What exactly is done to the 996 x50 compared to the 996tt other than mapping?

 

k24 turbos with different mapping, bigger intercoolers and supposedly a stronger tranny (something to do with brass synchros instead of steel if i remember correctly).

 

stronger tranny is a myth. maybe in the GT2? and the synchros are brass not steel. brass is softer and warms up faster. steel is harder to warm up but stronger. they dont use them because people wouldnt put up with the intially rough shifting until the tranny warms up.
On my tranny rebuild I put in all steel synchros and took out the brass ones.

 

Still learning here... so porsche charged upwards 18k for bigger turbos, intercoolers and some different tuning?

 

I thought I read something about modified exhaust????and clutch??? as well. Don't know exccept that for $17 new...I could spend that money and get a lot more...and I did.

 

On the charge-more-for-less scale, Porsche does actually an even better job with the X51 kit. I have an X50 and I would not advise anyone to spend a dime extra to get one. At equal price, it becomes a matter of personal preference, between genuine driveability and the good old kick in the butt.

 

How much would it cost to get the performace of the x50 out of a normall tt?

 

If you don't have the potential cost of "loss of warranty"...maybe just a flash and exhaust change. Prices for those two options vary from $3000 to $8000. The best choice is dependent upon your goals...the sound, the ability to upgrade to more power later, etc

hope that helps...I like the X50 option because it is original.

 

Perhaps even less than that. Getting 450hp out of a stock TT is no big deal, a simple flash should do the trick as far as I understand.
One argument in favour of the X50 option is that if you want to get a LOT MORE, then you're starting off with large K24s and intercoolers to match. The folks I spoke to say that modding an X50 makes an exhaust upgrade mandatory, so the first step is slightly expensive.
IMHO, unless you mod the car, the extra 30hp are not worth the loss on genuine drivability due to lag and higher spool-up revs, except maybe if your thing is pure straight line exhilaration.

 

I tell people that all the time. I do agree. Yes it gets a lot better with an exhaust that doesn't have 10PSI of back pressure and some programing but in stock form it feels quite lethargic to me. Out of the box or even with just a flash the K16 platform is more responsive for sure.

 

If mine is "lethargic", I'm going to HAVE to modify !