Tuning for Lambo, Ferraris and more!!

As many have read on the blog(or not) we have expanded our tuning abilities by teaming up with EVOMS once again. This has allowed us to bring a new unparallel level of tuning to Porsche, Audi and VW. Acquiring the means to write software to Bosch and Siemens ECUs is not so easy. But once you have the ability and the means to do them you also open the door to many other possibilities. For us that expansion now includes Lamborghini, Ferrari  Bentley, BMW and Mercedes Benz. There have always been those that offer specific tuning to these cars but we feel with the decades of experience between the two companies we bring a software product to the market like no other.

 

We have spent countless hours tuning Murciélago’s, Gallardo’s, 360s and even the 430. These gains are mild to wild. Don’t be fooled by all the other hype in the market and on the internet. HP is king, but more importantly the drivability is what we notice. Most of the high performance cars we own make good power, but at what RPM? Imagine if you could have that power, both HP and Torque down low, sooner, faster! What would that feel like in real world terms. Hard to completely imagine how something simple can make such a huge difference. Tuning like any other profession is an art. You can either be a general practitioner or a specialist. We like to think we are specialist. Tuning for MAX HP and TQ is easy. Add a little timing a little fuel, raise the RPM limiter and make a couple of pulls. What we do is that, but then spend hour after hour loading the car back and forth to create drivability and smooth response. We look at the VE table, the TQ Bias maps, and so much more. We tell the gas pedal to respond like a gas pedal and not a button simulating a cable. All these things take hundreds of hours to tune and perfect. That we have done. Best of all, we drive what we build. For 10 years (official and many more unofficially) we have used our knowledge, our products to test on our own cars and then drive them everyday. This ensure that if it meets our standards we know it will meet yours. After all no one is harder on themselves then we are! Drop us a call, discuss your wants, needs and expectations in tuning and let us create that for you.

 

In addition to ECU tuning we also feel that air in and air out is important. We have a long standing relationship with Fabspeed and therefore can bring total tuning solutions to your Ferrari and Lamborghini and even Bentley and Maserati. All of our exhaust are fabricated from T304 stainless steel and all of our cats are TUV level 8 compliant. Which means no problems with DOT here in the states. Components include, muffler, secondary bypasses and high flow cats that will allow twice the flow of air than the stock OEM cats. On some models we also have headers available for more TQ and HP where you want it.  All exhaust system keep compliance with the warranty. How much gain with the exhaust can one expect, try anywhere from 12HP to 28 depending on the model of your car. Group that with real world ECU tuning and your car and your driving experience will never be the same again.

 

 

300 Mile 997 Twin with some added goodies. Our 610HP kit.

We have a very good customer that has sent various cars to us in the past. One of his priors was a very nice 91 965 that after 3 weeks of mods the car was truly to die for. As all things come to pass so did this car. No sooner than it sold I got a phone call that the new steed was on the way. In normal fashion the car made its way to KC for a list of mods. They include:

Our programming, Full suspension, intake, intercoolers, headers, exhaust, HF cats, short throw shifter, HRE P40s and tires. The car literally came to us with 300 miles on it and was never the same:) We do these mods on a pretty normal basis and the benefits are huge. While the TT has good power to begin with it lacks low end throttle response as well as a major dip in the power band at apx 5300 RPM due to goofy tuning from Porsche. The exhaust is very susceptible to heat and EGTs can be reduced by bringing back pressure down and increasing flow. The headers add TQ and the intake, well adds a little HP but really sounds great when you get on it =) That has to be worth something right…

 

89 930 EFI Conversion returns

I hate to see any car we have built get into the hands of people that do not fully understand or appreciate the workings of a converted CIS to EFI turbo Porsche. This car was based on a 89 930, we quickly stripped the motor out of it and converted it to a 3.4 twinplug, Custom cams, large valves, headers, HF2 turbo and full Autronic SMC EFI system. We set the ignition up with M&W components, custom built the inlets off of the 3,2 NA intake fitted to increasedd TQ. The car originally laid apx 540 RWHP on our dyno.

 

 

After changing owners twice since I built it the newest owner who is a previous customer (we built his 79 930) showed up with it at our door. I had spent many hours with the shop in his home town trying to fix the issue. The issue was on going and kept the car from idling or running correct. Getting stuck in the middle of the intersection with a Porsche is never any fun. People will go out of their way to honk I swear.

We have a way we can read the computers and it was giving me several errors. All related to the cam and crank sensors. So I replaced the crank sensor and current plug system. We then upgraded the hall sensor to a much stouter version. This required the oil pump housing to be modified and fitted with the new sensor. Some more rewiring and the sensors were in. Additionally we rewelded the inlet pipe which was damaged when the car hit boost and pulled the line off, we also rewelded a bracket to the intake to ensure the originally integrity was there.

An oil change, valve adjustment and AC recharge and the car headed back to St Louis with a very happy owner. Nothing like a 830 cab that will walk sideways through 80 MPH!!

993TT Exhaust system, the rebuild continues

As we continue to move forward and bring the 993TT to its original glory and then some the parts keep coming in. While I will probably have to chance the configuration a little bit to accommodate the center outlet of the rear bumper. The design of the new Fabspeed system is phenomenal. What is most interesting is there are at least 6 configurations you can run with the full system because it is modular. If you look at the pictures and you are familiar with the TT exhaust you will notice that the position that the cats sit are detachable. This is so you can now run cat bypasses on the days you feel sassy. On the days you are in your Green mood you can place a set of  HJC high flow racing cats in. It is quick once the system is on the car, unboltt the v-band and remove and put the bypass or the cat in and you are ready! In order to get the air to the cats the velocity is picked up by changing the heads from a flat merge design to a triangular merge. This increase velocity of the exhaust gases as it is spun through the collector. This causes an increase in TQ but also lower spool times since the air is moving quicker to the turbo. Still equipped with heat the headers will continue to provide as factory unit did but with more HP and TQ. You also can not deny they look damn good too!

On my old 993TT (rest in peace) I went through several mufflers. My thought always was why not make something small. There is no reason to have these huge cans on the car. Well look at these!! Straight through cans that are tiny yet effective from making every neighbor mad within a 2 mile radius. Oh, believe me if they are sitting on the deck having some vino they will hear you coming down the street, but inside they will never know you have made it home. As far as the experience for the driver, well if you have a 993TTyou will just have to find out yourself =) These like the rest of the system are totally modular and can be fitted with a bypass all together if you wish. Alignment of the oval tips (another signature piece from Fabspeed) is not going to be an issue as they are fitted with several v-band connections to allow movement in any direction.

 

My old TT

 

A diamond in a rough. A rebuild of a 993TT

 

Meet the new project of the family. This is our nameless 97 993TT. She is nameless because every name I come up with Roxanne doesn’t like. After all this is to be her car. We acquired this 993TT with 9K miles on her. Yes, 9K. Sadly enough someone thought they needed the car more and barrowed it. They didn’t take anything that would make them real money, rather they took things they thought might. Anything aluminum was removed or at least what they could tear off to be sold. They ripped bumpers instead of unscrewing them, cut harnesses and tore panels trying to get to the airbag. They took every fuse and relay in the car. We ended up with the motor but that is it. No intake, not exhaust. Nothing but a long block. The original owner and I came to an agreement and I purchased the car complete with a clean title.

In normal fashion I wasted no time coming up with parts. Some here, some there. The list when looked at is very intimidating. I immediately came up with an oil cooler, lines, AC condenser, fan and mounts. We still need to source an upgraded cooler. All in due time.

The motor we also were able to find most of the upper parts from LA Porsche. Thanks to Todd and Sara they will make it possible to complete the motor once and for all. The motor is also far from stock. It is a 3.8 liter with Carrillo rods, flame rings, o-ringed spigots and more. The motor on C16 can make well over 800 HP at the crank. Turbos were originally built and fitted. We will one up these and install GT3076s. They are rather large turbos but K24s with this type of build will be hard pressed to even make 550HP.

She is fitted with Bilstein sport suspension, monoballs, larger sway bars and a hand full of other goodies.

The body escaped most of the damage the interior suffered and various parts. The major damage was to the rear quarters. They chose not to unscrew the rear bumper rather they ripped it off causing slight buckles in the quarter. Not to worry this is a very easy fix and can mostly be PDRed!

I originally had purchased Euro S bumpers and have since acquired a pair of Ruf bumpers. The rear is complete with the center outlet for the exhaust. While some fabrication will be required to make it work Karl and I thought this touch would be nice and well worth the effort.

The wheels were originally SSRs and as you can imagine were never to be seen again. The original wheels were purchased with the car but I am not much about anything original. The first 993TT I had RUF wheels fitted to it. Heavy but stable and a very nice ride I enjoyed them. I transferred these to my 01 996TT then finally sold them off to a friend of ours. Since then he had decided that he wanted to sell them, I was first in line. I purchased them and sent them out to be powder coated artic silver. This should prove to be very durable in comparison to paint.

The interior looks worse than it is. In the box of goodies from LA Porsche there should be the airbag covers and the side quarter panels. The original front and rear seats came with the car since they were removed to install a bar and GT3 seats which ARE gone.

Sadly it was a week of craziness and the bumpers came in on Tues and it was yesterday that I finally opened them up. The box of goodies from Sara and Todd I have yet to unpack!

Fitted with the front S Euro bumper.

This should have gotten the stupid of the year award. Too bad the bag didn’t go off in their face!

They couldn’t get the roll bar out that bolts in to the seat belt holes without doing this!! Idiots.

Bilsteins and Monoballs installed.

Motor as it sits. I had purhased a NA intake and was going to change a few things to make it a TT setup. That has since changed of course.

Classic wheels, in a world of bling, something with class.

Front RUF bumper. Needs some tweaking but we are up to the task!

Damn inspector again. Making sure the bumpers are in fact not like the old ones. She approves!

A time for change….A 930 transmission gear swap

 

When one opens up a book and sees this many parts the normal person would run like hell. Many years ago when I opened that book I must have a laspe in sanity because I went, “COOL”! I think I can put that back together. I must be insane, but that probably has been well documented by now.

I will do my best to explain how and what we are doing here. I say in all seriousness do not try rebuilding a tranny unless you have prior experience. There are measurements and work that is not going to be discussed here for times sake.

For those wondering when I have time to do this and where is their 3.8S X51 swap in the Cayman and my 930 EFI conversion I assure you they are being done in the background.

  This steed of a tranny is out of a 79 930 that is one hell of a good looking track car. Tartan interior still in and complete. The goal with this gear change is a to have a radically long first gear with short ratios in-between the later gears. This keeps the car in the rev range and the turbo spooled. As you inter the next gear based on the math done you will be in the meat of the RPM band and therefore in the TQ band as well. This is always an issue with a turbo car since the turbo must spool up and that is always based on load and where it occurs in the RPM band. I am not certain that the pit crew isn’t going to have to push him out of the pits with this tall of a first gear but once going it should be a treat to have 450HP on tap as soon as you come out of a turn. No, I didn’t forget to mention the ratios. Do your own math =)

I realized that I didn’t shoot a picture of reverse gear on the tranny so this is the where it sits over the nose. You will need to remove the nose cover and access this gear and remove it.

Ok, now back to the nose. Throw the reverse gear back on and the nut. Same deal, TQ and punch the head into the shaft. If you are going what the heck is this guys problem, violent with all the punching you have not read the whole article. Lost turn, go back to start!

Once the bearings are off it is time to pull our gears off. Karl offered some excitement. I believe this is the same pose he did for the centerfold of, mmm what magazine was that again? Oh never mind. Once the nose cover is removed you will want to get an impact and take the stationary reverse gear out. In the picture above that is the lower gear(big one) in the pcture. Once this is complete you will need to remover all the 13mm nuts and spring washers from the int cover. This is where our gear sets are.

Next you will need to remove both sets of nose bearings. On the output shaft you will need to impact the nut off of here as well. Same as you did for the pinion shaft. The next thing is to use a pair of gear pullers and pull the nose bearings off as they are keeping the gears and cluster in place. Once this is done you can pull the gears off and the party gets going. Make sure you set the phone to vibrate, you do not want to forget where these things go.

Once the bearings are off it is time to pull our gears off. Karl offered some excitement. I believe this is the sam pose he did for the centerfold of, mmm what magizine was that again. Oh never mind.

Next remove the detents. These are under three 17mm bolts in the diff cover. The purpose of these is to center out the shift rods which in turn center the shift sleeve and keep two things from occurring, one is riding in the syncro and wearing it out to soon and two is to keep some hot rod from grabbing two gears at the same time. Like 2nd and 4th. It has been done. Don’t ask me how I  know.  Under the bolts is a long spring then the detent that pushes on the rod.

Now pull the gears off. Keep in mind that when you pull a gear set apart there is a larger gear and a smaller gear. How the tranny works is these two gears make up your ratio. For example 28:25 means one gear has 28 teeth and the second gear has 25 teeth. gear has the syncro and syncro teeth on it and is locked into the stationary gear when you move the shifter. The shifter pushes the shift sleeve over the gear and locks the center that is in between the two gears (it is stationary to the rod) and the gear together. The syncro simply slows the speed of the gear spinning freely to match the rest of the cluster without grinding. You really need to pay attention during this process. There are lots of little needle bearings, spacers, shims and so on you will loose or forget where thet go. In addtion there are a few gears that have to go a certain way or you are in big trouble down the road.

 

Once the gears are off you can start putting the new gear set together. You will need to installthe syncro teeth (process not shown) you will need to fit a new syncro and install the syncro stops and clip on the hear gear set. Here is the first gear compared to the OEM setup. The new set is on the left and the old set on the right. Look at the difference!!

So before we start putting things lets talk about why my transmission grinds, pops out of gear or is hard to get in gear. The first line of fire to the gear is the syncro. We have established that its purpose is to slow the gear up to the cluster or better yet match the speed. As the syncro wears it looks like this. This one is in pretty good shape and as they wear chunks will actually come out of it. This causes the shift sleeve to be forced over the syncro as the speeds are not right.

Here is a brand new one.

 

Here is the second question. I changed my syncros but the car still grinds. Why? Well once past the syncro the shift sleeve has teeth in it as well as the actual gear. The little teeth on the gear are often referred to as “dog teeth” these mate with the sleeve teeth. When the snycro can not slow down these teeth have to take the blunt and mate. The pressure you are putting on the shifter forces them together. The sharp edge of the teeth will wear or even get knocked off as this continues. This is a worn set of dog teeth. Notice how they are blunt and shiny. Yea, these are toast.

And…the new one.

 

Last question I get is why does my shifter flutter downshifting or pop out of gear. The shift sleeve which combines the two sets together will get worn. It will wear a pattern larger than the syncro. As the shifter sleeve engages the masses it is held into place with the pressure from the syncro and the teeth. If this becomes two worn then the pressure is not great enough to hold the sleeve in place and when you let off the gas the mass shifts from backlash and the sleeve falls off. If you are getting the shaking ion down shift or upshift then this is a sign that the sleeve is badly worn and the popping out of gear is next.

The good one. One thing to notice on this one is this is the 1/2nd sleeve. If you look at one side the teeth are symmetrical and asymmetrical on the other. The asymetrical side mates with 1st gear. The dog teeth also are matched to sleeve. don’t mix these up!

The matching dog teeth.

Now you can start putting your gears on! Keep going you have two more gears.

Don’t foget to put your shift forks in with the shift sleeves or you will be undoing what you just did.

Remeber we talked about the detents keeping these rods in place. This is what they should be centering. But I noticed during the swap that the last person in here didn’t follow the rules. Notice how the sleeve is resting off to one side, well this is bad. Shame on the past wrench. Now we simply need to correct this. A simple measument and adjustment to the fork and we are back to factory spec.

 

Correctly adjusted.

Now slip second and first gear on there. Make sure that the sleeve is going the right way, remember the teeth. Also look at the first gear. The one that is stationary. Recall I said some things have to go a certain way. This is one of them. Forget this and you will have a pop out issue with first for a whole new reason. Notice the edge on the gear going to the inside? This is to allow the operation sleeve to fit over the mass with full connection and not run into the hear behind it.

Now heat up the bearing to spec and slip it over the shafts. there are two bearings, one for each shaft and cluster.

On a swap like this a mod here and there is not uncommon. In this case we needed to grind away a little of the opening for first gear. Remember the difference in size! Just a little off the edges please!

Nuts please! Go ahead and get them on the shaft and TQ them to spec. Once completed take a punch and punch the edge of the nut into the shaft. This prevents the nut from coming off.

Make sure at some point you get your detents back in and the bolts TQed in. Now slide the gasket and the int cover back on. Also slide your shift fork back into the cover. Make sure you get the arm in the grooves for the shift forks. (yes it is upside down here) If you are one of the chosen ones that jams two gears into place, you can clear the shafts by interting a large tool and moving the shafts back into place. Next time you are speed shifting think gentle! Do it to hard and to much you get to pay someone like me to fix it =)

What the hell is this a tuning fork? Nope, this is the bottom plate you are putting in next. This keeps the shift rod on a pivot point so it is not a floppy fish in the case.

Ok, now back to the nose. Throw the reverse gear back on and the nut. Same deal, TQ and punch the head into the shaft. If you are going what the heck is this guys problem, viloent with all the punching you ahve not read the whole article. Lost turn, go back to start!

Throw the other reverse gear on the shaft in the end cover, a gasket on the end of it and throw it on.

 

Throw the mount on the bottom, the ground cable and you can all it a day! 

To turbo, or supercharge that is the question

 

Which came first the chicken or the egg? Which is better the Turbocharger or the Supercharger? They both are very similar. The mechanics of these systems is where the difference is found. They both offer their own advantages and disadvantages but it depends on you, the driver.

So what’s the difference?

 

The Turbo-charger uses exhaust gases to drive it and the supercharger uses a belt that runs off the crank shaft to drive it. They both increase the speed of a car significantly. I spent many months researching this topic. The similarities and differences are stunning. These performance parts force the novice mechanic to graduate to the next level of planning and paying for that matter. These systems are not cheap. But for those who enjoy racing down the ¼ mile drag strip at top speed. This may be for you.

Similarities

Both superchargers and turbochargers are forced induction systems and thus have the same objective – to compress air and force more air into the engine’s combustion chamber. The benefit of forcing more air into the combustion chambers is that it allows your engine to burn more fuel per power stroke. Using an internal combustion engine, burning more fuel means that you convert more fuel into energy and power. For this reason, supercharged and turbocharged engines normally produce 40% to 100%%2B more power than normally aspirated engines.

How They Work

 

A supercharger is mounted to the engine and is driven by a pulley that is inline with the crank (or accessory) belt. Thus, the supercharger robs horsepower from the engine in order to multiply horsepower, giving it back to the engine. Kind of in a circular fashion. (For example, I give you 5 dollars and you give me back 25 dollars) this is how the power multiplies within the supercharger. Air is drawn into the supercharger and compressed by either an impeller (centrifugal-style supercharger), twin rotating screws (screw-type supercharger), or counter-rotating rotors (roots-type supercharger). The air is then discharged into the engine’s intake. Faster crank speed (more engine rpm) spins the supercharger faster and allows the supercharger to produce more boost (normally 6 to 9 psi for a street vehicle). Typical peak operating speeds for a supercharger are around 15,000 rpm (screw-type and roots style superchargers) and 40,000 rpm (centrifugal-style superchargers). Thus a supercharger is easier to tune because the speed of the supercharger directly relates to the speed of the crankshaft.A turbocharger operates in much the same way as a centrifugal (internal impeller) supercharger, except it is not driven by pulleys and belts attached to the engine’s crank. A turbo is instead driven by exhaust gasses that have been expelled by the engine and are traveling through the exhaust manifold. The exhaust gas flows through one half of the turbocharger’s turbine, which drives the impeller that compresses the air. Typical operating speeds of a turbocharger are between 70,000 and 160,000 rpm. 

