The AWE Tuning 991 Turbo S Build Thread

We aim to always place the Porsche alpha superstar “on staff” at AWE Tuning - and this epic incarnation of the 911 was no different. As Porsche performance engineers, it’s important to have intimate knowledge of Stuttgart’s latest icon. This time, our tact would be to start big and end bigger. We’ve acquired the leader of the pack - the Turbo S. Over the coming days and weeks (and beyond), we’ll roll out our build of the next generation of AWE Tuning Super Car. Grab a seat, this is going to be a fun one!

Choosing wisely. You may recognize the AWE Tuning 991 Turbo from when we took delivery of the car earlier this year. For the sake of continuity, we’re including some information here that was included in a post we did about the acquisition of the car earlier this year. The options In addition to the standard list of accoutrements that come on the 991 Turbo S, we took the liberty to add the following options: (789) Special Order Slate Gray Non-Metallic Paint (970) Two-Tone Leather Interior in Black/Carrera Red (342) Heated Front Seats (541) Ventilated Front Seats (653) Panoramic Glass Sunroof (682) Burmeister High-End Sound System (XSC) Porsche Crest on Headrests (XUB) Headlight Washer Covers Painted in Car Color

As mentioned, there was immediate confusion from onlookers about the color choice. Is that the 911 50th Anniversary Edition color? Is that some love child of Atlas Gray and Meteor Gray? It sure isn’t. We first fell in love with what is actually Slate Gray when we saw childhood hero Steve McQueen’s 930 Turbo. See that hint of green in there? Yea you do. It’s even better in person. (McQueen’s first mod? “The first change was a switch on the dash to knock out the taillights and brake lights in case of hot pursuit by law enforcement personnel.”) Onward, the color makes a lot of sense to us and our brand. It’s sophisticated, and to those in the know, quite a stand out. Here are a few of the other colors it isn’t: Slate Gray Metallic (though RAUH-Welt doesn’t disappoint), GT3RS (which is really called Gray Black), Graphite Gray as seen on the 50th anniversary edition (note it has more of a blue base, ours has that green undertone) and a host of others. In fact, to our knowledge we have the only Slate Gray 991 in the world (Slate Gray, aka schiefergrau, is paint code 6601). It drew us in even more as we dug into its application to some true classics. What’s old is new (Slate Gray was actually standard issue in 1966). Often imitated but never duplicated, here’s the full reveal of our new Slate Gray 991 Turbo S pre-modification.

Stunning color. Absolutely stunning and very contemporary! - Patrick

Porsche Performance Portfolio AWE Tuning is no stranger to performance upgrades for Porsches. First was the 996 Twin Turbo Project. Building a monster of this caliber in 2003 was quite the feat. Featuring the AWE Tuning exhaust, intercoolers, headers and a turbo upgrade kit, this sprinter boasted a whopping 700hp through a 6 speed manual trans. Finishings included HRE Wheels, Bilstein coilovers, Recaro Seats, a custom made carbon fiber GT2 wing, and Brembo GTR brakes. Since the AWE Tuning 996, the Porsche catalog continued to blossom, including what Autoweek called one of the top 10 best sounding exhausts… ever. http://youtu.be/uYzyzGVdy3s Next was our 997.1 911 Turbo, 6 speed. Keeping with our mantra to create products that unlock performance for daily driven vehicles, we prepped this car for perfect daily drivability and weekend track abuse. Huge power comes courtesy of the AWE Tuning 750R Power Package -- comprised of the AWE Tuning 997 Turbo Performance Exhaust with HJS Catalysts , high flow AWE Tuning 750R VTG Turbos, AWE Tuning 321 Stainless Steel Headers , AWE Tuning 997TT Intercooler Kit , Large Bore AWE Tuning 997TT Throttle Body, Sachs Racing Stage 2 Clutch Kit , and Proprietary G.I.A.C. Software . The AWE Tuning 997.1 Turbo also included BBS LM-R wheels for street use, BBS Motorsport E28 wheels for track use, Moton Club Sport Coilover Suspension with 60mm H&R ID Race Springs, H&R Front and Rear Sway Bars, Recaro Sportster CS seats, Brembo GTR Brake Kit measuring 380mm up front and 345mm out back and a Vorsteiner Carbon Fiber Front Bumper and Rear Wing Assembly. And our most recent creation was the AWE Tuning 997.2 Porsche Turbo, again with a 6 speed manual transmission. Power became super power thanks to the AWE Tuning 750R Power Package , the AWE Tuning RSR Style Performance Exhaust , AWE Tuning prototype ASA forged wheels, Bilstein Damptronic Coilover Suspension , Brembo 380mm GT Brake Kit (both front and rear ) and a Vorsteiner Carbon Fiber Rear Wing Assembly . And along the way, our supercar scrapbook has grown into an encyclopedia with the advent of products for the Porsche 996 Turbo , 997 Turbo , Carrera GT , and even the McLaren MP4-12C and 650S . Perfect setup for the latest gray battle ship.

