982 GT4 Upgrade Journey

[fredms]

Updated the title of the thread since it's evolved from the OP into more of an upgrade journey.

I think I'm nearing the end of that journey - time to let the smoldering remains of my wallet rest in peace.
Having said that there are a few things I might still do to the car - 4RS front splitter, other bits of aero, exhaust changes to lower volume (valves changes or cats in headers + resonated OAP's, not sure yet).

For now though, here's the latest (and hopefully last for a while) updates:
- I installed a 4RS style carbon fibre wing, pictures below (MR stickers to come for the sides of the wing)
- I have the dyno results for my car which if I'm reading it correctly put it at 21hp less than a 4RS, but about 15nm more. I don't know about weight - my wing, flywheel, rims and brakes are all significantly lighter than the stock parts they replaced, so I imagine there isn't a whole lot of difference in weight.

Really happy with the car. Driving it was always an event, but much more so with everything that has been done to it. I still fully intend on putting as many miles as possible and hopefully more time on track too. I did go to Donington last week and had a great time. First time on track in 13+ years, first time in a mid engine car and I was exactly as slow as I thought I'd be, but I'll improve

Thoughts on independent specialists I've used:
Porschtek Leeds
Work done: servicing both cars, exhaust setups etc.
More for servicing and more rudimentary stuff than performance setups. Love these guys, I service both my cars here. Run by ex Porsche technicians. Much nicer to have a closer relationship with people working on your car.
Litchfield Motors
Work done: stage 3 remap, suspension setup
Hit and miss. Impressive place they have, I guess they focus much more on Nissan GTR's than Porsche. The fast road setup they did on my car was stellar. I think getting the suspension setup properly is a must for anyone who buys a GT car, it was like driving a totally different car by the time I left. Their remap was good in terms of efficiency. The car definitely had better mid range power, it ran well and it didn't feel too manic, but someone told me they just buy in maps, they don't do custom maps which makes sense because they couldn't really do much. They couldn't make any other changes to the ECU (rev ranges, valve changes etc). 9M and RPM could do custom maps (RPM outsourced this I believe) so you get a more hardcore mapping
Ninemeister
Work done: their stage 2 GT4 setup
Decent workshop, and products at competitive prices. A little annoyed - I was 20 min late but they claimed it was an hour and pushed the works on my car back a full day. I get there's a schedule to keep but I can't predict or control accidents on the motorway while driving over. They've adopted a bit of a Porsche mentality (give us your keys and go away)
RPM Technik
Work done: exhaust changes, stage 3 remap, full MR kit install, ST's install, fast road setup, shortened gear ratios
Very impressive workshops. Even driving up is an event with how many cars are there and you can see why they are so busy. They went the extra mile to accommodate all the works I wanted done on my car in the timeframes I needed. Also receptive to feedback and keen to resolve any issues. Good quality work. Loved being shown around their workshop and talking to the technicians as well.

That's about it. Here's some pics with the new wing and dyno graph:

 

[Neil Chadwick]

This is a really interesting thread. Does anyone have a list of modifications that are permitted by Porsche to maintain a warranty or do you just have to ask your OPC?

 

[Twinfan]

This is a really interesting thread. Does anyone have a list of modifications that are permitted by Porsche to maintain a warranty or do you just have to ask your OPC?

I believe it's done on a case-by-case basis when you come to extend your warranty via your OPC. Once an extended warranty is in place, anything that could be attributed to a mod (either previously declared or subsequently added) will mean that particular claim is denied. The extended warranty isn't a black/white on/off, it's claim-by-claim dependent.

 

[fredms]

This is a really interesting thread. Does anyone have a list of modifications that are permitted by Porsche to maintain a warranty or do you just have to ask your OPC?

Glad you found it interesting, that was my hope when typing it all out. I think you'd be pretty limited if you want to keep your warranty.

That's really what kicked off my desire to try / consider a GT3 and a 4RS before undertaking this journey - why spend upwards of 70k modifying a GT4 and void the warranty if I could just buy a GT3 or a 4RS? They'll probably be better out of the box anyway!

There's a few reasons I did it though... Sentiment is the most important one, you can always buy a new car, but I have an emotional attachment to this car and I wanted something quite unique and special. I prefer the Cayman / mid engine platform and the looks over the 911, I wanted a manual car, I wanted a louder car because although I may look like I grown man I'm actually a 12 year old (quoting Peter Rolt who said something to that effect), and I've had fun with the project... As crazy as it sounds (considering how loud my car is) I also didn't want the much louder induction noise that you get with the 4RS!

So I hope I never need to address what might have been a warranty issue, but if I do then so be it. I've had a great time.

 

[dbjames]

I believe it's done on a case-by-case basis when you come to extend your warranty via your OPC. Once an extended warranty is in place, anything that could be attributed to a mod (either previously declared or subsequently added) will mean that particular claim is denied. The extended warranty isn't a black/white on/off, it's claim-by-claim dependent.

Interesting thread. Which OPC was it that let you change the muffler without voiding warranty if you don't mind sharing please. I've heard of some turning a blind eye but other putting a "warranty block" on the car that is logged on the central Porsche system...

The other combo that avoids remapping but liberates power is to just change the headers to ones with high flow cats but which don't trigger a CEL, and keep the stock particulate filters and backbox. This seems rarely done though for some reason

 

[Twinfan]

As I said the warranty isn't a black/white and on/off thing, it's looked at case-by-case, plus I don't believe there's such a thing as a "warranty block" - it's likely to be just that the non-standard exhaust is noted against the car to be taken into consideration if there are any future warranty claims. Which is fair enough, and is the case with my car and the extended warranty I have in place.

If an OPC initially turns a blind eye completely then that's obviously a slight bonus, but that situation may change if you used the same OPC to claim for an engine issue. They may say they've ignored the exhaust change previously, but do you really know that they have? They may also still at that point note the exhaust change on the claim and it could be denied.

My view is that if you modify your car with non-Porsche approved parts then you cannot expect to have the same level of warranty cover as a completely standard car. You can't have your cake and eat it!

 

[fredms]

The other combo that avoids remapping but liberates power is to just change the headers to ones with high flow cats but which don't trigger a CEL, and keep the stock particulate filters and backbox. This seems rarely done though for some reason

I didn't try only changing the headers but I doubt that you will see any meaningful power increase without remapping. There have been very long discussions on Rennlist on this topic. The sellers claims that just by bolting on different parts (in my and many others experience) is total nonsense and dyno results bear this out. In every case I've seen including my own changing parts has resulted in a power loss until the car is remapped, and I reckon you need quite an aggressive tune if you want to see any meaningful gains.