My experiences in Porsche tuning with Nine Excellence

[OutofOffice]

Hi all,
Lurker and first time poster here too. I don't mean to hijack the thread but just to report - I have had exactly the same experience with 9e as others described. 9e have looked after my x50 manual since 2012. It's an arctic silver with a grey interior, which I didn't really want but the car seemed a good un so I bought it. One unexpected benefit of the grey is that the interior is so much lighter (duh) than the black I have always bought, which I now really notice when getting into another car. That said, I did see some black seats on Ken's shelves (before he tidied up) and bought them off him, together with a piano black transmission tunnel and a black gear stick that was on a car he bought for spares. So it's now a personalised black and grey interior. Sounds a bit dodge but the contrast works really well and the seats are fabulous.

The car is otherwise standard apart from a not very widely known "night and day" package done by 9e. Ken persuaded me to get some mods done, assuring me the difference would be night and day. It was. What's more interesting though is it's totally perfect for my use as Ken knows what I use the car for and just proposed what he thought would be right. Anyway, 9e exhaust, IPD plenum, throttle body, 5bar fpr, new actuators, inter coolers. With the tune, the difference is night and day! Had to fix an oil leak in the process, and the alternator packed in while Ken was testing, which was great since I didn't have the hassle of dealing with that happening to me

Anyway, suspension is next. I'll be getting that completely redone.

9e are a class act.

Yes, I know this post is useless without pictures!

 

[DynoMike]

Wow!! Lurk-fest or what?! A huge :welcome: from a fellow 996T owner here.

I have followed Martin's journey via GTPorsche, good to finally see you pop up on here. You will no doubt be aware that this is the 911 forum, with a great many true enthusiasts for the marque and the model.

The suspension is soft on track, mine rolls like a ship in a storm but grips so well with it's latest 4th incarnation geo set up, which gives the car GT3 like accuracy. Would be interested to know if you have RSS engine mounts as these make an enormous difference to the handling?

Out of office, do you ever venture on track in yours?

Mike.

 

[Porsche News]

excellent writeup

:thumb:

 

[OutofOffice]

Wow!! Lurk-fest or what?! A huge :welcome: from a fellow 996T owner here.

Out of office, do you ever venture on track in yours?

Mike.

Hi, thank you! Not as yet, but I would like to at some point.

Cheers

 

[IMI A]

9e XX and 9e 28

:thumb: :thumb:

 

[martinspain]

Would be interested to know if you have RSS engine mounts as these make an enormous difference to the handling?

No, standard engine mounts. Is it worth getting the RSS ones? Hadn't really considered engine mounts when thinking about handling.

 

[MNC911]

Performance write up :thumb: . I'm pleased you returned to a car that's giving you so much enjoyment & admirable you're using the car it was designed to do.

I'm probably sure a set of fully adjustable suspension set would be on the list to link the engine and braking system, for even greater rewards and smile factor (+ you can incorporate a geometry set up at the same time) .

The good reviews are as important as highlighting the businesses of whom to avoid.

Keep enjoying your P&J

 

[DynoMike]

Would be interested to know if you have RSS engine mounts as these make an enormous difference to the handling?

No, standard engine mounts. Is it worth getting the RSS ones? Hadn't really considered engine mounts when thinking about handling.

A massive improvement! Ties the relative masses of the engine and chassis together. Put simply, one of the best bang for buck mods you can do to a 996 Turbo. They do transmit more exhaust noise to the cabin though, so may be a step too far with a sporty exhaust. Mine runs a stock exhaust which sounded like a sports exhaust inside the car once they were fitted. :thumbs:

 

[martinspain]

They do transmit more exhaust noise to the cabin though, so may be a step too far with a sporty exhaust. Mine runs a stock exhaust which sounded like a sports exhaust inside the car once they were fitted. :thumbs:

I discovered today that with the new Kline Innovation exhaust fitted, my car sounds like an absolute monster on full throttle in a tunnel. Fun, but not a sound I want inside the cabin all the time!

I'll have a think when the time comes to sort the suspension.

 

[RWD_cossie_wil]

Do the RSS mounts, absolutely transforms the car :thumb: ... My exhaust is baffle free, still not too noisy in the cabin.

 

[neil allan]

Sounds like your another happy 9e customer :thumbs:

Like you say its good that Ken won't let a car leave until he is fully happy with it, makes for a reliable conversion.

 

[martinspain]

Sounds like your another happy 9e customer :thumbs:

Like you say its good that Ken won't let a car leave until he is fully happy with it, makes for a reliable conversion.

Yup, couldn't be more pleased with the car. It's such a transformation.

The only issue I have is that having had the 9E38 package and the brake upgrade fitted, I'm now thinking about all the other things that could be improved. I've made that first big step away from stock OEM spec, and now there are so many questions and ideas floating around my head!

Should I fit some better seats since the standard ones are very unsupportive for track driving. Do GT3 buckets fit? Or should I look at 997 sports seats, to retain some practicality?

Or the PCM1, which is rubbish. My daily driver has a CarPlay system in it which is excellent, so should I abandon the standard interior look and fit a modern double-DIN head unit? Can they be made to look as OEM as possible? I'm quite OCD, so something that screams aftermarket at first glance isn't going to cut it.

Or the standard hollow-spoke Turbo wheels, which I love but don't allow much in the way of tyre choice - it's basically PS2s or nothing, and I'd like to run Super Sports or PS4s. Has anyone found a set of 19" wheels that actually suit the 996 widebody shape and don't compromise the ride?

I could go on (and on...), but it's a tricky route to go down. I'm always conscious that the car needs to work for my wife as well, not just me, and that when all's said and done it's a 14-year old road car, not a modern track car. Perhaps I should hold off on making it more extreme and taking it even further from standard.

 

[IMI A]

I personally would not switch to 19s. Will effect the ride horribly and the standard wheels look brill. Do like these in 18s although maybe a bit too modern for a 996

http://rennlist.com/forums/997-turb...-spec-5-monobloc-997-turbo-19x12-21lbs-6.html

 

[Felix_KlineExhausts]

Great write up Martin and thumbs up to Ken at 9E for delivering top service :thumb:

The 996TT, like all 911's, have a great potential to be unleashed!

 

[neil allan]

Here is a couple of ideas for 19" wheels both a very different look but I think both work well with the turbo shape.