MYTHBUSTED! Do Intake Mods Work? - Motive Garage Porsche 997.1 C2

[@MrTroytroy]

What an excellent scientific approach - probably the best example of removing other variables (no doubt because of a critical Aussie crowd!). Love the research - you’re probably saving hapless Porsche owners (and enthusiasts) lots of money - who are already vulnerable to marketing... Keep it up!

[@wobblysauce]

And some people just love throwing parts at it even with no performance change.

[@lucazanoni9168]

They’ve done all good except the fact they didn’t have enough air on dyno without side vents...I work for a tuning company and I can make you sure that with the IPD you have big gains with proper air flow

[@sepg5084]

@@lucazanoni9168 the simple panel filter gained power though

[@adamneill9237]

By doing a VR remap/flash tune w/ mods(and having a pair of fans simulating running down the road) could see over 33whp

[@R2D2trashcan]

You mean Porsche engineers don’t know more than K&N? Impossible.

[@Poorschedriver]

They didn't make more power because they didn't put the K&N sticker on the rear window!

[@saulespino2510]

@@Poorschedriver Yeah, it is a given that when you put that K&N sticker you get extra horsepowers!

[@waqarghulam3548]

Porsche engineers obviously should know, but they work within regulations. K&N and BMC filters allow more air or more oxygen to come through hence improving power. But it will also emitted more carbon as more is burned. Therefore aftermarket filters will improve power won’t damage your car but it may damage the environment a bit more.

[@Edgy01]

@@waqarghulam3548 introducing MORE air isn’t always enough. When you introduce hotter air-you will pay a price.

[@waqarghulam3548]

@@Edgy01 yes it’s not enough but the computer will balance the mixture by increasing or reducing fuel. Did I mention hot air?

[@wayneschofield5978]

I've done similar tests, many, many times, whilst doing live mapping on the dyno and I too have yet to find an intake any measurable amount better than the stock setup. It's a shame that you didn't test a NEW stock air filter element as well, because you'd probably have found that the K&N panel is virtually no better than a clean stock filter, which is also MUCH better at stopping dirt than a cotton/gauze filter. The IPD in particular normally LOSES power just after the point where the resonance flap opens, and I know that this is because the 'divider' in the throttle T gets in the way of lateral wave propagation. (I know because I've previously chopped it out and re-tested it). The big problem is that people WANT to believe that there's some easy, bolt on power to be gained, but there just isn't.

[@andersjjensen]

If you want more power out of that engine from the intake side you're going to have to resort to some serious antics with variable length intake runners and/or cam magic. Porsche is a ruthless competitor in the high end market who leaves no stone unturned. If you come up with something to make more power from that engine it will come at a cost Porsche wasn't ready to pay (crappy emissions, premature engine wear, questionable reliability, etc).

[@jigglerish]

I can imagine those companies would be a bit upset with your findings.

[@MotiveVideo]

jigglerish we were upset too: we wanted more power and better noise

[@doublehelix109]

@@MotiveVideo bloody awesome work on putting this into a video for everyone tho, even if we have no interest in porchers its still great to watch! cheers

[@bonestorm007]

People bullshit to sell their crap. Never buy anything without independent hard data like this!! Well done guys!

[@XenonG]

You can check out Banks Performance, and them testing rear diff covers and how crap they actually were compared to OEM lmao. And then, Banks designing and making better ones because they bothered to science the why and how.

[@thurmanjr7]

This isn't the first video I have seen that proves how awful and over rated the IPD Plenum is. At this point I am surprised no one has sued them for false claims.

[@edsporschegarage5057]

I have owned several naturally aspirated Porsche 911’s & Boxsters. The only things I have found to work are 1. Panel filter 2. Any exhaust combination but best results were headers and cats, not necessarily the rear boxes. 3. A custom remap - Revo worked they best in most cases. These mods together transformed the car. When you say you didn’t notice any difference, it’s like driving a different car when you get it right. Happy Porsche driving

[@Sime1810]

Would be great if you could do an Xpipe vs crossover pipes when doing your exhaust mods and test the same way you did the intakes. These things are super expensive and people have to trust the manufacturers when it seems often their claims are not accurate.

[@DriverGuy23]

This is exactly why I snicker every time one of my buddies say he’s goin to replace the intake system on his car. You go right ahead Bud, I’ll just enjoy my Porsche while you deal with possible engine intake codes, downtime, heat soak & the same or less HP. If you want a easy way to make your Porsche faster, just tune the nut behind the wheel.

