"02996ttx50

thanks for the reply, you've got a wealth of experience with these cars it seems.

and i couldn't agree more. the short list would be what i haven't fixated upon since becoming a tt owner and i have yet to meet one tt owner that didn't "fixate" on the noises we hear from these fantastically engineered machines.

as to the sound, someone i read either here or on the other site described this noise as being similar to a "marble rattling in a can". that could not describe it more accurately, but mine ( fortunately ) sounds a bit more like a small pebble in the same can. as i am going on my 2nd tt, i feel i have a fairly tuned sense of hearing relative to what we experience as "normal', as opposed to problematic . i ( like may of us i'm sure! ) can't stand this particular oddity. i've never heard a $150k car rattle! and yet, 180+ mph is there anytime we could find the space.

the odd thing about the noise on my previous x50 ( my tuned tt has it also! ) is that again, i never heard it before the turbos were drained of that liter of oil, and when i did notice it, it was what we all are calling, that "ims" noise. not, seemingly, noise emanating from the turbos, per se.

but these noises are nothing! i'm about to blast my flattrack triumph, running unbaffled tt pipes! THAT.. is noise!

Kevinmacd

Stick your head in the in the engine bay while idling, and I guarante you it's coming from the pully side of the engine, you will probably hear more on the passenger side. Then get under the car, you will see it's not by the turbos.

"02996ttx50

i agree, that the noise i hear is NOT from the turbos. also, this is the second time this thread it's been suggested i stick my head in an oven. should i be concerned?

GaFFLe

LoLoL...

Macster

Others have way more experience than I do. But I like the car and want to know all I can know about it and I try to be a fast learner.

As I touched upon in a previous post, but let me make it clear, it is the rare car that can deliver this level of performance and do so at electric car quietness levels. In fact I can't think of any car based on all the reviews I've read that can do this.

Some cars will of course deliver more performance but in the case of the Turbo to blast a 3300+lb car from standstill to 60mph in near or under 4 seconds (think about that for a second or two... that's amazing!) and top out at 190mph means the car's engine has to be a bit of a beast. And beasts are loud.

Yet the thing is as tractable around town as any car I've ever driven. Impressive automobile!

If you are concerned about the noises and I think you are then get the engine warm (or cold) to the point the noises are present then lift the car in the air and then under the car with a mechanic's stethescope probe the engine at various points. You can certainly check the turbos they are quite exposed. If the turbos are making any noises you'll know it. I'm not 100% sure but they should be quiet. They are plain bearing turbos and if they're healthy there's nothing to rattle about or make any noises.

After you do this you'll have a good audio map of the various internal areas of the engine in your mind and will have heard sounds not many have heard.

There is a lot things going on inside one of these engines and every thing going on makes noise, or what some consider to be nose. To others though it is a symphony. (Can't take credit for this.)

Sincerely,

Macster.

innovator

As an auto technician that often works on high performance engines that make similar or more hp/tq , this is by far the noisiest engine I've heard. It would seem to me that with better machining of the gears or modified design, this noise that does in fact come from the valve train drive chain and IMS components, could be reduced significantly .


I am still getting used to my new wheels, after owning a modified 550 hp Audi RS6, which I loved. My biggest issue I had since acquiring the RS6, and what led me to off it, was the slushbox. It sucked, and all the cars I have owned in the past, were six speeds. So, it's like coming home, driving this incredible Porsche. I really love this car!

However, it does make some excessive normal noise IMHO, and I am not used to that. All of my Audis have had relativity silent engines in comparison. I have owed many cars that had, or I had made have, far more HP that a stock 996 tt, and none of them rattled like this. But I realize from much reading, and the great responses I have gotten from the Rennlist members, that I'm just gonna have to get used to it.

Still love the car though! It is indeed badass, in both performance and looks. Plus, I find myself smiling much more often when I get behind the wheel of the 996tt than I did with S4,s RS4's and the RS6!!!

"02996ttx50

i'm not really concerned about the "ims rattle" i occasionally hear, since i've learned it 's part of the normal operating noise of these cars as they get on in years/miles. i keep the oil level topped, rather than run it down several bars and that really minimizes it. having said that, i and many others as you know, do try different oil brands/viscosities in varying combinations in a feeble attempt to quiet the noise we all refer to as the "ims" noise. my turbos don't make any discernable noise and i'm running very healthy hybrid 16/24's.

as to getting under the car with a stethoscope to listen for stuff, i'd do that only if there were a "problem". in the meantime, it's all i can do to stay on top of this thing

Dock

Get a LWFW and you won't hear much from the engine at idle if you are in neutral with the clutch released.

"02996ttx50

that wouldn't bother me a bit.

with what has already been done to this car that's one of the few mods i would still like to do, but will wait until clutch replacement. thanks for the suggestion. would you recommend going that route and gt2 slave mod also? i'm actually a fan of the stock setup.. when it's working properly.

Kevinmacd

I am not convinced that maintaing a iull level in the oil tank has any bearing on the IMS noise. These things are dry sumped and only deliver the oil that is required via the pumps. if you are within the range between the arrows, theoretically there should be no oil starvation, especially since we are looking at close to 10 qts.
On another note, the new tt's do not have any IMS noise. My personnel theory, these engines have a high coefiction of expansion, hence the reason why a cold engine has no IMS noise and a hot one does.

Dock

I'd suggest going with Kevin's (UMW) LWFW/clutch package. As for the GT2 slave mod, I personally like the 996 Turbo OEM setup.

"02996ttx50

that's my direct experience and perhaps i'm imagining it, but i rather doubt it. when i top off oil 1/4 qt at a time, and and keep it filled to max capacity, i tend to hear less rattle.

Dock

Neither am I.

I allow the oil level to drop to one bar above the minimum before adding a full quart of oil, and my engine noise doesn't change one bit as it varies over this range.

"02996ttx50

given umw's rep, i would definitely consider that. thanks. my preference would also be to stay with the oem setup re the gt2 mod, as i haven't had to replace accumulator or slave on THIS car. yet. not a huge fan of the pentosin though!

"02996ttx50

really? again, experientially speaking, i've practiced this quite possibly obssesive behavior on both tt's i've owned and hear less rattle at idle
when filled to capacity. i'm going to stay with the 1/4 qt topoffs.

it's my version of empirical data.