Thanks to Dan, a poster on this board and a new 993TT owner, I have been bitten by the TT bug (I knew I should not have driven his car). I am currently looking very seriously at a 96 993TT with low miles (20K) that was modified by Weissach in Vancouver, Canada, about 2 years back at 9K miles. The car has GT2 turbos, modified wastegates (1.1 bar), IC, exhaust system, remapped ECU, etc. It supposedly puts out around 500 HP. I have spoken to the Weissach tech that did the work and he says it is a very solid modification that makes the car much more aggressive in terms of raw power and acceleration. He likened it to feeling like a 930 in terms of push back, while having all the performance and handling of the 993TT (an ideal combo for me as I love the raw feel of my 930 AND the handling improvements made in my 993 C4). Weissach only did this upgrade (called a Stage 2 Turbo kit) for a short time as they are RUF distributors and the RUF Turbo R kit came out in the Fall of 2000. My questions to you all:

Anybody have any experience with this or similar mods?
Anything special I should look for in my PPI?

Thanks in advance.

P.S. If anyone is looking for a 993 C4 Cab let me know.

 

That is Alex Magilny's (the hockey player) car if it's a silver 993TT that is lowered. Alex is a great driver with mechanical sympathy. He takes great care of his cars and always has them services by proper shops. He has autocrossed his Supercharged M car, but he's never autocrossed the Porsche. Even if he had, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the car because:

1. It's been built by a shop that really knows these cars, they are the authourized RUF dealer as well.
2. Alex is a good, smooth driver that does not abuse his cars, even on the track.
3. That particular car has never run at any autocross event I've attended where Alex has been present.
4. Best of all, he traded it in for a black 996TT so you know he didn't get rid of it because he was upset with the reliabilty/performance, etc.

Hope this helps, it's a gorgeous car and FAST!

Farzaan

 

Beyond the usual items in a PPI, make sure you have the transmission checked for a bent first gear. The TT's, even stick, can bend this gear with drag race type starts. '97's have a stronger shaft and gear than '96's but both can have the problem. Make sure to do a leakdown/compression check.

The only real concern about modified TT's in CA is our poor quality gas. You may have problems with 91 octane. My car is not much different than what you are describing. I run a mix of 91 and 100 (~25% 100 for street and mostly 100 at the track). On an extended highway trip I just run straight 91.

If you object the the hassle of mixing fuels, you may have problems which will cause the ECU to reduce boost and you will not see the power you are trying to purchase. The modified ECU's were generally done with the assumption of 93-94 octane.

You should also make sure the car has an additional oil cooler - either turbo S or 3rd party to get rid of all the extra heat from the higher HP. A larger intercooler is also advisable, it both helps with power and knock control.

The mods you describe should put you in the 480-520 HP. This is an awsome combination - just be careful of your license on the street.

If you want to discuss further, drop me an eMail and we can hook up. Sounds like a great car.

 

Had similar mods before I upgraded further. Suggest you add oil cooler if the car doesn't have one as well as a bigger intercooler.

993tt are pretty bullet proof. Three areas to look at that have high failure rates: valve guides, dual mass flywheel, and the first gear which was previously mentioned if the car has been drag raced or tested by Motor Trend magazine.

I tracked a similar configuration car for over a year (12 events) with no problems. The only production cars that will stay with you will be a well driven Viper and Zo6's on slicks (until they loose their brakes or clutch)
Best Regards
Jim