Jake Raby engine v. Supercharger

[GranburyChuck]

Did a little searching and haven't found what I want so here goes. I have a 2000 996 C2 Tip. First car I have ever kept more than 1 year. Been doing most of my own maintenance and little mods. Bug is getting me though for a little more power. I would like a Turbo but the price on even a used one is huge for me. My car has 110k miles on it and runs quite well. I was thinking of a supercharger mod but I don't think anyone makes one for a Tiptronic and it may be too much power for the transmission. Since I dont run up at 5000 RPMs much I thought more low end torque would be best. To me that usually means higher displacment or a roots type supercharger. For higher displacement I start to wonder about engine conversions (don't apeal to me for the not so plug and play issues). I come across Jake Raby's engine upgrades for a new engine. I know my engine may last a lot longer (I baby with regular oil changes and other maintenance) or could blow tomorrow. This car is my daily driver by the way and only car. So I don't know how much a complete engine would be from him but it seems he has some upgrades for the 3.4 that might provide reasonable increase in low end torque. According to Jake, also better reliability. Anyone got hands on experience with his M96 engines?

Thoughts?

[phillipj]

An engine from Jake will set you back $15k I believe. More if you want more HP. Better off buying the Turbo IMHO.

[GranburyChuck]

Didn't realize the cost was that high. However, considering I could at best get $15k for my car and a used Turbo is ~$45k. That is a huge difference. Plus I would be back with a car that I would have to sort out all of the little issues once again. If I could, I would turbo. Also, easier to justify a new engine than a new car to the wife.

[phillipj]

The $15 k is just for the engine then you are looking at $2 k for the install. I know what you are saying though

Take a look at the turbos again. You can get one much less than $45k these days. Just a thought. If you have cash you could probably get in in the high 30's.

[70Sixter]

Personally I'd go with Jake. Adding power does nothing to correct design problem in the M96. Great piece on the M96 in Excellence by the late great Jim Pasha a coupla three issues ago.

[perryinva]

A Raby engine makes sense if yours is blown or has problems. But if you can sell a 3.4 and CAN afford a Turbo, then for someone that goes through cars regularly, the TT makes more sense, as it will hold it's value a TON more than a 3.4 with a new engine. IOW, if you do a Raby install, and it is $17k, and yours is worth $15k, there is no way no how you would EVER see close to selling your car for $32k, more like $22k the instant the engine is installed (I mean the rest of the car is the dated 3.4 996, with 110k + miles on the rest of it.) Even if a TT is $40k, a year later it's worth at least $35k. You'd be lucky to see $19k a year later, an $8k difference. You can sort out a lot of items for $8k. Just my $0.02. (BTW, while I could afford an "02 C2 with 37k miles on it last year for $32k (plus another $2k in fixes), I still could not justify a TT now, even at todays "reduced" prices.

[Brad Roberts]

I like Jake, and I work with him over the phone 2-3 times a week, BUT I'd dump the Carrera and buy a 996TT Tip. They are good cars, and modding them is only limited to your imagination :)

I know the TIP in the 996TT is the VERY strong Mercedes SUV automatic, I'd be concerned with the Carrera TIP being able to handle 400hp or 350lb ft of torque (especially with 110k on it)

B

[JeTexas]

If the car is your daily driver, I think it comes down to how many miles a year you put on the car.

If your car is paid off, paying $45k for a car that might have just as many miles on it as your C2, and which is going to have many more miles put on it, which quickly drops the value of the car, doesn't make sense to me.

Putting a $10k supercharger onto an engine with over 100k miles also doesn't make sense to me as your putting much more stress on an already aged motor.

In my opinion, if the car is paid off, and you plan to keep it for another 5 or 10 years, why not invest $15k in a fresh motor that is going to run stronger and last longer?

Of course, if you don't plan to keep the car much longer, I'd just keep driving it the way it is until you find a new one you're really passionate about.

[KevinMac]

A supercharger on an engine wih 110K miles on it. To me a waste of money. You may not be on the road long. In additon your cars value is not there to support a new higher HP engine or supercharger. I would put the money aside, and wait another year! The 02 and 03 TT will be vey affordable.

[demonz]

Personally I'd go with Jake. Adding power does nothing to correct design problem in the M96. Great piece on the M96 in Excellence by the late great Jim Pasha a coupla three issues ago.

The 996tt does not use the m96, rather it uses a Gt1 derived motor which is also in the Gt2 and Gt3 and 997tt.

IMHO one pays now or one pays later. If money is a concern, and that is the case here, the only fiscally responsible choice is 996tt. You'll never get anywhere close to your "investment" dollars back from a replaced motor. 996tt is a proven winner.

Edited February 25, 2009 by demonz

[70Sixter]

Personally I'd go with Jake. Adding power does nothing to correct design problem in the M96. Great piece on the M96 in Excellence by the late great Jim Pasha a coupla three issues ago.

The 996tt does not use the m96, rather it uses a Gt1 derived motor which is also in the Gt2 and Gt3 and 997tt.

IMHO one pays now or one pays later. If money is a concern, and that is the case here, the only fiscally responsible choice is 996tt. You'll never get anywhere close to your "investment" dollars back from a replaced motor. 996tt is a proven winner.

Which is why Brad Roberts' recommendation to dump the 996 and go with a TT makes sense if you can afford it.

[Brad Roberts]

I'm surrounded by 99-00 996's for under 19k here in SoCal (and fairly low mileage) I believe he has a 6 month window before we see the TT prices start to come back a little. I know a lot of people who have dumped theirs recently :(

B

[phillipj]

Here is an example of a 2001 TT. This is at a dealer. If you had cash you could probably get it for 36k

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=u...;standard=false

Phillip

[Brad Roberts]

THAT is CRAZY :o 36k miles?? I paid 40k for my truck!! :lol:

I was in Pasadena last night under a Porsche :)

Gotta be something up with the CarFax?? Low mileage car mostly unmolested? starting at 39k?

B

[phillipj]

This is an awesome time to be looking for a used P car. I wish I would have waited a year :huh: If you think it's only Porsches take a look at what 500SL MBZ's are going for. I saw a 2003 with 30k miles for 30K!!! :o with a warranrty! :o

Amazing....