Feel faster or actually be faster? A 3.2L Carrera is a decently quick car, though one that does take a fair amount of skill to drive fast. And one that, if you are looking for lots of power, that will quickly empty your wallet.
If you are looking for more perceived speed, drop the windows and go with a more open intake and get more aggressive with the throttle. Simple, but it will feel faster.
If you are looking to go faster, the best thing you can do is invest in some driver training. Sign up for a PCA Autocross school or some open track time. Nothing else you can do will get you the same return in terms of performance (I can regularly lap faster than many 996 twin turbos in a 3.2L Carrera and it’s not because the Turbo is the slower car, just that it’s not using close to it’s potential while I am with the 3.2L).
Next up would be tires. Something grippy will help you in cornering speed as well as giving more grip for acceleration and braking. Helps everything.
Next would be getting the car set up properly… at US spec the alignment is very understeer-y, and a novice driver will scrub a lot of speed. This, along with corner balancing and lowering to a proper height (around Euro spec or a little lower) will improve the overall character of the car greatly, and free up some performance.
Next up for really going faster would be all of the suspension goodies, in order: Adjustable Anti-Roll Bars, upgraded dampers, and then things like upgraded torsion bars and plastic bushings. 930 style tie rods will improve the feel of the steering, but will not really improve the performance.
If you are simply looking for more power, the best approach would be to look at your wheels… probably lightweight 15″ race wheels would be the best, with the lightest high performance tire you can find. The 15″ Wheels will be the lightest you can get (and still fit over the brakes on the car), and the diameter will give a little better low end gearing than the 16″s you’ll find installed most often on these cars. And, as the weight you are saving here is unsprung rotating mass, you could see a great upgrade in how much power you can effectively use (if you have heavy 17″ wheels as some of these cars do, this change is on par with adding 10hp and having better gearing).
Next up would be looking at weight elsewhere in the car… the stock seats are quite heavy compared to aftermarket sports seats (and race shells are much lighter than these). Anything you can trim will improve your power to weight ratio (removing the AC and all related ducts will trim close to 100 pounds!).
After all of that, you might want to look at the engine. Best done last as this is where you will spend lots of money for small gains. Early style headers, with an open exhaust will probably get you 10-15hp, making this an attractive combo. A custom chip with this may gain a few more. A cup style airbox may gain a few, though not peak hp (same deal for a cone intake or similar). This is about all you can do short of major projects… which would then move on to upgrading to a more aggressive cam, swapping to a higher compression and larger displacement pistons and cylinders (probably need to move to different distributor and dual plugs along with that), different engine management, etc… any of these could quickly eclipse the base value of your car.
Lastly, it’s also worth mentioning you might simply want a knowledgeable Porsche mechanic or some one very familiar with these cars to take a look and see if it is behaving normally… it’s possible there is something wrong (or an earlier “upgrade” that was actually a downgrade).
The Zune concentrates on being a Portable Media Player. Not a web browser. Not a game machine. Maybe in the future it’ll do even better in those areas, but for now it’s a fantastic way to organize and listen to your music and videos, and is without peer in that regard. The iPod’s strengths are its web browsing and apps. If those sound more compelling, perhaps it is your best choice.
The Zune concentrates on being a Portable Media Player. Not a web browser. Not a game machine. Maybe in the future it’ll do even better in those areas, but for now it’s a fantastic way to organize and listen to your music and videos, and is without peer in that regard. The iPod’s strengths are its web browsing and apps. If those sound more compelling, perhaps it is your best choice.
Between me and my husband we’ve owned more MP3 players over the years than I can count, including Sansas, iRivers, iPods (classic & touch), the Ibiza Rhapsody, etc. But, the last few years I’ve settled down to one line of players. Why? Because I was happy to discover how well-designed and fun to use the underappreciated (and widely mocked) Zunes are.
This is getting a bit more subjective, but I much prefer the Zune Marketplace. The interface is colorful, has more flair, and some cool features like ‘Mixview’ that let you quickly see related albums, songs, or other users related to what you’re listening to. Clicking on one of those will center on that item, and another set of “neighbors” will come into view, allowing you to navigate around exploring by similar artists, songs, or users. Speaking of users, the Zune “Social” is also great fun, letting you find others with shared tastes and becoming friends with them. You then can listen to a playlist created based on an amalgamation of what all your friends are listening to, which is also enjoyable. Those concerned with privacy will be relieved to know you can prevent the public from seeing your personal listening habits if you so choose.
The Zune concentrates on being a Portable Media Player. Not a web browser. Not a game machine. Maybe in the future it’ll do even better in those areas, but for now it’s a fantastic way to organize and listen to your music and videos, and is without peer in that regard. The iPod’s strengths are its web browsing and apps. If those sound more compelling, perhaps it is your best choice.
This is getting a bit more subjective, but I much prefer the Zune Marketplace. The interface is colorful, has more flair, and some cool features like ‘Mixview’ that let you quickly see related albums, songs, or other users related to what you’re listening to. Clicking on one of those will center on that item, and another set of “neighbors” will come into view, allowing you to navigate around exploring by similar artists, songs, or users. Speaking of users, the Zune “Social” is also great fun, letting you find others with shared tastes and becoming friends with them. You then can listen to a playlist created based on an amalgamation of what all your friends are listening to, which is also enjoyable. Those concerned with privacy will be relieved to know you can prevent the public from seeing your personal listening habits if you so choose.