[@MotiveVideo]

We tune that nut regularly. check out our Rallypsrint videos in our WRX

[@ganthrithor]

Really nice to see this kind of thing done properly: you hate to see comparison videos / articles where things are just thrown on and horsepower numbers are read off and that's it. Always funny when people are testing their stock stuff mid-day and then testing their aftermarket stuff at night after they've finished their installations... like yeah, air temperature / density altitude are a thing. My take after having one of Fabspeed's carbon Y-shaped dual-cone airbox replacements? At low rpm (which you obviously have to deal with every time you start the car moving during normal driving) the engine never ran as sweetly / throttle response felt degraded. I'm sure power was down by a measurable amount purely as a result of the intake air temperature being elevated due to engine drawing air from inside the engine compartment. The sound of that intake was absolutely manic and I loved it and kept the pipe in the car for several years purely because I enjoyed the sound-- the car is already fast enough that you can't really push it too hard on public roads anyway. However, after driving the car for a few years with the aftermarket intake, I had to install the factory airbox again to pass an emissions test (I know: ridiculous, but that's how California laws are now-- you can't have any aftermarket equipment that's not state-approved. They don't even measure emissions output: they'll just fail you immediately for having undocumented equipment), and the engine / throttle response for daily driving stuff was just noticeably better with the stock airbox, so I've left it on and foregone my lovely noise. At some point I'll get off my lazy arse and go pick up a rubber cap to bypass the resonator: I know it won't sound as good as the carbon tube, but I figure an improved sound and factory performance is probably the correct happy medium. I would not install any airbox on this car in the future that doesn't seal against the decklid. There are only a couple of boxes that do this that I've been able to find: one was a Porsche factory upgrade (part of the X51 power kit iirc), and there was one aftermarket company that seemed to do a carbon, sealing, dual-panel-filter solution that probably works well. Both of them were many thousands of dollars: not worth it IMO. Better off saving up and buying a GT3 than sinking money into attempting to hot up a regular Carrera, I think.

[@HomeBuiltByJeff]

Great video mate. Very interesting to see a nice unbiased review of those parts, and good to see you driving and enjoying the car in the way it was intended.

[@theangriestbassplayer7492]

Can't thank you enough for doing this video. It's exactly what I needed to see. Wish there were more performance mod videos where they change one thing at a time and verify results with the dyno. I was about to pull the trigger on $2K worth of intake mods that are worthless/degrading to performance.

[@JuanOrnelas-m6s]

Sir you just saved me from wasting 1,500 bucks on a IPD plenum and k&n intake for my 997.1, will instead use those funds to swap out my water pump and alternator Thanks so much!

[@vickmann86]

13:14 Is that Benny in the Cresta? Great vid btw.

[@mediocre_moto]

Great video - easy to understand, lots of effort into making the tests consistent, and MOST important of all: honesty in your findings. Great to see a channel not being swayed by manufacturers! 👏 👌

[@Kiwiriderandcarnut]

Love this video, proves the point I've made for ages. Porsche know what they're bloody doing so why fiddle with immaculate engineering. Just pop in a reusable K&N filter so you don't have to buy the expensive replacement Porsche filters every service and Roberts your mother's brother. 4.5hp is a nice little bump from what is effectively a preventative maintenance part.

[@cardesinr]

Good old school mod and dyno video. I love it.

[@wc9799]

Greetings from the States. I love your videos like this. Super informative and the average person can understand what is going on with the way you explain it. Thank you. Cheers!

[@Khanh.Nguyen369]

Damn. This is mind blowing. All these expensive mods doing nothing. Guess you’re not going to beat decades of German engineering.

[@stijnvandamme76]

It has always been like that on NA cars.. if you want power gains you need a turbo car.. dial a boost and pray it don't kaboom on ya

[@plonky17]

Well done. There is a lot of people who exchange money for fantasy and these tests were done well. My 3.4 has the original airbox and blanked off the resonator. The original muffler boxes were modified with the Gundo bypass. Sounds amazing but no measurable change in power. The best way to get a 996 or 997 to boogie is by removing weight. They are 1300kg with driver and with some imaginative use of lighter accessories (muffler boxes, rear seats, some sound deadening, carpet, lightweight sway bars and drop links) they are down in the high 11’s mid 12’s. Keep up the good work.

[@Steve_MFr]

This has been the standard discussion on Porsche forums for a decade or more (when did the IPD plenums come out?). The more reality-based people always claimed that they'd like to see a dyno test from IPD or at least with an IPD. This is the first time I've seen such a test. THANK YOU! I'm actually surprised that the K&N filter provided an improvement - though I'll stick to a paper filter and not deal with MAF issues. Now you need to do a test with other mods (such as exhaust, remap) to actually try to move more air through the engine. I can easily imagine that the larger throttle body will provide power at some point - but that the IPD plenum makes no difference. While I have always thought that it looks like the IPD could do something (the wedge splitter - not the dimples), if it'd been that easy, Porsche would have done it from the factory. Thanks again! (and now do a 996/7 turbo :-p )

[@MotiveVideo]

IF we could afford a 997 turbo we would! We have lots more intake and exhaust tests lined up

[@Laminur]

Great in depth, real world analysis as always Andrew. I personally don't care much for that Porsche but your ability to examine, test, and explain makes your videos worth watching.

