RufMD

Hey gang !

I just wanted to share my experience getting my '03 Silver/Black TT converted to Ruf R Turbo 550 specs.

I bought the car in July and decided to do a Ruf conversion I opted for the 550+hp package, 19" chrome optic wheels, Ruf suspension, Instruments and 315/235 conti's.

The entire experience from beginning to end dealing with Ruf was top notch. Thanks to Asgar at Weissach and Natalia at Ruf for making the whole thing so enjoyable and easy. The Ruf tech was a gentleman named Joe that has 29 years experience and is well known to this board. He actually arrived 2 days early while I was at the GP in Indy and came over to my house to install the instruments and computer !

The install started last Monday, and after 2 hours, the engine and transmission were out. Following installation of the new intake, turbos, quad exhaust, filter, fuel filter, and monster hoses, the engine was re-installed that afternoon. Oh, and that was AFTER the transmission had been dismantled to install the taller 6th gear for 215 mph plus !

By the end of the first day, the stock suspension was also out, the engine and transmission were back in, and all that remained for day two was the installation of the new suspension. The next day, the suspension was installed, and during routine pre-start inspection, Joe felt that the clutch engagement was "not quite right"...felt pretty good to me, but no, Joe removed the transmission again, adjusted something, and voila ! he was happy !

During this time, local PCA chapter members and interested motor heads came by and made the experience that much more enjoyable. Joe answered every question and is a great advertisement for the Ruf company.

Following alignment and final checks, I was given the keys and made some spirited runs in front of the shop. I came across the following website that someone made of the conversion. It has a couple of inaccuracies in that it describes Ruf as a tuner when in reality they have manufacturer status in Germany. Also, I think I ended up with a power increase of about 150hp from stock with this particular conversion. Not meaning to be picky, but I know how accurate you guys like to be !!!! Also, for the record, I never hit 100 mph, but the car did spin wheels in 2nd and 3rd !

http://members.tripod.com/tacscar.com/

Thanks to Tim for putting this together. My html skills are primitive at best !
The car in the night video is a GT2.


The car is an absolute joy to drive. Drives easily at 30 mph with no hesitation with strong pull in any gear. Full acceleration in 2nd gear literally feels like your head internals are being compressed ! I've driven some fast cars before, but none this fast !

best regards

Ruf MD

2003 Ruf R Turbo 550 conversion
2004 Cayenne S
2001 Lotus Esprit V8
1994 Comptech NSX
2000 Audi A6 4.2
1983 Aston Martin Lagonda
1979 Lotus Esprit S2

There is even a video

msindi

Congrats!!! Awesome!!
I think I am thinking that my next gen TT will be picked up in Europe and then dropped of to either Ruf, Techart or Gemballa for a full conversion...
If you have any pics from the install please share...

RufMD

Thanks MSIndi,

I will post pics as soon as I figure out how to reduce the size of them! Most are 1.5 MB or higher and need to be reduced first !

PorschePhD

Congrats...Great stuff!

FELKER

OK Jas.... when do we swap cars day for a day?? On second thought.. maybe I had better not.. too much temptation..

The car looks and sounds fantastic!

RufMD

Thanks a lot man, I really had fun with the whole experience.

When you want to swap out, let me know !

jimrd

Joe also did my 550 conversion - really amazing to watch! I'm glad your experience was as good as mine. I think that the car is actually safer and more driveable with the conversion - do you agree?
Enjoy and be careful. Jim

RufMD

Thanks Jim,

I agree, it handles much better and feels safer, although it would be easy to get carried away.

I just can't get over the power surge ! Awesome !

RufMD

Guys,

some pics of the conversion can be found here ;

http://community.webshots.com/user/lotusnut

hope it works !

John D II

RufMD,

Congratulations on the Ruf conversion. I'm envious!

Robin from the 993 board gave me this link a few years ago. It was a free download of jpeg compession and resizing software and it works very well. Not sure if it is still free, but it's worth a look (it is the program called jpegwizard):

jpeg compresson software

Update: Just checked it out...does not appear to be free any longer.

RufMD

Thanks John,

I figured a way around it using my email, but thanks anyway.

The larger size pics that I have will be great for printing, but are a pain to post....

Your cars are beautiful !

John D II

RufMD,

I'm on the fence regarding the full Ruf conversion...In my region (winter is an issue), by the time I get to use it, I will have owned the car for 2 years and I am not sure I would keep the car more than 4 years.

I currently have the exhaust and suspension, so I am part way there. I like the idea of the Ruf lightweight flywheel and clutch assembly and wonder:

Do you notice a difference in the throttle response?

How about any added noise like the 993RS flywheel/clutch?

BTW - spinning tires in 3rd with AWD sounds like fun!

RufMD

John,

The throttle does feel more responsive and comes on very strong.

The rpm still settles at about 800 rpm on idle, but the tach needle bounces easily on throttle application.

The easier breathing, larger intake and larger turbos combined with the quad exhaust make for a very free breathing piece of kit !

While the street driveability is retained, aggression is much more readily produced

jimrd

John - I had the full conversion done in March. I would highly recommend it if you are going to keep the car for a couple more years. I have notice no added noise from the Sachs setup Ruf installed. It is tough to comment on throttle response since so many things changed at once......the throttle response was certainly drastically improved, but I can't say for sure how much the engine/ECU changes also contribute to this. One of the most noticeable improvements is in the way the car pulls at almost any RPM, boost or no boost. Just driving around town, it feels like a fairly potent NA car - that is, until the boost does come on strong - then it is llike an older turbo on steroids. To summarize, the car has excellent power and throttle response in virtually all conditions and frightening power starting around 3500rpm. I recently had the car dyno'd and the torque curve rises steeply at 2500rpm and peaks at 4200rpm! I hope this helps - clearly I am a believer! Jim

John D II

Guys,

Thanks for the feedback. Kind of what I expected to hear......OK, where do I sign?