Depreciation really is a beautiful thing, for enthusiasts anyways. A quick search through your favorite car classifieds reveals Porsche 997’s selling for nearly half of their original purchase price less than 10 years after they rolled out of the factory in Stuttgart. While a 997 Carrera might’ve been a bit out of reach at $100,000, they’re mighty appealing at $50,000 offering damn near the same levels of luxury and performance of the 991’s at half the cost. Now if you were wise enough to have gotten yourself into one of these extremely competent machines, you’re probably wanting to get the most out of your purchase, thus landing you here. In this edition of Best Mods I’m going to be walking you through some of the best mods for Porsche 997 Carrera & GT3 to reach whatever goal you have for your P-Car.

Your standard, run of the mill Porsche 997 Carrera
Wheels
9 times out of 10, the fastest way to completely transform the look of a car is by upgrading the wheels. Your 997 is no exception. To be frank the standard 997 Carrera wheels are some of the ugliest Porsche has ever designed. They’re at very best too small for the body of the 911, at worst they’re chunky and uninspiring to look at. There’s not a single characteristic to boast about for the factory wheels shown above, something that absolutely should not be the case on an otherwise beautifully and timelessly designed car. So let’s get right into it and look at some options that are more befitting of your 997.
First up, one of our all time favorite wheels, the Forgestar F14. Custom built per order, each set of wheels is manufactured to perfect specifications by the wheel fitment experts at Forgestar, guaranteeing perfect fitment. F14’s come in several concavity profiles, semi-deep concave, deep concave, and super deep concave, allowing for different levels of aggressiveness depending on the theme of your car.

Forgestar F14 Textured Bronze 18×8.5 / 18×11 on Porsche 997 Carrera 2


Forgestar CF10 19×8.5 ET45 F; 19×11 ET52 R; Michelin Pilot Super Sport 235/35/19; 295/30/19

Forgestar CF10 19×8.5 ET45 F; 19×11 ET52 R; Michelin Pilot Super Sport 235/35/19; 295/30/19

Forgestar CF10 finished in Gloss Red; Falken 453 235/35/19 F; 295/30/19 R

Forgestar CF10 finished in Gloss Red; Falken 453 235/35/19 F; 295/30/19 R
As you can see, between the gloss gunmetal and the gloss red, the look of the car is completely different. From sleek and subtle to smack-you-in-the-face attention grabbing, any theme can be achieved.
Forgestars are manufactured using flow form technology to provide an incredibly strong wheel without the high costs associated with a fully forged wheel. The value of Forgestar is found in the fact that set of 4 Forgestar wheels can be had for less than a single forged wheel from other manufacturers. At ModBargains, we believe in Forgestar so much that 7 of our just over 20 employees have put Forgestar wheels on their personal vehicles, including myself.

Avant Garde Ruger Mesh for 997

Avant Garde Ruger Mesh 19×8.5 / 19×11

Avant Garde Ruger Mesh in Hyper Silver

Porsche 997 Carrera on Avant Garde Ruger Splits in Satin Silver

Porsche 997 Carrera on Avant Garde Ruger Split in Dolphin Grey

Porsche 997 Carrera with Avant Garde Ruger Split in Matte Black
Porsche 997 on Avant Garde Ruger 5’s in Satin Silver
Porsche 997 Carrera on Avant Garde Ruger 5 in Matte Black

Porsche Carrera 997.2 on HRE FF01 in Tarmac Black
One of the more popular custom finishes is IPA, a rich bronze finish with just enough character to stand out, but not enough to be overkill on a vehicle as sophisticated as your Porsche 997.
Porsche 997 Carrera with HRE FF01 in IPA finish
Suspension

Vogtland Lowering Springs for Porsche 997 Carrera/4/S

997 Carrera; Eibach Pro Kit Lowering Springs; Avant Garde Ruger Split
As you can clearly see, this 997 Carrera has a much more aggressive stance after installing the Eibach Pro Kit Lowering Springs which lowers the car by 1.2″ front and rear. You can expect similar changes in ride height between the different manufacturers with the only differences being ride stiffness and price.

Porsche 997 Carrera lowered on BC Racing BR Series Coilovers

Porsche 997 Carrera lowered on BC Racing BR Series Coilovers

Porsche 997.1 GT3 lowered on KW V3 Coilovers

Porsche 997.1 GT3 lowered on KW V3 Coilovers
Ohlins Road & Track Coilovers for Porsche 997

AirRex Air Struts for Porsche 997

GMG Racing Sway Bar for Porsche 997
Exhaust
Carrera

Remus Engine Back Exhaust system for Porsche 997 Carrera
Remus’ system is available in two configurations, the full engine back system (pictured above) or just the replacement side mufflers with tips for a less aggressive note.
Going in order of aggressiveness, next up is the AWE Tuning exhaust for 997 Carrera/4/4S/Targa. The AWE system lets the flat 6 scream at high RPM’s, while civil at low RPM’s for daily driving. AWE actually got started in the automotive industry working on air & water cooled Volkswagens, leading to the name “Air & Water Enterprises” which was later shortened to AWE Tuning. AWE started developing their lineup of products for Porsche’s in 2001 and has solidified their position as one of the leading manufacturers of aftermarket parts for Porsche, Audi, VW, Mercedes, & BMW over the past 15 years.