[@eugene9661]

Not surprised at all! Aftermarket parts often make more noise and give the perception of more power simply due to auditory feed back. Even if after some trouble shooting and tuning one can gain 10-15 horses, that does not justify the time and cost for those small gains. Thank you for the excellent work!

[@ukwan]

I own a 996 and having tried most of the stuff you did in this video, I can confirm my findings were the same (butt dyno only) not scientific, but the best thing I found for the 996 was fitting the 997 air box, which confirms my suspicion the 997 3.6/3.8 air box is flowing all the air you could need for these engines.

[@MotiveVideo]

James Healey thanks for the feedback. It was our opinion as well. If the 3.8 uses it then it’s enough for the 3.6

[@tz6414]

Brilliant, those daft hot air intakes like k&n have always bugged me. I took the resonator our of my airbox, then after reading dyno tests put it back in.

[@eddherring4972]

Advertised as cold air intakes as well. That only works if you can get cold air in, not an issue in front engine cars. K&N roof scoop anyone?

[@boxserpent]

Hello everybody. I currently own a 997.1 Carrera S with 355 hp. When I measured her on the dyno she made 329 hp (more or less all the 997.1 3.8 Carreras produce around 328-330 hp at the dyno and not 355 as factory announces. Talked with people from IPD plenum and proposed me the 74 mm IPD plenum and Throttle Body as a first stage tuning step and the 82 mm Throttle body with the 82 mm Plenum as the ultimate, better step for extreme hp and torque gains. I bought all of them and tried them at the same dyno, the very same day and the car produced 335-340 hp with the IPD 74 mm TB and plenum and only 306 hp with the 82 mm TB and plenum. The serious dropdown came probably from the larger diameter of the TB and the plenum due to the diminished velocity of the incoming air. The car every time I changed the TB and plenum with the original (for 997.1 Carrera S IPD 74 mm TB and Plenum) produced more power and torque. We tried several times even with all possible combinations (74 mm TB and 82 mm Plenum, 82 mm TB and 74 mm Plenum etc) but the car kept losing power every time the wider TB or Plenum was used. We also tried with ecu reflash and actual “fine tuning”, made many pulls on the dyno but we were not able to gain power from the wider series of iPD TB and Plenum. Finally I kept the 74 mm IPD TB and Plenum and sold the wider ones. When I mailed, showed all the dyno pulls and the bad results at IPD, unfortunately I never got an answer why my car kept losing power with the wider TB and Plenum. I would appreciate if you have any dyno results before and after the use of 82 mm TB and Plenum and if you would agree to show them to us. Thank you

[@Fleabite7]

the 355 is the crank hp number

[@reginaschmitz5289]

Thank you from Germany! A super useful and above all realistic & honest overview/test!

[@skippy2987]

I'd put a manometer on the intake just before the throttle. If the factory doesn't have more than 10" of water vacuum at full power you're gonna be hard pressed to get gains. I'd also put an airflow meter in it. Toyota and subaru ones can be adapted to any pipe size and you can log voltage out. This will create a slight restriction but can then be used to measure airflow increases *after* the point of measurement like that T-piece that looked like it wasn't sure if it was dividing airflow or allowing resonance between the plenums or not. Also, do backpressure measurements, because no one ever does those and i need more data points to judge modified cars on

[@_red_scorpion_]

I'd love to see the Dyno again after the ECU has had the time and miles to re learn the IPD plenum

[@stijnvandamme76]

It's really not going to learn 5 horses at WOT peak power of the camshaft The DME learning just brings minor gains in efficiency, milage, throttle response and maybe a bit of midrange

[@sklyrovka]

there is no "relearning"

[@sje106]

So glad you’ve done this video. Manufacturers of these products do make some very surprising and appealing. Laine of gains, but very little people actually do back to back tests. I had a 996 Carrera 2 with IPD GT3 body plus the air box mod and it made less than standard, so I’m not surprised by your results either.

[@Edgy01]

Thanks for using a strict engineering approach. It comes to the same conclusions that I have had for years. As a Porsche customer for nearly fifty years, I know that they have an extremely good engineering staff. They rarely leave low hanging fruit. I can’t tell you how many K&H filter kits have been misrepresented as a ‘cold air kit’ but common sense suggests that when you suck air off the top of an engine compartment-not ram air like the stock configuration, the warmer air entering the engine will pay no dividends.

[@YogisGarage]

That was an honest review of what these aftermarkets claim to produce to what they ACTUALLY produce. Which is an empty wallet with no noticeable gain in performance. Well done!

[@jaj07]

Great test, just what I was looking for! Saved me a grand from buying the IPD plenum.

