Bash Hat

Throwing a blower on a 13-18 yr old engine and watching it grenade - $20K.....

dan_189

With the numbers you're after go the turbo like everyone as suggested. It will also give you the flexibility to do more mods and get more power if you want.
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The N/A won't give you the numbers even with bolt on modifications.
​​​​The SC and LWFW are not favourable on the M96.

Unfortunately the M96 isn't like other engines and the bolt on mods could leave you with big headaches and bills.

MaddMike

Fixed that for you.

Bash Hat

ejdoherty911

You seem to be focused on this 400 HP (or more) experience. If that's the case then go turbo. There is no point spending 10,000 to boost a NA engine, just get a turbo. However, I would like to suggest you don't need 400+ hp. I've been driving sports cars for a long time and my 2002 Porsche 911 (320 hp) is plenty fast on the street and on the track. When you have this car at 4,500 RPMs it pulls hard. All the fun in these cars happens between 3,800 rpm and 6,000 rpm. I see people driving 550+ HP cars on the track getting lapped by guys in 200 HP Miata. Driving skill is A LOT more important than pure torque or hp.

stan23

Or you can do an LS conversion.

Secular996

I am not fixed on 400.. I just wanted to be above 300 whp honestly. I'm sure the 320 is plenty fast and on a track I've seen a datsun 1200( my buddies) make faster times than evos. I may very well be happy with the 320.. I'm not sure. I'm in this more for the experience than i am the power.

FRUNKenstein

For a first Porsche, the NA 996 is a great car. Right now they are still stupid cheap. Great cars. And they are not all about the horsepower. As ejdoherty says, they are truly sports cars. I'd get a nice NA 996 and appreciate it for what it is. Then, as you are doing that, you can start thinking about a different car. If you are like many of us, you'll keep the 996 and add other cars because the 996 will truly grow on you.

Secular996

So can I get a NA 996 put exhaust, intake, and a tune on it and as long as solid tune... Will it be reliable? As long as its well maintained? Id be happy with that. Like I said just here mostly for experience. Like I mentioned above. My favorite car I've driven is my G35.. 260whp and 3400 lbs.

sfv_rider

To get output to 100HP / liter, a car has to be pretty high strung. Getting this level of power reliably requires sophisticated engineering, and either high revs or boost.

High revs can cause the engine internals to rapidly become externals. Boost increases thermodynamic loads, and combustion pressures. if you want to add displacement, that works, but is quite expensive.

Porsche simply didn't leave a lot of meat on the bone to be exploited by simple mods. And, since the number of potential purchasers of performance parts for a 996 is so low, the development costs have to be amortized over just a few sales. So most aftermarket parts manufacturers don't bother, and those that do charge accordingly.

Enjoying the car as it is makes a lot of sense, and a stock 996 is quick enough on a winding road to be quite enjoyable. Straight-line performance isn't their forte, and it's hard on the equipment. In the US, domestic V-8 cars rule the roost for straight-line speed, if that's your preference.

Do get a quote from an insurance company before committing to either a NA or turbo 996. Your quote is likely to be eye-wateringly high.

VivG

At least for the NA 996, it's not that bad (I got mine at 24). Costs less to insure than a recent-ish 3 series, and if you have a multi-car discount it's actually quite reasonable relative to other cars.

After test driving a 996 Turbo recently, I'm pretty happy with my NA C4. The Turbo felt heavier, definitely faster, but a lot of the extra power isn't usable on the street anyway. Not worth basically double the investment, at least from what I drove. The 996TT felt like a car you could use to get into a lot of trouble with though, that's for sure. The wave of power is just immense, and I can't imagine any amount of tuning could replicate that feel from an M96.

Best driving experience per dollar right now is probably an early 987S (mid-high teens for a car with 80-100k mi). Early 996 is a close second in the same price bracket, but it has some advantages - won't depreciate, seating for four, hardtop and AWD options. Plus it's a 911.

Secular996

So for my G and my AMG I red line them probably 2-10 times in my commute to work and back.. Everyday.. Is this going to make this motor unreliable ? Even if left with just exhaust, intake, and tune?

Also, are you saying like pulling in a straight line with the car is hard on it ? If so I am definitely looking at the wrong platform. I am looking for a car I can beat on, take care of, and have it last me many years.

stan23

Intake/exhaust, doesn't really do jack squat for this car other than add noises. You are better off getting some trackdays with instruction.

Gunning from a stop isn't really what the Porsche is all about. All this is moot until you drive the car. You may not like it.

Secular996

Totally agree with you but i am trying to get an idea of a mod-list together before i buy. I have given up modding the 996 for power.. but i would still like a nice exhaust(even if its the FISTER mod) and im a sucker for intake noises. but i want to make sure by adding exhaust (or doing fister) am i going to corrupt the reliability of the motor? to me its just more in and more out air.

I want to thank everyone for their input... this isn't exactly the discussion i was looking for but definitely the one that needed to happen for me to get a more realistic view on the platform. I have decided on a NA motor as my first porsche.. given up completely on making extra power on it.. Instead i am going to try to lighten the load as much as possible and see where that gets me. and like i mentioned before i will be building it ground up (except maybe FISTER mod) starting with GT3 links, RS motor mount, Trans mount(need to do more research on which), probably either KW coils or H&R, and some lightweight wheels & tires. Then maybe exhaust, intake, tune and then ill focus on the cosmetics. Still not sure whether ill be getting 4s or C2 due to it being my daily i am thinking c4s would be more practical in Ohio.

Will be taking it to tail of the dragon, mid ohio, autoXing it next season, and taking it to other little cool places for me to enjoy the driving aspect of the car. if i want more power i may pick up a turbo down the road but for now i think i just want to enjoy this car for what it is.

Aside from pelican parts and suncoast porsche... are there any other wide variety vendors for this platform?

Thanks again!

Secular996

https://newyork.craigslist.org/lgi/ctd/5938520640.html

anyone know this car? what do you guys think?