996 Turbo Major Work
Discussion
Ok, so I’ve owned the car for 5 years and 20K miles (now on 83K). I have it serviced at the excellent 9E. I know about the common issues and mine is in time for some work. Spent the last week soul searching and looking really hard at 981S and 997.2 Carreras and the odd 993. I used to look at them lots but I made up my mind on Sunday that it was a mistake and that I want to keep the 996T and care for it. So, I had a long chat with Ken and Adam and have resolved to do a fair bit all at once. It’s in for engine out, both turbos, clutch, main coolant pipes, rear brake pipes etc ... and Stage 1. A fairly big deal.
Adam’s going to take some pictures and it will be ready during half term, apparently. I will try to update with the pictures as and when, and will report back on progress.
Adam’s going to take some pictures and it will be ready during half term, apparently. I will try to update with the pictures as and when, and will report back on progress.
I’m at a similar point with my own 996 turbo. Owned 6 years and before that I’d never owned a car longer than a year. Love the way it looks and still feels special to drive; great steering and the boost is still thrilling - I even rate the handling. For me, it’s either I sell and go for a GT3/4 for a change, or I keep and do some suspension mods and add a second car, like Z3M, Exige, 1M or evening an air cooled. Have spent a year thinking about it and still not sure 🤔 😬🤯
I have certainly given the different alternatives a very good mull over. I like the idea of a nice 996.2 GT3. From a personal point of view it's probably brilliant, but I quite like touring and my youngsters have been known to get in the back. The Turbo is much better at this and has effortless thrust. Ken thinks I'll enjoy the extra power and I think he's right. I also feel that the car has become an old friend, which I like. As a younger man, when the first GT3 came out I remember regarding it as an appealing oddity, but in no way preferable to a Turbo.It was a lot cheaper for a reason. This was before chocolate engine crises came to light for the regular cars.
Ken has a nice 2 GT3 in presently that has been nicely improved. I'd rather this than a GT4 any day of the week - and it's a bit cheaper. Granted, it's probably a little more edgy to drive, but really very special.
Ken has a nice 2 GT3 in presently that has been nicely improved. I'd rather this than a GT4 any day of the week - and it's a bit cheaper. Granted, it's probably a little more edgy to drive, but really very special.
Having switched from 996 turbo to 997.1 GT3 Clubsport, I can safely and confidently say, the 996 turbo was far, far nicer as a Grand Tourer/cruiser. To and from the Nurburgring was, without exaggeration, effortless in the 996 turbo, with full leather and comfort seats it was a very nice place to spend time. The GT3 does edge it for fun on some stretches of road, but it's not really until the track that it really excels IMHO.
I simply loved my turbo. I think they are cars that history will remember exceedingly well.
I simply loved my turbo. I think they are cars that history will remember exceedingly well.
Picked the car up today and was met with exemplary service from Adam. Car was valeted and centre stage in the showroom. I will get the data from Ken, but it is clear that is much faster than I was expecting. I found myself naturally in 4th when I would have been in 3rd. It pulled heroically. Much sharper throttle response immediately and then piled on boost. If I were to try to crack on from standstill it becomes a matter of how quickly I can change up in to 3rd. Too fast for bunglers like me.
Not really got to exploit the car on the run back to Oxfordshire, but it pulled very hard when asked. It feels more like the thrust is in keeping with the brakes and chassis now. It feels much more like it can be pushed beyond its limits where before there was more of a safety blanket. It feels sharper and more savage. Tremendous. As an example, throttling up in 2nd on a dry road at some traffic lights it momentarily lost traction and that was only on half throttle. As said before, 4th gear is wonking.
Having banged on about liking GT3s, which I do, they cannot offer this level of oomph, especially not in gear. There is a great deal of visceral thrill that my car offers. It feels rugged and planted.
Having banged on about liking GT3s, which I do, they cannot offer this level of oomph, especially not in gear. There is a great deal of visceral thrill that my car offers. It feels rugged and planted.