[@mushy1983123]

I was considering buying it to but now have doubts

[@charliejewell5673]

IPD says you need 5 to 50 miles for the ECU to adjust to the new air inlet. Please re-test so we can know if thats true.

[@Dimpala]

Watch the whole video....they did drive it for 2 weeks, no change.

[@matutolaYT]

Really well done video, thumbs up! this is actually common in NA cars, for example the Honda S2000 cold box air kit, removes 20 to 40 HP :D, amazing stuff!

[@OfficiallyGuChi]

Andrew.. i swear it. When you explain things.. i totally understand it to T. Man that last suspension video fair enough he went into technical details but here and there i couldnt pick it up! Selective hearing much!! Lol

[@alienpoker]

Great video. I’ve never been impressed by K&N cold air intakes that sit in the engine bay. Seems like a great idea, but they heat-soak. It does change the engine note quite a bit, I agree the sound has a low growl. It’s hard to improve on the factory airbox.

[@dancarlos1216]

Richard Harvey I know a 350Z isn’t a 911, but this is the same reason I left the stock air box with a drop in filter. We only change filters on bikes too because the Manufacturers do so much R&D to get them right out of the box.

[@eddherring4972]

Porsche must have put a lot of thought into air delivery for the Carrera, being as it doesn’t have the vents of the Turbo, Cayman & Boxster. Logically sticking with the deck lid only delivery they must have got it right, otherwise why not have the side vent direct feed?

[@RichW240]

I am wondering if K&N over-oiled the filter at their factory? My friend installed K&N filters on his motorcycle and the engine began to run too rich. After many carb adjustments, he finally found out that the K&Ns had too much oil in the fibers! Washing the factory oil out of the filters and re-oiling (lightly) the engine finally ran as it should.

[@dorifthor]

Great job. I just wish your first dyno run was with a clean air filter, that one was filthy. My experience is that the stock non oiled filters are best. I always notice a power increase or at least smoother running engine after replacing the air filter. The oil film air filters dirty up the intake air sensors and tend to cause issues down the track.

[@robhabibi]

I liked the scientific approach. Makes it credible. I was just about to do the cold air-intake and IPD mods on my 997 S. Now, I won't.

[@MotiveVideo]

Hold off until weve done other mods and tests. We will looka t all the options. Bare in mind S has a different exhaust and more power stock

[@marlon-85]

Thanks a lot guys, this helped me a lot. Was about to buy IPD upgrade for my 996 C4S in hope of some hp gain, but these tests just saved me bunch of money, so thanks once again. Best way to gain power in N/A car is by weight saving, take out everything you don't need - problem with the Porsche though is that it is pretty difficult to maintain that perfect weight balance because most of the weight that can be removed is in the front.

[@mbrunocondello]

I’m telling you now - when you take that air box off in the future - don’t break the oil fill tube - such a pain in the arze to change - that alternator is the worst to take out - top video !!!

[@eric78730]

Love the scientific approach! Please do 992 video!

[@peterdavies9209]

I would be checking the internal diameter of the pipe the MAF sits in and compare it to the stock housing, could be a MAF scaling issue. I know with VW/Audi products of that era that the US spec cars often had different sized MAF housings compare to our EURO spec models. Alternatively, the position of the MAF looks like it would have terrible readings.

[@MotiveVideo]

Peter Davies it’s a huge part of what it is, but it’s sold as a bolt on part that doesn’t require tuning

[@peterdavies9209]

May just be the case of a simple mistake on K&N's part not realising market differences. I'm realistic that almost no intakes on an NA car make much if any power, but to loose power and mess AFR so badly suggests there is a mistake

[@MotiveVideo]

@@peterdavies9209 We spoke to them about it and was assured was right. We have more tests and more things lined up though.

[@gasongasoff4822]

@@MotiveVideo I had the exact same thought as @Peter Davies. If the cross sectional diameter of the intake pipe where the MAF sits is larger in the K&N CAI compared to the stock intake, the MAF will be reading lower velocities for a given air flow rate. This would lead to a lean condition and would explain why your AFR dropped.

[@Chitown388]

Thank you, thank you for cutting through the gimmick and the fog! This will save me a lot of time and money from pursuing negative to zero HP gain.

[@billswim]

Well done. I work on these cars for a living and cringe every time someone suggests they add any of these kits. I do a bit of explaining and then tell them if they still want to do it I'll take their money both to put it on and take it back off when they realize its not as great as they were told.

[@boostdr33]

I fitted a larger throttle body and intake Tee to my 2.7 Boxster and found it to loose power initially also. Investigation found that the resonance tuning was upset by the increase in intake volume. I shortened the intake length and all my power plus more returned. The change in length by 3” was enough to push the power band outside the rpm window. I already had decent quality extractors with burns collectors installed. Still on the OEM cat pipes. You could try: Underdrive pulley Headers (likely give up some bottle end) Test pipes as you said Tune (love to see a haltech, link, etc)

[@racekar80]

My 997.1 S increased HP and torque using the IPD competition plenum and throttle body. The 3.8L is different, it’s not optimized from the factory.

