2013 booster s. I want more power!,
 

Any increase in power is going to affect, in a negative way, reliability.

The 2013 S Boxster engine stock puts out 315hp. A 50hp boost is nearly 16% increase in output. More power means more heat and more stress. The engine is only as strong as its weakest part.

Not sure what is available for the 2013 engine line but if available adding a turbo charger (one large one or two smaller ones) or possibly a centrifugal supercharger is probably the easiest way to pick up nearly 50hp. The setup will be handicapped if the kit does not provide for an intercooler.

My 996 Turbo of course had two air to air intercoolers and these worked to keep the intake air temperature down to around 10F over ambient.

My 2018 Hellcat has a liquid intercooler between the supercharger and engine and this too is very effective, keeping intake air temperature down to around 10F over ambient.

To give you an idea of what you might be facing the supercharger coolant temperature runs 50F or higher above ambient. That's around what the intake air temperature would be sans an effective intercooler. You have some cushion. Perhaps. My info is an elevated intake air temperature doesn't really start to impact/affect the engine until it gets around the 160F level.

As long as the boost is kept at a reasonable level -- probably no more than 6psi -- the engine will stand its best chance of surviving.

If the car does not have one adding a 3rd radiator is probably a very good idea. This is how Porsche deals with the extra heat load its higher performance cars produce. (Ixnay on that lower T-stat BS.)

Another thing to consider is generally the best way to add HP is to buy a more powerful car, one that came stock from the factory with more power. The car from the ground up is designed/built with the increased power level in mind. My Turbo was a fantastic piece of automobile kit. Even though the 3.6l engine produced 420hp the engine temperature was always under control. I could drive that thing, and did, in 0F to 119F ambient temperature without any issues.

Kind of mind blowing to be driving down the freeway at 75mph (or more) and glance at the outside air temperature and note it is reading 119F then to scan the dash and note coolant temperature is ok, oil pressure is ok, even the A/C cabin fan setting is not elevated. There is enough air flow through the radiator ducts to remove the heat from the A/C condensers and radiators. (The Turbo had a center radiator, too.

It is even more mind blowing to in one case with a pesky motorcycle bugging me on a deserted stretch of highway to accelerate the car up to <static> MPH in triple digit heat and the engine and in fact the car was unfazed.

Have not had my Hellcat in real hot temperatures yet nor had it up to that speed yet but even in just 100F the coolant and oil temperatures are well within safe limits. And the Hellcat engine produces 707hp.

The Turbo and the Hellcat (and even my Mini JCW with 228hp from a 2.0l 4 cylinder engine) is what you get when the factory does the hotrodding for you.

I loved my 2002 Boxster with its 217hp 2.7l engine. I never felt the urge to want to hop it up. (I toyed with the idea of putting a 996 3.6l engine in it but just decided not to bother messing with such a fine car.) So when I wanted more power I bought a used 996 Turbo. And kept the Boxster.

A 10% boost is nearly 32hp jump from stock HP of 315. A 15% boost is a 47hp jump from stock.

If there is an aftermarket kit that can provide this range of HP increase with some engine controller tune coupled with an intake and exhaust "upgrade" I'm not aware of it. But I haven't been at all interested in keeping up on these add ons. (Some 2nd hand exposure to these kits for earlier model Boxsters left me the impression the total was less than the sum of the parts.)

Best advice I can offer is check ads in Excellence for aftermarket engine tunes for the model of car being discussed and then research what is offered, what increases are advertised, and then see how owners who have gone down this road before you have fared.

Other than swapping out the engine (Google "BGB motorsports"), the three ways most power/torque gains are achieved are:

1. Exhaust modifications
2. Intake modifications
3. ECU reprogramming

Exhaust and intake mods try to get more gas out (exhaust) or in (intake) the engine compared to stock.

Most people will opt to replace the stock exhaust manifold (which has two catalytic converters on each manifold) with one that has either one cat or none (the latter supposed to be for track use only). You can also replace all the exhaust piping downstream from the catalytic converters (cat-back) with larger diameter tubing if you'd like. There are a few companies making exhaust manifolds (e.g. FabSpeed, CarGraphics, Soul Performance, FVD, etc.) and exhausts.

Intake mods usually involve swapping out the intake manifold for a larger diameter intake. I've been told the HP/torque gains from this are minimal. I'm sure someone, somewhere has put a turbo/super charger on a Boxster but I haven't heard of it being done commonly. As noted, heat management in a mid-engine car will be challenging if you add a turbo.

ECU reprogramming is done by many vendors out there and usually involves altering ignition timing. I've also heard the ECU limits throttle position and it's possible to open up more at WOT via an ECU tune.

I've replaced the exhaust manifolds on my Boxster (2015 GTS) with CarGraphics Sport headers (one cat each side) and am pleased with the results. I don't have any dyno runs to verify and the performance gains to me seem most noticeable about about 3.5K or so (before it seemed like the engine needed to get to about 4K or so to really move). When my car goes out of warranty later this year, I'll look into an ECU reprogramming. Doubt I'll do anything with the intake.

The combo of exhaust mods and and ECU tune should get about 10-15HP for the exhaust and another 20-30HP with the tune, so you'd be looking at total gains of 30-45HP, which sounds like what your friend is looking for.

Poke around here, rennlist and planet9 forums and you'll find threads on mods.

We typically see +41whp/32ft-lbs with our 981 Tracktec Performance Package along with drastic improvements in exhaust note and overall driveability (better throttle response, more linear powerband etc). Best of all, no CELs or negative impacts on reliability or driveability.

You'll also pick up a true mild-to-wild exhaust note - refined and throaty with valves closed, aggressive with the valves open.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...acc0f51228.png


https://www.fabspeed.com/porsche-981...mance-package/

Feel free to give me a shout to discuss further or for forum pricing (267) 742-3047

I was looking for the same thing out of my 981BS after a weekend at COTA in March. I put on the Soul sport headers and their Softronic tune and don’t feel like it gave me anything except better sound. Two track weekends afterwards show no noticeable improvement in lap times so I’m not feeling/seeing the benefit after $3k spent.

Good luck in your chase.

Headers is apparently the biggest gain. Headers, exhaust, tune and filters (and perhaps IPD/TB) should net you about 50 crank HP. I would personally stay away from changing IPD/TB. Some tuners seem to squeeze less out of power package upgrades than others.

Since my 981 came with Brombacher exhaust, I went with Brombacher's tune/filters. Exhaust, tune and BMC filters. Definitely stronger than stock but not a HUGE increase. Worth it? To me, yeah. Headers would be next logical piece to my quest for HP. I'm not willing to have after market headers living in CA however, as I already have enough trouble smogging my built 911 turbo. I don't need another headache.

Also, it's my "wife's" new car. ;) She's wondering why I keep tinkering with it. ;)

Brombacher's tune/filters (not even counting exhaust), claim is they get you to 352 crank HP. I haven't dyno'd mine but another guy did and I posted his stuff below.
https://www.fvd.net/us-en/FVD9811001...hp-291-tq.html



Found this guys videos...he claims "Increased whp by 32.5 whp peak and 27wtq peak"...just from just ECU tune. He has Borla exhaust and stock filters.