I have been going back and forth with the idea of going with bigger turbos on my 2003 tiptronic, was ready to order K16 billet set up, but then a few people started saying the transmission wont hold up.. etc..etc.. I need some tiptronic owners to chime in... any tip owner with aftermarket turbos please chime in.. let me know what turbos you went with, and transmission issues..etc... THANK YOU.. I want to upgrade but dont want to open a can of worms... thank guys

 

Hi,
My 996 K16 tip was modded to stage 2 and was dynoed to over 550 ft lbs torque. I had noticeable slippage changing from 3rd to 4th and was starting to get slippage even changing down gears when the adaption values were looked at.
I wouldn't go any further than standard K16's and a stage 2 tune TBH with a standard Tip box.
I am now going for Large inlet ( soft piping ) mod, K16 billets, large injectors, K&N filter, Parr DV's, Milktek 100 cell M/sport cats and exhaust. EBC, 3 1/2" IC's and a TodK tune. Hoping for 670 (crank) or more hp.
I had my box sent to MKB for their conversion. They confirmed 3rd gear clutch packs were slipping also the pump had a small crack in it as well. So was the box slipping due to excessive torque or low oil pressure clamping the plates?????
I think 550ft/lbs is not far from the standard tips limit.

 

I really don't think turbo is your issue; I think you can run K16 billet, A28, K24/16g, or even K24/18g. It's all about the tune; if you don't want to rebuild your tranny, you need to cap your torque/hp in the safe zone (right around 500 awhp, mine's at 510 for the last 3 years).

 

thanks guys for the input.. hope to hear from some more tip owners and some tuners..

 

+ 1!

 

Even your stock turbos can fry your trans if your abusive with your car. Nothing is truely unbreakable. However, with that said more then horsepower and torque your driving style will be a bigger determination of when your trans will go. If your doing hard dragstrip style launches at every green light or boost breaking all the time you will put more stress on your trans. Only you know your driving style. For me I drive my car pretty hard on the street/dragstrip so upgraded trans was a natural progression of things.

Okay now for my experience. I had the A28s and a good tune from EPL. I believe I'm the only A28 to hit 10s in the 1/4. I had the tune for more then a year with no slippage. Only after my car was in a storm and I got water in my transmission did it fail. I agree with the other guys that tune will play a huge roll in helping preserve your trans and engine.

I have been seeing you post for a long while now about wanting to upgrade but are very hesitant. I hope you find the answers you are looking for.

Good luck my friend.

Vince.

 

thanks for the input 007-911... and YES been going back and forth about this for a while.. again.. as soon as Im ready to order, someone tells me something bad..lol I would still love to hear from a tuner that can tell me about the tune that can be done for me to preserve my TIP... I dont power launch or power brake it... I just sometimes hit it from a light.. no track.. all street driving... thanks again guys.... again would love to hear from some TUNERS...

 

You can search the archives. There have been quite a few posts on this topic. The general consensus is if you want big power, you are best with the manual transmission. Keep it around 550whp, and you’ll be fine with the Tiptronic. Beyond that, you will start to get into transmission issues depending on how hard you are on the vehicle.

I have a Tiptronic in mine and will likely go with Billet16 turbos at 1.2 bar. I’m just waiting for AMS to have a sale so I can pick up a set.

 

What are your hp/tq goals or performance goals? That may better help answer your questions. The type of setup/tune you run will depend based on those goals. Are you interested in 1/4 mile, 60-130mph, 0-60mph, 0-186mph, 1 mile, auto-x...

I will warn you though don't be surprised if when you reach your goal you want more! Speed is an addiction. I remember coming from an Acura tl-s with a super charger hitting low 14s and thinking that was fast. Now I'm a little faster then that and still not happy

 

street use, so I guess 0- 60 and 1/4 mile... dont drive fast..fast.. more playing around for quickness..

 

K24/18g or a28+supporting mods would get you a very fun car!

 

I drew the line for my 996tt Tip after I did a Switzer flash and catless EP stage 2 Loud. Anything more and I"m getting in the tranny danger zone, and for street driving, it's already hard enough to utilize 100% of my car's power for more than a few seconds at a time already. I just dont' think any extra power from bigger turbos is worth it, especially with the increased turbo lag. I love how quick my stock turbos spool and how responsive the boost is with the catless EP exhaust as is.

 

I have to disagree with you Mike. I have the GT2871 ball bearing with all the supporting mods; the car has no lag and much quicker than the K16s.

 

After flashing my ECU and adding a 911Tuning exhaust (about to order), I can't foresee a move to hybrid/larger turbos in the near future. About all the power I can use off the track and not kill myself.

I'm sure that will change, but going from a bone stock 997C2 to a 996TT to a flashed 996TT has been more than evolutionary for me. Still getting used to the power.

 

I also respectfully disagree with Mike, I have virtually no lag in my car.