to get much of anything for the OEM exhaust if you sell it, but you can get a good deal of money selling any aftermarket parts on the forums later.

As for other easy mods, I turned my car completely black, silver, red and put the gold hood and wheel emblems aside for now. To me this works better on a silver car than the gold, but with your black car I guess you could go either way. I got a beautifully refinished black/silver hood crest from intrepidagent who occasionally sells these on the forums. He also makes quite a few other color combinations and finishes.

You can also get the European silver/clear side running lights at SuncoastParts at a reasonable price... this is a common change I'm surprised no one has called out yet. It is normally one of the first things called out!





Finally, spacers are controversial with some but can be used to make the car look more aggressive. If you take a close look at GT3s or Cayman GT4s you'll see that their wheels are already installed to be much more flush to the bodywork than the general Carrera models.

They've no no noticeable effect on handling in my case. There are plenty of threads discussing these so a search will help you there. If you go this route, I'd just be sure to get ones that are both hub-centric and wheel-centric to insure there is no chance of getting a slight out-of-balance condition introduced. You'll also need new wheel bolts appropriate for the length of spacer you get. It is also a good time to ditch the wheel lock if you can and just go with all normal bolts. (As an aside, my son lost his Acura wheel lock and had to take his car in for a flat tire. The guys at Discount Tire said "no problem". For a $10 charge they removed it. They had a special tool to remove it regardless of the lock pattern and said that all of the real wheel thieves had the same tools. So why bother!)

 

StormRune! Thank you again for your continued help and for making me feel welcomed. By the way I got the European clear side lights as soon as I got the car due mainly to Your original suggestion way back 3-4 weeks ago while I was in the market shopping for a 911

The GTS has center locks (one bolt as apposed to the normal five). Switching those won't be easy/cheap. I kinda like the way they look so will probably keep them.

Can't wait till Sharkwerks and shifter mods are complete!
Any other suggestions are whole heartedly appreciated.

Thanks again!

 

As suggested - new dealer. GTS shift mechanism is the same for all 997.2's - none of the short shift kits was specifically designed for the GTS. I had the Porsche GT3 shifter on my GTS and it worked just fine - others use the Porsche SSK with no issues.

 

I forgot that GTS models came with centerlock wheels as standard... those are beauties and something that makes the car even more unique. So certainly strike that spacer recommendation. I'm glad to see you have the fever too!

BTW, I grew up in Elizabeth City and have fond memories of the Raleigh area as being quite a gem. Gotta love all those trees and hills... and the mountain roads not so far to the west!

 

HI Storm,

North Carolina is a gem. For its greenery, its trees, its temperate four seasons, and for a touch of southern culture that I feel is a blessing. People here are genuinely polite and respectful. I'm honoured to live here now, for however short/long my stay will be.

 

Dealer says all my parts should be in by tomorrow my only hesitation is the Sharkwerks x bypass. This 997 GTS is stock otherwise. Should I do it?

 

Excellent choice! Looks much like my GTS. I bought a 2012 GTS after test driving four 991's and enjoying my 997.1 much better driving away from the lot. So why not have the best 997 ever made!

Mine also has the full leather package. I also have five lug wheels rather than center locks. I like the center locks, but I track it occasionally and go on spirited drives, and the hubs need to be replaced periodically if you do that.

I recently had the dealership add the 5mm Porsche spacers on the rear. In the US, the rears are inset for chains, so they now look much better, I think. Some like the 7mm F/15mm R, but my detailer said he's seen that setup throw a lot of junk on the paint.

I've been debating the SSK vs the GT3 shifter. I'd be really interested to hear from you how you like the change. What have others found as the difference between the GT3 shifter and the Short shifter?

I did a full front clear bra. That's critical. My last 997 was black and got really peppered. So I recommend it to avoid road rash. I'd like to have the alcantara sun visors, but not for $1300.

Also would like to hear how the Sharkwerks works. I'd like to hear it compared to the PSE.

 

Mdking, cool! I'm sure you know how I'm feeling about my 1st Porsche. I'm still not over how amazing this car drives. Funny how, rather than being satisfied, it's gotten me into the fever for even more performance! More sound, a more satisfying gear shift,...on and on. Starting to look at GT3s more.

I'll take video before and after of the Sharkwerks exhaust modification, with and without pse button pressed...and post here.

I believe the GT3 short shift kit (ssk) has metal bushings as apposed to plastic that comes with the normal 997.2 911 ssk. The tech recommend I not get the GT3 ssk arguing it wasn't designed for the 997.2 911 series. I know, not a very convincing argument at all. The sales rep who relayed the question to the experienced tech wouldn't elaborate further. Annoying when the sales reps don't take our concerns as seriously as we would like. It seems all they're thinking about is the money rather than realizing that this stuff is a passion to many of us. This car is kind of ..pretty much literally, the car of my dreams.

Anyway, hope the parts get here soon.

 

Here you go.


Watch "Before/After Sharkwerks Exhaust 2012 997.2 GTS" on YouTube

Hope you like the sound and looks of this Beautiful GTS, now with the amazing Sharkwerks center muffler bypass. Not sure if this video adequately demonstrates the before and after sound. I can tell you, it's significantly louder in dB and the tone is deeper. Very satisfying stationary as well moving at full revs.

Just a comment, the dealer did have "extra" difficulty removing the bolts, since they were rusted (car has 30k mi). The dealer said some brackets also needed to be replaced. So they bumped up their original quote of $300 in labor to install by another $330 totaling $630 for install not including the actual Sharkwerks part, shipping, and tax. On the bright side, I got about 8% off the whole bill. I don't doubt the extra cost for parts and added hassle for labor. I only post this detail for everyone's bennifit to know in advance that there certainly may be added effort/costs involved in the install, particularly depending on how much rust set in under there. I guess it would have been nice to have a more accurate quote upfront. Also it would be nice if Sharkwerks would provide the necessary brackets and bolts for a quality install. The added cost isn't too much of an issue, what bugs me most is the extra day's wait for the parts (brakets) to be delivered.

All in all, I love the modification. I think it improves the auditory experience placing the driver that much closer to the machine's soul.

 

$630 in labor to install this?!?! No wonder they call them stealerships. I installed the Sharkwerks bypass with new bolts on my GTS in 2.5 hours in my buddy's driveway. It's literally 6 bolts and two clamps. You'll love the sound though. Enjoy.

 

It was expensive to have it installed, but the sound improvement truly drowns any doubts. I'm really happy with it!

 

A little bit of a drive but Foreign cars italia is great with mods. Hendrick in charlotte is mod friendly and a part of the same dealer group... you should be okay.

NC is God's country!

 

I also got the short shift kit installed. Lovely! The riffle bolt action analogy is appropriate and accurate. I feel more directly connected.

Lastly, I also got the GT3 Alcanatra Shift ****/Base kit installed with the short shifter.. I like the feel, although to be honest, the original leather shift **** felt good too. The alcantara is certainly warmer to the touch on cold days and maybe it will have less chance of a slip..? I'll need to give this one some time before deciding on which is better. Probably a week or two to decide. This GTS was ordered with Alcantara delete, full leather, leather steering wheel, leather sports seats, and shift ****. So now, only the shifter is alcantara. I think that is kind of cool..but I'm still on the fence for that one. Check out the pictures..



GT3 Alcantara Shift ****/Base view 1





GT3 Alcantara Shift ****/Base view 2





Original 2012 GTS Alcantara delete, Full Leather..