My comment on the Porsche aftermarket probably came across more harshly than intended. Watching the tuner shootouts vs. the factory car shootouts in various magazines has convinced me of the fragility of tuner cars. Certainly the factory has made plenty of errors through the years.(dual mass flywheels and chain tensioners come to mind) If the failure rate in factory engineering is 5%, the aftermarket failure rate would probably be 5 times that. Affordability drives much of that I'm sure, as few customers are willing to spend the equivalent total value of the car to have a reliable 550hp package. Trial and error is also a likely suspect, as Porsche keeps a close hold on it's data and you end up breaking a lot of eggs to make the omelet. I have no doubt that, given a blank check, you and other noted experts can equal or exceed factory reliability. That said, how often are you given a blank check? It's also likely that many of your potential customers are seduced by low bids by less capable tuners that build grenade packages. All these reasons are why I made my negative comment. I appreciate your comments on Rennlist and enjoy interacting with you. I highly regard your knowledge, ability and integrity, but am afraid you are one of a very small group of reliable aftermarket tuners and suppliers.

 

You raise many good points here and I'm glad you wrote that.

(I must first apologize for stealing Jim's thread here but this subject demanded a response)

I too, read all these magazines and BBS's with various tuners looking for bragging rights for the most HP, torque, acceleration or top speed. Although the magazines are fun to read, there are never any dialogues or discussions about the reliability or longevity of certain upgrades and that IMHO, that is a serious oversight.

Engine research & development requires a long-term view and a VERY substantial capital investment. Learning to build durable AND powerful engines isn't something one perfects in a few years and its damned expensive to do properly since sometimes tests-to-failure are done. IMHO, "trial & error testing and development" should never be done on the customer's nickel. This is one reason why tuners like Ruf charge what they do.

From experience, I can say that very few people can afford a blank check approach to performance improvements, however it doesn't take such resources to provide that. Further, such upgrades will not impact factory durability IF,...IF they are done intelligently by competant, honest, and experienced people. I'd agree that there are tuners & shops who will provide performance increases without much concern for the customer's long term financial well being since the profit incentives of such enterprises are very powerful.

One does not have spend the equivalent total value of the car to see VERY worthwhile performance gains, but it does require a realistic budget and most people are attracted to a "lowest bidder" mentality. Cheaper is NOT always better,........

This is a rather complex subject that could take a lot of space here,....

 

about parts. Especially my IC. Is this IC a cargraphics. I believe a rennlister pointed that out to me when I first joined. But I think it was bought from FVD.

Any thoughts?

 

Marty:

FVD & Cargraphic 993 TT intercoolers come from the same manufacturer in Germany.