Let’s look at the 2 side by sideTurbocharger vs. Supercharger Cost

The cost of supercharger and a turbocharger system is basically the same. However, if you are deciding which to use. First, determine your mechanical ability and the accessibility of special pipe benders and welders. If you don’t have access to these tools then a supercharger will be more reasonable because you will likely be able to do all of the work saving on the cost of labor. Turbochargers require special pipe benders because of the extensive exhaust set up.

Lag vs NO Lag

The supercharger can very easily boast that the biggest advantage it has over the turbo charger is NO LAG. Turbochargers are driven by exhaust gas. The turbocharger’s turbine spools up first before it even begins to turn the compressor’s impeller. The result is what we call “lag time”. This is the time needed for the turbine to reach its full throttle from an intermediate rotational speed state. During this lag time, the turbocharger is creating little to no boost, which means little to no power gains during this time. It is common knowledge that smaller turbochargers spool up quicker, which reduces some of the lag. Turbochargers use what is called a “waste-gate”. The waste-gate is a valve that allows exhaust to bypass the turbine blades. The waste-gate senses boost pressure, if it gets too high, it could be an indicator that the turbine is spinning too quickly. In this situation the waste-gate avoids some of the exhaust around the turbine blades, allowing the blades to slow. Therefore, a waste-gate allows a smaller turbocharger to eliminate some of the lag time while preventing it from spinning too quickly at high engine speeds. A waste-gate is a crucial part of the Turbocharger.On the other hand, a Supercharger is connected directly to the crank, so there is “NO LAG”. Superchargers are able to produce boost at a very low revolutions per minute (RPM).

Which is more economical?

Some say the turbocharger is more economical. It all depends on your level of mechanical ability and your ability to access good quality welders and pipe benders. Some feel that the turbocharger is more economical to operate because it is driven primarily by potential energy in the exhaust gasses. The gas would normally be lost out of your exhaust pipes. However, the supercharger draws power from the crank, which is normally used to turn the wheels. One positive, is that the turbocharger’s impeller is powered only under boost conditions, so there is less internal drag when the impeller is not spinning. The turbocharger does create additional exhaust backpressure and exhaust flow interruption which can be viewed as less than positive. If you are looking to save money and have the tools handy that you will need to complete this installation successfully then this may be for you

.Very Hot vs Not so Hot

The turbocharger is mounted to the exhaust manifold which is extremely hot. Turbocharger boost may experience additional heating through the turbocharger’s hot casing. Hot air expands which is the exact opposite of what happens in a turbocharger or supercharger, therefore an intercooler becomes necessary on almost all turbocharged applications to cool the air charge before it is released into the engine. Remember, when we discussed the special pipe benders. This is where the complexity of the installation can be a challenge. A centrifugal supercharger on the other hand creates a cooler air discharge, so an intercooler is often not necessary at boost levels below 10psi. However, some superchargers (especially roots-type superchargers) create hotter discharge temperatures, which also make an intercooler necessary even on fairly low-boost applications.

Surge

Turbochargers spool up before its boost is delivered to the engine, when this happens there is a surge of power that is immediately delivered. This happens when the waste-gate opens at approximately (2500-3000 rpm). The surge can cause extreme damage to the engine and drivetrain, and make the vehicle difficult to drive or lose traction. Superchargers also experience surge which is why they have a blow-off valve to release the excess pressure during deceleration. (All superchargers should come with this blow-off valve as an accessory)

Exhaust Back Pressure

Remember the supercharger is powered by the crank, thus there is no need to deal with the exhaust gas interruption created by inserting a turbocharger turbine into the exhaust flow. The supercharger creates no additional exhaust back pressure. The amount of power that is lost by a turbocharger’s turbine reduces it’s overall efficiency.

