I've been seeing videos of shops swapping out the base 2.7 for a 3.8 as well as the 3.4 to 3.8 conversion. Does anyone know if these are plug and play swaps or a more custom build? Any info is greatly appreciated. Also would be helpful to get pointed to a good performance shop in the SoCal area.
Thanks.

 

I bought a 981 base with 3.8L. The car was built by BGB in Florida. It was maintained by https://gmgracing.com in SoCal.

if I was to do it today, I would go even bigger to 4.2.
Happy with mine though. Plenty of power.

 

Any issues with passing smog? I live in SoCal and have been looking into a swap. The only thing that’s has me thinking twice is smog.

 

No issue. The previous owner has the car in that area for 4 years.

 

Why not go all the way with a deman 4.5l. Pricey but it’s gotta be fun.

 

Pricey is relative and for some 150+ horses added without any forced induction or alternative fuel (octane booster notwithstanding) those folks are playing at the lower end of tbe big boys hill (the things w turbo badges and up and their aftermarket) in terms of both cost and gain with motor and transmission. These big motor builds are a dying breed of "more than the factory dared" and to some worth it just for that fact; or just by the #s you get an r8/570 competitor which can be daily used for fun during commutes with more than one small envelope of mail. Sane people might go spend the difference on a "nicer 911" but then again if doing this sort of thing the 981 is likely not your only car and 911s keep their engine in a contentious (for some naysayers) location ;-).

 

Matt farah from smoking tire. Had his deman spyder tuned for pump gas and gained horsepower and torque. Go search the vid on YouTube. For me my little 2.7 is more fun whining it out hearing the flat six sing. I don’t need more power for the street and mountain roads. But I completely understand the why some need more power.

 

For now the 30s of added fill up time don't bother me and if somehow I shatter the booster bottle far away from home the manual does say that it can be babied under 4 on pump till more is put into the tank. More power is also probably not a major concern as this thing is no way hurting in that department - feels at least as quick as turbo in the dry and a lot more willing to rotate despite the proper adhesion at the flick of the right foot under hard steering angle. Adds the right kind of dimension to the GT4 experience.

 

The DeMan 4.5L also sounds less like a Porsche to me; I've seen videos and it's loud, but imo the sound is flat and loses the tone of any of the factory engines. See this vid:
I personally would want a 3.8L with the X51 Power Kit to keep the OEM sound. 430 hp is more than enough for road use in the US.

Regarding the 3.8 swap, I've read that it is essentially a plug-and-play, though you may need to swap some of the electronics: https://rennlist.com/forums/981-foru...onversion.html

 

Exhaust headers and plumbing can help the sound thing a little but its more a matter of how they drive - the torque well is vast and broad esp on short gears so you end up shifting faster and spending less time above 5k. The tone is a bit more flat and definitely nothing like the symphony i hear out of the ESMotor 4L but when you're behind the wheel and using it for what its worth, that's really not a serious concern. 430 may well be enough but 560 on short gears is a full on experience of its own. If you have the runway to get one of these setups, I'm a somewhat advanced autoholjc and this thing has all the gusto I need to advance my skillset for a while to come.
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