Pressure tested from the Y and everything held up. However after my initial plug change, I blew an IC hose from Turbo to IC, then had another loose one from IC to Y pipe. (Most likely caused by me re-installing and not setting C clips/ears properly.)

I was just thinking in terms of a more robust piece considering the age and mileage and long term slightly elevated boost levels.

Furthering another question- (I know there is a ton of debate on the forms) but is any kind of aftermarket intercooler even worth my time at this point and power level? So many mixed responses on this. My car is a street car with occasional hard pulls.. Maybe I should just take the money spent on these items and put it away for K16 Hybrids..

 

Your never going to get any consensus on AM coolers. There are those who would give their life up swearing that gt2rs coolers are the gift from God to Porsche owners lol and then there are the fake cheap $1200 coolers that a many push that no one dares to admit are made in China for $130. I sort of chuckle when I see some of you guys pushing junk and or make junk to those who don't know better. Mind you, my 996 I bought in 2001 but by 2005 I was already developing my 4.5" race coolers. In 2007 I ran the first 9 sec pass at the 1/4 and owned the 60 to 130 mph for 3 years. All that long before a many cheap cooler alternatives. Now, ask yourself who may have or may have not more experience with cores on a 996 tt and actually proved it( other then some dyno or a probe on the intake) THere are good ics on market but I can count them on one hand. In the end, do they flow and cool ? Are the flanges made correctly so the hoses don't leak? Does the glue between the bar and plate actually hold or does the core leak? Do the coolers fit AM and oem hoses ? Are there actually cars with strong data ( hard data like u know 60 to 130s, 1/2 mile, 1/4 mile, Dynos,etc.?) Were comparisons with data others claim done back to back on same car same day same set up? Usually not of course.
Are the gt2rs good for the money? Sure. Are you at high risk with blown end tank plastics? Yes. Do forge hoses fit? No. Does the pass side oem hose pop off at times? Yes. Does it still make sense to get them? Yes if you do your own work.
So in the end it depends where you want to be when it comes to the coolers- on the cheap Chinese band wagon? Or the Chinese made ics marketed as made in US ? Because 70% of the coolers on market fit those 2 categories. The rest are most likely made by American hands with American aluminum on Haas Cnc machines with quality cores( cores is important so make sure you ask your favorite company what they use).
7 years ago no one would dare to put a blown6 Chinese cooler on the 996 yet today they are rebranded and renamed. Or those xxxx German made coolers for $1200 with boost hoses delivered from Germany of all places to your door.
If you believe in them being German made for that money then you must believe in unicorns. Today it's all about cheap and cheaper. It's like eBay on steroids (ePorsche) lol.
I just chuckle because going fast does mean among other things - doing it right. To this day I have yet to see a 9 sec pass on a chineee cooler or trap let's say 150 mph. Or a sub 4.5 sec 60 to 130 mph. Things that make you go hmm.
Best
Markski

 

Markski- As always, nice way to sum things up here. You better believe I will be reaching out to you when I decide to move up to a 600+ set up.. I personally don't see a lot of value with the 997 GT2 coolers, because I dont want to constantly worry about blowing end tanks (especially when I fully intend to safely and reliably increase power 600+ in the future) not to mention some of the customization (which I'm sure I could handle, but would rather bypass the PITA factor of doing it and go with a custom cooler like yours.)

I suppose with my stock K16s and a basic tune, there won't be a ton of benefits upgrading to anything at this point?? Maybe better silicone hoses purely from a reliability standpoint.

Another question I have for your Markski (that is so debated) and since you have seen/built and work on the 996TT platform for years and have much to offer this community- How beneficial do you feel it is to pin or weld the coolant lines (so many debates) never a real consensus... I'm not planning to track the car, just drive it spiritedly. My car has over 100k+ with many service records, yet never a mention of any coolant line issues. Visual inspection is dry, rubber lines themselves appear great and the pipes (from a small touch-when tearing into my boost leaks, feel very well seated)

And by the way thanks hugely for your video to test by the way! It was a huge help for my local Porsche tech and friend when we were diagnosing. I'm now zip tied to the max lol.