996 turbos - regular VS X50

I had two 996 Turbos...my first one did not have the X50 option and the other one did. It was about a year after I sold my first 996 Turbo before I got another and honestly I cannot say I noticed a difference...but if you drive them one right after the other you might notice a slight difference. I think you could easily mod a basic 996 Turbo to outperform one with the X50 option.

 

I've driven them back to back on numerous occasions and there is a very noticeable difference. In the current market, I wouldn't even consider a non-X50 TT.

 

Mod wise you can easily exceed the stated X50 horsepower increase for a lot less dollars than the cost of the package on the car when new. In today's used market though, I wouldn't pay any more than a 10% premium over the cost of a standard 996TT for an X50 equipped car.

Having said that, the X50 car gets beefier tranny internals from the factory.......as the standard 996TT tranny's have been known to fail under hard use after the car was modded.

 

I have read the Porsche Reveiws on both of these and they do big up the x50. I hear that under track conditions there is a slight difference / improvement in performance.

 

The X50 is rated at around 444HP, vs. around 415HP for the non-X50. The difference is accomplished by reprogramming the ECU. An additional 30HP and 30 ftlbs of torque on a 3,400 lb. car (or 7% more power) isn't going to make much of a difference, barely noticeable. I think the X50 also comes with an additional small intercooler and heavy duty clutch, both nice but not big ticket items. What dampens the appeal of paying more for an X50 is that so much more HP/TQ can be extracted out of the twin turbos at relatively little cost. For example, Ruf will transform the engine by installing bigger turbos and manifolds, install sports cats and retune the ECU, and install a heavy duty clutch for a package price of $24K. The result = a conservative 550HP, 575 ft/lbs of torque. For half as much, a stock 996TT can be tuned close to 500HP. And so, if one "upgrades" to an X50, you're not really getting very much and you'll probably be inclined to mod it for more power once you're accustomed to the car, thus "cancelling out" the relevance of "X-50". Good luck in your choice.

 

Incorrect. The X50 more or less has the same motor as the GT2. The turbochargers are larger, the intercoolers are from the GT2 and the ECU is reprogrammed. There have been claims that the differences are even more extensive than that, but I have not been able to verify from a credible source. The transmission internals are also stronger to cope with the extra torque. If it was just a reprogrammed ECU, Porsche wouldn't be selling it as an $11K option when new.

 

They install "crests" in the seatbacks for at least $400, and slap a carbon fiber cover on the e-brake for, what, $8 or $900? Why wouldn't they charge 11K for "advanced flashing procedure of Porsche Computerized Drive Management (PCDM)? ;-)

 

Well, I won't dispute your knowledge on the differences built into the X50 version as its probably superior to mine. But then I'm perplexed. How could Porsche install larger turbochargers and reprogram the ECU and only come up with a measly 30HP improvement (unless its far understated).

 

X50 option was bigger turbos; K24's vs K16's, Larger intercoolers and reprogram. Trannys are the same. I believe a slightly opened exhaust.
X50 gets about 1 mpg less.
Where the X50 shines is in mod-ability. It's stock turbos/intercoolers can go to 600+ hp.
Yes the standard Turbo can be chipped to initially exceed X50 HP but then you are limited. With the X50 there is a lot more capacity. If you have no intention of modding (reprogam and exhaust) the car past 500HP the standard TT is an incredible bang for the $.

PS; skip the "trick" intake systems as they ruin the MAF's.

PSS; if its worth anything the X50 has more "cred" in the Turbo geek community and will hold its value better long term.
In real world practical matters the X50 is an overpriced option. In how you feel about your car its a bargain in the used car market.

 

Per PET, the clutch is different and the transmission internals are different as well.

But pretty much everything else you said is spot on. The X50 with a flash and full exhaust/cats is an animal.

 

I understood the X-50 box was a little different, from the garden variety 996 TT.


If you shop around quite a bit, the upcharge for the X-50 is relatively insignificant.


The car to buy is the GT2. The GT2, is already a collector car with low production #'s.


In the future, the GT2 will be worth some money. With the other cars, they simply produced too many.

 

AFAIK Porshe originally wrote that the trannys had steel synchros which made them different from the TT.
This has been hashed over many times elsewhere. Some who have broken both types down swear they are the same internally.

 

Ralph; Quiet on the GT2. Our little secret; OK ?

Not to mention that the majority in Europe have been crashed. Out of a little over 1000 total world production 2001 to 2005.
They seem to draw the same initial client as the Enzo.

PS I know of a MINT one at 8k miles for $80k. For me; No cash; no fun
Coupla years.

PS; The X-50's Ive seen still command $10k over a normal TT for same condition. Not bad considering the rocket like depreciation 996TT's have taken

 

I just ran a search on the Manheim site. They got a bunch of 2003s GT2s just sold between $36k and 48k. Is that right, or are they mislisted?

 

Ive seen stuff like this on Manheim in the past.
Either the cars sold were straight turbos and mislisted or totalled GT2's.

 

Well they had 6 GT2 all with mileage between 32-52K prices as stated in previous post. The CR or condition report on these cars are above average. Hum? I looked at NADA and the low retail is in the 60's high retail 90's. Maybe retailers are making a killing on the mark up.

 

Look at the "996GT2" they list now.
Its a 997 Carrera.
No one is going to leave 30k on the table with these cars.

Time is my friend.
I'll have one in a year or two.

 

David,


You are correct.

In fact, it is probably the only modern car, that I have any interest in actually buying.

I also like the Carrera GT. That is some serious $$$$.

 

I still don't get it. How could Porsche squeeze out only a measly additional 30HP on the X50 with larger turbos (K24s/vs 16's) and a reprogrammed ECU?? The ECU alone should be good for 40 more hP?

 

One of the reasons I respect Porsche is that they don't go nuts with HP at the sacrifice of all else. IE they build systems. Reliable proven conservative systems. They could have got another 50 HP easily but would the drivetrain, brakes, suspension handle it for 100,000 miles ?
Remember in many places these cars are FLOGGED their entire lives. Not garage or show queens.
You pay a premium for Porsche engineering because they earn it. I am aware of one stock X50 in Europe with 150k miles driven hard. Stock clutch. No problems.
I'd like to see a GTR do this. Who knows ? Maybe it will. Then it will have earned my respect.

The tuners bump the power because they dont have to back it up.