x51 Upgrade VS. FabSpeed Bolt On Upgrades or Similar - 2008 Targa 4s
 

I have a 2008 Targa 4s - 3.8L .

Looking to wake it up SEVERELY. Trying to determine best bang for the buck, even if it took 10-15k additional to get where I want to be (55-90 HP+ GAIN). I assume the car has 385 BHP as that's what the specs say and I have had some confusion first of all because it seems that my 3.8 2008 specs show 385BHP however 2007 versions show 355? Not sure what the exact is, but ANYWAY...

After about 40 hours of research just in the last 2 weeks , ( it's been some late nights ). I've come to the conclusion, or been recommend by my Porsche Dealer I do this -

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There are a few things we can do to “wake up” the vehicle if you are looking for more power. We can do performance headers with sport exhaust, a high flow BMC air filter, and re-tune the DME. Nothing requires dropping the engine, but I believe the sport exhaust will require the bumper removal. You’d be amazed at how simple that really is to remove.

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With that said, I want to know which way I should go , does anyone have any specific recommendations? Is the x51 Factory Upgrade kit, which HE can order and INSTALL worth it and how much power does the x51 KIT produce?

Such as x51 Intake/Headers/Exhaust and Re-Tuning , or do I do the same but with FabSpeed or other BETTER supplier if it exists.

I believe it keeps everything under warranty doing the x51, but doesn't most things that are just bolt on?

I am looking forward to all of your replies !!! If I could give a free pizza out for every reply, I would do it trust me.

After doing quite a bit of research over the years, it appears that there is little that can be done to a NA p-car that will generate substantial amounts of incremental power. Upgrades such as headers/cats/mufflers and/or intake and ecu flash produce very modest amounts of power. Think 10-20 hp rather than your targeted 75.
Most who have kept at it end up with a sc or a turbo kit and regret having spent a great deal of money for little return prior to the 'big spend' to install a forced air system.
The X51 system has the advantage of retaining the NA behavior of the motor, but even it does not produce more than 25 additional hp (or so I've read).
I continue to consider going with the new turbo system that has just made it to the market, and, if I am sure I'll keep the car for a bunch more years, I likely will. What has me most concerned is finding a very experienced installer in my area so I can avoid shipping the car back east.
If I have this wrong, I'm sure others will set me straight, but the info seems rather consistent.
Regardless, GL with the search.
V

For 10k-15k the easy answer is TPC's new single turbo kit. It'll give you the power you want within your budget. You can be assured though that the warranty on your engine will be void if that's your biggest concern. If you must stay N/A, high flow cats, LWFW, plenum and tune will be your best bang for buck, but like said earlier, there really is no "bang for buck" tuning staying N/A since the gains are minimal.

Definitely appreciate your opinion. As much as I would love someone to show me a turbo that wouldn't require me to do a engine swap on I would be all over it IF it wasn't 30-40k to get into it. I would of been better off trading up , I just love the Targa 4s so much the way it looks, etc I can't see myself ever buying a true turbo. It would however be super sweet to be a "Sleeper" type car w/ a Turb as most people know a Targa never carries any Supers/Turbs under the hood. Did you say someone has come out with one? I know 9ff quoted me the other day, but it seems they wanted 75k EUROS's to do it, so I was like uhm... I will buy a 911 Turbo and call it a day for that.... Either way, I know what they offer is worth it's weight in gold, I just am not racing professionally so have no need for it.

Anyhow, now from what I keep reading though, and seeing STOCK 3.6's which mine is a 3.8 can gain 14-22+hp just with a better intake alone on DYNO's, I just don't know how much of it is misleading/false info, or not even real... Just amazed how much I do see it though. Makes me think well if they get 20+ gain from a intake, why can't I add 3-4 bolt ons, reprogram the computer and get 40 or 50 + with only 5k in mods........ Has to be a way ;-)

N/A - Meaning Naturally Aspirated?


EDIT: I get it now , checked out Wiki, N/A VS Forced Induction. Completely Understood.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naturally-aspirated_engine

TPC 997 Single Turbo Kit
 

Is this the specific TPC kit you are referring to - http://www.tpcracing.com/products/TP...996-Turbo-Kit/

It would void the warranty if I installed this? If it's 100% bolt on, and would take a a few hours for install right? Anyway to take it back off w/ out trace in case I needed warranty to still be considered good?

