Ok,
Almost 2 years and I still love the car. I read the thread on the Power Kit and it may not be a rip off because it is what it says, but it does not seem to be a good value. I don't need more horsepower - I can't use what I have now. But low end torque, that I could use - and would pay for. Is there anything that will not kill the engine and what is left of my warrantee in the long run, and short run, respectively?

 

What about a set of sport headers or an x-pipe? I haven't seen many customer dyno sheets around, but it seems like mid-range torque may see a gain with some exhaust modifications.


Otherwise, I don't think you can do much. A tune may also increase torque, but you may or may not have warranty issues if your dealer SA is a PITA.

 

AG,


Here's a Fabspeed dyno sheet showing the potential gains from their x-pipe race exhaust. Before anyone posts the usual "unrealistic gains" comment, I'm not claiming that these are typical/realistic numbers, as I have absolutely no way of confirming it.


I may dyno my car with PSE before/after my CargraphicTS x-pipe installation to see if we do gain anything.


Anyway, here it is...


https://www.fabspeed.com/dyno127.html

 

I have had the Fabspeed headers but did not dyno my car. Yes there is some mid range (and sound) improvement but you are probably looking for something that would make a bigger difference. My bet is that you would need a good 30-40 ft.lbs to be satisfied if you are looking for more low end torque... and I am not sure that incremental steps (headers, tune, exhaust...) will get you there on a naturally aspirated engine.
You can still go down this route and drive in Sport mode all the time.

 

The only thing that will give the low end torque, that you want, is a Forced Induction upgrade.
I believe someone will make a supercharger kit soon enough.
We will need it, with the C7 Z around the corner.

 

If I want to get the extra performance more low end torque would provide I just drive in a lower gear at higher RPM's to get the same performance by using the horsepower.

 

Excellent point....problem solved. Also, this engine revs so freely that you're in the meat of the torque band; kickdown gets you there in a hurry.

 

Especially as the OP has PDK which means that switching gears to stay in the mid to high rpm range is quick and easy.

 

I think this ^^ is the only feasible solution.

I can't imagine any rational person modifying the 991 engine with forced induction (cost, warranty, downtime, installation risk, longevity risk, availability of 997 or 991TT...)

Re dyno graphs produced by the tuners on their own products without any independent verification, don't even get me started...

 

Exactly, which was the point of including my disclaimer. I'd love to see some member dyno charts from their own experience.


AG, I'm just curious... in what situations do you feel the need for more torque? Especially being PDK, a quick squeeze of the gas pedal should yield a downshift or two, giving you the pick-up pace you need. I had a base Panamera over the weekened with PDK, and I found absolutely no lack of torque for daily driving, even though the transmission would shift into 4th or 5th gear seconds after driving away from a stoplight.

 

I do not mean to respond on behalf of AG, but I can imagine getting on the highway at 50mph and below 2,000rpm and taking time to blend into the traffic.
Two clicks on the left paddle and you would be above the speed limit on the left lane in a couple of seconds though.
But sometimes, driving back from the office at 8PM with a headache, you are not in the mood for stepping on it and would prefer a torquey daily driver. But it does not happen too often.

This reminds me of the old commercial (especially the part with the corporate exec getting in his 'getaway' car):

 

I wonder if there is even enough room back there for a turbo / supercharger. They had to widen the Turbo a couple inches beyond just the stock expanded AWD hips to fit the intercoolers and turbo in.

 

Point taken. But with PDK, as you correctly pointed out, a couple of downshifts would provide you with the necessary power to pass traffic. Even in auto, you could downshift and get moving with a little extra throttle. That's the experience I had with the Panamera PDK: even though it was underpowered compared to our 991S, it was a breeze in traffic/passing on the highway.

 

Turbo, no way.
Superchargers are getting very compact to where they take about the same space as an intake manifold.
We still have the center radiator opening for a heat exchanger.

Perhaps it could it be done for what a Power Kit costs and give tripple the power of PK.

Until then, I can make do with a regular S.

I would love a TT with manual and no SC.
That would slice 6K off the price and be way more fun to drive.

 

More low rpm torque is the Turbo or a bigger engine.