[@tpmbe]

I'm still not convinced the IPD plenum doesn't make any difference..... wish there was more thorough analysis with ECU, but great you have made this comparison, so much debate about this on forums.

[@simonkent1291]

Great video, did you try a new stock air filter vs the old one vs the k+n. The 3.8 uses the same filter and it is not a restriction, also i would never use a oiled panel filter in a car that runs a Mass Air Flow Meter as i have seen loads pack up with oil contamination, K+N say its not an issue but i can tell you it is ( i run a dyno and specialise in VAG and Porsche). I would sooner loose 5hp and not run the risk of running lean later from a faulty MAF.

[@MotiveVideo]

We didn't try a new one, no, but we did clean the factory one out. Next rounds of mods we might and try new one or different brand. Also have another intake kit on the way too.

[@garagecedric]

Also noticed the std air filter was pretty nasty, so probably not as good as it could be.

[@Ostaicoechea]

I used to own a 2008 Porsche Carrera C2 with the following modifications: (Coincidence?) -IPD Plenum -K&N Intake -GT3 Throttle Body -FVD Brombacher software I didnt feel any improvement until a few days after the installation. Anyway the sound was great and i didnt dynoed or tried to compared in 0-100 km/h times or 1/4 mile. Probably i will re-buy that car in a few weeks so i will probably take to the dyno and let you guys know.

[@rhinohippo55]

I like how the controled group is very controlled, finally see a mod video with real science to it

[@andrewgibbs9827]

A very methodological approach. Busting myths for sure. Going to try n find you exhaust findings vid next. Regards

[@terrylessmann2274]

Great video, great analysis. Not surprised the K&N intake system cost hp since it can draw hot air from the engine compartment and your test results showed that. A little surprised by no gains from the IPD system, not even a bit more torque. Have heard they work best with tunes from companies like Softronic, which is plausible since they can throw more fuel into the equation along with the IPD's extra air. Would never use or recommend a K&N style filter. Too much goo and you coat the MAF causing a CEL. Too little goo (or failing to regularly maintain it) and you're letting gobs of dirt into your engine. Porsches are not small block Chevies - add a few mods to an SBC and it unleashes more hp. Not so with Porsche. Want more Porsche hp? Buy an S, a GTS, or a turbo.

[@tx5brent]

Love the brutal honesty mate! It makes sense that it would loose power, I would like to know the difference in surface area of both filters, I feel like the factory filter might have even had more area.

[@SortaProfessional89]

If the 3.6 uses the same intake as the 3.8 your probably right that it flows enough!

[@pS-sv3pm]

Another video said when you replace plenum and throttle body, you need an ecu remap, it won't adjust to all the parts on its own.

[@michaellittle8725]

Well done to take the time and break it down

[@johnminot7494]

I know that putting larger induction on my 1979 short stroke 3.2 messed up my hp until I put a different exhaust on it. So maybe just the regular IPD without the gt3 throttle body and better exhaust may have given better results.

[@stanleytang]

Did you ever think to remove the k&n filter sock. They rob alot of power. Filter sock were ment for offroad vehicles. Sand, dirt, etc

[@MK-mt7kz]

Thank you guys for saving me money, after this video I’m not buying ipd pipe and gt3 throttle body 👍

[@curvetrcalinga]

I used this setup on my 987.1 S with Remus exhaust, desnorked, and a software tune and it works for me. The car pulls harder than stock

[@MotiveVideo]

"Pulls" harder as in it "feels" faster, or did you dyno test it before and after?

[@curvetrcalinga]

@@MotiveVideo so here’s the sequence. Years ago with just Remus exhaust (no secondary cats) we put it on a dyno jet and it registered 270 on the wheels. I know dyno jet can read higher numbers. Then years later I put the 82 mm TB with the plenum and had sharkwerks tune it. Waited a year or two to put it again on another dyno jet, been very busy those years, and it registered 292 HP. I can really feel it because when I pull away on the straight in the track ( Thunderhill raceway in CA most of the time) it really pulls especially when the secondary Variocam kicks in. Since the sequence is not the same as the way others have tested it, I can conclude that it works but with the use of complementary mods (software, exhaust, and denorkelimg (remove the side inlet restriction and just use wiremesh). It may also be that all 911s are fully optimized compared to Caymans due to marketing hierarchy and that’s why there’s more room for modifications on Caymans. I want to put headers but smog check is brutal here in CA. I have been tracking the car since 2009 and the mods just keep building up. Oil system modifications, coilovers, under drive pulley, GT3 LCA, brake pads, center radiator, tires, brake fluids, brake ducts, weight reduction, and racing oil. The car is still strong, 35,000 miles only but almost 1/4 of it is track miles. Lots of 7200 RPM in 3rd gear when pulling away from corners to straight away on the track. Also backroads and canyon driving. No ticking sound and blue smoke after cold start.

