Purchased a 2007 GT3. Would like to add 55hp plus. I am a Benz guy (dont flame me), so really have littel experience with P cars.

What are the obvious or best steps in added another 50-100hp? Chip tuning, exhaust, and intake alterations I understand, but which providers or products are best bang for the buck? I am near Toronto, Ontario, if that has any impact.

 

apologize for poor spelling.............not foreign to the language.......just lazy........

 

these engines are not the easiest to extract that much extra power out of them.

Some guys are going to a 3.9 liter engine kit.

If you don't want to go that route, you might be better off buying the new 4.0 RS.

 

+1 I think the GT3 would be tapped mostly unless you went with the 3.9 conversion.

OP, I grew up 10-15 mins from you (Cambridge). What colour GT3 did you get?

 

Hi flow cats will yield some power but nothing close to 55hp. Beyond that you are kind of out of options since intake, exhaust really just improve throttle response.

Jason

 

if thats your goal you should have gone for a Turbo, the GT3 is almost maxed from the factory and is much more track oriented, like the other guys have said it's tough to get that kind of power out of a high strung N/A motor...

 

why do you need more power, is the car not enough already?

new custom headers, cats and mufflers will give you the best bang for the buck and make her sound more like a cup car..

it it will see track duty, then invest in a full monoball suspension upgrade, but if its street I would stay away.

Other than that I would just drive the beans out of her and enjoy... GT3's are not about HP but more about driver involvement and the overall experience than no other car but a P car can really give.

rant over.

 

1. Drop a lot of weight
2. Add bolt ons

It will get you partially there.

If you are looking for a easy path to 50-100 hp, the turbo or GT2 would have been better choices.

 

In my opinion, it's not possible with bolt-ons and any reasonable budget/aftermarket parts currently available, short of opening the motor and changing out internal components. I think within reason 20-25 HP is the most HP you can "easily" add to the engine and still keep the car quiet enough to drive around town.

Everyone has their own beliefs on this... here are mine (not necessarily Shark Werks' or Alex's): from what I have seen, most aftermarket exhausts, even those that replace the side mufflers, on the 997 GT3 models will yield less than 15 additional RWHP on a dyno, and any that give more than even a few HP would likely be very loud and/or expensive. Our car made around 500 HP with a 3.9L and related upgrades, while running through stock cats/headers and stock side mufflers with our center bypass.

Decreasing the back pressure with a super loud/high flow muffler system will cost you a little low-end torque as well and without tuning would likely hurt the throttle response; something the GT3 has done pretty well from the factory and the motor is known for.

I also recommend keeping the stock headers/cats (a single unit) for avoiding Check Engine Lights (CEL) and ensuring they won't fail in the expected lifetime of the car (for this the OEM cats are suitable). Plus the car can sound great while keeping them.

Some aftermarket intakes you'll see are hot air/open-to-the-engine and I do not believe this type would produce more power than the stock unit. This really only leaves internal engine upgrades or tuning to further add power, short of using race full (dynos I've seen show that ~95-96 octane unleaded will add about 10 HP over CA's 91) or nitrous oxide (I wouldn't recommend it) etc.

Tuning the ECU can yield about 10-12 RWHP more than stock and better throttle response by remapping the e-gas, electronic throttle pedal.

On a standard GT3, the GT3RS's single mass lightweight flywheel is also a nice upgrade for making the car zippier, but it adds some transmission noise. IMO it's worth the tradeoff.

Welcome to the world of GT3s, you'll find they are incredible cars and built to last.

 

Great info Dan.

 

Why do you pick some arbitrary peak HP # as a measure of performance? How often do you use the car in that part of the powerband. I'd rather have useful power across the whole curve, of which the stock GT3 has plenty. Its a work of art in that regard. If you want to go drag racing and big #'s is all you care about get a turbo...

 

I understand the need for more HP on a GT3. With Corvette and the new 2011 Zo6 Carbon edition at 505HP....this would make comparing the 2 more equal. I got to drive one of these yesterday - Seat sux but the power and torque are very very nice as well as the massive brakes - all for 100k

 

Thanks for the responses, guys. I am new to the GT3 (and P-cars in general), and was looking for the best bang for the bucks in terms of acquiring the 65hp.

Many recommendations have been to drive and feel before needed to eek out more horses out of the flat 6. Historically, I have always played with my Benz's to get some rudimentary gains without going overboard (and encouraging a divorce).

I may keep it to an ECU tune, and for acoustical reasons, bypassing the last muffler stage in the exhaust.

I actually pick up the car tomorrow night, and this is the first time in many years that I have been counting the days until I can get behind the wheel.

I have definitely been reading and perusing these (and other forums) to learn more about my new toy, so appreciate your patience with my ignorance.

 

Three quick steps:
1. Sell the GT3
2. Buy a GT2
3. Detune GT2 to 480hp

 

Well, that is definitely a divorce waiting to happen.......and that is even more pricey........

Seriously though, I will play with the GT3 for awhile and see where I'd like to go with it. I am certain to do a little tracking later in the summer when my schedule slows down and see where to go from there.

I pick up the car tonight !!