NHP muffler installed - impressions and pics

[elsenorfon]

Let me start by saying that :renntech: I just got my Boxster S in February and just recently found this site. In just a few weeks I found so much invaluable and helpful information here at renntech, and also at babblers, so I'm trying to give a little back. It's not much, but those in the market for a muffler should probably take the time to read this since it's hard to find out REAL information on these products. I also want to be very clear that I have nothing to do with the manufacturer or seller and have no vested interest. If you are interested in information about the seller please feel free to contact me and I'll let you know about my experience with them and point you in the right direction. These are just my thoughts, and although I do not have any Porsche experience, I do have a lot of tuning experience so I'm pretty familiar with what is and is not a quality product.

Okay now that I have covered that, on to the muffler.

Install

Anybody who has installed a muffler on the 3.2 already knows what to expect, there's nothing different going on here than with other mufflers I would imagine. The hard part is dropping the stock muffler, and those famous 2 bolts aren't that bad in my opinion, they only took me about 3 minutes to get off. But this might be because I spent so much time searching the forums first to figure everything out. And removing the rear bumper is absolutely not necessary, I'm really glad I didn't take the time to do that.

Installing the new NHP muffler is very easy and quick. The muffler still uses the stock u-pipes and cat clamp, but does come with its own muffler clamp. You also have much more room to install the 2 transmission mount bolts since the muffler is 15 pounds of less mass than the gigantic stock muffler. I personally would have like to have new u-pipes and cat clamp, but I'm nitpicking about that and probably wouldn't want to pay extra for it. :rolleyes:

Muffler Aesthetics

This muffler is GORGEOUS! In my opinion this is the prettiest muffler I have ever seen on a car. The stainless is very shiny but it doesn't have that cheap chrome look to it. The bottom mesh grill is part of the muffler, and although I doubt it serves any purpose other than aesthetics, is really slick looking. Of course you can only see the grill when the car's in the air, but still it's the little touches that make me happy. The welds also look very clean and the overall fit and finish of the muffler is top notch. The twin tip HUGS the rear bumper in a very nice way. I also want to point out since it's hard to tell in the pics that the tips are solid thick-walled tips and are not small-pipes-inside-fake-tips. Hopefully you know what I mean. And no melting the bumper (which was my initial concern) is not a problem with them being this close. It does not get hot enough apparently. (500 miles and still looks beautiful)

Muffler Performance and Sound

I'll start with performance since it will be quick. I do not have access to a dyno so I have no graph to show any hp/tq gains. My guess by both experience and seat of pants sensor, is that there is no real performance advantage here. I would say 1 or 2 hp tops which from what I read is pretty standard with 986 mufflers since the stock one is already very good. But I could be wrong, it's just my opinion.

Now for sound. First be prepared that this muffler is pretty loud. Nothing overwhelming, but it definitely gives the car a heavy growl. I almost akin the sound to a muscle car to be honest, which isn't exactly what I was looking for, but is still a nice exhaust note. Without a doubt I feel more intimidating when driving down the road.*

I know the big problem with 986 mufflers is drone so I'm sure you're curious about that. The seller touts the muffler as being drone free. As of 1 week after install I am writing to confirm that there is indeed drone in my opinion. It's not overwhelming but it's definitely present at times under 3k rpm. This might just be because the exhaust is so much louder than before, but I don't think so. I will say, however, that I've been in touch with the seller and he thinks it may be due to vibration, so next time I get it in the air I'll double check the tranny bolts for tightness. If I find that there is something else causing this drone I will definitely write a follow-up post clearing the muffler's name.

Final Thoughts

I think the bottom line here is that the muffler only cost $799 which, although expensive to me, is very cheap in Porsche-land. The looks alone are worth that price and if you can deal with a little drone then it's money well spent. I can say for sure that it has less drone than the Fabspeed and the B&B, but other mufflers I have not heard and cannot speak to. If I had it to do all over again, I would still purchase the NHP muffler, so that says a lot.

*please note that I also have an aftermarket header by turbowerx which deletes the front cats and adds to the loudness. With stock headers the sound would be approx 5db lower from what I've been told. If you want to know more about the header I am also posting my impressions on that as well so please check the forums or do a search.

Edited April 10, 2009 by Loren
remove excessive font sizes (really bad on cell phones)

[elsenorfon]

More pics :D

Edited April 10, 2009 by Loren
remove excessive font sizes (really bad on cell phones)

[elsenorfon]

Just 2 More!

Edited April 10, 2009 by Loren
remove excessive font sizes (really bad on cell phones)