ScienceTeacher said:
Not really got to exploit the car on the run back to Oxfordshire, but it pulled very hard when asked. It feels more like the thrust is in keeping with the brakes and chassis now. It feels much more like it can be pushed beyond its limits where before there was more of a safety blanket. It feels sharper and more savage. Tremendous. As an example, throttling up in 2nd on a dry road at some traffic lights it momentarily lost traction and that was only on half throttle. As said before, 4th gear is wonking.
Having banged on about liking GT3s, which I do, they cannot offer this level of oomph, especially not in gear. There is a great deal of visceral thrill that my car offers.It feels rugged and planted.
GHaving banged on about liking GT3s, which I do, they cannot offer this level of oomph, especially not in gear. There is a great deal of visceral thrill that my car offers.It feels rugged and planted.
T
2
A N/A GT3 (any iteration) is a truly wonderful means of traversing the UK’s roads, but a turbo’d Mezger is more relevant, more of the time.
Here’s what I wrote on this very forum after my GT2 had been mapped and fitted with a Ruf exhaust :
“With the exhaust fitted and the diverter valves and wastegates checked, discussions centered on whether there would be any improvement in lag as the Ruf exhaust featured 200 cell cats.
Matt drove the car with the standard map and the new exhaust and professed that it felt “very strong”. A view I concurred with as it felt as if it pulled harder and came on boost earlier than my old Midnight blue car (when it was totally standard engine/exhaust wise)
However Matt felt the power delivery could be improved on.
With the car back in one piece I went to test it on Saturday of the Bank Holiday weekend. Whilst it was dry when I set off from home, it had been raining heavily at Silverstone.
Matt loaded a new map into the car and I set off along my designated “test route”. With the rain stopped but the roads drying, the car felt ”Biblically fast” © J Clarkson.
The boost now came in earlier and harder, but far more smoothly than the factory map, ergo it also seemed more progressive despite the additional horsepower, and thus actually easier to control.
I returned to Fearnsport along the same road. Once back there I requested some adjustments to the damping (of which more later)
I then headed out again. With the damping adjusted I found myself travelling even quicker, however on the return leg the rain started once again.
Though still circumspect I was gaining in confidence, perhaps too much so, as when I accelerated down the slip road onto a dual carriageway, I witnessed that all too familiar sight of the rev counter heading rapidly towards 6000rpm but with no increase in forward motion. There was however a drastic increase in the yaw angle of the car . . . . .”
We ended up loading another map into the car, it brought the boost in earlier still, but more progressively and then increased the boost higher and further up in the rev range. The end result was easy to drive in the wet or dry, and felt more akin to a nicely cammed , free breathing 6.0 V8 than a 3.6 flat 6 turbo.
Vmax may be a bit spicy for me, but I will consider.
Went out yesterday for a nice drive through the Cotswolds. Up past Banbury, across and down to Moreton-in-Mash then across to Burford and back to Oxford.
Lovely road across to Burford, 5th gear good visibility, van in front - I decide to overtake... Shift into 4th at 50mph and perform a safe manoeuvre. It would normally be 3rd, and in my old C2 2nd. It was a bit uphill and the acceleration was decent though not extraordinary. There was masses of road so it was not any kind of issue and I carried on briskly. Only then did a realise I had shifted into 6th!
4th gear is really exceptionally good acceleration-wise. So good that on a wet road yesterday it was perhaps fortunate that I had selected 6th, as 4th has threatened to spin the wheels...
These are the circumstances where the 996T wins out against the GT3. Wet weather overtaking on the road. Huge in-gear surge and real solidity.
Went out yesterday for a nice drive through the Cotswolds. Up past Banbury, across and down to Moreton-in-Mash then across to Burford and back to Oxford.
Lovely road across to Burford, 5th gear good visibility, van in front - I decide to overtake... Shift into 4th at 50mph and perform a safe manoeuvre. It would normally be 3rd, and in my old C2 2nd. It was a bit uphill and the acceleration was decent though not extraordinary. There was masses of road so it was not any kind of issue and I carried on briskly. Only then did a realise I had shifted into 6th!
4th gear is really exceptionally good acceleration-wise. So good that on a wet road yesterday it was perhaps fortunate that I had selected 6th, as 4th has threatened to spin the wheels...
These are the circumstances where the 996T wins out against the GT3. Wet weather overtaking on the road. Huge in-gear surge and real solidity.
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