OK, I hate to say it, but I am a little disappointed with my newly acquired Turbo S tip. When I floor it and the Turbo kicks in and I get 0.7-0.9 boost, yes, the car is a super rocket. No complaints there.

BUT.... under normal street driving, the car is NOT as responsive as I'd expect. For a quick burst of acceleration (e.g. to pass a car), I'd have to push down the gas pedal quite a bit (like 3-4 inches) then a second later I start to feel some mild acceleration. Sometimes it downshifts and it's a bit better. In contrast with my other cars ('06 BMW Z4 3.0si and 06 BMW X5 4.8is), just the slightest touch of the gas pedal makes the car "go"; responding immediately with power and acceleration, no questions asked. Passing cars is immediate and effortless. The Turbo S only Wows me when turbo kicks in, otherwise in-gear acceleration in the 1800-2400 RPM range is underwhelming.

My Porsche workshop test drove it and said power and acceleration is normal.

Do I need to adjust my expectations?

 

I agree I went from a normal 2003 turbo stick to a 2005 turbo S stick and they do accelerate differently. i was told it was due to the difference in the turbos. The power comes on higher in the power band.

 

possible to fix / adjust with a reflash or intake pipes?

 

I always down-shift (just press "down" in D mode) whenever I want to pass a car. Instant power right away.

 

Turbo S or Z4...... Z4 or Turbo S hmm just cant decide.

 

To the OP, you have tranny lag and Turbo lag to deal with. The response will never be as good as an NA car but can certainly be better. ECU tuning and exhaust will improve it greatly!

 

The throttle is lazy, flash is a must...

 

Very interesting that you posted this today as I just finished reading the latest issue of excellence where they reviewed some "well bought" 996TT's. The 996TT X50's and S's are known for having a little more lag than the base early TT's.

Quote: "While later cars with the X50 Powerkit and the 05 Turbo S offered 450hp, many who know the 996 turbo prefer the early 415 hp cars for their minimal lag and wonderful real-world performance."

Jason

 

If you think turbo lag is bad on the TT, you should try flooring a STI/Evo on the freeway.

 

A flash and exhaust will really wake up your car. A stronger wastegate spring will also help once you're flashed and exhausted. Additionally, tuners can change the way the engine responds to gas pedal movement. I bet that would really help with a tip.

 

Okay, so based on the responses, it seems what I describe is in fact normal. Well it's good to know there's nothing wrong with the car. Guess my expectations were raised with all the online articles and you-tube reviews of the Turbo where they all talk about amazing "instantaneous" power across the rev range. Maybe it's much more true for the Turbo vs. Turbo S. Or maybe my 265hp Z4 and 355hp X5 4.8is ain't bad after all

But here's the thing, even if you take the Turbos out of the equation, it's basically a C4S - same engine with, what, 320 hp(?) and still plenty of torque. Should still be fast and responsive even without turbo/turbo lag. I don't know.

An ECU flash is definitely tempting!

 

All turbo car experience poors performance off boost as they are running a low compression ratio to deal with the high compression ratios presents with the Turbo(s) spool up. Turbo lag is also present in varying degress. The bigger the turbo (K-24) build more but slower than smaller (K16) but top out with more boost. Hybrid turbos help solve some of this problem with some trade offs. A flash, (the cheapest solution) gets you into the proper rev rages quicker but you still have to deal on the turbo lag from the low rpm area. A flash will also give you 1.1-1.2 bar boost, required new DV, and drain you gas tank quickly.

The old school solution is to downsift before you need the power. Keep the revs about 4K and have the turbo spooled up and ready to go.

 

Not same eng at all C4S and Turbo or Turbo S. Your car has the Metzer (sp)? and or aka GT1 block that can safely handle much more pwr hp/tq than the NA eng. Your modding to fit your desires are very available, just go with the right tuner/shop.

 

Sam ... you can test drive a 996TT Non-S anytime you want .. LOL

 

^This.

The 996TT's compression ratio is 9.4:1. Off-boost performance will be relatively lazy.

OP, is some form of an auto tranny a must? If so, someday, you might want to test drive a 997.1 C2S w/ PDK to see if you like its responsiveness more.