APR’s development on the 991.2 platform continues with yet another set of records! On July 17th, 2020 Tyler@APR’s Carrera T broke into the 9’s, and backed up the record with multiple 9 second passes via both the track timing equipment and GPS via Dragy! Records for the platform are as follows:

• First 991.2 3.0T in the 9’s in the quarter mile
• First 991.2 3.0T breaking 140 mph in the quarter mile
• First 991.2 3.0T in the 5’s in 60-130mph sprints
• 141.59 MPH – Quarter mile MPH
• 9.91 Seconds – Quarter mile ET
• 2.50 Seconds – 0-60 MPH
• 5.85 Seconds – 60-130 MPH

The 9 second passes were as follows:

• 9.917 @ 141.59 with a 1.581 60 FT
• 9.966 @ 141.77 with a 1.614 60 FT
• 9.975 @ 141.30 with a 1.592 60 FT
• 9.980 @ 140.51 with a 1.523 60 FT

The vehicle setup, modifications and more during the 9 second passes were as follows:

• 2019 Porsche Carrera T 3.0T (991.2) Rear Wheel Drive with PDK
• APR Stage 3 (M660) Engine Control Unit (ECU) Upgrade (E85)
• APR Stage 3 (M660) Transmission Control Unit (TCU) Upgrade
• APR Suspension Control Unit (SCU) Upgrade
• APR 3” Turndowns (Weight savings only)
• APR R1 DV’s
• Tial M660 Hybrid Turbos (Base/S Turbo Core)
• Tial Inconel Headers
• Tial Turbo Inlets
• Tial Intake Pipes
• Tial Intercooler
• Stock Engine
• Stock Transmission
• Stock Fueling (100%, Pumps, injectors, lines, etc)
• Stock Intake Airbox/Filter
• Elephant Racing Front Control Arms (Camber Adjustment)
• Mickey Thompson ET Street S/S DOT Legal P305/35R19 Rear Tires
• Michelin Pilot Sport cup 2 234/35ZR19 Front Tires
• O.Z. Racing Leggera HLT 19” Wheels
• AP Racing Radi-CAL Competition Brakes (Road Course Setup)
• BBI 991 Turbo Streetcup Harness Bar (Rear Cage)
• Motec C127 Dash, E815 Expander, TC8, and Harness made by APR with 30+ external sensors (For development / Datalogging only)
• Kirkey racing seat Only
• 3,228 LBS Vehicle Weight Without Driver
• Approximately 3,700 Feet Density Altitude (DA) with 40C / +100F Track Temps
• July 17th, 2020 @ 5:53 PM at Montgomery Raceway Park

Please note, the APR hardware and software is considered a development prototype, and not currently for sale. APR Currently offers Stage 1 software for all 991.2 3.0T engines, and Stage 3 software for use with factory GTS turbo upgrades on the base, T, and S models.

The vehicle was modified from full weight to the race seat and race downturns as time in the day was limited. According to the scales, our vehicle weight was actually higher than stock, likely due to the additional components, cage, and more. With only a few passes left and 9’s on our radar we didn’t want to take any chances and miss the goal for the day. The DA was simply too unfavorable to risk missing it. We swapped to a lighter driver, swapped the to a racing seat, and installed the turndowns. The turndowns saved weight as the factory system came in at 47 pounds, whereas the turndowns were only 5 lbs. In terms of power, we found the factory exhaust only poses about a 300 mbar restriction at 700 WHP. This is insignificant, and as such, made no increase in power on the dyno.

Tech Talk from Tyler@APR on the record, drag racing, setup, and more!

Why we race:

Racing is a fundamental part of R&D, from drag racing, to professional track driving, and of the utmost importance to APR. From an enthusiasts standpoint, it’s exciting and fun too! Racing gives us an opportunity to push the boundaries of the platform before releasing a product to the public. We test in the harshest of conditions so we can see where both the hardware and software stack up to conditions they may see in the hands of our customers, be it through an HPDE, Auto X, Drag Racing, Roll Racing, or perhaps even some form of professional racing and driving. Our goal is to make your car more powerful, more enjoyable, and more exciting, but able to take the abuse as if it just rolled off the showroom floor with that engineering you’ve come to appreciate from Porsche. So we race. We test. We find the bugs. We find the limits of the software, engine, transmission, suspension, cooling, fueling, turbos, exhaust, and more. We upgrade where necessary. We find what doesn’t need to be modified and let you know. We torture test, and adjust all of our maps, from stage 1 up, based on what we find every step of the way from mild to wild setups.

Getting to the 9’s first:

Being an industry leader is exciting. Pushing the boundaries, and pushing each other internally to be better is why we work at APR and why we love what we do. Our goal was to pilot the first 9 second 991.2 3.0T, and we achieved that this weekend. We did it in the most non-advantageous weather conditions with a density altitude and track temperature that made it hard to breathe during the day. We wanted to show people what this platform could do, and we welcome all, APR customer and competitor alike to push the platform and beat our records. This shouldn’t be too difficult to do in better conditions to say the least. We’re all enthusiasts, and we’re excited to be the first to break into the 9’s proving the 991.2 Base 3.0T provides an amazing bang for the buck as far as 911’s go! Stay tuned for what we have in store next.