[@E85-M54-Power]

Porsche is already a very well engineered setup. In other words, not much to be gained from bolt-ons, but if you are installing a CAI it's best to tune to compensate for the change in air flow. Even at that point your gains will be minimal. It's mostly for the sound. If you want to feel a realistic increase in performance either increase displacement or add boost + ECU tuning. Tuning is key if you want to make the best out of your mods.

[@MotiveVideo]

For the 10,000th time Manufacturer claimed power increase without tuning

[@movingtoflorida7225]

THANK YOU! keeping my Porsche stock!

[@stu4181]

Was considering the IPD and GT3 throttle body myself, but if the airintake at 74mm is used on a 3.8 Then it cant be restricting a 3.4 cayman!

[@kamatchoooo]

Nice review ,was thinking of the IPD products 🙏

[@robburton8462]

Great video guys, with regards to your exhaust video could you compare straight CATS with a X-pipe CAT setup? Also it would be great to include torque figures as well as BHP. Thanks

[@boastyy]

Great testing mate. I had a BMW years ago and tried an experiment with the airbox "complete with original paper filter". It only had a 1 1/2" pipe connected to it, which went into the inner wing. I took the airbox out cut the hole out to 3" and fitted a flexible 3" hose which ran to an scoop behind the mesh of the front bumper .To be honest thought it might make a bit of difference, not much, perhaps at higher speed when more air was pushed in. Took it for a test ride and immediately felt the difference just pulling out of the garage, was very responsive and felt like a different car on the road and pulled much harder than before. Apart from having a remap it was the most noticeable cheap mod I have ever done. Was wondering if you could either add a secondary intake pipe to the existing airbox or a much larger one to double the amount of air going to the airbox.

[@stygmartyr]

IMO the loss in power was the K&N intake pipe MAF housing caused it to overread the airflow, higher airflow reading = more fuel and less timing = less power. In addition to the higher IATs.

[@mwiphone]

Another ‘05 997.1 owner here, great video and test. Your stock filter didn’t look that dirty but wonder if had put a fresh OEM style filter if the variance between it and the K&N would have been less.

[@mrnicktoyou]

Porsche built a great intake for that engine. You can't improve what already works great.

[@joeracer302]

mrnicktoyou technology available to engineers, and the amount of funding spent on developing these technologies is so much greater these days than even 30 years ago. Yet for some reason there is a sizable portion of the modding community that thinks they can swap out a few inexpensive parts and do a better job than that small army of engineers that developed the factory component. Certainly these mods also come with increased risk over time and under extreme conditions (e.g. temp, elevation, track etc.). Porsche engineers designed the factory system to perform under conditions in the middle of Saudi Arabia summer or Alaska winter. Aftermarket modifications aren’t always designed for these extremes. I just mention this to say, the factory engineers are smart dudes and they work hard to make these parts perform better than competitors and be reliable under all conditions.

[@sepg5084]

@@joeracer302 yep. it maybe easier to find performance mods for cars that were not sports cars in the first place. but for cars like porsche, ferrari, lambo, mclaren, etc. i think the only sure way to gain power from bolt-ons is removing the catalytic converter, or just straight piping it.

[@kaijorgensen6940]

@@joeracer302 The only counter point I have, which I’m sure you’re aware of is. Porsche engineers hands are tied to regulation, and usually that means the strictest locale is where they’re stuck pandering to. I do believe California is the worst offender of regulations that ultimately have a sum negative towards the environment when you actually look at the big picture but not the point here. So, shops that are making parts to improve what they weren’t allowed to either due to R&D politics or regulations, will use the base design to increase efficiency. Not to mention, some engineers are a bit..... bull headed and won’t consider some ideas. Sum all, I look at IPD and similar companies as an expensive method for a small increase. If you’re at the point in your build that you can justify $800 for a 10 Hp/smoother curve eh go for it. Realistically, intercooler upgrades and methanol injection can give you far more performance for your dollars. And, depending on the engine, help with that pesky carbon build up on intake valves. I do take a small issue with the test methodology done here, ECUs need some time/miles to adjust for parts added, and really should be set all the way back to the re learn mode before testing before and after. Just for accuracies sake.

