Hey guys, coming from a GTR and looking for a manual. I think the car that fit's the bill for my manual desire is a 2009 997.1 Turbo. AWD and I really like 2+2's. I want the high power and a mid 10 second car, so hence sticking with the M64.

I'd probably be looking at putting the AMS Alpha 9 kit on it. A few questions comments:

1. I'd like a 2009 for the upgraded nav system and vented seats. Although from my searching it doesn't look like too many on the market have vented seats. Was that a low take-up option?

2. Might just be my imagination, but are like half of all 997 Turbo's out there black? Is that just a traditional color for Porsche that a lot of people go for?

3. NA

4. What is the consensus these days about stock connecting rod torque limit? 700-800 ft/lb? AMS says the Alpha nine is fine on stock internals, the Alpha 10 comes with Rod's (although I am not interested in changing the stock rod's).

5. Is it pricey to switch out the stock tail lights with the LED's? What exterior lights on the car are not LED's? (I'm a LED fan).

6. What's the max stock wheel/tire size for this car? I understand a slightly larger tire in the front will help with the well known under-steer. What about max tire size on the stock turbo wheels with no rubbing? Small spacers are OK.

7. I've replaced engines, installed turbo kit's etc so I plan on installing the AMS kit myself, then flat-bedding it to them for the tune. So I'd be replacing the entire turbo system, clutch (probably carbon clutch) and exhaust. Anything particularly difficult about this car to work on in a well kitted garage? I've never worked on a flat six rear engine. Any odd/special tools? (This will be a winter project).

8. Is this car a tire killer like the GTR?

9. Are the stock coil overs height adjustable or require aftermarket?

10. Is the drive-line, diff's, drive-shafts, trans with proper clutch all able to routinely handle 800-900 HP without much fuss?

11. Anything on this car prone to failure?

12. Is the stock stereo system sound and NAV system any good?

13. I'm 6'4". How's the headroom with and without a helmet?

14. Is the difference between a 997 Turbo and Turbo-S just the ECU tune? Any hardware changes? Would they both perform the same with the AMS Alpha 9 kit?

For those that only come to forums to post "use search" replies, I'm looking for current discussion and opinions, thanks.


Oh and one last thing, why are virtually all of the cars out there for sale quite a bit higher than what KBB and NADA have listed for retail used / private party? It's my first time coming across such a large disparity between what's on the market and what the book's are saying (book's are quite a bit lower).

 

Just gonna answer two of your questions. The turbo has NO IMS issues.
The understeer is intentional and you should read the understeer thread before you do something stupid change parts which actually makes your car handle worse at 8+/10ths.
Like pwrhound and I have been saying fix your line and driving and you will find the car does exactly what its supposed too. The understeer is caused by inexperienced drivers.

 

Thanks Squat, I will read that thread.

Could you please elaborate why the Turbo has no IMS issues? Is it beefed up?

 

Different engine. Biggest thing lately to worried about is the rear wing that fails or leaks.
There is also the issue with the coolant pipes but I know the teams that race the GT2 and GT3 use the same engine and do not pin or do anything to the pipes. If its a concern I woudl use the waterless coolant which should fix that issue.

 

Squat can you tell me the engine nomenclature for the engine in the 2009 911 Turbo? I take it's not a M97.

 

m64 and its Its a true dry sump based of the GT1 block. And the PCM 3 is not worth the extra$$ you can do much better on your own, I have never seen a car with vented seats. the 07-09 and up till this season the gt3s used the mezger engine with the 991 body. As great as the A91 sounds on paper I dont know why porsche retired it so fast or didnt use it in racing cars.

I would carefully read these boards, there is a lot of BAD unchecked information out there.

 

Ah, M64 nice. I've seen a couple on Ebay with vented seats, seems pretty rare.

 

1. After searching for a 2009 for over a year and looking at tons of cars I would say around 20% have the cooled seats feature...not many!

2. Black is a very common porsche color. Black,silver and white seem to be the most common/traditional colors.

5. In 2010 they changed the rear lights to LEDs. If you go that route it is pricey as you have to swap the bumper to accommodate the different shaped lights. They do look great though.... There are options from the aftermarket that use the same housing shape as OEM but use LEDs, couple hundred dollars to pick those up, you'll read mixed reviews on here from people who have those.

To address the last comment, I think the market on the Porsches especially the 997 turbos is a bit in limbo. Many people believe that the 997 is the most desirable as it is the last of the manual turbos and with the mezger engine. As a result, I think the prices reflect that belief, whether it will hold true that way long term only time will tell.

Good luck in your search and build, sounds like it will be a monster!

 

I found this car:

http://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/de...318/overview/#

It's pretty much exactly what I wanted, even has heated and vented seats, but it doesn't look like it has PCCB's. All PCCB 997 Turbo's have yellow calipers correct?

$90K seems a bit steep for no PCCB's.

 

Also check nada.com instead of kbb. I think that is more realistic.

I saw that one. It has been for sale for at least 6 months... Look at the rear license plate area, not sure what that is but it looks weird. It appears to have the 2010 rear conversion which is nice though.

Way too highly priced but they may be willing to negotiate.

 

Oh jeez, NADA is coming up with a clean retail price on that car of $73K. 73K is a huge disparity with $90K lol. I've really noticed that all these 997 Turbo's on Ebay, Cars.com and auto-trader are WAY higher than KBB and NADA retail. Wonder why that is.

Ya, I noticed the car had LED tail lights which is nice.

2009 manual Turbo with heated/vented seats and PCCB's sure are hard to find! I wonder if I searched under Cab's if I'd have better luck.

 

I didn't even consider cabs, you may have better luck if you're not set on a coupe. I noticed cab prices were typically cheaper as well

 

Ya I just don't know how much I'd use the top down, and the less storage space inside the cabin would be a bummer for road trips.

 

Stay away from PCCBs unless you never plan on going to the track. If you go to the track you better have a large pool of brake money they wear fast. They have a coolness factor.

Guys gush about the manual and the rarity and other BS. With so many cars getting under 4 sec. How well do you think a just under 4 sec car ( sorry thats what a lot of people go off) is gonna sell when 90% of the buyers cant drive a stick in 3-5 years. Exactly the car that can get closer to the 3's read the tip is gonna sell.

Then again this is a 6spd forum so its gonna be biased but the PDK and tips hold boost during shifts, some guys are making software that some believe does that they still dont hold full boost like the PDK and Tip tranny do. Thats why you need to have a clutch fund when you start modding your 6spd. Mods? well a lightly modded tip will destroy a medium modded 6sp on the track, and from a roll.

You make your decision but if you are concerned about retail or daily driving I would read up on the Tip and test drive one.

either way get what you want.

 

I just came from a GTR so I'm quite familiar with DCT's. They are definitely faster, I still prefer the fun of a manual even with a slight loss in speed. I figure since all high performance sports cars will be DCT or some other form of "auto" in the future, I'd like one last hurrah with a fast manual...