Boxster Optional Equipment
Boxster Optional Equipment
Here are the options we ordered:
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Standard Guards Red paint, black cabriolet top |
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Sport Design interior (part of the P69 option below) |
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Black floor mats |
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Sport Suspension |
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CD shelf |
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Colored wheel caps |
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Non Smoker package |
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Heated Front Seats Package |
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Traction control |
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Sport Package (includes 17" wheels, Wind Stop, Hi-Fi Sound System, Cruise Control, Alarm System, CD Player) |
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Sport Design Package |
For a complete listing of all the 1999 model year Porsche Boxster options, click here. For info on the 2000 model year Porsche Boxster options, see below.
Most of these options are pretty obvious, and require little explanation. But some are considered to be a little more "daring" than others, and those I'll describe a bit more here:
M030 Sport Suspension
This
was originally sold only as a part of the "P38 Technic Sport
Package" on '97-'98 Boxsters, and included P37
Traction Control and 17" wheels as well. For the '99 models,
Porsche made the individual elements available separately. M030
replaces the standard springs, sway-bars and shocks with stiffer
units. Compared with the stiff and harsh ride of my RX-7 (see
here for more comparisons
between these two cars), the M030 suspension is luxurious! But
that doesn't mean it isn't stiff; it certainly is. In fact, it
seems to lean less in the turns than the RX-7, yet somehow doesn't
transmit road harshness nearly as much. And my wife, who's no
sportscar purist, feels that the firm M030 ride is perfect for
a sportscar. I suspect that the Boxster uses stiffer springs
(which don't affect the ride quality as much as stiff shocks
do in my experience), and matched shocks to reduce lean without
ruining the ride comfort. The RX-7, however, seemed to rely more
on even stiffer shocks for handling improvements. That seems
to be typical of the Japanese sportscars I've driven. I happen
to think that Porsche's approach is superior.
Do you need M030? If you have any doubts about the loss of ride quality, and don't corner hard enough to squeal your tires, then you don't. But if you autocross or race, or just drive faster on the streets than you should, then the answer is definitely yes.
And I also believe that the M030 option is superior to many of the aftermarket suspension lowering kits available. Partly because it has been thoroughly tested and warranted by Porsche; partly because I have little faith in the suspension tuning abilities of many aftermarket suppliers. For some more thoughts on aftermarket suspensions, see my "modifications" page.
P14 Heated Seats
For a convertible: yes, get this! I assume that people who buy convertibles (all Boxsters are convertibles) do so because they like the open-air driving experience. The heated seats allow you to drive with the top down even in very cold weather ... without having to wear polar gear. My wife and I have driven with the top down with temperatures in the 40's (Fahrenheit), wearing only thin jackets, with no discomfort. Well, other than cold ears and driver's hands (I wish the steering wheel were heated too!). I'm sure that other drivers must either feel very sorry for us, or think us crazy! But we're cozy and snug, and having a blast! Plus, this helps make up for the lack of a dual climate control like some luxury cars have. At least in cold weather: If one of us is too cold and the other is too warm, we just turn down the heater and turn on the heated seat for the cold person.
P37 Traction Control
This option consists of two systems; both accomplished through enhancements to the ABS system. The first is the Active Brake Differential ("ABD") which is always on at speeds below about 60 mph and is sort of like a conventional "limited slip." The other is the Anti-Slip Regulation ("ASR") which can be turned off with a button but is otherwise always on. Somehow it has become accepted by a lot of Boxster people that P37 is useless. Nothing could be further from the truth. This option is quite useful for people who drive their Boxsters the way Porsche intended them to be driven! Here's what they do:
ABD simply applies braking to the rear wheel on one side if it's spinning too fast compared with the other rear wheel. What's it good for?
Classic example: You park your car at the side of a country road. One rear wheel is on mud while the other is still on the pavement. When you try to get the car moving again, the wheel in the mud spins uselessly while the wheel on the pavement just sits there without contributing anything. You're stuck unless you can somehow find a tow-truck, or some rocks, branches, expensive leather jacket etc. to stick under the spinning wheel for extra traction. Frustrating, huh?
With a limited slip, or ABD in this case, you wouldn't need to worry: As long as one wheel has traction you'll be able to accelerate away from your poorly-chosen parking spot.
ASR comes into play if the ABD isn't enough for the conditions. ASR is much more intrusive and reduces engine power (to the rear wheels of course) when they're both spinning faster than the front wheels. That way it keeps you from spinning the rear wheels uselessly. But that prevents those fun "smoky burnouts" too! Still, it's cool because it allows you to use the car's power more safely and predictably even in heavy rain, gravel, snow etc. Granted, if you're a good driver who pays attention to the car and knows the car's limits on any given surface, you can just turn off ASR (or not order it in the first place) and just back off the throttle yourself instead of relying on the ASR to do it for you. But most of us aren't perfect, and that's where ASR is a major benefit.
