Vivid Racing has been modifying and upgrading Porsche 911’s since 2006 and it has been a privelage all the way. The Porsche 996 Turbo was really the first big platform to be apart of that entered us into the higher end vehicle market. The engine was so easy to create power and performance with basic bolt-ons and tuning. At that time, doing a upgrade of the factory turbochargers with a 5bar fuel pressure regulator and exhaust system was the hot ticket, but now we see cars with 1500HP blowing away the 200mph speed in a mile. The thought that this power is obtainable with the 996 Turbo is eye opening, however most end users want to keep the driveability and useability of their car and simply don’t have the budget.
Previous turbo upgrades consisted of hybrid swaps using Mitsubishi 16G or 18G wheels on the factory turbo with upgraded 1.0bar wastegates. These turbo upgrades proved very successful over the years. Several of the cars we built for customers ran this setup and set records at the time on the stock engine. One of the cars we did was running a set of k24/18G with all the bolt-ons, tuning, and ran the 1/4 in 10.77 and hit 196mph in the mile (back in 2009). So this engine setup is proven. But there is a new toy in town that goes beyond the Mitsubishi wheel change. Vivid Racing and Agency Power now have this Stage 1 – 3 turbo upgrade available for the 996TT using a custom billet compressor wheel. These turbo upgrades (except stage 1) include the Turbosmart Adjustable Wastegate Actuators which allow you to really dial in how the boost comes on working with either the factory ECU boost solenoid or a aftermarket electronic boost controller. Each Stage Upgrade includes a basic rebuild of the turbos turning those cores with however many miles into like new turbochargers.
The Stage 1 Upgrade includes a billet compressor wheel with a 6+6 taller profile wheel which is good for 50-75 horsepower more that the stock units. Combined with proper modifications and tuning, this is a great replacement for the K16/16G setup. The Stage 2 has a upgraded GT2 Style billet compressor wheel with a Turbosmart adjustable wastegate. Where the older K16/16G or K24/18G upgrades had a modified Tial or Garrett 1.0bar actuators in place, these Turbosmart ones allow you to adjust them to the precise boost you want to make on the car. As a good replacement to the K24/18G, this modification is good for 100-150HP over stock. Finally is the Stage 3 Upgrade. This has a custom GT2RS style billet compressor wheel and includes a 1.5-2.0bar Turbosmart wastegate actuator. With required machining of the compressor housing, this upgrade gives you 150+ horsepower over the stock turbochargers. Coupled with larger injectors (60-80lb), Intercoolers, TB/Plenum, Y-Pipe, Exhaust, Boost Controller, and some VR Tuned tuning, you will achieve a very streetable, deliverable, and powerful 996 Turbo to rival your friends!
View more pictures and pricing here – CLICK HERE
Customer Todd Nall goes 196mph in his Porsche 996 Turbo modified by Vivid Racing.
How does the GT2RS stage 3 wheel compare to the 20G wheel? The cast wheel is the 20G and The Billet wheel is the GT2RS. You can see by the pictures here that the GT2RS is taller has a slimmer hub and a newer blade design than the 20G. That 20G has a larger exducer however the inducer is the same. The GT2RS wheel out flows the 20G by 18-22% but only produces around 1-2psi more. Flow is where the horsepower comes from.
looking to upgrade factory turbo compressor wheel in my 14 focus st, could you send me the part number for the billet compressor wheel?
We do not have a part number as these are made specifically for us. If you would like to order the upgrade, please click the link on the blog or contact us, [email protected].