My Personal Account of an EVT775 Tuning Experience

[N8te]

Upgrading to 775HP: We have all seen the EVOMS and SharkWerks posts and dyno videos, but I could find very little on the customers’ experience and impression of the final product before sending my car Evolution Motorsports in Phoenix for a major engine tune and suspension upgrade. Therefore, I am providing this account for anyone interested in tuning his/her 997TT. I didn’t ask for permission from EVOMS to post this, so please understand that no interested party had editorial rights.

The car: It is a 2007 997TT manual with 27,000 miles, bone stock, GT silver, charcoal interior. I bought it used and drove it for about a year. This included a few track days at High Plains Raceway, which is at an altitude of about 5,300 feet (turbos earn their keep here).

Talking to the tuner: This is hazardous if you are attempting to stick to a budget. If you are reading this, you are perhaps the easiest up-sell target in the world – I was. I originally selected a pretty solid $12k package and ended up spending over $40k (more on the value of this later). It is a very slippery slope and upgrades are additive. While it was informative to talk a lot to the guys in the shop, after I established that they knew what they were doing, I got more out of a telephone conversation with a customer.

Why even do this?: I believe Porsche is underselling all of us. I really believe they intend to have their cars tuned because they are so over-engineered. A stock 997TT engine produces 473hp/457tq (at the crank) and my tuned, but otherwise stock engine produces 771hp/783tq (at the crank). With a little suspension work too, you can produce a car unlike anything else out there…more on that below.

What I had done:
1. Exhaust manifolds
2. Intercoolers
3. Silicone boost hoses for intercoolers
4. High flow turbo inlet ducts
5. Turbo recirculation valves
6. 70mm, 200-cell cats
7. Bigger turbos
8. Stage 3 clutch
9. GT3 82mm throttle body
10. Ignition coils
11. Strengthened crank pulley
12. 82mm intake plenum
13.PSS coilovers
14. Strut braces
15. RSS lower control arms
16. Sway bars
17. HRE C93 wheels
18. Short shifter and shift linkage
19. Stainless steel brake lines
20. Race/Pump fuel switch
21. ECU tuning to 775hp and tq

How long will it take?: Start with your expectations and multiply by four. Seriously, this is the biggest weakness in my experience. It took four times as long as I expected and EVOMS didn’t do very much to manage these expectations. You need to be patient and that is hard if you love your car.

The outcome: The acceleration of the car is simply not to be believed. I can hold the car very near the traction limit while accelerating in a straight line. It is also beautifully balanced in turns now and has a completely different feel than a stock 997TT. There is no understeer at all anymore and I can effortlessly throttle steer the car. I’ve driven a few very powerful, quick and agile cars (Z06, 458 Italia, F430, Elise, Tesla Roadster), and raced in a few proper race cars, but this one is something truly special. It handles like a rear-wheel drive car and any sloppy or numb steering input that previously existed in gone. It really is a marvel what they accomplished, particularly in the handling department. Part of this is also due to the lower stance and HRE wheels, which are almost half the weight of the stock wheels, I believe. It is literally thrilling to drive now. I have to confess that the steering wheel feedback previously felt a little dead relative to the 458 and the F430, but now, it is different, but equally exciting as the Ferraris are.

The downside: In a word, “drone”. If I spend any time at all around 2,200 RPM, my brain starts to hurt from the exhaust note. It is a powerful and wonderful sound in all other RPM ranges, but I have to wear earplugs if I drive through town near 2,200 RPM in second gear. I am searching for a solution to this (I know, downshift...).

Also, the lower stance turned the front end into a snowplow this week as the clearance is noticeably less. Snow was literally flying up onto my hood with only a few inches on the ground. Not a bid deal otherwise.

My final advice: For anyone looking to tune his/her 997, seriously consider doing some suspension work. It really doesn’t matter if you track the car or you stay on the streets. The feel that this car can produce is even more exciting than is the power. If I were to do only one project on the car, I would work on the suspension.

I will post 0 – 60 times, frightened passenger videos and HPR lap times when the snow clears. Here is a photo of the final product provided by EVOMS:

[fly2low]

Check out Europipe
http://www.europipe.be/
droneless on my old mod tuned 996TT
beutiful workmanship

[Bford100]

$40K in mods???? Wow.

[TT Surgeon]

There are several exhausts out that that do not drone, notably EP, Tubi and FVD.

[RacerDave]

I'm glad to hear that you are happy with what you had done.

I will also say that those wheels look absolutely great on that car!

