Planet 9

ok, so the tpc kit arrived two weeks ago and my car came back from the dealer from it's first service (5K miles/2yrs) so things have come into place to begin this install. casey said it's their first kit shipped to oregon so here we go!

the last 2 weeks were spent doing inventory on the kit and gathering the remaining parts that don't come with it (mainly gaskets, and front radiator mounting hardware), and a few miscellaneous tools. i also did an oil change using redline 0-40w before sending the car to the dealer. we've got a oil analysis place here in town with a canon spectrometer so i sent an oil sample there.

i'm doing this install without a lift, so the car is now up on jacks, 17" off the ground. this seems to be a good height allowing reasonably comfortable work from below while not requiring a ladder to climb into the back hatch ;-). so far so good. most people recommended use of a lift, so we'll have to see if i was crazy to start into it this way.

(ran into andy at the dealer on friday - we hadn't met before, so that was nice - and he graciously offered the use of his garage & lift - thanks andy! - but it was just one day too late as the ecu had just been sent off!).

first impressions:
the kit is looking great, and looks straightforward enough to install as long as the various bits fit together as intended. my main worries are: will the exhaust tubing snap right together without requiring bending or forcing? and: will i get the various plumbing hoses, vacuum lines, and electrical connectors together perfectly without missing one or accidentally introducing a leak somewhere? vacuum leaks in particular could be tough to find so i'm taking extra care to make sure i'll get these parts together just right, labeling disconnected hoses, etc.

the work began friday, so far i've got about 12 hours into it, and have
-pulled the exhaust
-pulled the ecu and got it sent off, should arrive at tpc on monday or tuesday. hope to have it back by the 9th for a wrap-up next weekend!
-pulled both left AND right manifolds (more on this in a sec)
-cut the airbox and pulled it, too
-installed the new bosch 7403 FR5 DTC plugs

next steps per the tpc install sequence would be to get the airbox finished up (MAF insertion) and bolted back in along with the manifolds. but, three things are bugging me a bit about the "looks" of the kit that i'd like to do something about:

1. the two long clamping straps that cinch the two intake manifolds together. tom at tpc says this is a common practice for folks wishing to reduce the chance of an air intake leak occurring under large engine loads (even for non-turbo cars). this could lead to a backfire with serious consequences so the straps are a good idea. problem is that this particular means of cinching together looks just a little, um, like an afterthought to me. no offense to anyone, i'm sure it's practical, cheap, and functional - but i'd prefer something looking more dialed-in. so my thought is to fabricate a custom part to pull these two manifolds together - made either from aluminum or stainless steel. for this reason i pulled both manifolds and have bolted them to a sheet of ply, in the same spacial relationship as they are mounted on the motor. i'll go visit my favorite metal shop tomorrow and see what we can come up with. (i'm told it's not possible to drill into the PVC intakes so some innovative clasping will need to be devised. i did briefly consider using the x51 intake which could be bolted together but it has the motor loose bottom end and requires more custom software and is kinda spendy for what it is so decided against it).

2. the plastic airbox, with the blue "washer-dryer hose". this hose carries the air from the MAF to the turbo, and while you can't see much of it from above it would be so much nicer if it was an aluminium tube. but it snakes around quite a bit on it's way to the turbo, so i can understand that a metal tube won't be practical. so one idea here would be to fabricate a new airbox from aluminium, and have it's MAF exit further back so that the start of the blue tube is at least less visible from above. however the shape of the airbox is a bit "organic" so it looks like it will be not trivial to make a metal airbox that could bolt into the same points. i really wish there was a more elegant solution!

3. the shifter cables that cross the top of the motor - coming from the shifter in the passenger compartment, through the wall behind the seats, across the top of the motor, and then down to the tranny. these really make the motor look less pure. seems to me that all the folks here with glass covers would be interested to have them not obscuring the top of the motor. has anyone every looked into routing these cables differently? i take it there is no chance that they could be routed below the intake manifold? seems crazy, but i know people have done crazier things.

(any ideas from forum members with thoughts or experience with the above issues as i go to work on devising possible solutions? if we hit a good idea we can share out the construction details to the forum members.)

given that it's sunday and everyone's pretty much closed today and therefore no fabrication help i'll proceed with some of the underneath work - exhaust pipes, turbo install, maybe even intercooler bolt-in. then off tomorrow to some fabrication help, and hopefully that won't delay the project too much. my goal is to fire up the motor next weekend!

two other minor topics i discovered that need to be addressed at this juncture, and for which i have a weekend email into tom at tpc:

a. the tpc install instructions state that one is to install new couplers "with vacuum ports"*between the front ports of the intake manifold and the throttle body. and it says to get those from the dealer with the part numbers that are provided but there were no part numbers provided along with the other "non kit parts to be obtained from the dealer". so i'm wondering if these instructions are out of date or if i have to indeed order up two more parts, possibly delaying completion. hmmm.

b. the tpc installation instructions ask for cutouts to be put in the underside of the front pvc bumper, presumably to let center radiator air to exit out the bottom. but it seems that a gt3 grill in the top of the bumper would be an alternate solution, and may help with downforce as the exiting air would exit across the top of the hood rather than push out the underside of the car. opinions anyone

fun stuff, i'll keep you posted, thanks everyone!