[@jamesadey8744]

Very interesting. I have a 987 Cayman S which I fitted an IPD plenum to with the standard 74mm throttle body the car came with.The exhaust is a Carnewal GT setup. When fitted, I instantly noticed an increase in torque with my 'ass dyno' and the throttle felt much more responsive too. My car has Sport Chrono and the 'normal' setting suddenly felt closer to the original sport setting, while sport setting moved on a couple of notches. I've just acquired a 996 C2 and I am now slightly wary of repeating this mod if it doesn't work on all the models. Does anyone have experience of the IPD on a cable throttle 996?

[@adamneill9237]

Needed VR remap/flash tune in addition to mods. Could've seen over 33whp

[@MotiveVideo]

Manufacturer made claims that it increased power without tuning. Claims were wrong. That’s the point.

[@Van-tastic]

IPD improved midrange on my car, but no real change at peak. Also, intake mods don’t really show up unless your exhaust flows equally as well.

[@alexandervanwyk7669]

It's clear that you don't try to sell your after market products. Thank you for the effort you put in and verified it with the Dino results. Bottom line: if you want to get more out of your standard Porsche (or anything else), invest in advance driving lessons as you're usually the weakest link.

[@KosmicHRTRacingTeam]

Please please do this with common exhaust components. Everyone thinks they can gain 15-30hp with exhaust alone. If that’s the case, I’d love to know, I just don’t believe it.

[@MotiveVideo]

KosmicHaynerRacingTeam we will be yea

[@protonicstorm7228]

The k&n 57-7000 intake kit dyno test should add 23.8 bhp, according to k&n official dyno test, i'd strongly suggest reaching out to k&n and informing them of the power loss, could well point to a faulty maf sensor not being able to ''sense'' the increased air from the filter.

[@MotiveVideo]

we did reach out to them We changed AFM 3 times

[@YumboYack2521]

Underrated channel

[@celshock6628]

We got about 7whp in the mid range from an IPD and GT3 TB. Same peak HP.

[@realitycheck3672]

*I just did an ECU tune on my 2014 GT3 by VR Tuning.*

[@nolanohana]

Appreciate the honest review of DIY mods for the 911, great information

[@RipJawsX95]

8:13 Andrew: It is what it is Me: IT ISSS WHAT IT ISSSSS

[@alizainal7180]

it izz what it izzz

[@minivanin]

If you get a chance...test the old intake with the resonator back in place. In several different cars i see a dullness in response and sometimes down smidge of power. To the point where Im building helmholtz resonators in my custom intakes now

[@Steviee8]

I can’t wait for Part 2 of this series! Come on get it posted. :) please. It seems that maybe we all need to start with an exhaust mod first, then work our way back. I’ve installed the underdrive pulley and will say that near the top end is noticeable. But not all the time, heat soaked engines are the 911s worst enemy. Being in the back of the car doesn’t help when driving in stop and go traffic (daily driving). Oh well good luck. Hopefully you can come up with a solution for us, besides saying go buy yourself a Turbo hahaha.

[@PedroFTeixeira]

The size of that air filter box, almost looks like an exhaust muffler.

[@eddherring4972]

It’s because the intake is purely from the deck lid which is restricted if you compare it to a frontal intake so you need to make use of all the available fresh cold air by having the intake as wide as possible. I’m not sure why the Carreras don’t have vents like all the other 911s, Caymans & Boxsters do, you would think a direct air feed would be preferable, I know the deck lid has an impeller fan to help but it just seems a little clumsy. Theoretically a duck tail spoiler would be a good idea or even a roof scoop.

[@ganthrithor]

@@eddherring4972 The fan is only for compartment cooling when the vehicle speed is too low to properly ventilate the engine compartment, AFAIK. It's got nothing to do with the induction system. The GT3's do have a sort of forward-facing duct / scoop on the inside of their duck-tails but its very short (it begins behind/below the rear glass, obviously). I doubt it has any kind of "ram air" type functionality but it might be an improvement over aft-facing louvers on the Carrera.

[@mdnovaman]

to put it bluntly. on a stock car, K&N or any other pod style filters do not and have pretty much never made a noticeable performance increase on any car, the only time they come into there own is when the engine is heavily modified and the stock air box cannot flow enough anymore, but that takes a hell of a lot of tuning on an NA car.

[@MotiveVideo]

D0DGER D I’m we’ve seen them work on V8s a couple of times but never on a 4 or 6 cylinder

[@Oaksey]

The 93 Mazda NA V6's responded well to a CAI, so many resonators and corrugation on the factory one.

[@ssj1jason]

would be interested to see if a fabspeed tune (or other after market tune) would make the difference. I can def see how due to it being rear engined that losing the sealed air box would potentially cost you power (air flow and temp) but really would have thought the cleaner plenum intake and larger throttle body would have added power. doing this with an aftermarket tune would completely put the nail in the argument

[@MotiveVideo]

ssj1jason if they were marketed as “males more power when combined with tune” then fair enough but they’re marketed as “male power by bolting on”

[@ssj1jason]

@@MotiveVideo yes... let me rephrase... your video and conclusions are spot on regarding they claim bolt on power. I very very selfishly want to see what the mods do with a after market tune like Fabspeed. I have a 997 S with the 3.8 and have been looking at that Plenum change with the GT3 throttle bodies and if it DID work properly with an aftermarket tune I would drop the $$$$ tomm

[@MotiveVideo]

@@ssj1jason WE're trying to find a way to tune it. So far, only set flash tuning, nothing where we can custom tune. Trying to find a solution.