[Steamboat]

Nice writeup and result. I'm waiting to get my 08 TT put back together locally utilizing the same Evoms componentry (1-12,21) plus a motor rebuild consisting of rods, bearings, studs and gaskets. Most of my suspension upgrades are from Tarett, Bilstein and H&R and were previously installed. I can empathize completely with "it takes four times as long as you think it should" since I've been sidelined since July after blowing a turbo at HPR which trashed everything else as it disintegrated. It took 2-3 months to get all of the parts, although some of that was on us and not Evoms, and the rest of the delay is attributable to stuff on this end. I think Evoms has been quite helpful throughout the process and would recommend them to anyone doing these types of mods. Anyway, spring is coming and my motorman says he is about to get after it. I'll look forward to seeing you east of Byers come April where we should be able to give the GT3's something to think about.......
PS Oh yea, it's pretty easy to whiz thru a $40K bill doing this stuff.

[fleadh]

Nice write up. I just had Sharkwerks install the EVT700 kit on my 2007 TT. I dropped it off on a Tuesday, then flew to Daytona on Weds for the 24. I picked up the car the following Tuesday (they had it for 7 days).

Car is AWESOME. Easily quicker than my ZR1, and more comfortable and easier to drive.

Not sure about the drone, mine doesn't do that. My car had a cat back exhaust and high-flow cats before the EVT700 install and sounds basically the same after.

-mike

[Macster]

Well, the engine may be overengineered but there's a limit.

Also, from what I gather the engine in higher output configurations has titanium rods and rod bolts.

I note with all your mod's stronger rods/bolts were not on the list.

Sincerely,

Macster.

[N8te]

I note with all your mod's stronger rods/bolts were not on the list.

Yes, they are part of the kit. Very good point. It needs these to be durable.


I just had Sharkwerks install the EVT700 kit on my 2007 TT. I dropped it off on a Tuesday, then flew to Daytona on Weds for the 24. I picked up the car the following Tuesday (they had it for 7 days).

Wow! That's fast. It took me four months!! Part of that was waiting for parts, however.


Most of my suspension upgrades are from Tarett, Bilstein and H&R and were previously installed.

Steamboat - I think I spoke to you about this when I was doing diligence on Todd, et al at EVOMS. I think Todd gave you as a reference. You talked me into the suspension work. You were right on. Power without enhanced handling would be a potentially dangerous change.


I will also say that those wheels look absolutely great on that car!

Thanks, RacerDave! I generally don't care too much for non-OEM wheels, but these were better than I expected and have really grown on me. They're very low key when covered with road dirt.


There are several exhausts out that that do not drone, notably EP, Tubi and FVD.

Thanks! Will check them out. Was also looking at a sound barrier on the rear "shelf" and came across the following: http://www.secondskinaudio.com/noise...-Liner-Pro.php Not sure if it will do much but its a $50 option to find out. Worth while? Some people say the drone decreases with time, but it sounds to me more like the drivers are losing their hearing.


$40K in mods???? Wow.

Yep! Tell me about it! It could have been much worse, however. I was considering roll and harness bars and some carbon fiber add-ons, but the former are a really bad idea for a DD. The EVOMS guys had a lot more things to offer but I thankfully got a hold of myself before it got way out of hand.


Check out Europipe

Thanks! Will do.



Thank you for the comments, feedback and suggestions!

[TB993tt]

Your comments about the time builds take and the escalating costs are very much normal for any engine builder and the time taken should not reflect negatively on the builder, there are ALWAYS issues and the bigger the build the more often the issues.

Originally Posted by N8te

[ I believe Porsche is underselling all of us. I really believe they intend to have their cars tuned because they are so over-engineered. A stock 997TT engine produces 473hp/457tq (at the crank) and my tuned, but otherwise stock engine produces 771hp/783tq (at the crank). With a little suspension work too, you can produce a car unlike anything else out there…more on that below.

This fairly common amazement about how Porsche undersells their turbo cars and the level of how over engineered they are stems from two areas.

Firstly how the tuned engines have their power measured, rather than me bore on about it take some time to read the site below.
http://www.rri.se/index.php?DN=38
With VTG engines your power will be limited by the VTG hotside back pressure which causes excess IATs and limits the power to about 700PS.
Despite what a Mustang dyno tells you, find a rototest unit and you will have no more than 640PS/820NM (600ftlbs)

The second thing which keeps this myth alive is that many of these tuned cars never get driven above 120mph. Below this speed a higher hp/tq can be achieved as the loading is relatively low, we are talking maxing out 4th gear. Low IATs, low EGTs, low head temperatures all mean higher boost can be used. This is not the same as the 474hp you got from Porsche originally, this hp will still be there at 190mph after a 100 mile thrash on the Autobahn.

If you did these types of 100 mile thrashes in your 640hp/820NM your rods would bend eventually, this has happened numerous times in Germany.

The GT2RS had to be engineered some more for its 620PS/750NM (550ftlbs) including specific rods and intercoolers.

If you want to test your "Porsche power" go do a 200-300kph run (weight not so important for this increment) the GT2RS takes about 18s. 700PS takes about 15s

[Steamboat]

N8te,
PM sent.

