new turbo sheriff in town ...
 

i've been following a thread over at 6speed and ima motorsports has developed a twin turbo kit for the cayman. only a matter of time before it's available for the 986 i suspect. quite a nice looking kit; all cf piping and duct work, ipd plenum, air/water intercooler, and variable vane turbos (ie, power on sooner, no oil lines, no diverter, bov or wastegate). no tune yet so it may not actually work, but cool in theory - easy install, more power, power on sooner. we'll see ...

I spoke with IMA Motor Sports at length last winter regarding a system for my 986. Based on our discussion, it sounded quite feasible that they could make one that would work well with the M96 engine. Big buck$$ though !

from what i understand it's $2500 just for one turbo (and you need two) not to mention all the ancilliary stuffs. what i like about the variable vane technology is that it doesn't take a lot of exhaust to get it spinning, so it really fattens the torque curve early on without the need for a lot of boost. i still question the use of the third rad for the intercooler; i'd rather try to fit something in the rear wheel wells or under the engine somewhere so that engine cooling isn't compomised.

But can the M96 handle the elevated compression?

... He types waiting for Jake Raby to comment that it most certainly cannot without nikkies and better piston/rings and an IMS upgrade...

Depending on how much "gucci" (I'm referring to the amount of carbon fiber)) that I wanted to have incorporated into the design, the price that I was quoted ranged from 14k to 16k for a full system. And that was without installation . If you compare this to TPC's single turbo system that sells for around 10K, the price makes sense .

p.s. This quote also took into consideration reusing my current aftermarket exhaust system .

Add in the cost of the replacement engine...

My thoughts exactly . LOL ! I was more curious than serious when I spoke to them regarding their system. Besides, I've already put far too much into the Dangermobile .

turbo boxster sounds great in theory but the M96 is just not the right motor to do it on.
the best way to go is to have a built up n/a motor or drop a 3.8 x-51 in there. for a few bucks more .

I couldn't be happier with my NA 3.8 in my 03 S. I would not remotely consider adding boost to an M96 motor, unless it was fully built with upgraded sleeves, Pauter rods, ARP bolts, IMS upgrade, etc.

For the money that you'd have in a properly engineered and installed turbo kit, you could just have a big 996/997 NA motor.

Nuff said right there if you ask me. Gimme the 4 litre out of a GT3 (if it'll fit) over a turbo or two any day...what more would you need then with 500 NA hp on tap (besides serious chassis bracing?) :rolleyes:

I have had a twin turbo boxster 2.5 for about 5 years.
At the time I did the turbos I felt there was not a better option for the money.

If I had to do an engine upgrade today for the money I would do a NA engine swap. The cost of the swap has come down so much compared to adding boost to me a swap is the better option now.

Gary, thanks for weighing in here. You're the voice of experience and I was hoping to hear from you.

Hey, Gary, how much boost does your setup run, out of curiosity?

A mind boggling 5.5

It also has a instercooler mounted below the car.

Lol, plenty. What sort of output did you get in the end?

turbos and motor swaps are just not worth it in my opinion. i think i would sell my car add the money for the new motor and all the other crap your gonna need , plus a couple of bucks and get a 996 Gt3. the mack daddy of them all ! No frankenboxster or I.M.S crap. A real racing engine.

Wayyy more than an engine swap. 996 GT3s are still $60-75k.

Plus then you have to drive around in an a$$-wagger!

more like 50 to 60K these days

cars.com - in all of the country, there is one under $58k.

autotrader.com - cheapest in the country is $59,988

there are a few 996 Gt3 listings on ebay , very low mileage asking low 60K . who pays asking price?