Slakker

I bought my '09 997tt MT Cab sight unseen from CT. It already had an APR tune and an upgraded clutch and was really fast. I drove it around for awhile and then the mod bug hit. So I added a Klein decat exhaust. It definitely took it to the next level GTR kind of fast. I don't go to the track so my butt dyno is all I really care about. After driving it around for awhile, I was actually regretting not getting a C2S. I had always wanted a crazy fast car (faster than my M3, and previous CL65, and two E55s.) Now that I had experienced it, I was bored. It was the same roller coaster over and over and the shiny wore off. Then I blew a turbo. Ouch

5 months, 3 shops, and $6300 later, it's back on the road (I'll save this story for another post one day). I don't know that the mods had anything to do with the blown turbo but they certainly couldn't have helped. So I decided to put the original exhaust back on and have the tune set to Stock (also loaded the 93 octane tune just in case I do a DE day sometime.) I couldn't believe how great the car felt! Here are the advantages of going back to stock (except clutch):

1. I hated my clutch. I've probably stalled this car 30 times since I've owned it. I felt like a total idiot until the local Porsche mechanic who has worked on them literally is whole life admitted that he even stalled it. But since I returned it to stock, it feels great! I didn't realize it, but while the clutch engagement point is virtually "push button", it was the sensitivity of the throttle that made it so hard to operate without revving to 3k. I haven't stalled it once since I've had it back and can even pull out into traffic without concern.

2. I can now really feel and enjoy the power curve within each gear. With the mods, 1st and 2nd gear were over before you blinked. It took longer to shift than it did to make it all the way through a gear.

3. This car has a lot of character. It's what I fell in love with when I drove a '13 C2S. With mods, it is pure power. Without, you get to feel the smoothness, subtlelties and quirks that make it a 911. I even seem to enjoy the suspension more in normal mode where as it used to drive me nuts. I just love this car now.

4. My wife hated the sound of the exhaust. It would wake her up when I left in the morning and was a little embarrassing to me at times too. It sounded really cool at first but was just annoying after a while.

5. Perceived reliability. Less HP and less boost should mean I'm further within the tolerance levels of the stock parts and make them less prone to fail. It's all a percentages game but at least this should swing them back in my favor a bit.

Anyway, I now accept my car for what it is, an amazing piece of engineering art that is an absolute joy to drive. By modding it, what I gained in power and quickness was offset by what I lost in character.

Kevin

Did you have to buy a new turbocharger or did the shop repair it?

Ibanezgod

I have to agree with #2. 1st gear goes by way too quick. I have to be on top of my game to shift into second.

Slakker

It was trashed pretty bad. The shop I had it at said it couldn't be rebuilt. Ended up having to get a remanufactured turbo through Porsche ($3400 at shop's cost).

McCrazy

Thanks for the post. You don't get to hear about guys getting tireed of the mods too often and discovering (or at least admitting) they like the car better the way Porsche designed it.

Dennis C

This is an interesting perspective. I really miss the sound of my 996 C4S with Fister sport mufflers. I've spent some time recently driving a 991 C4S cabriolet with PSE and it sounds fantastic. It has lots of burble and snap, especially when decelerating. I would love it if my 997 turbo sounded like the 991.

I'm contemplating a new exhaust for the turbo, but I'm really worried about making it too loud. I wish I could make it sound like the 991!

Maybe I'll just enjoy it stock for a while longer...

ExceleratePerf

Interesting story. I would at least put the software back on. The APR software is fairly conservative and livens up the 997TT but without making it jerky or too aggressive.

Domer911

Glad you're going to hold onto it!

Slakker

I have the APR tune set to stock. I can switch it back on (93 octane map) using the cruise control stock if I need it. It definitely gives it a lot more pep. But it makes the throttle so sensitive that the clutch I have becomes much more difficult to engage smoothly. I end up having to feather the throttle a lot more to control it.

Also the shop I used said the other turbo looked fine so I didn't replace it. Even so, I'm pretty nervous about pushing the boost back up to 15psi on a regular basis.

James88

Interesting....I have Kevins UMW tune with a Kline exhaust, I have never stalled it and hasn't missed a beat. Couldn't imagine it without it now.

Kevin

Slakker, it would be interesting to know what your actual failure was.. Because as a statistic, the other turbocharger will fail "IF" it was due to bearing/shaft failure. If the turbochargers were overspeed, you can easily pound out the thrust bearing. The failures that I usually see in this order ARE:

VNT vanes sticking due to the rotational ring binding. Wear, over temps and material failure cause this.

Next, is FOD compressor wheel blade damage. This is happening when plug changes and air box removals kick debris down the plastic intake ducting.. Note: the 997TT are getting wiped out more than the 993TT and 996TT.

Turbine side seal ring failure due to heat from repeated high temperature shut downs. Oil will be present in the plastic air intake piping.

Lastly bearing damage due to oil contamination, oil heat scoring >> heat and oil being run to far between oil changes.. I'm seeing heavy thrust bearing damage in these cases.

Slakker

Kevin, that's really good information. So here is what happened. I was driving my car pretty aggressive on a routine basis. Then it felt like I wasn't getting the boost I had been getting. No lights, smoke or anything, just seemed off. So I decided to see if I could "blow out the cobwebs" (mistake I will never make again) and jumped onto the highway WOT. At about 5500 RPMs in 2nd gear is when it blew and and I had spy hunter smoke coming out the back.

When the shop pulled the turbo, everything in it was beat to heck. According to them, enough debris had flown out to take out the downstream O2 sensors also (though I didn't see the sensors, just the turbo.)

Thoughts?

faiz

Not to thread jack here but kevin how would one go about assessing the health if their current turbochargers? Manual inspection?

Slakker

May be my imagination. I turned the tune back on this morning and didn't seem to have any problems. But then turned it back off.

The joy for me in this car is finding that sweet spot in the power curve where it is effortless acceleration. It's somewhere around 2/3 throttle and shifting around 5500 RPM. It just feels right. My '11 M3 had a sweet spot too and after I owned it for awhile, it always made me smile more than simply torque at WOT.

But once again, it may all be my imagination.

speed21

Interesting but not surprising to hear. Standard the car is a sum of it's parts. But in the case of 997tt.1, I will have to say it was definitely left wanting on exhaust note, and clutch pedal feel. I think if you had a tip you would have been less inclined to stop using the APR tune file...not that the car really needs a tune anyway. Then all you needed was a decent exhaust which didn't drone and didn't throw cels and have cat failure issues. I also feel that the 997tt is a car you can go too far with, and that can kill the ownership. Iv'e read of so many that have gone for mod after mod only to sell the car. I mean it gets to a point where you seriously have to ask yourself what are you trying to achieve.....just buy a top fueled dragster and take that to the strip....leave the Porsche as a car you can drive everyday and anywhere..