Review of the 996 C4S with standard PSE refurbish and OEM Carnewal Cat exchange replacement
Work Done
We all know that replacing an exhaust has a lot of options and can be costly especially if going down the OEM or big brand route. I was very happy with the standard PSE exhaust only in so far as with lower weight that would have been ideal. To achieve that was going to need a significant investment so I opted for a refurb and changing cats instead.
A strip of the exhaust off the car, bottom clam shell boxes starting to split so the whole thing was repaired with new seams all round and on the pipes for good measure. One side exhaust flap was actually found to be stuck shut in quiet mode so that was released. New genuine clamps, gaskets, nuts and bolts all round. After much deliberation of what to do to achieve 200 cel cats, the standard cats were sent away to Carnewal for upgrade to 200 cel versions which involves opening them up and repacking with high quality 200 cel versions.
Garage Used
Porschacare, couldn't recommend them enough really, phone calls multiple times with progress updates (a first from any garage I have dealt with!)
https://www.porschacare.com/
Driving Impressions
Sound
A sticky flap :roll: means it is difficult to seperate the cat impact from the exhaust but overall the sound is definitely has a deeper and touch louder and richer note to it. One of the interesting things is with the flaps shut the cats appear to make the sound much more interesting when quiet as opposed to just sounding silenced as they did before. If I wanted to be discreet it's a good option now as opposed to feeling short changed. With the PSE on/open (which it is by default on my 2004 model year) it's definitely got it's mojo back with a deep bass rumble and clear guttural sound at low revs falling to a nice rich sound at higher revs. No drone present at any speed. Very pleased with the sound having listened to a few aftermarket systems which didn't have the quality of sound the PSE does.
Response / Speed / Power
The cats are supposed to give c.10hp but I would say this is difficult to detect in normal driving but something is there for sure. The main gain seems to be response at almost any speed and better urgency in the 5-7k range which is probably where you might expect it to be.
Aesthetics / Fit & Finish
The new stainless seams on the boxes look quite fresh at the moment but will colour to the rest of the exhaust over a few thousand miles and therefore the refurb would be difficult to detect to the untrained eye. The cat you can hardly see the weld where it was cut to replace the innards. Obviously it all goes back together very nicely as you might expect being all OEM parts with new fixings. No tip alignment or anything needed. Unless you were under the car you wouldn't know anything had been done but from a distance you can see some nice new stainless OEM clamps at the rear.
ROI (4 of 5 Stars)
About £700 for the cats and a few hundred for the refurb and new fixtures and a few hundred for labour I reckon it's £1100 the lot or so. To maintain OEM quality components and the great PSE sound but now improved to my ears with more response and top end urgency I give it 4 of 5 stars for overall ROI. I think if you could live without the cats the refurb is a 5 star ROI over a new system for sure. As I keep this garaged year round and only do a few thousand miles in the car a year this upgrade will last me the life of the car I should think.
Work Done
We all know that replacing an exhaust has a lot of options and can be costly especially if going down the OEM or big brand route. I was very happy with the standard PSE exhaust only in so far as with lower weight that would have been ideal. To achieve that was going to need a significant investment so I opted for a refurb and changing cats instead.
A strip of the exhaust off the car, bottom clam shell boxes starting to split so the whole thing was repaired with new seams all round and on the pipes for good measure. One side exhaust flap was actually found to be stuck shut in quiet mode so that was released. New genuine clamps, gaskets, nuts and bolts all round. After much deliberation of what to do to achieve 200 cel cats, the standard cats were sent away to Carnewal for upgrade to 200 cel versions which involves opening them up and repacking with high quality 200 cel versions.
Garage Used
Porschacare, couldn't recommend them enough really, phone calls multiple times with progress updates (a first from any garage I have dealt with!)
https://www.porschacare.com/
Driving Impressions
Sound
A sticky flap :roll: means it is difficult to seperate the cat impact from the exhaust but overall the sound is definitely has a deeper and touch louder and richer note to it. One of the interesting things is with the flaps shut the cats appear to make the sound much more interesting when quiet as opposed to just sounding silenced as they did before. If I wanted to be discreet it's a good option now as opposed to feeling short changed. With the PSE on/open (which it is by default on my 2004 model year) it's definitely got it's mojo back with a deep bass rumble and clear guttural sound at low revs falling to a nice rich sound at higher revs. No drone present at any speed. Very pleased with the sound having listened to a few aftermarket systems which didn't have the quality of sound the PSE does.
Response / Speed / Power
The cats are supposed to give c.10hp but I would say this is difficult to detect in normal driving but something is there for sure. The main gain seems to be response at almost any speed and better urgency in the 5-7k range which is probably where you might expect it to be.
Aesthetics / Fit & Finish
The new stainless seams on the boxes look quite fresh at the moment but will colour to the rest of the exhaust over a few thousand miles and therefore the refurb would be difficult to detect to the untrained eye. The cat you can hardly see the weld where it was cut to replace the innards. Obviously it all goes back together very nicely as you might expect being all OEM parts with new fixings. No tip alignment or anything needed. Unless you were under the car you wouldn't know anything had been done but from a distance you can see some nice new stainless OEM clamps at the rear.
ROI (4 of 5 Stars)
About £700 for the cats and a few hundred for the refurb and new fixtures and a few hundred for labour I reckon it's £1100 the lot or so. To maintain OEM quality components and the great PSE sound but now improved to my ears with more response and top end urgency I give it 4 of 5 stars for overall ROI. I think if you could live without the cats the refurb is a 5 star ROI over a new system for sure. As I keep this garaged year round and only do a few thousand miles in the car a year this upgrade will last me the life of the car I should think.
