Turbosmart/Forge/Porsche actuators - any views

Hi I need to change my actuators on my 996tt turbo. There are three recommendations a. Porsche original b. Forge c. Turbo smart I would normally use Porsche are expensive,, however, these are nearly twice the price. Any views/recommendations would be appreciated

I have owned all three through the course of owning my car. Turbo Smart . 1.They won't seize like OEM ones. 2. Are constructed much better than both of your other choices. 3. They are serviceable. 4. They are adjustable. 5. Cheaper than OEM £800 vs £419 a pair. 6. If you asked a 'Porsche Enthusiast' engineer to build an actuator that would outlast the life of a turbo they build a turbo smart actuator. The attention to detail for building essentially a spring in a box is very impressive. 7. They are machined from a single block of aluminium. The forge ones just don't cut the mustard for build quality. I wish I had jumped straight to these as apposed to replacing with OEM I went through my first turbo rebuild. The only down side I can see is, if you car is still under warranty and how P dealer would react. I hope this helps Best S

Thanks, very detailed. I have had a quote for £450 + VAT for Originals (not from a Porsche Dealer). Silly question, do I need to maintain/service the actuator and if so, how often.

They don't need to be touched once installed. The cracking pressure will need to be set when they are fitted. Here is a link to a closer look at a turbo smart actuator wastegate for a k16 turbo for 993 turbo (similar). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8QOndAqWYw The moderate challenge is removing the existing actuators still attached to your turbo chargers. I can promise the underside of you car will resemble the Titanic. The two bolts used to attach the waste gate will be corroded. The preload nuts on the rod will also be corroded. However, the days in which technician use penetrating oil and the acetylene torch to remove corroded bolts are limited. Here is why---> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ya8fxm89jk When looking at the OEM units for me its not about the price that would be my concern it is the risk of the waste gates seizing open or (even worse) shut. A turbo waste gate on a car is an extremely important mechanical safety and facilitating feature when controlling how much air is forced (via the turbo) into an engine. It is the door on a turbo charger that opens and closes to help modulate this air pressure (boost). If they seize open, the car will lack torque giving symptoms of a very bad boost leak. If they seized closed the feeling will be the opposite. Too much torque, car will go into limp mode as a result of the turbo supplying a dangerous amount of boost. Final Note: With the 996 Turbo platforms almost all of them, unless previously tested by a garage who knows their stuff or if the car was previously owned by a technically minded enthusiast will leak air (boost leak). If you decide to buy the WG and have them fitted ensure that whoever fits them boost leaks the car. It takes literally 10 minutes, you don't need a computer and you'll be kicking yourself that you hadn't done it sooner. If you find a leak of which will be easily fixable--Enjoy the newly discovered torque. I hope this helps Best S :thumb: