Porsche 997 Turbo Mods
The Porsche 997 Turbo is a great car to upgrade with performance and racing parts. Coming from the factory with 480hp, the 3.6L turbocharged engine is extremely receptive to modifications. You can do some basic bolt-ons to improve performance up to 700 horsepower, or go even bigger with turbo upgrades to reach 1000+ horsepower. All of the parts on the Porsche 997 Turbo can be enhanced from what Stuttgart, Germany creates. Suspension modifications to help the car handle better, aero kit upgrades are added for better styling, intake and intercooler components for better airflow, wheels and tires for a different look, and even the brakes to stop faster.
Most Porsche owners upgrade their Turbo in stages. These stage upgrades can be done all at once or over time and designed so you do not have to repeat any modifications. These upgrades we have tested on our own cars and proven their worth and capabilities.
- Stage 1 upgrade consists of a ECU Flash, Air Filter, and Diverter Valves. The 997 Turbo has VTG Borg Warner turbos where the valve is mounted on the turbo and called a Boost Recirculation Valve or BRV. The 997.2 Turbo and Turbo S have regular style Diverter Valves like the Porsche 996 Turbo and 955 Cayenne Turbo. This Stage 1 upgrade will improve throttle response, boost delivery, torque, and horsepower. Whether the 997.1 Turbo or 997.2 Turbo, this will take your horsepower to 615bhp on 93octane. The ECU Flash is generally tuned with the top speed limiter removed, the secondary O2 sensors raised for catless or high flow cat exhausts, and on 6speed manual cars, the rev limiter raised 500rpm. These parts are the foundation for performance gains on the Porsche 997 Turbo.
- Stage 2 upgrade is where the power really comes alive. When a ECU flash is done, it increases your boost pressure. Sport Mode still gives you that extra 10 seconds of power, but the stock exhaust really restricts the power from happening. The factory exhaust can have 400 cell catalytic converters which really plug up the exhaust flow. Because the car is so quiet (personal opinion) from the factory, many people choose to upgrade the exhaust system. The exhaust of the 997.1 Turbo, 997.2 Turbo (S), and 997 GT2 are all different. However upgrading them achieves the same performance value. Most exhaust upgrades include new high flow cats, muffler, and some also do the headers. The aftermarket headers have a better collector and design to help those turbos spool up faster. The cost per horsepower is not as great as doing the stage 1, however stage 2 is needed to maximize the performance.
- Stage 3 would be upgrading some of the airflow components such as intercoolers, throttlebody/plenum, intake pipes, and Y-Pipes. More efficient intercoolers help keep turbo inlet temperatures down. The cooler the air, the more efficient turbos are and the more the power will be realized. The stock ones on the 997.1 Turbo are similar to the 996 Turbo and definitely need to be upgraded. The 997.2 Turbo and Turbo S have thicker cores. You can leave them, but aftermarket ones with bigger end tanks are more helpful. The more volume of air flow you get through to the engine the happier it will be. You don't want the engine to struggle to suck in air it needs for the performance. When you upgrade the intercoolers, adding a Y-Pipe helps this flow and then upgrading the throttle body is the final touch needed. The factory throttle body is 74mm in diameter. You can upgrade to a 76mm Cayenne TT throttlebody or a 82mm GT3 throttlebody. However both of these require a new T or Y plenum to account for the different flange these throttle bodies use. They are a plug and play in place of the stock throttlebody. Adding these parts do not require a reflash of the ECU. You only need to do a reflash when changing fuel components or turbos out. The ECU will adapt and adjust. This also includes the use of higher octane or race fuel. Running C16 leaded gas or E85 requires a specific tune or components installed that we do not support.
- Stage 4 upgrades are usually the final performance upgrades you would do to the 997 Turbo. Above Stage 4 is all custom going with a new fueling system, Garrett turbos, boost controllers, etc. With all the parts on Stage 1-3, you have a foundation to do the Stage 4 which would be upgraded VTG turbos and a new ECU Flash. Upgrading the factory VTG turbos leaves everything stock and visibly stock. The compressor wheel is clipped (modified) to flow about 30cfm more than stock. We call this a 700HP kit. Because you are flowing more air from the turbos, a retune is needed to help account for this. Modifying the VTG turbos does require your original turbos to be sent in unless you have a second set.
Now a couple of parts you dont want to forget about when upgrading your 997 Turbo to almost 200 horsepower more than stock is the clutch and brakes. On the 997.1 Turbo and 997.2 Turbo (S), no changes are needed to the Tiptronic or PDK automatic transmissions. On the 6speed cars, the stock clutch can easily let loose. Depending on how you drive, if you launch your car, or the previous wear and tear, you will know if your clutch is due for a change with a 3rd gear pull from 2500rpm to redline. If your clutch slips at peak torque around 3800rpm, its time to change. We recommend a good street clutch that is easy to engage but will hold the power. At the same time, some people dont like the soft feel of the stock clutch and prefer a stiffer pedal. An upgrade commonly called the GT2 Slave Cylinder Conversion is done. This utilizes OEM parts to get rid of the OEM assist that is on the Turbo models but not the GT3 cars.
When it comes to brakes, the Porsche brakes are definitely good. The 997 Turbo has 6piston calipers that were used on the earlier 996 GT3 with 350mm 1pc steel rotors up front and a 4piston caliper also with 350mm rotors in the rear. If your 997 Turbo has the PCCB Ceramic Brakes (yellow calipers) there is still stuff to upgraded. If you are daily driving and occasionally running your car hard, skip this as you are set, but if you like to push your car to the limits, you need to keep reading!
- Steel braided brake lines - Replacing these over the existing rubber lines will give you a firmer pedal feel. The factory rubber lines can have some expansion under the pedal pressure. Brakelines are very affordable and do make a difference. When you do these, you can also switch out your brake fluid to some Dot4 racing fluid like Motul. Racing brake fluid has higher boiling point so you will never get a soft pedal from over using your brakes.
- Brake Pads - If you are doing track sessions or its time to replace your pads, going with a more aggressive pad is well worth it. The factory pads wear nicely on the street, but at higher temperature use, can fade out. If your car is used more on the street than track, you will want to get a pad that works well in both scenarios. If you only take your car to the track, you can get a more aggressive pad but they take some heat cycling.
- Rotors are one of the biggest upgrades. If you have the steel brakes (red calipers), you can upgrade to a 2 piece rotor or a carbon ceramic. 2 piece floating rotors last 4 times longer than stock ones, save more rotational weight per corner, and since they are 2 piece, you get more even pad wear and better braking. Usually the initial cost of the rotors is more, but over time, pays off compared to continually ordering 1pc OEM rotors. Carbon Ceramic rotors are available from non OEM suppliers. Similar in performance, they weigh substantially less. The more you save in rotational weight, the better. For most 2 piece rotors, only the disc is consumable so you only need to replace the ring and reuse the hat.
- If you are lightning fast and looking for some serious braking to go with your big power, then its time to go with a big brake kit. There are many options of big brake kits available. These typically are the same piston size or have more like 8 or 12 piston. The rotor size is increased too. From experience, 6piston caliper is fine, but going with a 380mm rotor is preferred. The more surface area, the better the braking will be. You also want to make sure you get a brake kit that does not throw off your brake bias. That is why certain companies develop their kits to work together for front and rear or just front to work in harmony with the factory rear. Another factor in upgrading your brakes is pad availability. Companies that make 8 or 12 piston calipers might have limited pad options.
There is an endless supply of parts you can change or upgrade to including stiffer mounts, short shifters, radiators, pulleys, etc. Right now we are just touching on the main points. When it comes to suspension, the AWD platform of the 997 Turbo is a little to loose for the horsepower at hand. Because the car is AWD, you want to make sure you deal with under and over steer correctly. Under steer is when you go into a turn and the car just pushes to the outside. This is common in front wheel drive cars. Over steer is almost at the point of drifting. In a rear wheel drive car when you take a turn and gas it, you can loop the car out. With AWD, you want to get a little more over steer to help the push and keep the car balanced. Of course sway bar setting and size is dependent on on tire type, coilover stiffness, and track type.
