RUF a.k.a RAC in Addison, TX was big on SC 911...last visit the subject got brought up, Han's replied was...SC not turn out too well.

I had experience with SC car, the power was unreal. However, the main concern is the imbalance between massive hp against the rest of the car. My 408 cid stroker Cobra with Vortech YS cog drive system was a beast...sadly it always come back on a flatbed truck.

In long run, i think buying a 911 Turbo is wiser if you want a 450+ hp 911 car that originally engineered for the power.

 

I've installed and ran supercharger in a vr6. Ran like a beast and dyno'ed 315hp on stock clutch. Went threw 8 tires in the summer and a clutch in 12 000 miles. car has 70 000 miles at the end. Vf put out nice kits but not huge hp gains unlike others. Better to get turbo motor instead...

 

I have one of the first kits though my car has had many, many other modifications, many of them parts and systems I designed myself. For me like writing novels it was proving to myself that a person with an 8th grade education can do whatever they set their mind to. Yes buying a turbo would have been less money I spent over 120K just doing the modifications but that would have been the easy way and boring. People like me don't ever take the easy way! This was my 39th Porsche (was supposed to be my last then the Panamera ended up in my garage) and I did not want the same car everyone else can buy and I built what I wanted and it is the best one (wont call it a Porsche any more the local dealers call it a kit car) I've ever driven. Drive what makes you happy, I do!

 

Considering a similar 997 turbo would have cost me $40k more for 495hp and the supercharger installed was $8500 for 510hp I'd say it makes since purely from that perspective. Plus I know of a few folks that have put 30000 or more miles on these kits with zero problems.

 

I disagree with all the "turbo" people.

It doesn't matter what "power adder" you add to a normally aspirated car. Every time you bump the HP higher than stock, you'll always put extra wear and tear on parts. When tuned right, both Superchargers & TurboChargers provide good power gains.

Centrifugal supercharger like the VF will always be at a disadvantage b/c they're essentially a turbo cold side bolted to a belt drive. It's very difficult to get the right impeller speed / mass flow combination which is why I've found most centrifugal type SC's to lack the low end grunt you get from a roots type blower.

Turbos on the other hand, while often build more power, introduce a lot more complexity and heat into the system... making them inherently less reliable and more hassle from a maintenance perspective.

Given the tight quarters of the 911 engine bay and the desire to keep heat levels as low as possible, I think the SC is a fantastic option for these cars... especially if people are seeing mid 400 HP numbers at the wheels.

Everyone has their own opinions, tastes, and wallets. But IMHO, I'd take a SC 911 with a solid tune over an aftermarket turbo setup any day.

 

3POINT8,

If you were in my area I'd offer to hook you up with a friend of mine who's one of the best tuners I know (other than me, of course ) We could put the car on the dyno with some data logging and see what's going on. But you're about 3,000 miles too far away

 

Marco - thanks so much for the offer. If you were within a thousand miles I would have done it!

 

I've had both. Lots of truth in what you said...

 

It depends on what you are trying to do and your budget. My only experience is with an aftermarket SC. It is smooth, adds tons of power and does not effect the feel of the car. The way I figure I could have spent $80k on a 997TT for 525hp or I could spend $50k for a SC 997S ($40k car, $10k kit) for 510hp. Granted the TT has more to it but it's also quite a bit more money. I'm not at a place where I can afford a 997TT and frankly, I do not like the looks with the spoiler and intakes so buying an SC allowed me to get as much power, keep my looks, and keep my car. I plan on driving this thing until I get 200k on it or it blows up. At that point hopefully I'm rich and can buy a 918. #dreamon

 

Agreed. I've done a number of custom turbo builds/installs and tuning on various cars. They are very, very complicated systems. When they're happy (and done right), they make stupid power. But I hesitate to even drive my own after market turbo car > 3hrs from home because I'm always worried something is going to break.

So it depends on your goals. As a younger guy I was willing to deal with some reliability issues for that neck snapping, roast the tires in 3rd gear kind of power. Now I'm perfectly happy with my stock 3.8. But if I was going to do a power adder, I'd go SC.

That being said, I still think I may do headers, exhaust, intake/plenum, and a tune... but that's as far as I'm willing to go on this platform, as of today anyway.

 

I'm just gonna ramble for a second until my next telecon...

Issues I've had with custom/after market turbo cars: Exhaust leaks, coolant leaks, boost leaks, boost controller issues, bad part fitment, turbo failures, oil leaks, oil leaks, hours and hours on the dyno for tuning, exhaust leaks, fueling issues, multiple fouled 02 sensors, difficulty passing emissions... did I mention exhaust and oil leaks? haha

It's the stupid little things too... My turbo GTI is stored up in VA and I moved to GA in the winter. I recently went home and wanted to drive her. Everything was fine... except I forgot to put anti-freeze in the air/water intercooler over the winter. Guess what leaked when I fired her up? Like I said... you either do it for the love of it and accept the constant tinkering, or you go SC.

 

Marco,

You should consider going NA 4.0L upgrade with LN Engineering or Flat6! The stock ECU will adapt and make power.

I am currently toying with the idea of going to a 4.0L with lower 10:1 compression for the SC . Talk about potential issues

 

Quit feeding me ideas!

The 4.0l with 10:1 and a SC sounds like a great combination, so long as you can get a solid tune on it. It's SO HARD not to get carried away with this stuff!

 

I have thought about dumping $8-10K for more power in my 997.
But my P-specialist tells me to make the stretch and just get a used turbo.

Reading here the supercharger option seems appealing, yet I doubt that anybody could get a supercharger installed and tuned for $8500 as OP, while in the NYC metro area.

OP, I must have missed the info. Any stubborn engine light?

 

that is what enthusiasts are for! To feed each other ideas and inspiration for the next project .

The idea of a 4.0L S/C is tempting. I am currently running a smaller pulley and a different resistor on the VF-Engineering S/C with the stock 3.8L for a while now, and thus far, the engine has been holding up rather well. I suspect the current tune should do ok with the 4.0L upgrade....I hope