-aw1

Keep us informed and don't forget the pictures!!

would love to follow along this week but i will be in arizona driving the panamera. good luck!

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Casey Parkin : Washington, DC

Tischer Porsche Sales | cparkin@tischer.com | 301.679.4384

TPC Racing Marketing/PR | cparkin@tpcracing.net | 410.799.7223

Tischer and TPC are two completely separate companies. I just happen to work for both. Please direct your questions to the correct email for me to contact you.

enjoy panamera school and yes i'll post some pics once i have something interesting to share... so far the install looks like the others so i'm not documenting/shooting any standard stuff as this has been done extensively!

regarding my plenum vaccuum related questions above, the kit has been updated and it turns out that the atp2 version doesn't require new couplers with vaccum fittings any longer - great.

and as far as the intake strapping alternative goes, my local fabricator and i are designing away at an alternative, should have it figured out later this week. there is however still uncertainty as to why these straps are needed. different opinions are: a. to keep the boost from blowing/pushing apart the intake/plenum combo; b. to keep load induced motor flex from doing the same.

anyone on this forum that has first hand experience with this technique and the reasons for it? (got question into TPC as well, will report back).

Good luck with the install! I am Sure it wil go well!

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eXperimental Vehicle = TPC turbo - car wide LED lighting - Magden computer - Traqmate - DNX9140 and more - all self installed. ( with the Great help of many on this board! )

Nice, when you are done, would LOVE to see the beast in person

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07 Cayman S - 6 Speed l 03 M3 - SMG l 07 Ridgeline

frankincayman, thanks for sending good vibes, yes indeed so far things are going well. advantyper, i see you are in portland, a meet can be arranged at the right time, i'm sure. andy (trak it) is likely also interested.

install update:
so the fabricator is busy making a clamp we designed which is intended to replace the cheezy intake straps. tomorrow might be the day when this custom clamp is ready. will post pic once she's confirmed to do the trick instead of the long hose clamps. i'm surprised no-one here has any comments as to the purpose of these straps and their experience (if any) with them. i did follow-up with TPC and tom assured me that the intake straps are NOT there to keep things together because of boost. here's what he said:

"the clamps around the intake manifolds are NOT to contain boost pressure. They are for restraining the expansion & contraction movement during on/off throttle during hard running conditions such as racing. We use clamps around the intake even on non-turbo race cars when the application required. What [our] guy in the install video says is wrong... the purpose of the video is to primarily for "how" the installing, not such much for why."

so there you have it.

the exhaust pipes are mounted. unfortunately this took 4hrs instead of 1/2 hour, because the pipes didn't line up well. i feared this might come to be, and sure it enough it did. the 3 pipe combo (LH runner from cat, center Y pipe, RH runner from cat) once assembled were too wide and missed the cat's by 1 1/2". so the RH pipe needed to be trimmed (shortened), and then the LH pipe needed to be bent to make the Y pipe align with the turbo bracket & flange. this required the parts to be taken to a local muffler shop to do the bending. more hassle than planned, but it worked out great in the end.

otherwise the exhaust parts look stellar, nice quality tubing, nice welds, etc. it really shows that tpc/mike levitas put a lot of careful thought into the exhaust system. can't wait to HEAR it!

once the pipes aligned with the turbo flange it was pretty straightforward to proceed. the turbo is mounted, too - and the muffler went on real easy. this muffler can be pulled off or put on in under 5 minutes, i think!

with the muffler in place the waste gate got on there, and the dump tube got on there as well. just finished up bolting the intercooler in place. all these things fitted together quite nicely.

so what's left? well once the manifold clamp design is finished the manifolds & custom clamp will go to the painter. this will take a couple of days to get ready. once back they'll go back on. in the meantime i should be able to put in a few hours to hook up the oil lines, oil pump, water pump, and front radiator. the toughest part remaining is probably the snaking of the intercooler water hoses - given that i'm working without a lift i am NOT looking fwd to do this, as it will require working under the car in tight quarters all along the whole length of the car.

so far the install has gone well with only minor details needing occassional clarification from TPC. the install instructions do not cover every detail and some details are out of date because some aspects of the kit changed with the upgrade to the newer (ATP2) version.

bottom line: on track for a reinstall of the ECU this weekend. TPC has been great & responsive on the little issues above and promised the ECU back by friday so hopefully all other parts will come together for a weekend "start-up"!

-aw1.

PS: i think i figured out a good solution to "get rid" of the shifter cables.