How Loud is it?

The turbocharger is generally quieter than the supercharger. Because the turbo’s turbine is in the exhaust, the turbo can substantially reduce exhaust noise, making the engine run quieter. Some centrifugal superchargers are known to be noisy and may sound like a bird chirp at idle, which annoys some drivers.

Dependability

Normally superchargers are more reliable than a turbocharger. When the engine is turned off (i.e. the turbo is shut off), residual oil inside the turbo’s bearings can be baked by stored engine heat. This, combined with the turbo’s extremely high rpms (up to 150,000rpm) can cause problems with the turbo’s internal bearings and can shorten the life of the turbocharger. In addition, many turbos require aftermarket exhaust manifolds, which are often far less reliable than stock manifolds.

Ease of Installation

Superchargers are substantially easier to install than a turbochargers because they have far fewer components and simpler devices. Turbochargers are complex and require manifold and exhaust modifications, intercoolers, extra oil lines, etc. – most of which is not needed with most superchargers. A novice home mechanic can easily install most supercharger systems, while a turbo installation should be left to a turbo expert.

Peak Power

Turbochargers are known for their unique ability to spin to incredibly high rpms and make outrages peak boost figures (25psi). While operating a turbocharger at very high levels of boost requires major modifications to the rest of the engine, the turbo is capable of producing more peak power than superchargers.

Tuning

Turbochargers, because they are so complex and rely on exhaust pressure, are notoriously difficult to tune. Superchargers, on the other hand, require few fuel and ignition upgrades and normally require little or no engine tuning.

A TT from my past

My years of passion has often steered me towards any car I could shove HP. This one is no exception. Affectionately named money this was the first TT I owned. With only 4500 miles on the clock this car set the pace for us in the TT world.  No sooner than I purchased the car on went the modifications. Modified K24s, ECU tuning, Diverter valves, intake system, HF racing Cats, headers, muffler, Bilstein suspension, stage 3 clutch and a tranny rebuild. The tranny received longer 1^st and 2^nd gears , a rebuilt and beefed up LSD, steel syncros, RUF wheels, GT2 mainshaft and billet shift forks. I had found out all to easily that the main shaft can bend on any 96 or 97 TT. The 97 was better, but still suffered from the issue. How do I know? Well, I did it three times. The last time it took me 10K in order to lock the tranny down so it would not destruct again. One of the builds latest no more than 900 miles. 

 The car also was a guinea pig for various of products including  an actual carbon fiber made from “green fibers” found only in Hawaii at the time. This is before CF had hit the market big and we thought we could do something different than anyone else. The end result was outstanding, but even a little to much from the Fast and Furious for my liking. We also used various interior panels for Billet products to be developed.  

Where is this car now? Well unfortunately I was cut off one night coming home and forced to hit the median and the car flipped 3 times, rolled down an embankment on its top.  No worries, I walked away with only minor injuries. These cars are well built.

 Why am I bring this car up now? Well in the near future I will start blogging our new addition to the Kaspar family. Another 97 993TT. This one also has a history, but more importantly also supports some fun things like Gt28s, twin plug, huge valves and so on.  I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag yet, but this will be one of the bigger 993TT builds we have done.

Jan 27th…A different turbo….Carrera?

In 1974 Porsche had undergone many changes to comply with emissions and continue their quest for better technology and faster cars. The 1974 Carrera was introduced along side the 911S with the same power plant but supported Carrera flares which were later put on all production 911’s starting in 1978. The car also received the well known duck tail, Carrera script down the side and 7 and 8 inch fuchs.  All these options were not found on the normal 911 nor the S. The limited production Carrera was no longer available after 1975 during this generation of 911.  

