Hi Guys

I'm a brand new forum member (from Australia) and have been reading this forum for several months (rate it highly).
I'm currently in the market for a 996TT manual and waiting for the right one to come onto the market.
996 Turbos are very expensive and scarce in Australia and range in prices from approx about $70,000 USD with high milage to around $120,000 USD for a turbo S or X50 with low miles.
There are normally only 20 to 30 on the market at any time across the country.
997.1 Turbos start at about $150,000 USD and go up to $300,000 USD for a 2nd hand 997.2 PDK version.

I have modified every vehicle I've ever owned and plan to do a few mods immediately to my 996tt give it some decent power and torque increases.
I found the US tuners to have the most informative websites, experience and have a wide range of products and options available (Australia virtually has nothing).

My biggest decision is what Turbo to pick as i want the bigger power however i really don't like big lag and will try to avoid it as much as possible.
I have made errors in the past by picking a turbo too big which resulted in my car being a dog to drive below 4000rpm.

I previously have had a vehicle fitted with a Garrett ball bearing turbo and it had very low lag (full boost at 2000rpm) and pulled hard all the way to 6000rpm redline. I would like a similar Turbo set up on the 996TT however on not sure which Turbo best suits my needs.

I feel around 600hp at the flywheel is enough for the street so i don't need the monster 3071 Garrett Turbos. I'm basicaly tossing up between say a Billet K16, Billett K24 or Tial GT28R turbo etc.
I haven't been able to find out what rpm each of these turbos hits full boost with regular exhaust, intake and ECU mods etc.

Has anyone out there compared the spool rates between these different turbo setups and street drivability?

 

I'll jump in and welcome you to the forum....it's a tough gig around here lol. There is loads of info on comparisons etc so search will be your friend. Good luck in your search for a car.

 

Thanks Saint, love your 996 GT2 setup.

I wasn't sure if there were any other Aussie 996tt members here.

Once I get my 996tt i'll hit you up for local tips here in Oz for reliable Porsche workshops etc.

I have been reading a lot of the posts on this forum to help guide me in choosing the right 996tt.

Most of the 996tt's in Oz are tiptronics and the manuals are a fair bit more.
I have my heart set a black one but would settle for white if the price was right.

 

Welcome! How much does it cost, on top of actual price, to purchase a car in the US and have it shipped? I see folks shipping Sea Ray boats over there all the time.

 

i have gt28 hybrids on my car and its spooled 1.2 bar by 2800rpms +/- 100rpms

billet k16's probably spool a little bit faster.

A28's are a nice turbo but to take full advantage you need a list of other stuff.
(A28's are Tials new turbine housing with a gt28 compressor side little bit better then my k16/gt28rs turbos)

 

Welcome! I have a few Aussies running around with my Billets and Alpha's. Depends on your goals and budget. Good billets will get you a solid 650hp on your pump fuel with minimal upgrades.

 

decent turbos, exhaust, injectors,intercoolers, good tune, and your ready to roll...
markski

 

We can't import 996 Turbo's into Australia and road register them. Mostly because US cars are left hand drive and Aussie cars are right hand drive.
We also get hit with high duty and import taxes which makes the whole venture unworthwhile.

We can do personal imports from the UK or Hong Kong etc and avoid most taxes if you lived in that country for more than 12 months.

 

Hi, I don't think on a 996TT engine, with that sort of HP goal, will need big turbos, that have lag. 600hp at the engine is actually quite a lot too down under, and the cars aren't that heavy vs lots of other cars that run that hp.

I run slightly larger than factory turbos on my gt2 996. Add tune, exhaust, fuel system, AFM and it is basically a ballistic car with no issue re lag; by 3000 it's going hard, by 4000 you won't have time to look at gauges. In my case I found investing in the tune (by PRTech) really brought the hardware together in a great way. I can't say enough how much difference the tune makes. Huge.

Are you joining the NSW porsche club? I'll be out at the pending Motorkana if you want to talk. I'm driving a white 968CS that day.

 

Marski
Love your website, one of the best motor mods websites ever.

 

Yeah, will join NSW club once I hook up my 996tt.
One of my good friends is a member and has a 650hp 997.1 turbo + boxster + cayenne.

 

650 hp is a good target for me. We have 98 octane readily available in Oz and E85 rapidly expanding to different locations. Do the US tuners have maps available for 98 octane?

 

Yes! In fact I have the 68mm billets in stock and Markski has great tunes for them on various set-ups and fuels.

 

Full boost at 2800 rpm is pretty good to me.
I really like Ball bearing turbos and the piece of mind with water cooling.
The Tial GT28's on Marski's website suggest full boost at 3500rpm which is too much lag for me.
It's good to hear you can go for the bigger turbo setups and hit full boost below 3000rpm.
I definitely want to get the right turbo set up the first time around.
Is it difficult to get coolant lines to the Garrett turbos on the 996?

 

I would be interested to know how much headers and intake upgrades improve spool rate with K16 billets or GT28's etc.