[eclou]

I installed a 750hp kit from AWE into my car on jackstands over a weekend in my garage. The next weekend drove it to a 16s 200-300kph run into a 30kph headwind at the Texas Mile. My car has 12,000 miles on a 750hp kit and consumes less than .5 quart of oil per 3k mile interval, even despite numerous track laps. It is pretty amazing what these cars are capable of when correctly tuned

[GTRNICK]

Looks beautiful!!

[TAILWAG]

welcome to the EVT775 club!

Drone? What drone? I just went open pipes...I left the race cats on to be nice to the trees and the squirrels...



I am still getting an average of 18mph which is the most amazing part for me. I also went with full suspension and cage and seats and everything else. The car is definitely a different animal.

Enjoy!!

[Doc GTO]

Originally Posted by N8te

Upgrading to 775HP: We have all seen the EVOMS and SharkWerks posts and dyno videos, but I could find very little on the customers’ experience and impression of the final product before sending my car Evolution Motorsports in Phoenix for a major engine tune and suspension upgrade. Therefore, I am providing this account for anyone interested in tuning his/her 997TT. I didn’t ask for permission from EVOMS to post this, so please understand that no interested party had editorial rights.

The car: It is a 2007 997TT manual with 27,000 miles, bone stock, GT silver, charcoal interior. I bought it used and drove it for about a year. This included a few track days at High Plains Raceway, which is at an altitude of about 5,300 feet (turbos earn their keep here).

Talking to the tuner: This is hazardous if you are attempting to stick to a budget. If you are reading this, you are perhaps the easiest up-sell target in the world – I was. I originally selected a pretty solid $12k package and ended up spending over $40k (more on the value of this later). It is a very slippery slope and upgrades are additive. While it was informative to talk a lot to the guys in the shop, after I established that they knew what they were doing, I got more out of a telephone conversation with a customer.

Why even do this?: I believe Porsche is underselling all of us. I really believe they intend to have their cars tuned because they are so over-engineered. A stock 997TT engine produces 473hp/457tq (at the crank) and my tuned, but otherwise stock engine produces 771hp/783tq (at the crank). With a little suspension work too, you can produce a car unlike anything else out there…more on that below.

What I had done:
1. Exhaust manifolds
2. Intercoolers
3. Silicone boost hoses for intercoolers
4. High flow turbo inlet ducts
5. Turbo recirculation valves
6. 70mm, 200-cell cats
7. Bigger turbos
8. Stage 3 clutch
9. GT3 82mm throttle body
10. Ignition coils
11. Strengthened crank pulley
12. 82mm intake plenum
13.PSS coilovers
14. Strut braces
15. RSS lower control arms
16. Sway bars
17. HRE C93 wheels
18. Short shifter and shift linkage
19. Stainless steel brake lines
20. Race/Pump fuel switch
21. ECU tuning to 775hp and tq

How long will it take?: Start with your expectations and multiply by four. Seriously, this is the biggest weakness in my experience. It took four times as long as I expected and EVOMS didn’t do very much to manage these expectations. You need to be patient and that is hard if you love your car.

The outcome: The acceleration of the car is simply not to be believed. I can hold the car very near the traction limit while accelerating in a straight line. It is also beautifully balanced in turns now and has a completely different feel than a stock 997TT. There is no understeer at all anymore and I can effortlessly throttle steer the car. I’ve driven a few very powerful, quick and agile cars (Z06, 458 Italia, F430, Elise, Tesla Roadster), and raced in a few proper race cars, but this one is something truly special. It handles like a rear-wheel drive car and any sloppy or numb steering input that previously existed in gone. It really is a marvel what they accomplished, particularly in the handling department. Part of this is also due to the lower stance and HRE wheels, which are almost half the weight of the stock wheels, I believe. It is literally thrilling to drive now. I have to confess that the steering wheel feedback previously felt a little dead relative to the 458 and the F430, but now, it is different, but equally exciting as the Ferraris are.

The downside: In a word, “drone”. If I spend any time at all around 2,200 RPM, my brain starts to hurt from the exhaust note. It is a powerful and wonderful sound in all other RPM ranges, but I have to wear earplugs if I drive through town near 2,200 RPM in second gear. I am searching for a solution to this (I know, downshift...).

Also, the lower stance turned the front end into a snowplow this week as the clearance is noticeably less. Snow was literally flying up onto my hood with only a few inches on the ground. Not a bid deal otherwise.

My final advice: For anyone looking to tune his/her 997, seriously consider doing some suspension work. It really doesn’t matter if you track the car or you stay on the streets. The feel that this car can produce is even more exciting than is the power. If I were to do only one project on the car, I would work on the suspension.

I will post 0 – 60 times, frightened passenger videos and HPR lap times when the snow clears. Here is a photo of the final product provided by EVOMS:

Car looks hot! Need to see some #s!