You have lots to learn, and 6speed and it's search function can show you the way, albeit many many more hours and long nights ;) Naturally Aspirated (N/A) mods don't work that way, you don't just add up the 10hp gain here and the other 15hp gain there and get 25hp. I also am a true believer that manufacturer dyno's for their products are fluffed up. Search 'TPC Turbo' and you will have plenty of reading. For your budget, it seems like the perfect solution at just under 10k. In terms of warranty, i can't really tell you what the dealership will/won't notice even if the turbo is taken off. If the engine blows due to increased power to the block and cylinders, then it might just be noticeable, but again i'm just thinking out loud.

So all in all?
 

Sooo... If I wasn't going to do a turbo system, or engine swap hehe. What's the best bolt-on's I should go with anyway if I decided to go that route per-say. I just wanted to be able to compare with which route to head. I get the turbo, however the warranty no one can answer yet if it will still stand, as I don't want to break the warranty since it's got multiple years left.

Anyone have SPECIFIC suggestions as to what the best bolt ons and remapping solutions will be for the 2008 Targa 4s 3.8L that will not void the warranty. That's why I've posted this thread to get specific answers as to what's the MOST I can do to the car w/ out voiding warranty.

ALSO SIDE NOTE - The X51 kit, does anyone know the difference in power it helps to produce versus the regular 997 3.8L w/ out the package?

Thanks!

From what i understand its not very easy to uninstall the turbo and then reinstall it everytime you have to take the car to the dealer. Its many hours of labor and its not going to be cheap.And if u ever do go to the dealer with a turbo on your car i can almost gaurantee you that your engine warranty will be void. BTW i also have an 08 c2s and its 355 hp.

Everything he said is true. Installing a Turbo is more than a few hours. Also, once the turbo is spotted at the dealership during a routine maintenance, they will note it in their computer for future reference regarding warranty issues.

If you have a 2008, then I believe you have the 355hp 3.6L motor, unless there were some late 2008 models that got the new direct engine 3.8L motor.

Bottom line is, if you want a significant bump in power, you are going to have to sacrifice your warranty. Either that, or sell your 2008 for as much as you can, and then use the money from that + $20k or so on top and you might be able to get 2007 911 Turbo. If you want big power, they are the way to go.

Or just sacrifice your warranty and turbo your Targa. But then you may (or may not) run into long term reliability issues that a moderately upgraded 911 Turbo would likely not experience.

TPC says 30hrs for install

A couple of points of interest. The 2008 model year "S" version features the normally aspirated 3.8 with 355 HP. Model year 2009 features the newer designed engine with 385HP. The street refers to these as 997.1 and 997.2. The 997.2 being the current model year with LED lights front and rear. I presently own an 08 'S' model with full bolt on engine mod kit EVO stage 4. This was installed at Suncoast before original sale. I have very limited experience driving 'S' models without this kit installed. However, every experienced person that has driven this car or has been a passenger at speed, has commented about how much more responsive it is, how much more torque there is through a wider power band and how much faster it seems to perform. It sure sounds great too with that intake and PSE. I would guestimate that these mods put it close to the current model HP output at 385. This car has received minor service at dealers with no issues related to the warranty. However, a non-selling dealer (not suncoast) did charge me for tightening the exhaust system after it triggered a CEL. They claimed it was not a Porsche part that came loose. Seemed like a valid claim.

If you want to spend the 10-15K and are worried about the warranty, then sell your Targa, and but a slightly used 997TT (it will cost you more then your estimate, but it will be covered, and a lot more power.

If you want to make your car faster, then take some driving courses. These cars are very fast, and the extra power isn't needed, if you know how to get the most out of your 355Hp that you already have.

If you want to improve the responsiveness, try a LWFW, or some high flow cats, they seem to be the best bang for the $.

any SEVERE rebuild will void warranty. you really have to decide if you want to mod your car or stay stock. if you need warranty - stay stock.

really SEVERE rebuild is to bring you engine to racing specs - it costs about of $25K and will include boring cylinders, enforcing rods, balancing cams, etc. usually it gets doe to gt3 engines but i think there are shops that do that to m96/m97 engines too.

from what I saw so far - serious racers do not do that to those engines - they run those m96 engines until they blow in like 80-140 hours then simply get a new one. and it looks like those engines do explode quite consistently when they get driven to the limit.