Porsche Performance Portfolio AWE Tuning is no stranger to performance upgrades for Porsches. First was the 996 Twin Turbo Project. Building a monster of this caliber in 2003 was quite the feat. Featuring the AWE Tuning exhaust, intercoolers, headers and a turbo upgrade kit, this sprinter boasted a whopping 700hp through a 6 speed manual trans. Finishings included HRE Wheels, Bilstein coilovers, Recaro Seats, a custom made carbon fiber GT2 wing, and Brembo GTR brakes. Since the AWE Tuning 996, the Porsche catalog continued to blossom, including what Autoweek called one of the top 10 best sounding exhausts… ever. http://youtu.be/uYzyzGVdy3s Next was our 997.1 911 Turbo, 6 speed. Keeping with our mantra to create products that unlock performance for daily driven vehicles, we prepped this car for perfect daily drivability and weekend track abuse. Huge power comes courtesy of the AWE Tuning 750R Power Package -- comprised of the AWE Tuning 997 Turbo Performance Exhaust with HJS Catalysts , high flow AWE Tuning 750R VTG Turbos, AWE Tuning 321 Stainless Steel Headers , AWE Tuning 997TT Intercooler Kit , Large Bore AWE Tuning 997TT Throttle Body, Sachs Racing Stage 2 Clutch Kit , and Proprietary G.I.A.C. Software . The AWE Tuning 997.1 Turbo also included BBS LM-R wheels for street use, BBS Motorsport E28 wheels for track use, Moton Club Sport Coilover Suspension with 60mm H&R ID Race Springs, H&R Front and Rear Sway Bars, Recaro Sportster CS seats, Brembo GTR Brake Kit measuring 380mm up front and 345mm out back and a Vorsteiner Carbon Fiber Front Bumper and Rear Wing Assembly. And our most recent creation was the AWE Tuning 997.2 Porsche Turbo, again with a 6 speed manual transmission. Power became super power thanks to the AWE Tuning 750R Power Package , the AWE Tuning RSR Style Performance Exhaust , AWE Tuning prototype ASA forged wheels, Bilstein Damptronic Coilover Suspension , Brembo 380mm GT Brake Kit (both front and rear ) and a Vorsteiner Carbon Fiber Rear Wing Assembly . And along the way, our supercar scrapbook has grown into an encyclopedia with the advent of products for the Porsche 996 Turbo , 997 Turbo , Carrera GT , and even the McLaren MP4-12C and 650S . Perfect setup for the latest gray battle ship.

Excuse my ignorance but I remember you released a tune for both the turbo and the turbo S in the past, what's the plan now?

We offer G.I.A.C. Performance Software for both the Turbo and the Turbo S !

No one puts Exhausts in the corner. Since we went out of our way to choose a color that isn’t in the “off the shelf” catalog from Porsche, we had to wait a bit… but we didn’t want to wait a bit. So we went out to the market to attain a development mule for the creation of our next exhaust creation - the AWE Tuning Porsche 991 Turbo S Exhaust . This is not just a repurposed 997.2TT system (there are a lot of those out there). Besides some minor fitment changes, the 997.2TT system just didn’t sound good enough for us. A bit of interior resonance took this one off the table. And off we went to create something suitable. A car of this magnitude should have a voice, but not just any voice. It needs to be refined, and exotic. It needs to be the perfect signature note. Before completion, our team would spend hundreds of hours prototyping, engineering, researching, testing and evaluating. Premium German made 200 cell HJS HD metal core catalysts guarantee Check Engine Light free operation and best in-class performance. 3.0" diameter tubing and the AWE Tuning muffler design routes exhaust through two proprietary and hand-crafted mufflers, while an H-Pipe design helps ensure the perfect note. The end result would be a system that boasts 29 additional horses at the crank. In action:

Getting to know you. Getting to know all about you. We had already gotten to know the 991 Turbo S through our development car, but it didn’t take away from our special order Slate Gray beast’s arrival. Upon arrival of the 991 Turbo S, our first mission was to get to know it - inside and out. (I know, a tough job). This car is perfectly suited for grand touring, so… it was time for some grand touring. We set off on a 20 hour round trip voyage to Mt. Washington where we witnessed the #CommuteMonday Audi S4 climb to the clouds. (If you haven't seen that build thread, you’re missing out, ( AWE Tuning & German Performance Service present: The Climb to the Clouds S4 Build ) - we took second in class. But I digress.) We found the car to handle tightly through the New Hampshire mountain roads, delivering an experience, that was both comfortable and exhilarating. New Hampshire’s mountain roads are beautiful ribbons of twisting tarmac, but they are riddled with cracks, bumps, and dips thanks to the New England winter. The AWE Tuning 991 Turbo S not only attacked these roads like a thoroughbred, but it also left our spines intact. No chiropractor needed after our 1,000 mile journey. We also found that the bugs from New Hampshire seem to be oddly attracted to special order colors. The 991 Turbo S is a fantastic car, but we know it was leaving some performance on the table.

Exhaust Installation Finally, time for the first bolt on, on OUR car…. the AWE Tuning Porsche 991 Turbo and Turbo S Performance Exhaust . We opted for the Diamond Black RSR Tips for our Slate Gray Turbo S.

We felt the 991 Turbo S’ stock power levels could use a little kick in the pants, so we worked with performance software specialist G.I.A.C. to develop something that would give the 991 a little extra oomph. To the tune of 60ft-lbs of oomph. Keeping with our vision to keep things kosher for daily driving, we were set on maintaining OEM drivability at all costs while making it go faster... A lot faster. Finally landing on the G.I.A.C. Stage 1 Performance Software . If you are looking to blow your hair back a bit, or just feel like your underwear is on fire, then the G.I.A.C. Stage 2 Performance Software is for you. Throwing down a mind numbing max power gain of +90hp and +90ft-lbs to the wheels. Off to the runway for some fun.

Handling. Thanks to Bilstein. Picking out a suspension for a car can be arduous. Especially when you are putting it on a car like the Turbo S. To improve the handling and performance and give the S a little extra drop while maintaining the Turbo S’ grand touring abilities, we worked with Bilstein to fit the very first B16 PSS10 DampTronic® coilover system on a 991 Turbo or Turbo S . The B16 PSS10 coilovers work with active electronic suspension systems like the Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) system found in the 991, making this coilover system the perfect fit for the AWE Tuning Porsche 991 Turbo S. We ended up some 25mm lower in the front and in the rear. We didn’t want to go too low and hurt the ride quality of the car, but we did want to lower the center of gravity and improve the aesthetics a little. Next up, wheels!

Solid. Gold. Time to bring in the big guns from Forgeline . Less is more. So we went for a lightweight set of Forgeline GT1 center lock wheels in 21”x9” up front, and 21”x12 on the rear. The Forgeline GT1 is bred from the GTD1 racing wheel, which is was designed for the United Sportscar TUDOR GT Daytona (GTD) race class. The GT1 wheel is engineered exclusively for Porsche center lock applications. With generous brake clearance, and forged from 6061-T6 Aluminum. The Forgeline GT1 wheel was a perfect fit for our 991 Turbo S. Admittedly it wasn’t easy to pick a wheel color, but keeping with the period look of the Slate Gray, we decided on satin gold as an ode to the color combinations of yesteryear. Porsche was one of the first manufacturers to put gold wheels on their cars from the factory. So this color combination on our Slate Gray 991 seemed fitting and nicely picks up the slight hint of green found in the paint. Wrapped in Pirelli P Zero max performance summer tires at 255/30/21 up front and 325/25/21 out back, we were ready to punish some pavement.