AWE Tuning Exhaust for Porsche 997 Carrera/4/4S/Targa
Not only does this system sound great, it also makes great power, gains of 28-39hp & 28-31 tq for 997 Carrera S!
Another option for your 997 Carrera comes from Velocity AP in the form of their Kline Innovations Exhaust for Porsche 997 Carrera. Velocity AP wanted to create an exhaust system with limited drone while retaining the higher RPM scream from the flat 6, and they’ve succeeded. They boast a 25 year warranty for their workmanship for their exhausts, confident that you’ll be satisfied with their product for literally decades to come.

Velocity AP Kline Innovations Exhaust for Porsche 997 Carrera
If you’re looking for that Porsche motorsport sound from your 997, look no further than the Fabspeed Muffler Bypass pipes. These muffler bypass pipes do exactly what you’d think, they bypass the entire muffler section on both sides of the cars and routing exhaust to the factory tip locations.

OEM 997 Carrera mufflers vs Fabspeed Muffler Bypass Pipes for 997
While these will make your 997 sound spine tinglingly good, these pipes are not for the faint of heart. With that motorsport sound quality comes motorsport sound levels. Everyone is going to hear you before they see you, which in our opinion is great, but we understand if that’s not for everyone. Hear for yourself in the video below:
If you want a complete engine-back setup for your Carrera, pick up the Fabspeed Sport Headers for 997 Carrera and the Fabspeed Cat Bypass X-Pipe for 997 Carrera for maximum power gains. Combined with the Muffler Bypass pipes, this will be a complete “straight pipe”, which if you’re not familiar with exhaust system design means this will be VERY LOUD with lots of near pornographic popping, snarling, and crackling from your exhaust. If you’re looking for most of the power gains from the aforementioned combination without the extreme volume levels, take a look at the Fabspeed Performance Exhaust for 997 Carrera, paired with the Fabspeed Sport Cat X-Pipe for a refined, daily drivable exhaust note that still makes you feel like you’re flying down the straight at LeMans in a GT3 Cup car.

Fabspeed Performance Exhaust for Porsche 997 Carrera

Fabspeed Sport Cat X-Pipe for Porsche 997 Carrera
GT3
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AWE Tuning exhaust for Porsche 997 GT3/RS
Fabspeed has a similar offering when combining their Fabspeed Catted/Catless headers, Fabspeed Side-Muffler Bypass pipes, and Fabspeed MaxFlo exhaust for Porsche 997 GT3/RS.

Factory 997 GT3 muffler vs Fabspeed MaxFlo mufflers

Velocity AP Kline Innovations exhaust for Porsche 997 GT3/RS
And just because it sounds so damn good, here’s that clip one more time:
This system is also good for gains of 30hp & 30tq when paired with Velocity AP’s ECU remap to take advantage of the decrease in back pressure.
Intake
After freeing up all of that back pressure with your new exhaust, it’s time to free up the restriction on the other side. Your engine is one big pump, sucking in air through the intake and pushing it out through the exhaust and the more efficiently it can do that the more rotational force it can generate. If we think about it at an elementary level, the output of a pump is limited by whichever side has the more restrictive piping. If you have more exhaust flow than intake flow, you aren’t taking advantage of the drop in restriction, leaving power on the table. With that fundamental understanding of the importance of a balance intake/exhaust combination, let’s look at some intakes.
The Fabspeed MaxFlo cold air intake is one of the best mods for Porsche 997 Carrera. Constructed out of beautiful lightweight carbon fiber, this intake sounds mean and performs, with gains of 19whp & 21wtq.

Fabspeed MaxFlo Cold Air Intake for Porsche 997 Carrera

IPD Competition Intake Plenum for Porsche 997 Carrera

K&N Intake for Porsche 997 GT3/RS
Performance:

Fabspeed/ EVOMSit ECU Tune for Porsche 997 Carrera
This tune is safe for both 91 & 93 octane, is completely reversible, and will leave no traces of any modification for hassle free dealership visits as there is no modification to any OEM parts required for installation. It even retains the OEM sports button integration for a truly seamless experience.
If you want to squeeze every last drop of power out of your GT3, pick up a COBB Tuning Accessport today.

COBB Tuning Accessport For Porsche 997 GT3
Not only will the AccessPort give you maximum gains of 28hp & 15tq, but it’s also packed with extremely welcome features such as valet mode which limits the rpm to 4000, antitheft mode which prohibits the car from starting without reconnecting the AccessPort unit, raised redline to 8650 rpm, and left foot braking to help settle the car mid corner without cutting power from the engine. Customers have also raved about superior drivability and shifting with more accurate throttle response. Next time you pull up to the valet stand and hand the keys to your baby off to a complete stranger, you’ll be wishing you had an AccessPort. There are two versions available, THIS is for 997.1 (2006-2008) and THIS is for 997.2 (2009-2011).
Well, that about wraps up the Best Mods for Porsche 997. I hope you’ve learned something new today and better understand the true potential of your Porsche, whether it’s a Carrera or GT3. If you have any questions about the products highlighted above, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 714-582-3330 to speak with one of our Mod Experts, or send us an email at sales@modbargains.com. Now, get out and drive that 911!