996 Turbo actuators

[pia1361]

Hi

I am in the process or getting the exhaust/turbo bolts and studs tidied up and replaced where necessary on my 2002 996TT and I'm pretty sure the actuators will also need replacing.

Has anyone got any recommendations as to what product to go for and where from ?

I have seen Forge Motorsport for approx £400 or Design 911 advertise a pair for £300, also noticed there are a few US tuners offering alternatives.

At the moment the car is still in standard form apart from a Miltek exhaust but I am pondering whether to go for some form of software map to up the boost in the not too distant future so I'm not sure if that should influence my decision on the actuator purchase.

Opinions please

Thanks

john

[996ttalot]

pia1361 said:

Hi

I am in the process or getting the exhaust/turbo bolts and studs tidied up and replaced where necessary on my 2002 996TT and I'm pretty sure the actuators will also need replacing.

Has anyone got any recommendations as to what product to go for and where from ?

I have seen Forge Motorsport for approx £400 or Design 911 advertise a pair for £300, also noticed there are a few US tuners offering alternatives.

At the moment the car is still in standard form apart from a Miltek exhaust but I am pondering whether to go for some form of software map to up the boost in the not too distant future so I'm not sure if that should influence my decision on the actuator purchase.

Opinions please

Thanks

john

John,

You need to stick with the standard ones. We have tried the forged ones and they are not as good - they are difficult to set the cracking pressures correctly to maintain the same level of boost. Would never do it again.

You don't need different actuators unless you do hybrids - there is no point otherwise, so remap will not require different actuators.

If you need help sourcing original actuators let me know - don't pay the price that Porsche ask.

Just to pre warn you...you may well find that taking the actuators of, that the wastegate seals need replacing. This in turn can lead to different issues, because a lot of turbos now are so corroded. If they are working (actuators and wastegates) then other than lubricating them, don't change them for the sake of it.

Ken

[pia1361]

Thanks a lot Ken, I'll give you a shout if I get stuck. I'm anticipating a can of worms to be honest...

[tezza77]

996ttalot said:

If they are working (actuators and wastegates) then other than lubricating them, don't change them for the sake of it.

What product would one use to lubricate the wastegates please

[kencom]

996ttalot said:

John,

You need to stick with the standard ones. We have tried the forged ones and they are not as good - they are difficult to set the cracking pressures correctly to maintain the same level of boost. Would never do it again.

You don't need different actuators unless you do hybrids - there is no point otherwise, so remap will not require different actuators.

If you need help sourcing original actuators let me know - don't pay the price that Porsche ask.

Just to pre warn you...you may well find that taking the actuators of, that the wastegate seals need replacing. This in turn can lead to different issues, because a lot of turbos now are so corroded. If they are working (actuators and wastegates) then other than lubricating them, don't change them for the sake of it.

Ken

Ken

Why are the Forge actuators hard to set up for cracking pressure?

I had mine set up by a local garage I trust, he used a pressure pump to set up to 13.5psi, as recommended by my tuner (EPL) for the tune they were doing me.

Boost seems to build a tad quicker than standard actuators (I only upgraded because one of my std actuator rods snapped).

If the actuators were not set correctly, would that explain why I may be a bit down on actual boost compared to boost setpoint?

[996ttalot]

kencom said:

996ttalot said:

John,

You need to stick with the standard ones. We have tried the forged ones and they are not as good - they are difficult to set the cracking pressures correctly to maintain the same level of boost. Would never do it again.

You don't need different actuators unless you do hybrids - there is no point otherwise, so remap will not require different actuators.

If you need help sourcing original actuators let me know - don't pay the price that Porsche ask.

Just to pre warn you...you may well find that taking the actuators of, that the wastegate seals need replacing. This in turn can lead to different issues, because a lot of turbos now are so corroded. If they are working (actuators and wastegates) then other than lubricating them, don't change them for the sake of it.

Ken

Ken

Why are the Forge actuators hard to set up for cracking pressure?

I had mine set up by a local garage I trust, he used a pressure pump to set up to 13.5psi, as recommended by my tuner (EPL) for the tune they were doing me.

Boost seems to build a tad quicker than standard actuators (I only upgraded because one of my std actuator rods snapped).

If the actuators were not set correctly, would that explain why I may be a bit down on actual boost compared to boost setpoint?

I like some of the forge stuff, especially the Dvs which are very good. However the design of the actuators is different as I am sure you have seen from Porsche. It is not difficult to set the cracking pressure clearly, but on the forged ones you need to set a higher pressure to get the same peak boost compared to the standard ones. I put this down to spring pressure. Since we can get the Porsche ones for the same price, for me, I'd rather stick with the Porsche ones unless you are running hybrids in which case we use different actuators.

If you think those are bad (actuators) you should worry about the 997t ones - they are electric actuators, nearly twice the price, and although in the early days had issues with lack of lubrication, can cause all sorts of low boost issues.

Re your last point about actual v target boost, there is no single answer I can give you. It can be many things
- leak
- ignition retard (depending on how boost is controlled)
- engine issues - e.g. say you have a misfire on one cylinder, then you often find boost is pulled back
- fueling issues
The DME is very capable when it senses issues at reducing boost pressure.
Depends of course how much difference you are seeing of course.

Ken

[kencom]

Ken

The difference in setpoint of boost & actual boost pressure is generally around 0.1 to 0.15bar.

I intend to boost leak check when I get time, although when I had my old map which was tuned for standard actuators & then had the uprated Forge actuators fitted I had a little play & saw 1.3bar on a couple of little squirts of acceleration. So I don't think I have much, if any of a boost leak or I wouldn't be able to reach 1.3bar at all on my standard K24's.

Of course, the next day I uploaded the revised map suitable for the Forge 1bar actuators. Max boost is typically 1.05bar.

Spec - 2002 Manual, x50, Milltek 200cel cats/exhaust, Forge actuators, 5bar genuine FPR, EPL custom tune, Durametric diagnostics/datalogging.

[noble1978]

996ttalot, what actuators would you recommend if not the Porsche ones?

[ZeroH]

I think uprating the actuators is very worthwhile once you get close to maxxing out k24's.... need to make sure you get them dialled in by someone that knows what they are doing.

it offers 0.3-0.4s reduction in acceleration times on a remapped X50, between 60-130mph, if done correctly.

I know that Fearnsport used Turbo-smart actuators on my car - certainly not the cheapest ones out there, but a very worthwhile upgrade ime.

[Crimp a Length!]

I'm running Forge actuators
Forge diverter valves
997 GT2 intercoolers with larger cores
Miltek pipe

With the map it kicking out well over 500 BHP

[Slippydiff]

ZeroH said:

I think uprating the actuators is very worthwhile once you get close to maxxing out k24's.... need to make sure you get them dialled in by someone that knows what they are doing.

it offers 0.3-0.4s reduction in acceleration times on a remapped X50, between 60-130mph, if done correctly.

I know that Fearnsport used Turbo-smart actuators on my car - certainly not the cheapest ones out there, but a very worthwhile upgrade ime.

Nice bits of kit Miras. Good to meet you at FS recently (along with MiniMiras !!)
How are you getting on with the Alcons and RS 29's.