I had received a phone call from a customer who had explained that he had a 74 European racing orange Carrera. It had been fitted with a nice 3.2 race motor and had spent a lot of time on the track but simply wasn’t enough for even the most mild of cars being build today. When asked what his options were I answered with my normal retort….stick a turbo on it. That is exactly what we did. We sourced a 3.0 motor that had been mildly massaged and added headers, SC cams, custom oil sump plate, SS muffler, port work, HPX digital ignition, K27 7200 and a 1 bar spring. Because the original duck talk would not accommodate the space of the intercooler we had to also add a 930 tail.

Since this car spent a better part of its life on the track one should understand the car weighs about 2200 lbs with driver and gas. The motor made a modest 430HP which gives you a power to weight ratio of 5.8 that means for every 5.8 lbs you have 1 HP. My 997TT for comparison is around 6.5-7(stock). Mated to a very short ratio 5 speed tranny this car would easily find a 11-12 quarter time on its worst day and chase down a stock TT down the straight of Road America!

This car still trolls KC and Wichita so if you think your car is fast, give it a shot….Admission is free!

January 15th: Saker GT

“The ‘Saker’, like the bird of prey, from which its name is derived, is a swift and very manoeuvrable unit, designed for those of us who enjoy our driving for its sheer pleasure.  Many observers have described the Saker as a true sportscar of the modern era, with a design based on outright performance, rather than trends or fashion. ” -Saker Sportscars Europe

We have had some unique cars here at Imagine, but the Saker GT is more than unique. For those who may not know exactly what a Saker GT is I have one way of putting it into perspective for you: 1700lb. street-legal race car. This mid-engined monster is far from civilized and carries only the minimum requirements of a street car. No power windows, no heated seats, just a tube frame, four wheels, and a turbo boxer engine.

The Saker, available in both closet cockpit & open air configurations, is built around Subaru’s superbly engineered, race proven EJ257 single-turbo boxer-4 engine. This dual overhead cam, semi-closed deck four is designed for full range power delivery. Lengthy intake runners and a long stroke provide ample torque for low end power and throttle response. High RPM power is provided by a single VF39 turbo and an efficient plumbing system. Using a top-mount intercooler, pressurized air travels a short path (about two feet) from the compressor housing, through the intercooler, and into the throttle body. This optimizes responsiveness and provides a compact, balanced power plant perfect for a race car. Backing the design of this motor is a huge after market, catering to any high horsepower needs. For example Cosworth, a major name in racing and performance engines, has an entire line of internal components, cylinder heads, and blocks for these motors.

The Saker’s chassis consists of a square tubing frame making creative use of triangulation and space. However sheet metal and fiberglass air dams cover most everything when on the road. Suspension is comprised of double “A” arm style aluminum control arms following the “short-arm, long-arm” design providing camber gain under hard cornering loads. By having a shorter length control arm on top at a slightly different angle from the lower control arm, negative camber is increased under cornering loads.

This particular Saker GT pictured above less nose and tail body work came to us under unusual circumstances. Our friends over at Rosso Motors brought the car to us one morning on a trailer. The owner of the car, who races often, complained of a serious lack of power. Particularly at high RPM. Having had quite a bit of experience with these motors and other Subaru EJ-series engines, I was naturally drawn to the car. Steven D and myself set the car up on the dyno first, which was a task in itself (note the ground clearance in comparison to our dyno ramps). On the dyno the car made over 400hp to the wheels but we determined that boost was erratic and trailed off at high rpm. A little digging around and we discovered the factory VF39 turbo had a substantial amount of shaft play, which led to the compressor wheel making contact with the inside of the housing, wearing down the wheel’s blades. Unfortunately we only got to diagnose the problem. The guys at Rosso Motors returned and took the car back to their shop to replace the turbo themselves, though it is a very simple installation.

   

Much more can be said about the Saker Sportscars but perhaps the most intriguing thing about these cars is the fact that they are designed to be an affordable race car. A turn-key GT bought directly from Saker Europe costs 43,950 Euro. Also available with some assembly required, these cars can be had for less than $50k. That is if you can find one.