Love the wheels! Looks great, sits right. I'm curious about the longevity of those 700+ hp 996/997s. I noticed that there was no mention of the short block being built to handle the extra power. Any issues? Any projections about what kind of power the stock short block in the 991TT can handle? I read some things by Champion Motorsports that indicated the 997.2 PDK clutches "give up" at 600 whp. Thoughts on the 991 PDK? - Patrick

Hey Patrick, Thank you for your kind words! We plan on leaving the short block as is for the time being, it's plenty stout! We have not found the limits of the PDK system with our bolt on performance parts, I cannot accurately advise on the power level at which the PDK might fail. We've driven our 991 very hard and so far, she's holding up great!

We’ve been foiled. Chances are you will want some fresh air while trying to catch your breath after a sub 3 second 0-60. But putting your window down at highway speeds in a 991 will wreak havoc on your eardrums with debilitating wind buffeting noise. Here’s how bad it can be: AWE Tuning - Coming soon: "The Foiler" - For Porsche 991 Models - YouTube To deal with the aural effects of organ altering acceleration, AWE Tuning created the AWE Tuning Foiler™ Wind Diffuser . A subtle carbon fiber piece designed to be forgotten when installed. The only reminder of it’s existence should be the sweet sound of the outdoors (and your motor) when you lower your window.

Better breathing coming soon... Meanwhile, our performance architects are working on something inhale-worthy for the 991 Turbo and Turbo S. It’ll have carbon, increase power, flaunt guaranteed fitment and a Check Engine Light guarantee. Sign up to stay in the loop on the roll out, right here .

Intake Time AWE Tuning’s performance prowess may end at the exhaust tips, but it begins with the intake. The AWE Tuning S-FLO Carbon Intake line is a catalog chocked full of beautifully sculpted 100% carbon fiber airboxes, with a proprietary tier-one-supplier filter, designed for each and every one to extract as much horsepower from the airbox as possible. With dual air filters specifically designed for the airbox in which they are housed and smooth carbon fiber tubes feeding the factory inlet pipes, the AWE Tuning Porsche 991 Turbo and Turbo S S-FLO Carbon Intake increases airflow, drops IATs, and augments the intake sound from the 3.8L power plant. The entire AWE Tuning S-FLO line up is engineered from the ground up. The CAD model is shown here. During this process we are able to optimize the airflow path to increase horsepower, as well as ensure perfect fitment (resulting in our Fitment Guarantees). Below, the intake from the engine-side, showing air inlets leading into the AWE Tuning S-FLO Filters, which are specifically designed for this airbox. Filter surface area is increased by 22%. In the flesh (ok, in the Carbon Fiber), the AWE Tuning Porsche 991 Turbo and Turbo S S-FLO Carbon Intake graduates from 3D Rendering to a physical product. The intake installed on our in-house Slate Gray Porsche 991 Turbo S. Perfect OEM like fitment: A by-product of our R&D process, 3D scanning with our in-house Faro Arm and CAD Design. All wrapped up for max gains of 22hp and 22ft-lbs of torque. More info right here .

Any word on being foiled on 981? Thanks...

Slated for greatness We are wrapping up the build of our Slate Gray Porsche 991 Turbo S (still a bit more to come) and it’s time to capture its 1 of 1 beauty. Sporting its stripes proudly, our 991 Turbo S is ready for the world. On top of a full line up of AWE Tuning performance products, we worked with a few great partners to finish this thing off strong. Using Bilstein for their excellent PSS10 DampTronic Coilovers , G.I.A.C. for performance software, Forgeline for the motorsport inspired GT1 wheel and Pirelli for their P Zero max performance summer tires. A quick run down of the upgrades on our ballistic missile. AWE Tuning Performance Exhaust AWE Tuning Carbon Fiber S-FLO Intake AWE Tuning Foiler™ Wind Diffuser Bilstein PSS10 DampTronic Coilovers GIAC Turbo S Performance Software Forgeline GT1 Centerlock Wheels Pirelli P Zero Max Performance Summer Tires AWE Tuning Performance Intercooler s (in development!) So without further adieu, here she is (with some shots in the car’s parking spot, now easily accessible in our new facility! ). And back from a photoshoot in the winter before some of the upgrades. And at Woodward’s Launch Pad Park during our recent photoshoot with Joey Brezinski. We’ll keep you updated with any future developments right here... Thanks for reading!