I wouldn't consider P37 essential, especially if you always drive within the car's limits. That is, if you don't usually get wheel-spin in your present car, you probably won't ever need this option. But if you often stomp on the gas, even when there's gravel, rain, ice, oil, or whatever, on the road surface, then this might just be the ticket to help keep you out of trouble.
For people who autocross or otherwise race their cars P37 is a "must have" in my opinion, because the ABD gives you more traction when you accelerate out of turns. Many Boxster people mistakenly assume that because the Boxster has more weight on the rear wheels than on the front there is enough traction to prevent wheelspin under power. That is not true! Even with P37, I can break both tires loose under hard acceleration. Yes, I do have to push the car pretty hard to do so, but it is possible, and easier than many think. The fact that I break both wheels loose shows that ABD works great, and does the job of distributing torque to both wheels for maximum traction.
But turn the "TC" button off before your runs, or else the ASR will kick in and slow you down. I believe that's because the ASR control software is written so that there's always a "margin for error" added in. In other words, the ASR backs off power enough to stop wheel spin, then backs off the power a little more so that it won't be caught by surprise in case the traction is reduced even further. That lost power is returned to you after a certain amount of time has elapsed, but until that happens the ASR has slowed you down. See "My Boxster Tests" page for some interesting results comparing 0 to 60 acceleration runs with TC on and off. Also, ASR has some annoying "features:" ASR makes it more difficult to "steer with the throttle," in part because it has a maddening lag between when wheel-spin starts and when the ASR kicks in. And when ASR does kick in it feels like you've just run out of gas! I wish the ASR were more subtle. My wife's BMW has much better traction control, and Porsche should just copy it!
P69 Sport Design Package (includes AZ Sport Design Interior)
This
option includes special Sport Seats,
extra leather trim, special interior treatment, and a three-spoke
steering wheel. I think it's very cool, and lends a unique
high-tech sort of look to the interior that also eliminates some
of the cheaper-looking plastic trim of the base model. The steering
wheel is better looking, and makes it a bit easier to read the
gauges too. The seatbacks of the Sport Seats have extra supports
along the sides for lateral support, which is great for when
you're slicing through the corners at a high rate of speed!
However, the seats are very snug and might be too narrow for some people. They are definitely snug at the sides of my shoulder blades and barely fit me, and I'm only 5'8" 160 lbs. I am, however, somewhat broad-shouldered for my size. Also, it looks like if I were taller (I have a fairly short upper body) they'd be less snug since the "cutout" areas by the shoulder blades would contact me lower down the sides of my back and everything would be better aligned. So they are certainly tight, but not to the point where they feel wrong.
If you want to order P69, I'd try the seats on for size at a dealership, if possible. If they don't have a Boxster with this option available (I can almost guarantee you they won't), do this instead: Measure your chest. I'm 38" around the chest, just under my arms. If you're more than that, don't order P69, without at least trying them on for size first. In my opinion you might well be annoyed with the back rests. With women it would obviously be different (BTW, my wife loves them). If you fit the seats properly this is a nifty package, especially with M030 and P14!
Porsche Boxster "RTS" Roof Transport System (roof rack)
Boxsters have pretty decent trunk space for a two-seater. In fact, I often use it for transporting my scuba gear around, and now even for transporting my bikes and surf board! The only way to do this well is with Porsche's RTS roof rack. If you just need to move a bike there are other ways (using a trailer hitch with adapters that mount the bike rack), but the surf board (or kayaks) require the RTS. For more info, visit my RTS page.
Model Year 2000 Options
I don't have them listed here yet, but they are available in Adobe Acrobat PDF format at http://www.boxster.org/ and Niello Porsche has a nice "Build you own Boxster" web-page with all the latest options info. Most of the options are the same, but the standard Boxster engine is now 2.7 liters instead of the 1999's 2.5 liters and has 217 hp and 192 lbs/ft instead of 201 hp and 181 lbs/ft. Not a huge improvement, but 16 hp is certainly a welcome power boost -- should bring the car up to about the same level that my minor modifications have done for mine, and then some. Porsche claims a 0.3-second improvement in zero-to-60 acceleration tests. But the big news is that the new Boxster S is now available. It has a bigger 3.2 liter engine producing 250 horsepower and 225 lbs/ft of torque. The S should really haul! I estimate that it will be capable of zero-to 60 mph in about 5.7 seconds (based on Porsche's zero-to-100 kmh tests). That's 1 second faster than the standard 1999 Boxster! It also has drilled brake discs, a 6-speed transmission (not available on the standard model), and the 17" wheels as standard equipment.
© Copyright 1999-2007. Dennis Schøler
Pedersen.
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or any other file within my www directory, may be used
without contacting me and
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