04 Turbo tuning...first £1k, £2k, £3k

Hi all I have a stock 996tt. I am going to get it checked over for things that need fixing (+boost leak)...then will be looking to spend a little on getting more out of it. I am not going to track it...and am looking for fun in the country lanes and roads. So low down gains in torque, lag, spooling....not chasing screaming high end, fast 60 to 130 pulls etc. Basically anything that is focused on gains after about 80+ not particularly interesting. I am also fine with my noise. (Not wedded to it either)...so not particularly bothered about that kind of side benefit. So to that end...how would you spend each of 1, 2 or 3k to get bang for buck here across back exhausts, manifolds, flashes, dvs, air filter, plenums, turbo changes... Which components have the bigger impact on spooling and lag? Regards K

You answer may depend on whether this is a one off or you are planning to spend more later. Have you talked to 9E?

Thanks for reply Famous last words but i wouldnt expect to carry on spending....i think I can probably hit my goals with that spend and I dont expect to want any more after that..just a great british road drivers car. So just looking for the one or two things that improve 0-60, reduce lag/improve spooling... I will be spending a little extra on suspension....just focused on power/air here..not handling. Will be speaking to Ken soon too.

Using your first £1k-£2K to get your car up-to-scratch with a decent service should be enough to satisfy your requirements. This should address the torque issue significantly and 'turbo lag' can be reduced by making sure that you're in the right gear for what you want to do. Just mashing the throttle won't work. Experts will advise you as to how much effect and at what cost a 'performance map' will achieve. Beyond that I fear you'll need to increase your budget. Good luck :thumb:

Thanks T8 I hear what you are saying My first money is going to servicing/repair to put the car straight and as good as stock as it can be (16yrs old, 150k miles)...incl. suspension I will then live with it for a while and see if it hits the spot just like that However, this thread is mainly about moving past stock and best place to put a "little" money....to improve the things i value (spirited road driving). And...being honest...in hopefully a one off case...spending "just another" 1 or 2k to get the yield of a flash/exhaust seem worth it before diminishing returns/gains in areas i dont seek kick in Hope that makes sense So the big question stands if you were only spending this amount post stock...to improve accelleration and turbo response...where would your money go? Flash alone, cheap exhaust alone, flash and cheap exhaust or expensive exhaust with no flash. Thanks

Sorry I don't know much about turbos but the usual path for performance is something like: Get it running right first - turbos/waste gates/no boost leaks Tyres then suspension & alignment Next performance in order of cost is: Lose weight - I imagine that it's cheap and easy to remove the first 50kg but for £2k you could lose a lot more. Then improve air flow in/out and remap, if you remap before a freer flowing exhaust (gets expensive with a full system but better results) & intake mods it will probably need another remap after. Therefore probably the best VFM comes from a stand alone remap although if you push it too much you reduce the safety margins of standard components especially at high altitudes/high temps if you boot it in that environment. Interesting topic, a lot more knowledge will be along shortly, just keep a firm grip on your wallet!

Evening, With what I have seen so far with looking into this and slowly upgrading, checking for boost leaks doesn't seem to be be looked at enough. Make sure that is looked at with service etc.

Honestly, I wouldn't even trust it with a service at most places. Unless you're going somewhere that map the cars too, I would look into doing a boost leak test yourself. There are videos on the internet on how to do it. The advice about getting the car running properly is also worth listening too - these cars are 15 to 19 years old now, a lot of parts are worn out or corroded and not working properly. Getting these fixed can swallow £thousands alone. If you're going for bigger power, I'd fit new coil packs and new plugs at least. As for the rest of it, typically the easiest way to get power out of any turbo charged car (once it's running properly) is to fit a freer flowing exhaust and then remap it to increase the boost pressure it runs. On a 996T, this can get you up to around 475 bhp. I'm far from an expert on tuning these cars, but this is what I've picked up doing my research over the past 6 months. To go above 475 bhp, you need to look at fueling, as the standard injectors are pretty much maxed out at that level. I'd also look at fitting an uprated fuel pump at this time too - it's not expensive and it's good preventative maintenance seeing as your original one has seen a lot of action. For the rest of the fueling there are two routes you can go - the cheap and cheerful way is to fit a 5 bar fuel regulator. The standard one is 3.8 bar I think, so fitting the 5 bar regulator simply allows the injectors to see more pressure and flow more fuel during their duty cycle. This is seen as a bit of a corner cut by most tuners, but they (along with the exhaust and remap) can get you to just over 500 bhp. The more expensive option is to fit uprated injectors. This will cost you in the region of £1k - £2k, but can (with the right fuel pump) allow enough fueling to run up to 1,000 bhp. This is seen as "the right way" to upgrade the fueling system. Going above 500 bhp is where the fun starts and if you think this might ever be an option for you, I'd do your research and get comfortable with a tuner before you start, then follow their advice. At that point, you're looking at hybrid turbos, larger intercoolers and probably a whole load of other stuff. £££! There is a good resource on facebook for people looking to tune their 996Ts... :thumb:

If you upgrade your fuel pumps, get something modern that uses low energy and low noise. If anyone says 044, thank them for the advice and run away. The pipes to the turbo are also quite restrictive, opening them out will give good gains, evoms did a hard set, not sure if they still do. Billet turbos on this platform make a huge difference and will give you all the power you'll ever need on the road. Head bolts need doing above 1.5 bar. I sourced the part number for 12mm studs from ARP and made it public, Sean at SRM jumped on it and bashed out the kits for around £600, back then a bespoke set was £2k odd! Was a great day for the enthusiast! Beyond that, standalone is a particular favourite of mine, you can remap the variocam, so it doesn't retard power up top, the standard dme only shifts it once and this can't be changed, adjusting the cam phase angle will give you another 80-100hp plus you'll be able to remap the traction control, run different maps and change on the fly (valet, lean cruise etc) not to mention more safety features. Essential on big power cars, but you'll benefit massively just with billet turbos as the standard traction control will close the dbw throttle when it can't handle the increased torque. If you haven't got a short shifter, get one fitted, the standard throw is comical, you'll wonder why Porsche didn't make it standard.

Oh yes, another big ticket item that needs upgrading early on is the clutch in manual cars, especially if yours is on the original - the old standard one probably will start slipping if you actually start using the extra power.

Thanks for all the replies... Having the boost leak checks done by 9e and will be chatting to them about their views. Mine is a tiptronic. I think reading across the posts above...it seems like you can basically do: Best value = standalone flash Next best = better exhaust and flash. I could probably get both for 3k ish if I go with a cheaper exhaust like top gear or milltek. It seems you can do this safely and get gains without having to spend more on filter, dv, fpipe, manifold...(although all would be good its marginal for performance and safety under 480-500bhp)? Spark plugs/coils i will look into since it seems they have a life and should be looked at anyway. It seems stock will do.. at this level..just need to make sure they are recent enough/good shape. Think going into fuel/turbo upgrades etc takes beyond budget and beyond my goal performance wise Weightloss is interesting...but i do like comfort..but i will have a look at things like battery, spare wheel, wheels... Thanks for all the help and no doubt it will end up completely different. I will keep posting. Regards K

Hi I have gone down a similar route to you and started by changing the intercoolers to GT2 RS, turbosmart wastegates and 5 bar fuel regulator the plugs and coil packs were changed. All leaks were hunted down and broken parts changed out. Unfortunately we found I had a cracked n/s turbo this was rebuilt (£500 not budgeted cost) I decided on a Markski map and have been in constant communication as we would forward him the data logging information for him to tailor the map perfectly. Now holding 1.2 bar. The car was fitted with coilovers on GT2 wheels and performance exhaust. I did have to change the clutch to a 890 Sachs as it was slipping under load!! This work was over £3k I have now owned the car for just over a year and only driven 1200 miles

The plot thickens, the eyes wander and the man maths stretches So....the cost of getting the car straight is a bit less than feared. However, the turbos both need a lot of work and a lot of the car is going to be opened up (meaning there is an economy of scale in getting stuff done at the same time)... Therefore...I now start to wonder: Exhaust - may as well do the exhaust as turbos are off Turbo - for the cost of work and stock wgs... May as well upgrade to billet or something like these https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/K16-Hybrid-Turbos-670-bhp-1-Year-Warranty-Porsche-996-Turbo/254775614009 Questions: 1) do I need to pay an extra 1k for something with hjs cats or will miltek/top gear last just as well 2) I imagine some things must be done (safety) and some things should be done (to realise the power - but not doing won't be unsafe just limit gain) when going into a turbo upgrade. The latter I could decide whether to do now or later. Out of the following which do you see as must vs should and any recommendations on parts? I am looking for the minimum I must do now if I am just taking advantage of the moment to upgrade the turbos. Intercoolers - 996 gt2, 997.2 turbo, 997.2gt3rs or plug and play aftermarket Fueling - 5bar fpr, fuel pump, Injectors (60lb?), pipes? Dv, fpipes Plenum Upgraded plugs - part? Gap? Thanks for the help Regards Karl

I think you need to consider the end result, i.e. what performance are you looking to get out of the car, before people can advise you on a route to get there. Either way, you need to get your car running as well as possible before upping the power. This means things like your air-con and rads and fans need to be in good condition, as well as brakes and suspension and boost hoses DVs. Once you've got those sorted, if you need to/are going to swap to billet turbos, then you can either go to around 525 bhp on a 5 bar FPR, or swap out the injectors and go up to around 600 bhp. At that point, you need to start looking at your gearbox. The only real hardware difference between the 525 bhp level and 600 bhp level is the fueling; you can get away with just a 5 bar FPR at 525 bhp, but will need uprated injectors (and the normal 3 bar FPR) for 600 bhp+. I'd also swap the fuel pump to an uprated one for insurance too - it's not expensive and the your existing one will be close to 20 years old.

Oh my god...how did this happen Jeez... It's like these things were scientifically designed to make us lose all sense. The madness has found another home here. All man maths and twisted logic All of a sudden it's ridiculously unnecessary but alluring bits and pieces. Nothing makes sense... But we wants it. Buckle up..I'm going on a trip K