I am about ready to buy a 97TT with a Autoauthority Stage 2 remapped ECU and Electronic Boost Control. I am told this increases HP to 540hp. I really don't believe the HP numbers but I do have a couple of questions - Is this a good system and what might be the real HP numbers. thanks Mike W

 

Mike, have you gotten an oil cooler, upgraded turbo, and an new intercooler to match all that hp??

I doubt that you can go from 400 to 540 with just a chip change. Although I can dream..

 

Jeff, I am buying this car. Only the ECU and EVC have been added. AS I said I don't believe the hp figures. I just want to be sure these add ons will not cause future problems and what kind of HPgains there might be. mike w

 

I think people have said on this board before that the stock turbos are good for only about the 450 range. So the car probably is maxed out at that, IF there weren't any other mods done. However, it won't reach that range if the air temps are too high, or the engine temps are too high.

That's why I asked about the IC and the oil cooler. The EBC can easily cause an over boost situation ( becuase it doesnt' take into account other engine factors ). All these things may lead to detonation, which is bad.

What else do you know about the car? It already sounds suspicious..

If you haven't already, check out http://www.993tt.com for more tt buying info.

 

Mike Mike Mike, Check out that engine throughly. Everywhere I read
says you have to have the extra oil cooler for chipped motors. have them
check it out at the PPI and ask what is going on in the motor area,
typically, as Jeff said, there should be an aftermarket
intercooler too. I agree with Jeff. I got in a situation like that
where the motor had been messed with and I found out
luckily before the PPI

 

I am having the car PPI'd tomorrow. My wrench and the guy servicing the car said nothing else is needed. Mabe I need to call autoauthority tomorrow and ask their opinion. I was told the computer prevents problems given the additional boost. I don't know about a bigger intercooler (big $) but what is the cost of an extra oilcooler. I drove the car and it appears VERY strong, Mike W

 

Talk to TB993 - he knows everything.. He once told me when I had a 993TT that the stock turbos CANNOT produce more than 440-450 HP as Jeff said. He also said that the aftermarket intercoolers are pretty much a waste of money until you get into real high stages of mods. Everything I know about Autothority is that they build their cars to produce as large #'s as possible, they do not care about reliability or longevity. Many experts say their systems do produce alot of power and thats what you always hear about , adding that you never hear of the guys that wanna kill them cause they blew their motor.

Adam

 

Adam, How do I reach TB993?

 

adogny is absolutely correct. Also have the mechanic verify the turbos if they are the k16's or 24's or hybrids. As well as far as the oil cooler and ntercooler go the oil cooler is a must and the ntercooler is last. but a 5 bar regulator is also a must with the turbos. Personally because of the evc I would never buy this car. I am sure it has been detonating and or running at low boost from retard of ecu I hope! I would say walk from it and be cool headed, there are plenty more.

 

You should run away from any mechanic that tells you that you don't need an additional oil cooler with an aggressive ECU. He doesn't know what the hell he is talking about. Your engine is primarily cooled with the oil and you will be generating much more engine heat by increasing the power... basic physics. You need to get that heat reduced with an additional oil cooler. Any knowledgeable mechanic understands these principles. Keep in mind that a lot of mechanics haven't dealt with HP upgrades and are unaware of the consequences of increasing the power.

Also, what has said above is true. The stock Turbos are only good for around 450-460 HP and will generate pressure spikes when driven too hard with 'that' ECU. Simply, the Turbos will over-spin and eventually fail. You should talk to Kevin on this board. He rebuilds stock Turbos and is an expert with them. If they told you that you can get 540 HP out of that package, it's a flat lie.

As far as that modified ECU in your new car, I would never put that in a street 993TT. Ping, ping, ping, unless running with racing fuel, because the ECU can only retard the timing only so far. There has been a lot written on this board about ECUs modified by that company. Additionally, you may want to call Steve Weiner of Rennsport Systems to get an unbiased opinion. I’m sure you will get an ear-full. 503-244-0990

Add to that an electronic boost controller? Good luck

Rick
www.993TT.com

 

Would a leak down test provide a safety margin if the test comes out positive.

 

with a proper PPI, it should be safe to say that the engine is in good condition.. however, once you do purchase the car, it might be better off to not play around with the boost controller.. or if you like set the boost to 0.85 bar at the max.. i am pretty sure that the stage two does not have turbo upgrade (it has a GT2 fuel pressure regulator, sport airfilter, wastegate actuator, fuzzy logic boost controller, remapped ecu), so if you want further boost, get a hybrid K16/k24 turbo from Kevin, and a turbo S oil cooler from Gert at www.carnewal.com (best price).. with those further mods, you could be pushing at a higher boost... not sure at what boost level should be the max..

