TPC's 996 intercooler is positioned at the intake to the throttle body. A small reservoir of coolant is in the engine compartment, and a high-quality electric pump circulates water through the intercooler and up to the front of the car. At the front, a factory Porsche GT3 upgrade radiator, in the factory location complete with all ducting, does an efficient job of dropping the temperature of the coolant before returning it to the intercooler to do its job once again. The entire cooling system installs without drilling a single hole, and the intake for the front radiator is conveniently stamped for a cut-out in the back of the stock bumper. This is a very tidy solution. Note that this is a completely separate system from the 996 engine cooling system. TPC's intercooler system works extremely well; our instrumented tests showed that even during hard runs at full boost on an 80F day, the intake air was at ambient.
In stock form, the suspension and brakes of the 996 are stunning. So, naturally, Michael upgraded them. The results are incredible and put some stress on the writer. Sometimes even a Thesaurus can run short of superlatives. TPC essentially pushed the 996 in the direction of the Porsche GT3 Cup cars, like the two TPC race cars in the Grand-Am series.
Modifications to the suspension began with help from H&R's GT3 Sport coilover springs and shocks-a natural choice, since that's what the factory uses for the GT3 and its race cars. TPC chose relatively stock rates for this street version of a race suspension. Cup car uprights are used to allow mounting the larger brakes, and correct the bumpsteer inherent in lowering the car, while Cup car lower control arms allow camber adjustment with camber shims. Stock rubber bushings are retained
At the rear, the stock lower control arms are used with TPC spherical bearings to remove unwanted deflection and allow better control while keeping an excellent ride. Modified GT3 tie rods replace the factory toe arms, allowing more flexibility in wheel alignment. GT3 anti-roll bars are used front and rear. The result is a seemingly bionic connection between the driver's central nervous system and the car's response-think left, and there you are.
Brakes go from simply awesome (or some superlative of your choice) to a few steps beyond with the addition of the GT3 Cup car brakes-a tidy package using factory ABS with a modified bias adjustment and bright-red four-piston Brembo/Porsche calipers, gripping massive 13-in. rotors. Stock pads are used; they work well.
Ground contact is handled by what simply has to be the ultimate street tire: Michelin's Pilot Sport Cup. Sized at 225/40-18 up front and a whopping 285/30-18 at the rear, this soft-compound version of Michelin's extreme performance tire sticks like a race tire. Mounted on the newest BBS wheels, forged three-piece "Cup" wheels, the interface to the road is unbeatable
The Porsche tuner faces a two-edged sword in trying to make a great car better. The good news is that the 911 has always had "headroom"-a structure that allows for a greater performance envelope. The bad news? Porsche 911s are always so terrific to begin with that modifying them successfully is a tricky enterprise. TPC took that two-edged sword and swung it with abandon: With 338 bhp at the rear wheels, and almost 300 lb-ft of torque virtually everywhere, this is one 911 that melds commanding performance with Porsche's vaunted friendliness to the daily driver.
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Turbo Performance Center-TPC
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