Installing the Fabspeed exhaust is fairly straightforward, but the rear bumper must be removed. It takes IA's technicians about four hours. The car is then fired up. The new set-up provides a more aggressive tone at idle. Strapped to the dyno, at wide-open throttle, it's downright nasty (in a good way). It's not just noise, however. With no adjustments to engine software, power goes immediately up to an impressive 449 AWHP, a nice gain of 20 to 21 hp from 6200 rpm to redline. Torque improves with a 20 to 30 lb-ft gain from 2000 to 2500 rpm, and then between 10 to 17 lb-ft gains in the meat of its powerband from 4000 rpm to redline.
With an appreciable power hike from this modest upgrade, things are looking good. On the road, Fabspeed's 'quiet' system doesn't drone like some aftermarket exhausts. It's actually fairly quiet from inside the cabin and out, making it an upgrade worthy of serious consideration. On top of the power gains, there's a deeper tone at idle and the music at wide-open throttle is unique to the flat-six layout.
Now that Project 997 TT is under way, expect some drastic changes. The car will not only look different, it will sport a more exotic interior plus stupid-fast power that will really put the all-wheel-drive system to the test, starting with headers and software. Think this car is worthy of exotic car status now? Just wait.
Author's note: For those only interested in 'flywheel' or engine horsepower-forget about it. Don't waste time trying to figure it out. With Porsche's recent conservative engine horsepower claims (probably for insurance reasons) 'flywheel' or 'bhp' brake horsepower estimates are pure speculation. The important thing in this project will be to note actual improvements over our 429 AWHP baseline.