RUF Supercharger

I know the topic of superchargers has been discussed several times in this forum, and I've used the search function and read all of the comments. Since I live in Dallas, I'm leaning toward the RUF system because of the convenience of having the shop so close and their great reputation for modifying Porsche engines. My question is, has anyone in this forum actually had the RUF Supercharger installed that can give me some feedback? I've heard good things about EVO, but I definitely want to hear from someone who actually has the RUF system before I pull the trigger on this expensive mod. Pics of the Supercharger installed would be an added bonus Thanks

No one that I know of on the forum has a RUF supercharger. May I ask (and be annoying), but for the amount of money for the RUF SC, have you thought about selling your car and getting a turbo?

Excellent point. And you can get the TT as a CPO as well. My money is on the CPO TT not a RUF SC. IIRC, they (RUF) are in the $20K plus range.

Well, I think you should get it. Let�s say your 996 is worth $35 in a trade, your not getting a TT for $55k, especially one with CPO. So, then your left with TT's out of warranty. The $20K gets you a 2 year engine warranty. Then, is there a price/value for uniqueness? If so, you�re getting top dollar with the RUF SC. Not saying there is great value here, but I don�t think its �out of this world� expensive, like many would have you believe.

ruf just did did their first one in north america, and it was on one of their own employee cars. you aren't going to find much customer feedback on this product because there aren't any he said it was $22K installed. personally, i think it's a great product. however, i own an evo SC'd car and i think ruf way over engineered the kit. it's just way overkill for what they are trying to accomplish. you can get the same results with an evo kit for half the money. i know what the HP numbers on the kit are and so far i'm not impressed (sorry, promised not to post them). i'll be shocked if they sell any at all. i think they have priced themselves out of the market. i have seen 01 tt's in the 50's now. you would be better off selling your NA car and getting a TT. if you order a ruf SC'd 997 from the factory you're looking at probably well over 100K by the time you're done, and that's without any real options. Might as well just get a GT3 at that point. Or for that matter, with the way you can option these cars (sticker on my 02 cab was about 100K), you could be well into 997 turbo pricing. i just don't see who's going to chunk out that much money for a SC kit, especially one that can't be serviced locally. what happens when your two year warranty runs out? might get a little pricey flying ruf techs out to your house i know fank is in dallas, but i'm just speaking in general for the rest of us that don't live near the ruf auto centre...

Chris, doesn't RUF have limits on what the car's engine can have mileage wise? Or is it just a blanket 2 year warranty on the COMPLETE engine regardless of miles, etc.? Just curious.

Let me clarify a little. I currently own a 2000 cab with 24,000 miles that I'd like to keep for the next few years. An 01 turbo would cost in the low 70's, and I couldn't get a cab turbo unless I moved up to the 04, which is now pushing closer to 100k. So, if I want a significant increase in power without giving up the cab, it seems the supercharger is the way to go. I'm sure EVO does a good job, but I do see value in having the work done by RUF, who is local, warranties their work for two years, and probably know the Porsche engine and it's capabilities better than any other aftermarket shop. Still, I'm hesitant to spend so much money on something that no one else has tried, I may just wait another 6 months to a year and see if more people give it a shot or if RUF drops the price a little to put themselves closer to the competiition.

first, you can get an 01 turbo for much less than that. one just went on 6speed for high 50's. second, i agree on the turbo cab, but it's going to cost a hell of a lot more than 100K. probably more like 120K, and that would be a bargain. ruf is an excellent company. however, you're not really getting anything special over what the evo offers. i'm sure giac know what software as well as ruf does. even though ruf has a relationship with porsche, they are aftermarket too, to a certain degree. supercharging the 996 isn't rocket science. the software is the most complicated part and evo seems to have that down. however, if you want to spend about half of what your car is worth on a SC, i say go for it. i'd love to see some independent testing. the funny thing is, for all the extra "stuff" and technology that ruf puts into this kit and overcomplicating of the installation, it's making about the same rear wheel HP as my 3.6 Evo. i would have expected a lot more out of a kit that is going through the trouble of lowering the compression, raising the boost, and integrating the intercoolers intot the intake manifolds.

Dell, my understanding is that if you're >40k, you get a complete rebuild and the warranty.(Hope I'm the right Chris)

Fair enough Deputy, but I've priced several 01 turbos and all of the ones that I'd consider buying (excellent condition, under 30k miles, silver or black) are going in the high 60s and low 70s. You have raised some interesting points about the RUF kit, I wish someone had one that could give us some feedback. I'm going to give more consideration to the EVO before I make any decisions, but I'm not sure if they have any installers in the Dallas/FW area. I'll check into it this weekend

I am one for buying the best you can afford, I have decided to go with the EVO system. 1) its proven..2 its less then half the cost..3) you can play with it some more( meaning tweaking the ECU)I believe that RUF locks your programme, and if that the case only they can work on the part of the car.As you know more expensive doesnt mean its better...in this case I think its just more money.

You guys need to read the warranty info because nobody has interpreted it correctly yet. RUF doesn't give you a 2 year warranty on the entire engine for any problems. They just warranty it for 2 years against any problems that the SC may cause.

