Much potential from a 2.7L?

Hi all, I'm pretty new to Porsches still. Trying to learn as much as I can. I like to run through random hybrid builds through my mind. I know most people like to go bigger. I actually like seeing what the smaller displacement engines have to offer. It also changes up the usual discussions on the forums. Never a bad thing. Anyway, I'm curious if the 2.7L engine has more potential than they appear to the avg person like me. I always wonder how much a factory engine is detuned for marketing's sake. A 2.7L engine, particularly with 6 cylinders, seems to have more potential than low-200's crank power. The hybrid I have been pondering is a Boxster/Cayman 2.7L bottomend combined with 3.6L heads and all associated 3.6L components like intake manifolds, throttle body, etc. Also, are there many companies out there that can tune the DME to run this setup? I've heard of Softronic. Thanks for any info you can provide.

The 2.7L I am talking about is the first gen Boxster 2.7L found in the 986.

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Bigger intake, bigger combustion chambers, on small cylinders equals something less than the sum of its parts. You could probably put a 2.7l engine in the car. But to get something like 3.6l power out of the 2.7l engine is going to require work. I mean the 2.7l engine is down almost a liter in displacement from the 3.6l engine. There is no replacement for displacement so you would have to throw a catalog of Porsche 2.7l engine hot rod parts at the engine. However, there is a replacement for displacement, of sorts. Super/turbo charging. In this case a turbo-charger/super-charger kit for the 2.7l engine might be the way to go. For instance, my 996 Turbo's 3.6l engine puts out 420hp. My 2006 GTO 6.0l engine put out 400hp. Thus a 3.6l engine with turbo-charging (2 turbos) surpassed the output of a NA engine 1.6 times its size. Unless you replaced the stock pistons with lower compression pistons boost would be limited to around 6psi (my Turbo's boost is nominally 0.7 bar or 10.15psi but the Turbo has approx. 9:1 compression (vs. approx 11:1 for the 2.7l engine) and has excellent intercoolers to keep the incoming boosted charge cooler) but the increase in engine power and torque would be pretty good nonetheless. All you would have to worry about is the engine's durability. The 2.7l engine is pretty strong but asking it to produce another 75hp to maybe 100hp is going to tax the engine.

Once you pay for all the 3.6 parts and try to make them play, you will wish you bought the block and the rest of the 911. Porsche DME's strongly resist working for another model's engine. Read the posts. Check the bore sizes of 2.7's and 3.6's. Not the same, heads aren't swappable.

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Thanks Macster. I did some research after posting this thread. It doesn't seem like it is really possible to combine 3.6L parts with the 2.7L. As you said, the smaller 2.7L bore will cause problems. Looks like the 3.2L engine is the one with untapped potential. Thanks for the help. I have 2 essentially free engines. One a 2.7L and the 3.6L Was hoping I could put them together. I come from the Honda world and am used to different cranks used in the engines. I was assuming the 2.7L had the same bore but a lower stroke crank even though I recall reading about the bore-size differences. Trying to see if I can use the 2.7L engine since it's the running engine of the two.

Do you have a chassis? If not my gut says prove that the 2.7 runs, sell it, then figure out how much of the 3.6 is salvageable (its worth something even as a core), get it running or sell it. Put the proceeds towards a car. You might be surprised what the engines are worth. Resale of a hybrid is tough.

OP, not sure if you saw this: https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...c2-engine.html

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Yes, I have the chassis the 3.6L came out of. I should've posted this in the original thread. I am not the avg person who just wants to get his car running. I'm actually trying to mess with these cars in greater detail. I'm interested in swapping parts between engines to see how much better they can be. There doesn't seem to be much experimentation with these engines. I can see why since the engines are so expensive though. Sorry about not being more specific. Hopefully you will seem more of what I am hoping to do in the near future. I am not worried about resale value of my project car. It's only purpose if for testing purposes. I am kind of surprised how much potential the 3.2 L engine has. It makes sense though. I assumed it was like the E36 M3 S50/S52 engine where it was tapped out from the factory. Pretty neat that the 3.2L has potential up to 300 HP without major work! I did. I contacted him. I actually have two blown 3.6L engines. Thanks for the heads-up!

There is at least one 996 Mk1 chassis running around with a 3.2L engine from a Boxster S in it. I recall reading a thread a while back about a guy who blew his 996 engine, and didn't want to pony up for the 3.4L, so he bought an off the shelf used 3.2L. Apparently, the car works fine, although he's down a few HP from stock. Not a real bad plan - as it were, to keep the 996 on the road. Don't know anything further about modding, but the 3.2L is a pretty robust package as it sits. Sadly, you have the 2.7 which won't go very far.

If my memory is correct then the Boxter S engine was almost a plug and play. Needed only a couple very minor adjustments (drilling and tapping a few holes) to work. The owner had no problems for a while but then in blew up on him, not related to the install. I think one of the con rod bolts let go. Considering the HP difference between a 3.4 and a 3.2 is only 20hp. Running a Boxter S engine will hardly be noticeable for the driver. I'm seriously contemplating just getting a cheap 2.5L and shoehorning a supercharger on it. If it pops, it will be cheap to replace.

If you're willing to use non-Porsche parts...the 2014 F1 engine spec is for a 6-cylinder engine of just 1.6 liter displacement, originally intended to make ~600HP, so a 2.7 ought to be able to make just over a thousand HP...