PANAMERA TURBO P700 Tym Switzer and his Oberlin-Ohio based crew at Switzer Performance are at it again, this time building over 700 hp into Porsche's polarizing Panamera sedan.
Whether you love the look of the Panamera or hate it, you can't deny that a 700 hp Switzer-tuned Porsche sedan doesn't sound like a recipe for some serious fun. More in-process build photos here.
NEW SPLASH PAGE It's been a long time coming (and we're still adding new content every week) but the new "phone-friendly" Switzer Performance website is up and running, with new photos, graphics, videos, and (of course) new tuning solutions!
There's plenty more coming soon, so keep checking in!
NOW AVAILABLE IN STORMTROOPER WHITE When Nissan introduced the latest R35 version of its GTR in 2008, the international press was quick to nickname the car “Godzilla” - as much for the car’s size as for its fire-breathing performance - and Nissan was equally quick to call the car both “perfect” and “untunable”. That “perfect” label is a matter of opinion, of course, but enough GTR buyers felt the car lacked sufficient oomph that a number of tuning firms began to lay waste to the idea of an “untunable” car, building massively-powerful GTR Nissans along the way. One such firm is Tym Switzer’s Ohio-based Switzer Performance, and their massively-powerful GTR is called the P800 - a comprehensively tuned 800 hp track-weapon that’s as much at home on Main Street as it is on the back straight.
Of course, there are some enthusiasts who will always want more - and when one of these enthusiasts contacted Switzer about pushing the P800 GTR to the limit, the crew at Switzer Performance got to work developing the car you see here.
806 WHP ON THIS RUN “The P800 is already at the limit of what we feel comfortable for the stock GTR transmission,” explains Switzer. “So to go further we really needed to beef up the transmission. We contacted Dodson Motorsports in New Zealand and explained what our goals were with the car - 900 hp, more clutch area, ad smooth shifting at every speed. The new transmission is the product of several months’ co-development between Switzer and Dodson, and is exactly what we needed in order to start pushing the GTR forward beyond 800 hp.”
The next thing Switzer needed to address to keep “pushing the GTR forward” was fuel. “We didn’t want to just deliver a race-gas package that tethered the client to a fuel drum in his garage, but we wanted to be able to turn up the boost, also.” The solution? Readily-available E85.
“In a way, the solution was all around us,” offers Switzer, whose shop is located deep in Ohio’s farm country, surrounded - literally! - by cornfields. “E85 isn’t without its trade-offs. We had to modify the fuel system to handle the fuel and significantly increase the size of the injectors, also, but in the end we had a fuel that gave us everything we needed to crank up the boost on this car and deliver over 900 hp.” The E85 delivered other benefits as well: it is significantly “greener” than the pump-gas and race-gas versions of the GTR. “With most high-horsepower cars, you can barely breathe after just a few dyno runs. With the E85, we were able to run pull after pull to dial in the tune without feeling any effects of the usual emissions. It’s hardly scientific, but there was a noticeable improvement in the air quality in the shop compared to race gas.”
The final product - dubbed the E900 for “Ethanol fuel, 900 hp” - is a fast, capable package that offers linear power delivery and massive midrange torque with superior transient response compared to larger-turbo/race-fuel combinations, while maintaining a bit of environmental responsibility along with its blistering sub-6-second 60-130 mph acceleration. GREEN AND MEAN This first E900 also sports an Amuse carbon fiber aero package, 3-way adjustable suspension, and 20” BBS wheels that are an inch wider than stock at all four corners. Switzer’s new E85-fueled E900 PKG is available now. Contact Switzer Performance for more.
PORSCHE 997.2 TT MEETS SLEDGEHAMMER Since it hit the ground running 9-second quarter miles back in 2008, the 997 TT-based Switzer SLEDGEHAMMER has been making big waves on the online forums. Recently, however, Porsche introduced a new "997.2" version of the TT, featuring a new engine, new turbos, and a new dual-clutch "PDK" transmission.
Porsche's new 997.2 TT has been covered elsewhere, and our initial driving impressions mirror those of most testers: the PDK is slick, and the car is reasonably quick fresh out of the box. Of more interest to you, I'm sure, is that we'll be using this white-over-red ("cocaine-over-cherries") TT as our in-house development car for a new range of 997.2 tuning programs.
BOULDER NISSAN SPONSORED P800 TAKES 1ST OVERALL AT TX2K10 Last weekend's shootout in Texas turned out to be a great event, with one GTR clocking an utterly blistering 9.89 second pass!
