82_930

Hello everyone,

In my quest for finding a 996TT, I came across a particular car that is not too far from me. It is an '02 model with about 40k on the clock.

Here are the listed mods:

650 Horse Power
Standard + Black Mats Porsche Lettering
Engine Performance Package
Stainless Steel Exhaust Pipes
Custom KKK 24/26 Turbo Chargers
Billet Bypass Valves
REVO Stage 2
Silicon Boost Hoses
RS Air Intake Plenum
Speed Tech Headers
Fabspeed Exhaust with 100 Cell Cats
Evo Air Box
Bilstein Coilover Kit
Updated Mass Air Flow
New Ignition Coils and Spark Plugs
HRE High performance Wheels
M25 Extreme Binder Laser/Jammer front and back
Kenwood DNX 8120 DVD, USB, IPOD, Navigation, Bluetooth, XM Radio and Alpine Amps.


1) Is the 650 hp claim that is being made valid from the mods listed above?

2) Is a car with this much done to it going to be problematic? I have never been a fan of modded cars do to the fact of their decreased reliability and am worried that there will be transmission, or other engine problems from pushing the HP up so much

3) I don't see a heavy duty clutch in the list, how strong is the stock clutch?

4) Is this just an X-50 package with an exhaust, intake and ECU flash?

The installed radar detector and sound system, although added features, do not really turn me on about the car either.

Any thoughts or comments will be appreciated, I would rather walk away from a headache beforehand.

SSST

Hard to say. You can certainly take these cars to 650HP. Obviously more HP means more stress and faster wear. Simple physics.

That said, mods at this level require a very knowledgeable person to maintain a reasonable of reliability. The difference between a well sorted car (with higher maintenance costs), and a repair shop disaster depends on the knowledge and skill of the person that did the mods, and the care the PO took in driving and maintaining the car.

Unless you are a track junky who likes to get their hands greasy, I would probably avoid the risk. A stock TT is briliant in it's own right and will outperform 99.5% of cars on the road today. If you want to mod, great! But do it yourself and know what you are getting into.

tvurt

Modified 996 turbos CAN be 100% reliable, since the "mods" are worth little on resale they represent a terrific value.

1) 650 crank is a reasonable if slightly high number. mid 500 wheels.
2) It could be fine, or it could be a nightmare. Is it a "known" car from a forumer? Can you contact the tuner?
3) No way a stock clutch is holding that power
4)Not even close ....The k24/26 is a "old" style package a la FVD or ruf, gemballa. Not in use much in the states anymore. The mods listed are not "simple" or beginner by any means. I am guessing that the "maf" upgrade is a hitachi or blow thru unit, so it is not going to be easily reversible.

You really need to find the history of the car, and talk to the tuner personally before such a purchase. This sounds like $25-$35k in mods, so the car could be an amazing value, if you can verify that it has been tuned and runs correctly........

"02996ttx50

my car with 90k miles is modded to roughly 550 hp but is below the threshold of over 600hp which i am told(?) is really the place where the internals of the stock engine might not be up to the stresses created by the additional hp, over time. but it has been nothing but fast, and reliable as hell.

anyway, that would be my concern for the car in your example. have the internals been modded? all the stuff on your list is bolt on, near as i can tell.

tvurt

This is incorrect. It is all about the tuning. Powell's car has been making 850+ wheel for several years on stock internals. Many Many, others are 700+ with no problems (like mine).

Get a crap tuner, or an idiot in a shop and the engine will blow at 10 hp............

SSST

Maybe Kevin will chime in, but I seem to remember a post he made a while back saying the basic motor was engineered for 750HP. The stock motor could go to 650 with software, new turbos, intake, and exhaust. Above 650 required fuel system mods.

I could be off and missing something important, but those are the basics that stuck in my head.

"02996ttx50

really? that's good to know. re more hp, i admit rarely feeling i need more. well,... once in awhile, maybe for a millisecond. its actually hard to imagine these cars with 700 and above. i'm VERY happy at 550

"02996ttx50

that sounds about as accurate as i've ever heard. well put.

SSST

No kidding. I'm pretty damned happy (and a little scared sometimes) at 500.

adam_

I would expect a "perfect" motor to which you add those mods to have little reliability issues.

The problem, of course, is that you have no idea as to the baseline of that car/motor.....

and what is an 'updated' mass air flow????

You want a REAL thorough PPI.

A

Macster

Sorry but I have no hard info on the reliability of these engines when mod'd to put out more hp over and above their stock output.

About all I could find was the race engine upon which the Turbo engine is based puts out considerably more hp (at least 100hp more and maybe even more) and reliably (for a race engine). But I noted the race engine uses titanium rods/rod bolts.

Essentially you pays your money and takes your chances. You might end up with engine that lasts forever. Or it might not last around the block.

In the case of latter engine chances are it would have suffered an early demise even if left stock.

These fragile stock engines are very rare though or the engine would not have gained the rep it has for reliability nor would it hold up as well as it does with mod's.

Oh, the techs tell me -- I came across a mod'd Turbo in for a new clutch and asked about the clutch -- the stock one's good for about 50hp more. There are exceptions of course. How the car is driven, how the clutch is used plays a big role in the clutch's longevity or lack of it.

If the current clutch is ok I'd say -- if you end up with the car -- just drive it until the clutch starts to show signs of distress then when you replace it replace it with one designed to withstand the engine's output.

'course this may not be a clutch that will have the same feel/engagement characteristics of the stock clutch.

I've never driven a Turbo with an aftermarket clutch but with other cars a heavy duty clutch, one designed to withstand mod'd engines and their output (engines that were putting out around what the Turbo engine puts out), were pretty much track only clutches. They were not a clutch to have if one planned on driving the car in stop/go traffic.

You just know I have a story: Years ago I came upon a woman in a hot-rodded stock car (I forget the model of car now but a late '60s USA muscle car like a Camaro) that I thought was stalled at the light.

Thinking she was having car troubles, I got out and spoke with her. The car was not stalled the driver was. She was simply worn out from the clutch. I had her shift to neutral and I got in and tried the clutch and I had trouble pushing the pedal in. But while in the driver's seat I let her car roll back until its rear bumper came up against my car's front bumper which took some mental pressure off her -- she was afraid of not engaging the clutch in time before the car rolled back far enough to hit the car behind her -- and with a bit of encouragement on my part she managed to get the car moving and went on her way.

I bet her husband/boyfriend slept on the couch until she had a easier to use clutch in the car or a different car to drive...

Anyhow, the Turbo though with its hydraulically power assisted clutch -- provided the aftermarket clutch doesn't require this system go away -- may not be that bad with an aftermarket clutch. But ideally before you buy this car and the possibility it might need a heavier clutch at some point you ought to arrange to try a car out with a similar aftermarket heavy duty clutch just to see if you think you can live with it.

Sincerely,

Macster.

SSST

Truer words were never spoken. LOL.

Good story btw.

82_930

Thanks to everyone for all your input, and for the clutch advice, Macster... I tried to find out from the seller about the mods, apparently he bought the car 5,000 miles ago from the original owner and does not know who the shop was that installed everything other than it was in Atlanta, Ga...

the car is guards red and was originally from Atlanta if anyone knows of it.

I will be sure to closely inspect this car further...

cannon1000

PM me picture or vin...my shop may have worked on it. if not, it rules one out. There aren't that many good shops in town, so you could narrow it down pretty quick.

vr4henry

Find out if it has a 5bar FPR or injectors already done.