As most of you know, I've been pining (and happily getting very close) for a Porsche for some time now.

Here's the question: Why doesn't Porsche make an 8,000+ PRM Turbo? Call it a low boost, lower compression Turbo GT3.

The technology has to be there. Nissan has been making a bulletproof 8,000 RPM Skyline engine (mostly unchanged) for over ten years. Mitsubishi makes an admitedly small 2.0 liter EVO engine for some time and the NSX was years ahead of time perfomance wise due to the increased rev range.

Look at how well the 333 HP M3 fares against the 470HP AMG cars and 3.6 liter 996 engines. There is definitely something to be said about high RPM engines, they just keep pulling and pulling. And with today's variable cam timing torque is maximized throughout the rev range, so there is no longer any sacrifice or tradeoff in terms of low end Torque.

Is there a technical reason why Porsche doesn't make high(er) RPM turbo cars? If you've ever driven a GT3 you KNOW how intoxicating that rev range can be.

 

I agree, and that's why everyone is telling me i will regret going to a 996tt coming from my 530+ hp sc m3?!?! I love high revving cars, but need a change it hink

 

The 996 turbo motor is old technology now, we will have to wait and see what they have in store. I am sure there will be a higher redline, if it is at least 7k that will be very nice, especially with this new turbo technology they will be incorporating. We just have to wait and see. Also, traditionally it is easier to get smaller motors with less pistons and rotational mass to rev higher although the 8k on the skyline inline 6 is quite an achievemend due to the difficulty in engineering a high revving inline 6 due to the length of the cam shafts and the vibration that increases with revs.

 

It's there. Look at what a couple of the German race teams (like Manthey) have been runniing lately.

I believe the main reason you don't see more is the costs involved. Parts such as the oil pump, crank, rods, pistons, heads, valves, lifters, cams and cam/liner housings would drive the cost of such cars to the point they would not be economically feasible.

Porsche sells the car to as many people as possible. The stock turbo is just fine for most people who buy it. There simply isn't enough people who want a motor like this.

 

Very good points- however, we could see redline bumped to about 7200-7500 rpm with minimal additional cost to material upgrades.

The main reason that street-legal Porsches perform as they do, in this day and age, is based on the competing market. The 996TT was designed and engineered at up 550+hp (some say 600) from the factory and detuned based on the competition. Porsche AG wanted the car to be competitive enough to sell, but no better. Quite a bit of performance can be unlocked in the 996TT/X50/GT2 just with software, which is why, not coincidentally, that packages of 550-600 hp can be offered relatively cheaply by tuners who choose this route. . .the power was already there. The upside for Porsche is that incremental performance improvements can be offered at little to no increased manufacturer cost which is good for company profits. 997TT development isn't costing Porsche a fortune because the 996TT already did.

Porsche sells alot more cars today than 10-20 years ago because its products are more user-friendly than in the past, they're extremely well built, the dealership experience is usually great, and the vehicles happen to perform near and sometimes at best in class. However, make no mistake- Porsche does not represent anywhere near the best performance value per dollar in the industry. When we compare to the Japanese products (and to some degree BMW), we're comparing to companies that do a great job of "pimping up" what the consumer sees and cutting corners beneath the surface. . .but look at a 15 year-old Lexus (if it lasts that long) or a 15 year-old BMW and compare to a 15 year-old Porsche. This is largely academic, because most of us don't hold onto cars that long, but it to some degree explains Porsche costing- over two thirds of Porsches ever built are still on the road.

 

aj - that's a spot-on explanation.

 

aj,

The redline could be raised. As a matter of fact the current cam will make power to approx. 7400 rpm's when the extra power is added. The problem again becomes costs. Just raising the redline to 7400 will not get you to 7400 with a rising power curve.

You would still need rods, oil pump, intake, less restricting exhaust and ECU modifications. The exhaust sound increase alone would cost Porsche customers. You have to keep in mind who has bought these thousands of 996tt's. Then the hp generated to make power in the higher rpm's will have longevity issues for Porsche. Mandated fuel economy also starts to come into play.

 

Another point; doesn't raising the redline which is what some chips do, decrease the life of the engine? I agree the 996 TT could come from the factory with over 500hp but I would think this would lower the longevity. I think that's one of the reasons you can put well over 100K miles on a Porsche because they are de-tuned in order to get reliability and longevity. Of course that doesn't stop me from modding and once I get my 996 TT I will be one of those with over 500HP!
k

 

You won´t regret it! Some basic mods will make a nice difference on the stock

 

It would probably be easier and cheaper for Porsche to increase the displacement and boost. If they increased the redline very much they would have to eliminate the variable valve lift mechanism. A low compression turbo'ed GT3 would be a screamer though.

 

A turbo charged GT3 is a blast.

Neil

 

Why in the world would you have to remove the variable valve timing? If it comes from the factory with a higher redline they would simply tune it for the new powerband, not eliminate it.

 

I doubt the parts required would cost the factory more than a few thousand dollars. They sell GT2s for 200K and they are nothing more than a stripped down X-50 with adjustable suspention. A glorious car mind you, but nothing that should command 80K over a stock turbo.

The bottom line is that an 8,000 RPM turbo GT3 is more than feasible. The factory just needs to step up and make it.

A car with those specs would outpeform its empirical numbers significatly and leave cars with similar stats in the dust.

AMG has yet to make a car that can siginificatly outpeform the M3's 1/4 mile figures. big bore V-8, supercharger and all.

 

Not to mention the fact that the new M5/M6 5.0L V10 motor hp peaks at 7,750 rpm (8,000 rpm redline) or the upcoming 6.3L MBZ V8 has a 6,800 rpm hp peak (7,000 rpm redline). Both will offer over 500 hp on non turboed engines.

 

You don't really mean to say that Lexus cars don't last? I think the only reason older BMWs and Lexi aren't on the road is more due to their daily driver status.