- For daily drivers looking to keep the chassis flat in turns and have some more steering response, we recommend upgrading the front and rear sway bars and setting the rear sway bar to the stiffest setting. You dont need to get sway bar links or any other linkage for this upgrade. Adjustable end links are available to help in setup, but for the majority of users, they dont need them.
- Strut bars are something you absolutely dont need. The chassis of a Porsche is very tight and the strut tops are directly connected with the tub unlike other vehicles where the strut tops do not have a direct inline connection to the other.
- When it comes to lowering the vehicle, there are 3 options. The first is to use a set of lowering springs which will retain the factory struts and PASM function. Springs are a great way to get a lowered look. There are some improvements in handling because of the lower center of gravity, but over time, these can wear your struts out and do not provide any adjustability. Since the car has factory PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management), many drivers like to be able to press the button on the center console to go between "soft and hard". Bilstein is the OEM for these so only Bilstein Coilovers are available. These give you adjustability in ride height, but nothing else. For those looking for the ultimate in handling on and off the track, there are other coilovers available that delete the PASM function and allow you to tune your coilovers for your driving. KW Coilovers for example have seperate rebound and compression adjustability. Rebound is how the shock bounces back from compression. Compression is how quick or slow the shock compresses. With this adjustability, you can set how the rear end would squat under acceleration, through turns, etc. Other coilovers are available for more aggressive track driving that offer external resevoirs and more adjustability.
- For the more experienced and competitive driver, other parts such as control arms, toe arms, bump steer bushings are available to really dial in your handling. Control arms allow you to get more adjustments in camber and toe. Removing soft rubber bushings and replacing them with aluminum machined parts or spherical rod ends is ideal for a track car or someone that wants the most response to their steering.
When Porsche designed the 997 Turbo, they did it to encompass the all around driver to meet aggressive performance needs while satisfying government regulations. When it comes to safety items such as seats, harnesses, and roll bars, are simply add-ons to improve the driving experience. Its not the most convenient to drive around in a 6 point harness, but when on the track, it makes sense. Many bolt-in roll bars help stiffen up the chassis, allow for better mounting of harnesses, and in the end, some people just like the look. Interior upgrades fall in the same line as exterior upgrades such as aero parts and wheels. Porsche has obviously tested their aerodynamics to be efficient. The functionality of the hydraulic spoiler, down to the design of the side mirrors are all considered. But lets face it, we are not driving around at 150mph, so upgrading the look is something many like to do. Aero Kits are almost a form of self expression. Changing out bumpers, adding side skirts, changing to fixed wings, adding products with exposed carbon fiber, etc are all part of the upgrades.
Wheels could be an endless discussion on which look better or is more functional. But in the end, wheels are another expression of personality. The 997 Turbo comes with 19 inch wheels from the factory. You can go up to 20's or down to 18's. 18 inch wheels would be a rare case for someone looking to get a very lightweight track or drag wheel. You would want to make sure they cleared your brake calipers. 20's are a normal plus 1 size for the 997 Turbo. Where the stock is a 19x8.5 and 19x11, the 20 inch upgrade is a 20x9 and 20x12. Anything bigger than a 20 on the 997 Turbo body just does not look right. There are more options for tire choices in the 19 inch and that wheel fits just right to the styling. When choosing a wheel you have options such as going with a forged or cast wheel, offset, and then design and color. Forged wheels are always going to be lighter and stronger because of the forging process. Forged wheels can be a 1piece or a 3piece. Forged wheels are always going to be more expensive than a cast wheel. A typical 19 inch OEM size forged wheel weighs about 18lbs front and 21lbs rear. When you upgrade your wheels, one of the most important factors is tire size. You need to keep your overall diameter the same as stock. Failing to do so can damage the cars differential or cause premature wear.
Everything you can do or want to do to your Porsche 997 Turbo, Vivid Racing can help you. This article just touches some of the basics. We hope this helps you better understand the modification options available for the 997 Turbo. Please contact us with any questions you may have regarding Porsche modifications.
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