If that's the case then the EVO kit is similair in that it's a 2 year warranty on the parts too. I really want to see/try our a RuF one but I think it came to the market a bit too late on. Just as an FYI we did serial number 105 for the SC EV cars this week

The EVO warranty is only on the SC parts, not the engine parts. If you blow your engine due to the EVO SC then you're going to be buying yourself a new engine. If you blow it due to the RUF SC then RUF will buy it for you. That's a $20K difference (roughly, not sure of the latest cost of a new 996 engine).

you can get a new 3.6 liter installed for about 8.5K ruf is just making you pay for it up front hoping you don't need it

Dell, yes there are engine mile limits. Here is the whole deal. RUF Compressor Kit for all 996 and 997 Carrera RUF upgrades all naturally aspirated Porsche 996 and 997 Carrera for more performance. Many Porsche 996 and 997 Carrera owners would like to have additional horsepower for their vehicles. RUF provides the solution! RUF�s bolt on Compressor Kit, which includes a supercharger with intercooler, provides inproved acceleration, torque and maximum speed. Horsepower and torque are increased throughout the RPM range. The compressor kit contains a centrifugal compressor, which is driven mechanically by a Poly-Rip belt. The maximum boost is 0,5 bar; the fuel preasure remains standard. The engine receives a new intake manifold, modified injectors, sports catalytic converters und a modified electronic engine management. The watercooled intercooler has a cooling water circuit with an electric water pump from the water cooler in the front spoiler. The 3.4 liter engine has a performance of 360 bhp (265 kW) and a torque of 400 Nm; the 3.6 liter engine has 380 bhp (279 kW) and 420 Nm. The supercharged 3.8 liter engine of the 997 Carrera S provides 415 bhp (305 kW) and 440 Nm torque. 996 Carrera 3.4 liter with RUF compressor � acceleration: 0 � 62 mph (0 � 100 km/h) in 4.7 sec., 0 � 125 mph (0 � 200 km/h) in 15.8 sec. Maximum speed: 187,5 mph (300 km/h). The Compressor Kit fits to all 996 and 997 Carrera with rear- or four wheel drive, including manual gear box or tiptronic S. RUF Compresssor Kit for 996 and 997 Carrera Basic Engine Performace Torque 3.4 liter (996) adds 80hp 400 Nm 3.6 liter (996) adds 80hp 420 Nm 3.6 liter (997) adds 80hp 420 Nm 3.8 liter (997) adds 80hp 440 Nm Please take care of the milage of the engines: - Up to 40.000 km no special check necessary - From 40.000 km to 80.000 km we check the engine for the possibility of guarantee and replace the necessary parts - More than 80.000 km we recommend a replacement of the engine: p.e. 3,4 l Engine M96.01: � 5.870,- Guarantee for upgraded engines: 2 years or 25.000 miles (40.000 km).

This has been discussed at length on 6speed, with many of the same participants. I disagree with you DDog; I think RUF will do very well with this car. The RUF SC is the most "accessible" RUF performance modification they offer. I always get a kick out of how people with Evo SC's spend so much time talking down this product. Anyone looking at a RUF is painfully aware of the Evo SC. I look forward to the first dyno charts of the RUF SC. Yes, I know, RUF will not post them. No, I don�t know why.

they don't post the numbers because people will say, uhhh...why should i spend double for the same peformance? not to mention they also put a disclaimer on there saying that they can't guarantee they can duplicate the numbers they got. 22K is accessible on a base 75K car? If it's such a great kit then I say go buy it. This kit has been out for a while now. At least they have been advertising it has been out anyway. Haven't sold a single one, other than to an employee. Evo owners spend time talking about it, because it's almost comical what Ruf is charging for this kit that on face value, appears to offer no advatages at all other than a warranty which you probably woudln't use. There is a good reason people aren't lining up to buy these kits. It's too expensive to dump that kind of money into an older car. And you'd just buy an upgraded porsche (GT3, turbo, etc) if looking at a new 997. I wish them the best of luck with this one Day late, and many dollars short.

hi teflon as I said there's a 2 year warranty on the parts

And don't kid yourself about warranties. I'm sure RUF won't just blindy do a motor swap if something fails. You're gonna have to prove it was the supercharger's fault.

..and remember, they will only warranty the engine if it is less than 40K. otherwise you have to have it rebuilt and guess who is there to rebuild it... Ruf. so you end up giving them even more money. you do get more bits/engineering and oem appearance though but that still only gets you, not more, not less, but the same amount of power. looking at Ruf's performance numbers then it is even worse

Does EVO pay you guys?

damn, that is really laughable. does RUf pay you? i am not even saying that it is an inferior product. not at all. i believe that the engineering, but not necessarily the software programming, surpasses the evo kit. i would probably get the Ruf kit if was the same price as the evo kit. money matters to me, so you can see where i have made my choice. it IS FUNNY that Ruf autocenter will NOT post their dyno runs but say the numbers are very good but may not be repeatable. huh?