Porsche 997 Carrera IPD Intake Plenum (2005-2008)

The 997 marked Porsche's return to the round headlights and curvaceous fenders reminiscent of the 993 and earlier era Carreras. Although the 997's picturesque styling is another milestone in Porsche design history there is still room for improvement in the engine performance department.

IPD Competition Plenum:

Porsche has been controlling engine output by restricting the inlet track for decades. This has been successfully accomplished by utilizing smaller throttle bodies. This simple power control solution has been a very effective way of preventing lower level models from out performing certain flagship models, especially models with prolific racing pedigree. Although the factory engine packages are fantastic performance machines, they are engineered and developed to achieve specific performance numbers that satisfy a target demographic and compete with rival brands. Unfortunately driving enthusiasts who seek an elevated Porsche driving experience require performance levels well outside the target market.

All of the IPD Plenums deliver substantial power and torque gains, but when combined with larger throttle bodies they perform even better. All of the IPD "Competition" Plenums utilize the next largest size throttle body offered by Porsche. In this case, the Competition Carrera upgrades the factory OE 74mm throttle body with Porsche's 82mm 997 GT3 throttle body. All of our Competition Plenums are designed to perform with cars equipped with high performance exhaust systems. The more extensive the exhaust system (headers, kats and mufflers) the better. Optimizing air intake and exhaust together creates a balanced performance package that allows the engine to inhale and exhale more air thus creating more power and torque.

IPD has pioneered another new Plenum design with the Competition Carrera Plenum. Laminar flows and volumetric efficiencies have been further enhanced with our unique and innovative internal merge collector area. This completely new approach has yielded not only great performance gains but more linear power delivery and improved throttle response as well. Gains vary depending on pre-existing mods and quality of after-market exhaust installed. As we all "should" know, horsepower and torque become harder to find and typically more expensive as we climb the proverbial performance ladder. That being said, performance components yield different power gains depending on the order they were installed. IPD tests and evaluates all products on bone stock cars, this establishes a level playing field and a better "apples to apples" comparison. The Competition Carrera Plenum however is designed to work with applications that are already moderately to heavily modified. Power gains will vary with each Carrera, but the bottom line is, there will be noticeable and impressive gains that are sure to make any Porsche Carrera driving enthusiast smile.

Power improvements will be fully realized once the factory ECU/DME makes all the necessary "adaptation" requirements. This process can be expedited with a series of "hard pulls" or spirited full throttle acceleration runs through the gears. Of course this should only be performed on a closed course circuit.

IPD 3.8:

• The 997S IPD Plenum provide power increases throughout the entire power band. Gains of 28 horsepower and 26 foot pounds of torque are experienced in the midrange with gains of 11 to 12 hp at the peak.
• The "Y" design of the 3.8 liter IPD Plenum also allows for a more linear power delivery and improved throttle response that elevates the 997 S Carrera driving experience even higher.
• Power improvements will be fully realized once the factory DME makes all the necessary “adaptation” requirements which occurs after a series of hard pulls on the dyno or full throttle runs (at your local race track of course).
• The 997S IPD Plenum is a direct bolt on replacement and installation is relatively straight forward for mechanically inclined DIY customers although IPD strongly recommends all Plenum installations be performed by a trained and qualified Porsche technician.

IPD 3.6:

• The 3.6 liter Carrera produces very similar power gains as the 3.8 liter equipped S Carreras. Maximum horsepower increases of 24 to 26 take place in the midrange and gains of 10 to 12 up top.
• The "Y" design of the 3.6 liter IPD Plenum also allows for a more linear power delivery and improved throttle response that enhances your 997  Carrera driving experience even further.
• Power improvements will be fully realized once the factory DME makes all the necessary “adaptation” requirements which occurs after a series of hard pulls on the dyno or full throttle runs (at your local race track of course).
• The 997 IPD Plenum is a direct bolt on replacement and installation is relatively straight forward for mechanically inclined DIY customers although IPD strongly recommends all Plenum installations be performed by a trained and qualified Porsche technician.

Superior and more efficient design over the factory intake.

• The IPD Plenums are products of efficiency that simply improve intake air flow and increase air velocity. The “Y” shape design and dimpled interior surface make air flow more laminar (less turbulent) dramatically improving power and torque across the entire RPM band. Smoother more optimized intake air flow will improve the performance of any engines. The more efficiently an engine breaths, the more efficiently it produces power. 

Deliver impressive power gains regardless of modifications.

• The superior design of the IPD Plenums optimize flow while increasing air velocity. Period! This applies to any Porsche engine, producing any level of power. The patented “Y” design delivers impressive performance gains for both bone-stock and highly modified Porsches. The more efficient design of the IPD Plenum will always outperform the factory air distributor. The factory intake will become even more detrimental to performance as your increase the power and torque outputs. The bigger the power, the better the IPD Plenum performs.

Produce substantial gains for both turbo and NA applications.

• The Plenums always deliver considerable gains on both turbo AND naturally aspirated engines. It's a fact that the Turbo Plenums do produce more power than the NA Plenums. But the Turbo engines also produce more power. The fact is that the percentage gains of the different Plenum applications are actually almost identical, around 8-10% depending on the specific model. 

Do not require an ECU flash and will not cause a CEL.

• IPD Plenums should never cause a CEL or require an ECU Flash. If a Plenum is installed correctly there should be no fault codes or running issues, only solid performance gains across the entire RPM band. The only issue that could possibly arise is the need for a new MAF sensor if you already have a degraded sensor or perform a TB adaptation. There is absolutely no need to re-flash your ECU after installing an IPD Plenum, Period! Although any reputable Porsche tuner could further optimize an ECU program to achieve even greater performance gains with the Plenum installed.

Aluminum Plenums run cooler and don't suffer from heat soak.

• The Aluminum Plenums do NOT experience heat soak under driving or racing conditions. It is true that aluminum has a higher thermal conductivity than plastic. In fact, aluminum is 650 times more thermally conductive than plastic and has a specific heat capacity that is 550 times higher than plastic. This means the aluminum Plenum actually spreads the energy it's exposed to 656 times faster than the plastic and can store more than 550 times the amount of energy per unit mass. Bottom line, aluminum can absorb more heat than plastic, but it also takes considerably more energy to heat up and it's losing that energy way faster than the aluminum allowing the IPD Plenum to remain cooler from outside ambient air under driving conditions, ultimately improving engine performance over plastic. Plus, why would Porsche utilize aluminum intakes on GT3's, GT2's, Cup Cars and Cup R's?

NOTE: If you are upgrading your throttle body along with the IPD Plenum, you may need to visit a dealership to have them perform a manual throttle body adaptation process. Some customers have reported that installing the throttle body and plenum while the battery is disconnected results in the car performing an adaptation check once the battery is reconnected, alleviating the need to visit a dealership. However, Fabspeed recommends having the adaptation performed at a certified dealership for optimal results. If you need a recommendation for a dealership in your area, please contact us.