Scott, wasn't the whole reason for the "rebuild" that the OEM liners were deemed not strong enough, and were begining to show signs of fatigue? I know you mention the part's have been updated, but I'm not aware fo too many new motors being taken apart that have been exposed to your power level, so I don't know if they could be considered any stronger than the other parts. I suppose the guys at TPC know a lot more than me though, so I guess I am just seeking confirmation for the rest of us

I'll say it again though, I absolutely love your GT2

 

Yes, that was an admitted mistake. Using a boroscope, with the motor still in the car, Mike 'thought' he saw warping/bulging of the liner. Once he actually got the motor apart, he realized what he had seen was actually a reflection, that the liners were still perfect, but that it was a lifter that had actually failed. It turns out that all but one my lifters were failing.

Thus, my motor did need to rebuilt, but for a different reason than was initially thought (see pics below).

What Mike told me is this: these Turbo motors are unbelievably strong. They are full-on race motors with the absolute best parts and the tightest tolerances. My pistons were perfect. My liners were perfect. My rods were perfect. Even after seeing close to 1.8 BAR.

He 'tentatively' admits that the Pauter rods are an upgrade, even though my stock rods are still perfect. With the amount of boost and torque I'm running, the Pauter rods are a definite benefit (he also said he was surprised at how perfectly they fit).

He feels that if I had not had an issue with my lifters, my motor could have been run at 700+ rwhp for an indefinite period of time in it's 100% stock configuration.

He also feels that a lot of the aftermarket parts out there are not near the same quality as the OEM parts are, and he would never put those parts in a Porsche engine. For his race motors, all he uses is Mahle parts, and he really doesn't think anything else compares. Mahle is very expensive, but well worth it in his opinion. Remember, his expertise comes from building race car motors for a living. Not street cars. So his standards may be quite a bit higher than others.

Based on my personal experience, I'd recommend the following: As long as you have a great tune and run the fuel that that tune demands, these motors are good for well over 700rwhp for very long periods of time, assuming you don't have a freak issue with lifters. If you drive extra hard (especially from a dig), and/or you are making a crap-load of torque, Pauter rods are a definite upgrade and will only add to the strength of the motor. If you do go inside the engine, ensure you inspect the lifters for damage and ensure they're the newest part #'s available from Porsche. If not, purchase new ones and have them installed (they are only $1,500.00 for the set). On a stock motor, I'd also recommend keeping the redline under 7400 rpm. 7k rpm is even better.

Thanks for the props on the car.

Here are some pics of the damaged lifters:

 

Interesting as always Scott--thanks for sharing. What were the unused liners-- maker? From where? You stayed at 3.6? Correct?
What did you do to solve lifter issue?
Can you repeat full list of all mods(internal and external) as they are now?

 

The liners are LA Sleeve. I actually had them in my 996TT and the car was fine, but like I said, Mike is quite a bit more **** about the parts that he uses in these motors than some other guys are.

Yes, I stayed 3.6. Actually, nothing in my motor build will give me any more airflow or power than stock. I only went with new rods and lifters. No headwork, stock cams, same displacement, etc..

The lifters we installed are OEM Porsche, but they have new part #s from the original ones. So, apparently Porsche realized the original ones had issues.

Primary mods are as follow:

Hybrid T04B turbos
Proto intake/MAF
Proto headers
Switzer exhaust
TPC ICs
Piggyback fuel pump
60lb injectors
Proto/TPC tune

 

Right now I'm just enjoying the car and figuring out optimum octane and boost levels. After it cools down, I'll get 60-130 times, 1/4 mile times and dyno #'s.

We've been dealing with a heat index of 110 degrees recently. Not fun!

 

Lucky you have those bad boy IC's.Got to love 5" coolers.

 

I agree, Paulie. So far, I'm extremely impressed with them.

 

Looking forward to more impressions as you log the miles Scott.

 

Oh Scott, hows things going any updates?