991.2 Carrera 3.0T records set:

• First 9 second quarter mile pass
• First 140+ MPH quarter mile pass
• First 5 second 60-130 sprint
• First 2.5 second 0-60

Is there more to be had with this current setup:

Yes! As the day progressed we dialed in the setup and were able to achieve better results. The more time we spend in this area, the better we’ll get. I believe, even under these conditions, a 9.7s pass is achievable. This would be made possible by two things: Better 60FT through more PDK development, and a better low pressure fuel pump (LPFP) setup. We unfortunately had to short shift several gears as we found our LPFP to be limited, which was contrary to other vehicles we’ve tested. The powerband on this car favors a higher rev range, and as such, would have provided better results with more RPM. In the current configuration, we would leave more headroom to account for any difference in LPFP health, but prefer to offer and require an upgrade. We’re currently working on one, but we can’t share details, or promise anything, including an ETA.

What else did we learn:

Our Micky Thompson tires need to be addressed with some form of beadlock, glue, or something else as we were able to rotate the tire on the wheel over 100 degrees from where the tire was initially seated! As one can imagine, that made the drive and stopping quite interesting. This provides us an opportunity to test, innovate, and provide a solution for all with safety in mind. We also have more to learn on this wheel / tire combination as it was our first time testing with this setup. Tire pressures, how hard to strike the tire, tire temps, and more are all something we need to learn to make improvements.

Fueling has been a big question for many. How can we support all of this power on the stock fuel system and make 700 WHP on E85? We’ve found Porsche dramatically overbuilt the fueling system on this platform, leaving tremendous headroom that has allowed us to make big power with plenty of headroom. However, we’ve tested multiple vehicles and found the LPFP to be the first weak point on some vehicles. We like headroom. We have had headroom on other vehicles we’ve tested, but we didn’t have enough on ours. This isn’t a problem on the stock turbo, or even the GTS turbo upgrade, but with the hybrid turbos, it can be. We have two options for a production tune: Limit peak power on Ethanol (fine on pump fuel), or upgrade the pump. We’ll likely try both paths. To go even further, it’s likely more fueling components will show their weak point. That means the LPFP, high pressure fuel pump (HPFP), and injectors. We’ll save those details for another day.

The PDK performed very well. No Slip. No missed shifts, no issues at all. However, improvements can be had. We can learn more about clutch engagement to help bring our 60 ft down to the 1.4 range, or lower, assuming we have the grip to do so. We’ll keep learning and improving. What we learn always gets added to our software for free.

Intake Air Temperature (IAT) was a huge concern. Track temps were in the 40C / 100F range all day. This meant our starting temps before a pass was even conducted was around 45-50C depending on the pass, which meant low 70c by the end of the pass. This platform is temperature sensitive, and as such, will dial back power when the IAT climbs. While the Tial intercoolers help quite a bit, the platform itself, being rear engine, with high spatial constraints, does not lend well for keeping the intercoolers cool while sitting and heat soaking at the track between passes. We’re interested in testing some form of water injection to help manage IAT. The GT2 RS has a factory setup, but is only sprays externally. BMW’s M4 GTS uses an internal system. We’re interested in both, but mainly the M4’s setup as it should help manage temperature without the risk associated with other chemical forms of cooling.

What’s next:

We’re excited to try new developments from Tial related to their hybrid turbos for higher horsepower applications. In the mean time we’ll work on a public version of our Stage 3 hybrid turbo software. We’ll also continue work on a LPFP solution to enable full use of E85 with these turbos with the safety headroom we require.

We’ll be spending more time at the track too. More drag strip days, and more time on the circuit. We have a few circuit related lap time records we want to beat, and will be working towards that over the year. More details on that later! Our goal is to continue to lead the aftermarket for Porsche in every way we possibly can.

Thank you:

I want to thank the whole team at APR. Many of you have invested a ton of time to help me push this platform to the next level and achieve my goals. None of this would have been possible without you, and I’m proud to be a part of the team.

I want to also thank the guys over at Tial and MimoTechnik for all of the support, data, hardware, and testing to help make sure we have the best parts currently available to help us achieve our goals. You’ve gone beyond my expectations. Your willingness to help, learn, and improve has paid dividends. You have my respect!

Lastly, I want to thank all of you – The Porsche Community. I want to thank you for your support, trust, involvement, and more. I want to thank our competitors too. We’re all in the same boat, and the mutual respect we’ve seen has been great. And these forums are great. Without you, the community may not be as strongly concentrated. I’m looking forward to meeting and seeing many of you and your amazing cars at track days in the future, and loved meeting many of you at VIR and Barber last year. We will continue to push the envelope and make the best products we can to help support your dreams. Thank you!