There's no reason to wait until 2012. Why not look at the dozens of 996TT owners who have been putting 650+ for several years with no problems? Engine design is essentially the same.

Show of hands...how many people here were duped into buying the dealership's wheel and tire replacement policy? Probably a non-factor.

I'm sorry...am I reading this correctly? Are you saying that my alignment and handling will be off because I purchase wheels from HRE or TechArt? You realize that Porsche's wheels are made by BBS...right?

Respectfully, I really disagree with your opinion...I'm not sure what your experience with tuning has been with other cars, but the reason I picked out the 911TT, rather than an Aston, used Ferrari, Lambo, or any other supercar, is it's extreme tunability. As for daily driver, there has never been a car (GT-R included) that has combines this level of reliability, potential, trackability, and usability as the 911 turbo.

 

+++++1! Here, Here!

 

I think serpentene is right to a certain extent. Nothing is free, true the gt1 and g50 can take it, but pushing 700+hp will eventually take it's toll. True, mods in general will reduce a cars resale....but pre fl 997tt s may become the exception to the rule. They will probably go down as the last great turbo, probably the best ever.
However, a stage 2 modded turbo is perfectly capable as a daily driver, no question in my mind, I do it every day, plus the track!. The tt def needs some help in the exhaust dept, no doubt. At the track(advanced level), you need more -camber, so lowering is in order.
I have no problem with the mods I've made, I doubt I'll ever have a problem where warranty becomes an issue. The gt1/g50 is beyond bulletproof, it CAN take it! I already have 24k miles, next year its over anyway, anything that was going to blow would have by now!
As far as the wheels go, lets face it , the stockers are heavy and ugly. They gotta go!
Mod away I say! ( just don't go crazy) If you're worried about resale strip the mods and return it to stock, sell 'em seperately.
c

 

I think it's important to realize that all cars are built with a certain margin of safety in mind. I don't know what sort of margin that may be, but it's there. When we all mod our cars we're pushing those limits and that fact is some of us will stay safely in the margin (or at least be protected because of it) while others will not.
That being said. I'm pretty sure a turbo can handle basic mods faily reliably. Especially if you take good care of it.

 

TT surgeon writes --

"I think serpentene is right to a certain extent. Nothing is free, true the gt1 and g50 can take it, but pushing 700+hp will eventually take it's toll."

M perfect writes --

"I think it's important to realize that all cars are built with a certain margin of safety in mind. I don't know what sort of margin that may be, but it's there. When we all mod our cars we're pushing those limits and that fact is some of us will stay safely in the margin"

Please back these conclusions up with actual facts supporting it.

Examples can be cited with problems or success from both modified or stock cars . Anyone can produce a wild claim which is neither true or false

For example One could say that having a mechanic involved with a car's engine every two weeks to add a modification might be better off than buying a stock car and having it sit in the garage for 10 years .

If a conclusion is drawn on a premise which isn't clearly defined it becomes an invalid argument .

 

yrralis1 the bottom line is this. No one knows the car better than its manufacturer.

Why do you think after market parts are labeled "For off road use only" and 1 year limited warranty on many "reputable" aftermarket fabricated racing parts?

Yes there are defect tolerances and thresholds aligned with every car manufacturer. Yes there are QA failures and lemons do on occasion slip by unnoticed. But statistics and probability for comfort, daily driveability, high mileage longevity and high safety measures always weigh in favor of the OEM because the experience in R&D and production and big business stakeholdings originate and profit through the manufacturer. The very concept of thought for each model prototype originates from it. Who knows the vehicle better?

And given the Porsche racing heritage and hallmarks for the automobile which all other car manufacturers follow including the "other exotics" and its tight tolerances for craftsmanship and engineering perfection is the reason why we seek such an automobile; enjoy the driving of this surgical steering precision automobile, and why we glamorize its marque and prestige.

Any piece of aftermarket regardless of how trivial whether or not added or deleted from this car is to a Porsche purist sacriledge and desecrates the Porsche heritage.

It is no longer a Porsche. It's a "custom tuner." And I apologize if I come across crass but if you want to "pimp your ride" do it to a Honda Civic.

It's like when I see the Tech ART replacement badging. I cringe. How can you take away 35+ years of credit from Porsche and be so arrogant and beligerant and slap your own tag on a car because you molded a few pieces of ricer boy plastic and bastardized a work of "true" art? It's shameful.

The TT isn't the Toyota Supra substitute. "There is no substitute.."

Leave perfection alone.

 

So...I'm "belligerent" because I had a Ruf front end on my 996TT?

 

I'm trying to explain the purist ideas and the tuner enthusiast variants...

I'm personally on the fence...some ideas are good some are not so good some are out right absurd .. in the end ..it's your ride. Do as you please.