Feel faster or actually be faster? A 3.2L Carrera is a decently quick car, though one that does take a fair amount of skill to drive fast. And one that, if you are looking for lots of power, that will quickly empty your wallet.
If you are looking for more perceived speed, drop the windows and go with a more open intake and get more aggressive with the throttle. Simple, but it will feel faster.
If you are looking to go faster, the best thing you can do is invest in some driver training. Sign up for a PCA Autocross school or some open track time. Nothing else you can do will get you the same return in terms of performance (I can regularly lap faster than many 996 twin turbos in a 3.2L Carrera and it’s not because the Turbo is the slower car, just that it’s not using close to it’s potential while I am with the 3.2L).
Next up would be tires. Something grippy will help you in cornering speed as well as giving more grip for acceleration and braking. Helps everything.
Next would be getting the car set up properly… at US spec the alignment is very understeer-y, and a novice driver will scrub a lot of speed. This, along with corner balancing and lowering to a proper height (around Euro spec or a little lower) will improve the overall character of the car greatly, and free up some performance.
Next up for really going faster would be all of the suspension goodies, in order: Adjustable Anti-Roll Bars, upgraded dampers, and then things like upgraded torsion bars and plastic bushings. 930 style tie rods will improve the feel of the steering, but will not really improve the performance.
If you are simply looking for more power, the best approach would be to look at your wheels… probably lightweight 15″ race wheels would be the best, with the lightest high performance tire you can find. The 15″ Wheels will be the lightest you can get (and still fit over the brakes on the car), and the diameter will give a little better low end gearing than the 16″s you’ll find installed most often on these cars. And, as the weight you are saving here is unsprung rotating mass, you could see a great upgrade in how much power you can effectively use (if you have heavy 17″ wheels as some of these cars do, this change is on par with adding 10hp and having better gearing).
Next up would be looking at weight elsewhere in the car… the stock seats are quite heavy compared to aftermarket sports seats (and race shells are much lighter than these). Anything you can trim will improve your power to weight ratio (removing the AC and all related ducts will trim close to 100 pounds!).
After all of that, you might want to look at the engine. Best done last as this is where you will spend lots of money for small gains. Early style headers, with an open exhaust will probably get you 10-15hp, making this an attractive combo. A custom chip with this may gain a few more. A cup style airbox may gain a few, though not peak hp (same deal for a cone intake or similar). This is about all you can do short of major projects… which would then move on to upgrading to a more aggressive cam, swapping to a higher compression and larger displacement pistons and cylinders (probably need to move to different distributor and dual plugs along with that), different engine management, etc… any of these could quickly eclipse the base value of your car.
Lastly, it’s also worth mentioning you might simply want a knowledgeable Porsche mechanic or some one very familiar with these cars to take a look and see if it is behaving normally… it’s possible there is something wrong (or an earlier “upgrade” that was actually a downgrade).
Downsize the tires.
THROW A TWIN TURBO MOTOR IN IT.
The Zune concentrates on being a Portable Media Player. Not a web browser. Not a game machine. Maybe in the future it’ll do even better in those areas, but for now it’s a fantastic way to organize and listen to your music and videos, and is without peer in that regard. The iPod’s strengths are its web browsing and apps. If those sound more compelling, perhaps it is your best choice.
The Zune concentrates on being a Portable Media Player. Not a web browser. Not a game machine. Maybe in the future it’ll do even better in those areas, but for now it’s a fantastic way to organize and listen to your music and videos, and is without peer in that regard. The iPod’s strengths are its web browsing and apps. If those sound more compelling, perhaps it is your best choice.
Between me and my husband we’ve owned more MP3 players over the years than I can count, including Sansas, iRivers, iPods (classic & touch), the Ibiza Rhapsody, etc. But, the last few years I’ve settled down to one line of players. Why? Because I was happy to discover how well-designed and fun to use the underappreciated (and widely mocked) Zunes are.
This is getting a bit more subjective, but I much prefer the Zune Marketplace. The interface is colorful, has more flair, and some cool features like ‘Mixview’ that let you quickly see related albums, songs, or other users related to what you’re listening to. Clicking on one of those will center on that item, and another set of “neighbors” will come into view, allowing you to navigate around exploring by similar artists, songs, or users. Speaking of users, the Zune “Social” is also great fun, letting you find others with shared tastes and becoming friends with them. You then can listen to a playlist created based on an amalgamation of what all your friends are listening to, which is also enjoyable. Those concerned with privacy will be relieved to know you can prevent the public from seeing your personal listening habits if you so choose.
The Zune concentrates on being a Portable Media Player. Not a web browser. Not a game machine. Maybe in the future it’ll do even better in those areas, but for now it’s a fantastic way to organize and listen to your music and videos, and is without peer in that regard. The iPod’s strengths are its web browsing and apps. If those sound more compelling, perhaps it is your best choice.
This is getting a bit more subjective, but I much prefer the Zune Marketplace. The interface is colorful, has more flair, and some cool features like ‘Mixview’ that let you quickly see related albums, songs, or other users related to what you’re listening to. Clicking on one of those will center on that item, and another set of “neighbors” will come into view, allowing you to navigate around exploring by similar artists, songs, or users. Speaking of users, the Zune “Social” is also great fun, letting you find others with shared tastes and becoming friends with them. You then can listen to a playlist created based on an amalgamation of what all your friends are listening to, which is also enjoyable. Those concerned with privacy will be relieved to know you can prevent the public from seeing your personal listening habits if you so choose.