3.4L to 3.8L

For my 07 Cayman S engine rebuild I'm toying with moving up to a 3.8L. LNE will be doing the machine work and putting in Nickie sleeves plus I'll be adding a few other parts from them along with Carrillo rods. I've searched and cannot find any information on rebuilding the 3.4L to a 3.8L. Can anyone comment from experience on this?

Absolutely, i just got my 06 CS back 2 weeks ago. Vision Motorsports performed my rebuild. I had them upgrade to 3.8L, new cylinder liners, JE Pistons, Carrilllo rods, upgraded crankshaft. Other improvements made were deep sump, TTP Oilsafe scavenger pump, GT3 oil cooler, third radiator, Motorsports AOS , LWFW, sport clutch, replaced water pump. Vision are experts at rebuilding Cayman engines.

retro ims bearing kit? thats important.. lemon

I think Vision uses the internally oil fed roller bearing setup. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That sounds like it is built. Would cams do anything at that point? I know the heads already flow. Any dyno numbers?

I am thinking of selling my 997.1 Carrera S motor that is for my Cayman S . The motor was purchased from FVD and had less than 500 miles on it. It is a sweet motor that I added Carillo rods to, because a friend of mine accidentally dropped a stainless steel washer inside the motor in the region of the crankshaft. Vision Motorsports disassembled the motor, found the washer, and reinstalled the motor with Carillo rods and rod bolts. The motor sounds very cherry in my car. I am in the Bay Area and anyone is welcome to come by my house and inspect the car. This car is hard core badassed. There is a lot going on with it. All of it custom and done by me over 2 years. I will provide pics of the motor as I edit this thread. So stay tuned. I will also sell my prototype (working like a peach) dry sump system, and 997 2008 Cup World Challenge front end bodywork. All of this is operational. I might also consider selling my GBox repaired OS giken/ short final drive 6 speed transmission. It accelerates like a cup car and will eat GT3s. This car is no joke, at all. So, this Cayman S can not die from oil starvation or rod failure. It is ready for NA power or TPC turbo and most importantly, plug and play. You just need a computer reflash from softronic , GIAC, EVOMS, etc... All hoses and pieces of this motor are brand new. It has motor lowering kit, also. This way the taller 997s manifold fits with no problem. It will destroy most 911s . So, why am I selling? Well, I decided to do a GT3 R body fit to it and put in a nasty LS7 or LS3 427 and the accompanying 500+ whp. Pics coming below and prices will follow. PM me if interested in this project. I can also provide/build anyone this dry sump setup. I will mirror this post on the planet forum and maybe 6speed. The most hardcore people are here on ********!!! PM me.

Dyno results: Stock 265 RWHP, Modified 300 RWHP. That should be about 350 HP at engine. Same as a stock 911 . Note: I still have the very restrictive stock exhaust and the stock engine tune. I expect once I change those 385-400 HP will result.

Vision sourced the crankshaft for me, so I don't know the vendor. Crank Specs: knife edged, grooved, balance, heat treated, nitrided. I also do not have a separate cost on that since it was part of my rebuild. Sorry not much help.

Vision uses Porsche cranks. there are no aftermarket parts available

Yes but, are all Porsche cranks created equal? One might suspect there are some special, close to unobtanium versions, lightened and sporting special metal treatments with knife edged counter weights and trick lubrication channels etc. . . . . maybe even a longer throw or two? How many lbs can Vision shave off the stock rotating crank/connecting rods/pistons, rings and wrist pin assemblies?

Nice! I had thought about this myself, until a recent conversation with a shop who said that 3.8 upgrades were no longer a good bang for buck because engine core cost was redonculous? I was told total cost installed would be somewhere in the $25-30K? No offense, but wouldn't you get the same results (350HP at the engine) using that kind of money to trade for a 2009 model and add cat-back, ECU and plenum/TB? Plus you resolve the oil starvation issue and get a newer car.

has anyone done a 3.8L v.s turbo 3.4L comparison? It seems to me you would get higher HP numbers with less $$ by going the turbo route. I realize NA motors have their appeal but is it enough overcome the power and price combination of a turbo install?

Sure, Turbos provide HP at a cheaper price than rebuilding an engine to a higher displacement. So, why would you want to be NA? 1) Turbos add a lot of mechanical complexity. They often leak oil or can overpressure the crank case. 2) Higher displacement engines provide more torque. This is the reason most american cars run V8's. For me, I love the power, torque, and reliability of a well built NA engine.

No replacement for displacement. It appears there is a lot of overestimating of bolt-on benefits online. I personally don't think Porsche leaves that much on the table. Why else would X51 option require new heads+cams. Best of luck with that. The 300Whp figure sounds spot on though.

Yeh, wishful thinking on my part.

$4000+ crankshafts? I'm amazed the aftermarket hasn't gotten ahold of this yet. I built my 2012 Boss 302 engine from scratch. Bought the individual parts from Ford Racing. Guess what a Boss 302 steel, 0 balanced crankshaft costs..new.... $242. I know that's an extreme case from a part that they probably make 10x the number of, compared to Porsche but still gives you an idea of what their ( Porsche ) cost must be on these. Boss 302 Engine Build - Crankshaft Rods and Pistons - 93Coupe.com

Spot on! As an example, I like the guys at my loyal P dealer so I told them that I was about to buy a bunch of stuff from another well known Porsche parts vendor for less, and they beat their prices - the P dealer literally cut their previous prices in half on some parts, plus I had zero shipping. They did this at the drop off a hat, so you know there's still plenty of margin left! Competition is becoming tougher. Porsche parts are still ridiculous no matter which way you spin it. And many take full advantage, which is why you have to shop around.

Porsche parts are obscenely priced and we are the idiots that pony up! LOL That's why my new track car will have a Subaru WRX engine

When I had to replace the crankshaft about 15 years ago on my old 935 it was $7,500 FOB the factory. Porsche wouldn't even cover the shipping. Got to love the P tax. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

You are going to put a WRX engine in a Cayman ? Or you mean just buy a WRX car for track? The new FA engine is quite an eye opener, but the CVT not so much. I think the FA engine will be the new platform, they just didn't want to stick it in their flagship STi until it's proven. But for $27K - an absolute bargain. I am close to pulling the trigger on a new 2015 STi, but I'm worried that it's a 10 year old engine, and they have been plagued by ringlands failures, and believe it or not oil starvation issues on the track. It remains to be seen if Subaru actually gave a crud about addressing the issues (most think not). Ugly bastard, but as a track/snow car it's a steal at $36K with Nav and Harmon Kardon sound system. I had looked at the Evo X fit the same utilitarian uses, but the MR SST transmission is notoriously problematic, and the GSR 5 speed is not a car you would want to sit on the freeway in - 3850RPM at 70mph=annoying whining noisy thing.

I did think for a moment that I should have installed an LS3 engine in my car. Much cheaper, more powerful option. The Chevy / Porsche option. :hilarious:

Wow so Porsche doesn't have a enthusiast division that provides some performance parts at reasonable prices?

No I'm building a Factory 5 818R. 1800lbs, mid mounted WRX engine & tranny

That is awesome. Great idea. Will be a much better, more affordable track solution. Can't wait to see it when complete.

will this make my car more reliable for a turbo kit or will i still blow up?