I know a stock car is less headaches for me and my wallet....
And I wouldn't touch a Porsche because I covet and respect the marque and am
perfectly happy with what I have. And yes I say this now..and tomorrow is another day with perhaps a different thinking..

But a Porsche modified is a "custom car.." unless it stays withing the Porsche line.
Doesn't necessarily make it a less desirable car ...but the potential is there.

 

Serpentene --

The manufacturer has set parameters (like a "4 yr 50K warranty ") on their product in order to mass produce an item and generate profit and future marketability . Quite often one sees the same engine get a slight manufacturer tweak to bump us sales on a new model .

The manufacturer can easily see a 700 Hp car and choose NOT to build one for reasons only known them . Maybe a warranty would be more expensive ,or maybe it might be difficult to explain to the world how they offered a car too fast for many of the CEO's and high end street buyers. But all this is nothing morev than speculation --NOT fact .

I can tell you that the modified Turbos on my car pull harder and more linear than what they were . I can tell you that my suspension corners better . I can tell you that I took the gold badge off because I preferred silver . I can tell you that it's MY car not theirs.

I can also tell you that I like technicians constantly caring for my car because to all of us --it's special . Most technicians who are tuners voice that beyond the profit they hope a customer appreciates their work . Reliability plays a large role in whether a tuner gains respect .

If you faced reliability snags shared in your first post please understand that NOT everyone has faced the same . If you no longer have that car I don;t understand why you would carry those problems into the next car . It's up to you whether you attempt the original upgraded performace goals without making the same mistakes in your new car .

 

Serpentene, i'm not sure how you reach the reliability/driveability comparison with what you did with your audi (95K in mods?! - sorry, that is insane. Talk about bastardising a car) and what most people are doing here which is very simple, basic mods. ECU tune, exhaust, wheels. BTW, I think your take on wheels messing w/ the car is ridiculous, but you're entitled to your opinion.

Your arguement then morphes into modding a porsche is a sin. Actually, I can follow that logic to some extent. I do think some people's "taste" is a bit much and makes the car look ridiculous but hey, it's not my car so do what you want.

I just think it's silly for you to compare what you did with your Audi to what most people are doing here. Sounds like your embarrassed/remorseful about what you did and are trying to compare it to what people are doing here - which is not even in the same stratosphere as to what you did.

95K on your audi - I still don't even know how that's possible.

 

 

I am embarrassed and remorseful. Looking back it is absurd. Basically due to the affordability at the time I made my Audi into a wanna be Porsche Turbo. Since I couldn't afford the Turbo outright at the time, I spent ridiculous amounts of aftermarket dollars on the Audi over time. And this is the reasoning why when some one asked is modification reliable for a daily driver I say no. Because it wasn't shortly after fussing w/ stage I that I began to notice problems. Problems which I thought at the time could be remedied w/ Stage II,III,IV and so on. Until what I found out was long term I was in a worse positioning than before. I went for the "European is better" concept so bought all aftermarket overseas; MTM specifically and paid a hefty premium. Looking back it may have been the installer incompetence I blame. I'm just trying to avoid that headache for any one else. I still have the bug. I'm just burnt. I say buyer beware and be very educated as to what you're getting into. And let's face it. The Audi as cool as it is is a 50K car. The Porsche is a whole different territory...

Cheers.

 

I just mean at the 700hp mark you're gonna burn through consumables faster. Clutches, brakes, tires, etc.(esp with track use). No biggie. I also said a stage 2 turbo is still a very capable DD. With increased HP comes increased wear and tear, but nothing the gt1 can't handle.

 

There is no doubt that as a motor's output increases there will be increased wear on the driveline and potentially reduce the lifespan of the bearings in the car. They key is that if properly tuned you should not encounter catastrophic failures - thrown rods, melted valves, lifted heads, seized turbos - that go along with detonation and excessive spikes in temp.

 

I still agree with Serpentine to a large extent. Every car I did mods on I wished I had not. I wish I had all the money I just threw away. From Callaway moded camaros to vettes to vipers. Admittedly these cars were not porsches. But once I pay 150+Large in cash, I am less apt to screw around. On the other hand IF you have thousands and thousands to throw away plus (usually) your warranty---well, I love to read about it. When I checked with sharkwerks about going above the ecu and muffler change, the price SKY ROCKETED and the assurances of reliabiltiy etc became noticably a BIT less certain. I am sure there are plenty of people on this forum who share Serpentene"s (and my) experiences. It does get embarassing to admit. On the callaway camaro their holler 400 just kind of melted into destruction. They had a ironclad warranty on the engine because it was supposed to be bullet proof and after pulling a lot of teeth they finally did replace the engine.(Of course I had to pay for removal and install)

I also have been following Yarralis1 experiences with great interest because he seems to be able to get the mods done and they work well. He is my mod "hero" (not being sarcastic)