Is the kit specifically designed for a Cayman? Seems odd that the exhaust would be off by that amount if the kit is designed specifically for the car.

yes the tpc kit designed for the cayman (altho they have one for the boxster, too - not sure what the differences are). if you read the early posts about tpc here you can follow the whole timeline of it's development, as tpc used this forum quite a bit to communicate it's development of the kit.

as i said in my post, i'm not too surprised about the pipe fittings. these things are handmade somewhere, perhaps using a jig or NC program to guide the shaping process. but still, even factory parts can sometimes need a little tweaking to fit into an existing car. perhaps someone from TPC can comment how these tubes are made, and why it's difficult to have them just snap on every time.

well the beast (or is it a beauty) fired up yesterday evening.

took her for some (initially slow) testing around the blocks, then on to some back roads. after holding back for 15-20 minutes to make sure there are no bad noises, no leaks, or any other signs of erroneous behavior i just *had* to put the foot into it a bit. http://www.planetporsche.net/images/.../hilarious.gif
that boost coming on is fantastic.
http://www.planetporsche.net/images/smilies/burnout.gif

i'm a pretty happy guy right now. this motor change makes the car so much more visceral. the exhaust note is perfect. the "emotional" quotient of the car is easily doubled or maybe even tripled!

kudos to tpc for developing such a nice product. it's clear that mike & the gang at tpc put a lot of effort into getting the engine curve and many of the parts just right. the tech support from tom (phone & email) was superb & very responsive. these guys really do stand behind what they do, and what they do is made well!

in particular, the exhaust system (despite the req'd bending/alignment), the turbo itself, the intercooler, and the silicone pipes are extremely well constructed, and reek of quality. the ecu re-programming while not visible is really well done, too. as a result the car drives more or less like stock, but that slight grumble at low rpm gives you that feeling of having a LOT more on tap!

i do feel pretty strongly that the design & selection of a couple of the other kit bits could be improved. in particular the hose clamps tying the manifold, and the "clothes dryer" tube connecting the airbox to the turbo don't measure up the otherwise excellent quality of all the parts and their general integration as a system.

i'm hoping to get a little more support from tpc to improve these ASAP and will post some pics if successful/once it's all done, provided there is sufficient interest.

-aw1.

We purchase the inductive hose from a race car building supplier. This product is commonly used on race cars(i.e. Prototypes, GT's and open-wheel cars). The metal coil is for ridgidity on tight bents so that the hose provides maximum flow and to keep the hose from collapsing under suction of the turbo compressor. This is a high quality hose which cost around $29 per foot. It is definitely not a cheap hose. When installed and secured, it will provide many years of service. We have no plans to redesigned the inductive hose. The hose is designed to withstand incredibly high heats and in poor conditions.

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Casey Parkin : Washington, DC

Tischer Porsche Sales | cparkin@tischer.com | 301.679.4384

TPC Racing Marketing/PR | cparkin@tpcracing.net | 410.799.7223

Tischer and TPC are two completely separate companies. I just happen to work for both. Please direct your questions to the correct email for me to contact you.

Casey,

How does the sports chrono package integrate with your product?

Nice congrates! Enjoy the new beast

Not sure you heard but Andy sold the CS and got a ZR6.

I'll drop you a PM, maybe can check out your beast in person this weekend if you are free. Are you looking into getting Speedart lip kit? Jeremy at Matrix asked me about it today.

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07 Cayman S - 6 Speed l 03 M3 - SMG l 07 Ridgeline

Sorry i didnt see this. The sports chrono package retains its functionality.

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Casey Parkin : Washington, DC

Tischer Porsche Sales | cparkin@tischer.com | 301.679.4384

TPC Racing Marketing/PR | cparkin@tpcracing.net | 410.799.7223

Tischer and TPC are two completely separate companies. I just happen to work for both. Please direct your questions to the correct email for me to contact you.

hey yes i'm thinking about a lip kit but haven't found the right one yet. yours (speedart) and the one from the UK seem leading candidates though.

AW1,
I have read the threads about the TPC turbo kits with great interest. I live in the Portland area also and would love to be able to see your car at some point. I am really impressed that you took this on yourself.

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2010 CS on order- Feb 10 build date (on the truck from San Diego)- Aqua Blue Metallic/Sea Blue leather, PDK,SC,PASM,LSD,PSE, sport seats, bi-xenons +
Will be here 3/22-3/23

hey bearman,
sure - just pm me and maybe we can get together in early december some time. some others here have asked as well and maybe we can do a little group meet over coffee 1st or 2nd sat in dec...

i'll close out this thread and have just posted an update on the intake manifold strap alternative - a custom developed spider clamp with cover plate that turned out pretty nicely. (i'm still hoping to work on a improved airbox to turbo intake air hose setup which i'll post on separately once i get to it).

the spider clamp post can be found here:

Turbo - Dressed Up (a little)