kkswow12

has anyone done this , and if so, what do you end up with hp-wise...? thanks , and happy new year...!

gonz911

For roughly the same money you can get the turbo or supercharger, however, power-wise TPC Racing CT520 delivers +140 wheel horse power over stock. Their system comes complete with all the plumbing, exhaust, tips, tune, etc.

Looking at the numbers the turbo is superior: 520 hp and 450lb/ft of torque, versus VF-E's supercharger with 480 hp and 370 lb/ft of torque. Both are running 6 psi.

You can see the 3.6 dyno on the link below. I'm going to get this kit.

TPC Racing: http://www.tpcracing.net/tpcracing-9...onversion.html

VF Engineering: http://vf-engineering.com/carrera/

rnp614

Any new feedback on this turbo?

rijowysock

let me ask you guys a question, what is the cost for a turbo kit versus buying a turbo??

if i just think how much i sold my 997.1/997.2 for.. and how much i bought 997TT for.. th different honestly is very small.. and eventho my turbo is modded.. i would much rather have a stock designed turbo vehicle than a 997 T that could have diff problems/etc.

my experience in past that even the best kits have their qualms.

Ynot

Do it, you will not regret, there are quite a few people over at 6speed who has it, MarathonBob on his 3.6, Doc GTO on his 3.8, I have it on my C4S. The TPC turbo has been on my C4S for almost 4 years with no problems. It is faster than a stock turbo and I can adjust the boost with just a twist of a ****. There are Caymans with over 70K miles on the turbo kit, a lot of them spend most of their life on the track. Doc GTO is an PCA instructor (I believe) and he tracked it quite a bit. Everyone that I know who has it absolutely love it. The carrera is fast but not fast enough. You are not going to complain too much about speed with the turbo.

Turbo kit is $10K (discount for 6speed members), installation is $3K, 3rd radiator and boost controller is extra, other than that, it comes with everything needed for installation.

Let's just pick a year to work with, say 2007, you can get a low mileage no history C2S/C4S for $50K, same low mileage no history turbo can easily be $70K. You still save with the turbo kit, let's just say you already owned the C2/C4, you will not get $50K for trade in, add all the extra mods (worth nothing) when you sell it and it all makes sense. To this date, I have not read one single thread about problems with the TPC turbo kit, car forum members are extremely vocal. Nevermind there was a problem with ecu with the 997.2 models but that has been resolved.

rijowysock

not dissing the kit, just curious and my part regarding reliability just comes from
"modded" cars in past.

i guess for some the difference is vast, and others just jump and buy a turbo.... my qualm comes into the decreased demand now for aftermarket turbo.. but then again most buy to keep...

i heard great things about the TPC kit when i had my 997.2

Spiffyjiff

any time you force a N/A designed engine to be not N/A, you (substantially?) increase the risk of failure. yes, ostensibly it is a cheaper alternative to buying an OEM turbo but it could be turn out to be more expensive in the long run due to problems. THAT being said...blah blah blah! there are a few on here and 6sp that have had good experiences with these add ons (altho i think doc GTO took his off/sold it, right?). and i think there was also a not-so-positive on 6sp so that might come up too if you search. bottom line is it increases risk just like my track time and over revs, or driving in the rain, or parking on the street in a high crime area. it's all about balancing risk vs. reward and the price of each. good luck and def update the forum if you decide to do it!

rnp614

Yeah I definitely saw a few people on 6SO that had issues with their cars. One was a 996 I believe and the other was a very early Carrera (2005 or 2006)...I'm wondering if that had something to do with it. Either way its an interesting offering.

I'm well versed in the time/patience cars that have this sort of modification require as I did a lot of work to my current DD...and it had some growing pains. But now, touchwood, it is well sorted out and a great daily/highway cruiser.

Ynot

That is my intent, keep it until the wheels fall off, I know there is no demand for aftermarket turbos, there is just no demand for modded cars, they are only valuable to the owners who mod them.

Yes, Doc GTO sold his turbo kit, sold his car altogether. You don't get the value with the turbo kit on it and many avoid it b/c it's turbo'ed so it only made sense to take it off before selling it. I already have it, like I said in my previous post, I've had it for almost 4 years without any issues.

The 996 I am not aware of, I rarely visit the 996 subforums. The 2005 one I am aware of, TPC couldn't tuned the CPU correctly, it's different than the 2006 models IIRC. That problem took awhile for TPC to resolved but at the end it was fixed.

rnp614

There IS something to be said about the smooth build of a single turbo...

porka

i do not feel the trans in the c2s would have the correct gearing.. 2nd and 3rd are just too short.

drive a turbo and see how long 2nd and 3rd gear are

N900WM

Mine lasted about 500 miles before it detonated itself to death.

USMC_DS1

I'm on the fence with this one. I installed an SC on my prior E36 M3. My boys and I had a ton of DIY fun with that install. The intrinsic value a successful father/son project like that to teach my boys some automotive 101 was invaluable. And it was low maintenance until I had to replace the alternator. What PITA... had to undo 3/4 of our prior SC install work to get to anything on the engine like a WP or alternator, etc. If you only have to do minor scheduled maintenance it was fine but otherwise be prepared to spend the weekend. Not sure if this would be the case with either a mod or factory turbo as well. I do crave the boost every so often but so far my mod'd C2S has been plenty so far... of course, I'm avoiding the Turbo test drive for now.

A few differences or likes/dislikes re factory vs. aftermarket turbos.

Resell value goes to the factory TT - better resell value down the road especially if you already purchased it 2nd hand and don't take the new purchase depreciation hit. I would expect a mod'd Carrera to take a big hit for reasons already state by others. Of course, if you DIY then you can always take the aftermarket turbo off and sell it separately... just keep in mind that the buyer will likely have to purchase a remap for your old turbo kit so another hit to the kit's resell price. BTW, there's a 997.1 TT posted recently on our forum for only $69K...

DIY fun factor - I like to DIY so you would think that an aftermarket turbo would be more appealing but I kinda like the idea of modding a factory turbo for even more boost/HP as well. FWIW, this would be a tie for me.

AWD vs. 2WD - this is where I'd prefer the aftermarket turbo... I don't care for AWD in my sports car. Already have it on my SUV's and trucks. Takes some of the back end fun out of it for me and I'm not keen on paying the huge $$$ for a GT2 just for that 2WD factory turbo experience from Porsche. This is were the aftermarket turbo pulls ahead.

Reliability - the turbo 997.1 has the metzger engine so that sounds better for reliability but the venerable engine has it's own issues... mainly related to coolant lines I believe. That doesn't sound too hard to address so I would think factory wins on this one. Plus I like the sound of metzger engine. I'd like to own one if for any reason just for it's heritage.

I'd like to hear more insight from others re this topic. Will likely be something I would consider down the road myself.

alexb76

DO NOT DO IT!

If you want more power, sell the car, buy a TT, yes the cost difference might look like more than a Turbo Kit, BUT, you WILL have a much faster, must more reliable, and must more valuable car in the end, and I can 100% guarantee that you will have reliability issues with an aftermarket Turbo/SC kit, and you cannot recover even 5$ from your investment, most likely, your car will be worth a lot less!

alexb76

There's a reason TT has AWD, you don't have enough grip with that much Torque, it's essential to make the car handle right.

TT with Mezger is infinitely more reliable, specially when you add extra power/stress on the M97 engine.

As I said earlier, don't do it. I modded my S4 too, and it was fun. But, these cars are optimized and to the limit of engineering, I never ever felt I needed more power to be honest, even on track.