 

A leak-down is mandatory. It will tell you the health of the engine and it will pinpoint the failure if the leak percentages are above say 5%.
The Porsche expert doing the PPI will help interpret results. If each cylinder is about the same in compression and leak-down, the engine is relatively healthy. It's time-consuming to get to the right, front cylinder (passenger side) so doing five cylinders will cut the PPI time in half, but if the first five are all close to identical, there's little point.
Any decent 993 Turbo will feel "very strong" -- it all depends on the calibration of your "butt dyno" ... but if you feel a long of turbo onset, it's probably running GT2 / aka K22 turbos, which, without a lot of other setup, will tend to have more lag and more sudden onset.
As mentioned, there's no way to get the air flow out of the K16 to push the stock engine beyond 430 to 450hp.
Funnily enough, 520hp is relatively easy to achieve and doesn't really seem to shorten the lifespan of the engine. GT2 turbos, 5 bar FPR, efficient intercooler, auxillary oil-cooler and an ECU flash (or swap out on a '96) and you can get 520hp. I haven't seen any of the "stage this, stage that" shops claim 540hp, maybe this is an autothority thing. Anything's possible. Personally, I'd turn the engine to 500-520hp max and keep it healthy rather than get it on a fine edge at 540hp+ and have to run decent fuel all the time and always be worried about heat and leaning etc.

By the way, an added auxilliary oil cooler on the front is relatively cheap (by Turbo averages) an anything from $1000 for a factory unit to $1500 for a gee-whiz Cargraphic or other "tuner" unit plus a few hours to install it. Very worthwhile. Most people also do the DIY to tweak the cooler fan to stay on full-time at the flick of a switch.

Tell us more about the car and we can answer with more detail. There's just so much to learn (and read by searching this forum...) that there's no point regurgitating it all to scatter gun the whole gamut of possibilities.


Whatever else you do, please keep a cool head and always be ready to walk if there's trouble with the car -- you need to have a clear picture of the history of the car, the service history, the ownership, any passed troubles, any major service items. Depending on miles, it will have a clutch and that event usually precipitates other non-essential work if the owner is caring for the car. It's ten cent psychology, but it's a fair bet that the previous owner that tweaked the engine and the claim of 540hp suggests once they did that work, they tried to use it, so the car might have had some hard running. A PPI will focus on the major mechanicals and might not check closely for evidence the car has been tracked (which isn't a bad thing, it just should bring down the price) or if the car matches the window sticker etc.

Small things catch your attention once you've done a PPI on a few Turbos. Is the oil level just right? Is the alignment perfect? Are the brakes perfect? Does every switch and control work perfectly? Is there evidence of carelessness (paint chips around the gas filler, shoe scuffs on the doors sills, wear and tear in the rear seating ares?)

If the PPI shows up any concerns aside from the power train, with the steering rack, suspension, brakes or if the car hasn't had the electrical harness recall done, you could be looking at trouble. Obviously make sure it has a current smog check before handing over the hard-earneds.

Cheers,

 

First, I want to thank all who have shared their knowledge as well as support in my quest for a TT. Those of you who have responded to this thread have helped a great deal. After four years being on Rennlist (just sold my beloved 993C2) I have been spoiled by the comeradery of this board.
After your inputs and the unbelievable assistance of Steve Weiner it breaks my heart but I am going to pass on the above mentioned TT. The risks are not worth the rewards so I will still be looking for another TT(any leads will be appreciated).
Although I have seen his name mentioned many times , until today I had never spoken with Steve Weiner. Given the fact that I was to make a decision on this car by monday morning, I beeped him this evening. Not only was he nice enough to call me back, he stayed on the phone with me for 45 minutes answering all my questions. He is an unbelievable resource. I just wish his shop was in south florida. I can't thank him enough, as well as those on the Rennlist who suggested I talk to him.
While I am dissapointed I leave NJ without a car, the search goes on. Sorry if I have been a bit long winded, but it has been a tough few days in my car search. Mike W

 

Geesh, After many private emails with you Mike
I thought it was done but in my gut I think you
made the right decision. But I go to bed tonite
with a heavy heart my friend. But hey we'll
keep our eyes open wont we! The search
conitnues!