[@fadibousamra8973]

Any plans to test aftermarket exhaust systems? Would love to see Soul Performance tested.i think 997 exhaust coming soon.

[@MotiveVideo]

yes. we will be creating test pipes to see which pats of exhaust have restriction and which dont before deciding on exhaust upgrade, then re-test intake mods with exhaust mods

[@xThundersZ]

Thank you Motive!! This is such an awesome video for people looking onto modification. All these websites showing misinformation advertisement. 30 hp for plenum 😂

[@Chachijoe75]

In order to feel the benefits of the larger plenum and larger throttle body, the car must run for at least 50 miles, sometimes up to 200 miles, for the computer to adjust to the new air:fuel ratio. This test was done too soon, in my opinion. Also, a third test should be done to actually tune the car to the new intake components. Stock >>New Parts after 50 Miles>>Tuned. That I think is the proper way to measure performance addons in this type of vehicle.

[@MotiveVideo]

Except for the fact manufacturer said it will make instant gains.

[@Chachijoe75]

@@MotiveVideo From the IPD Installation manual: It will take approximately 5 to 50 miles for the DME/ECU to recognize and fully adapt to the increased air flow and make the necessary adaptation corrections complete. The DME tends to adapt quicker when driven in a more spirited manor. You can find the document Here: www.ipdplenums.com/images/stories/Installation_Guides/987.1_Installation_Guide_Final.pdf

[@g0ferboy]

Could you take the rain cover off the K&N filter?

[@22drift]

Awesome work. Appreciate the scientific approach.

[@MrKaiKai]

i really liked that, it watched a video i saw about Honda's and trying different things and changing the airbox reduces power, but just being sure the airfilter is clean or adding a new K+N filter added a small bump. I look forward to seeing the exhaust results, good job.

[@OfficiallyGuChi]

Its time whip up that twin turbo kit brother! Mate its guys like you that we got to show the world Australia we dont play around when it comes to making power and understanding HOW TO make power!!

[@sibbese3740]

Good review, owning a 996 C2 and have done the very common gundo hack I'm curious if that or headers makes any difference.

[@HoirkmanS]

Superb video, many thanks from Hamburg, Germany!

[@mattrolls618]

So we got a bone-stock dyno result, can you leave it stock and do an aftermarket custom tune to see if there are any gains available there? I'd like to see the same done for "high flow" exhaust modifications / systems (with stock intake setup), and then the same IPD kit stock filterbox with high flow exhaust and IPD with K&N and exhaust. THEN, knowing physical flow changes have been made to the hardware but with stock ECU tune, I'd like to see a before and after tuning the engine with the new parts installed. I am skeptical that the engines computer would automatically adjust itself to accommodate these very different components... As a note, before folks go nuts, I have a 2010 cayman S with the PDK box and I am entirely happy with how it performs stock - I wouldn't be installing this stuff either way.

[@Roland_Rohrle]

Great video, Nice to see such a thorough approach...

[@pjay3028]

Absolutely brilliant video, can't wait for the updates, well done

[@Stubahn]

Marketing mindset is - let's make products consumers can install which "theoretically" will improve performance/hp/etc = $KKKK Logical mindset is - let's identify an existing factory product which restricts or limits performance/hp/etc and uninstall it = $0.00 As you demonstrated - a simple swap to a non-restrictive K&N airbox filter yielded a 5-7 hp gain from baseline to the power curve; and improved throttle response. The people pitching Plenums to non-comp daily drivers as a performance upgrade borders on felony fraud. Without a modified air induction system, then attaining the speeds necessary to generate an increase in the volume of airflow/atmosphere accelerated into the plenum, the only gain consumers will realize is the balance appearing on their credit card. Plenums are NOT designed to increase horsepower - their purpose is to maintain optimum airflow on throttle ups and gear change. IPD should include a "SUCKER" t-shirt with every retail plenum order. Their offices are probably located next to the folks selling the IMS bearing retrofits requiring $1000 in proprietary tools to install. Thanks and thumbs-up to Motive Video for keeping it REAL !

[@vincentbrown9595]

Great video and information,I would like to see those results with a 997.1 turbo.

[@pedrocacao5081]

Great content guys! You did what you could, backed up by data logging and using the best dyno with the most consistent ambient temperatures It is what it is :) Cheers from Portugal!