It was Jason's Boulder Nissan-sponsored Switzer P800 GTR Nissan, however, that took home gold in the GTR class, dominating the road-course competition, and powering through a number of 10.5-second 1/4 mile passes at over 138 mph.
You can see dozens of pictures of the event at this link, and stay tuned next week for more Switzer news from the Texas Mile!
SWITZER P800 PKG Porsche developed their variable-vane "VTG" turbo technology to spool more quickly than conventional turbochargers, making their latest 997 Turbo models respond more like the naturally-aspirated V8 and V12 competition from Ferrari, Aston Martin, and others.
"When I first saw the new variable-vane technology the 997 Turbos, I was impressed,” explains Tym Switzer. “The more I looked at the VTGs, though, when we flow-tested them and really started putting them to work, I began to realize that it would feasible to develop a turbocharger package that could match the VTG's responsiveness while out-performing them in the midrange and top end. That we were able to develop this package so quickly is a direct result of the incredible progress in aftermarket turbo technology that has taken place over the last few years. Our technology partners can deliver exactly the turbos we need to achieve the performance targets we specify for a given build - and we work together closely to achieve those targets with more run-after-run consistency than a factory VTG-based turbo can provide." SWITZER P800 PKG w/ GT2-STYLE WING If Tym's name seems familiar, it's because Switzer Performance (the Ohio-based tuning firm that carries his name) has been making big waves in the tuning industry since their clients in Russia, the MidEast, and other world markets began posting videos of their match races all over YouTube last summer.
"We know a bit about making real-world power," adds Tym, "and once we decided to go beyond 700 hp with the efficiencies required for maximum consistency, reliability, and throttle-response, we realized it was time to move away from the VTGs, which are on the living edge at 750 and well beyond their practical, everyday limits."
Common internet wisdom holds that turbocharged engines are exercises in compromise. You can have quick-spooling turbos, and you can have turbos that pull hard to redline, but not both. Switzer's views on the matter? "While incredibly responsive, the VTGs do suffer from some weaknesses when the performance bar is raised significantly." Pointing to torque and horsepower curves that match the factory VTGs in initial spool up, then run away from the VTGs all the way to the P800's new 7500 rpm redline. “With the new P800, you can really have the cake and eat it, too, in a car that you can drive back and forth to the office without drama, and it will still deliver an incredible rush at the track.”
Switzer's new P800 package for the 997 includes Switzer's competition-style exhaust and headers, electronic boost control, Switzer-specific TiAL Alpha turbochargers, MONSTER intercoolers, and an ECU software tune to bring it all together in a package that drives like a stock 997 TT … until the go-pedal hits the floor, that is. ">The great thing about this package is that the power delivery is more linear than with the VTGs, so the P800 car is actually smoother than the factory TT, without any of the oscillation you get periodically from the DME's dynamic control of the vane mechanism on the VTG,” explains Tym. “This is a great example of our tuning philosophy: we're not about peak power, we're about best power."
The P800 package is available now through Switzer Performance dealers. Contact Switzer dealers for more.
Switzer Performance has just released a new, next-generation digital lowering module for Cayenne models equipped with Porsche's Adaptive air suspension that offers a number of innovative new features and benefits not not available on other modules:
* easy, no cutting/no splicing installation (totally reversible!) * impact-resistant shell is durable and 100% waterproof * USB connectivity (for PC) for millimeter precision * save multiple settings (ex: street/strip/track)
Best known for its mega-horsepower project cars and 800+ hp tuning programs for Porsche 911 Turbos, Switzer didn't simply re-brand existing technology - this is an all-new lowering module,” explains Tym Switzer. “Like all of our products, we wanted to come to market with something that raises the game, and not just re-invent the wheel. This product is 100% digital, uses advanced processing power to constantly communicate with the car's electronics, and doesn't require any cutting or splicing of the car's suspension wiring – cutting into the wiring of a brand-new $150,000 Porsche is probably something people want to avoid!” Adjusting the ride height with Switzer's lowering module is easy as well, with an intuitive interface that allows users to raise and lower each wheel individually for a custom “rake”, or all at once to quickly “slam” the car to a ride height over 50 mm lower than the lowest stock setting. There is even a “saved settings” feature that allows users to save settings. “Customers can lower just the rear for better weight transfer at a drag strip, or even use corner weights to set the the cars up for PCA events at different tracks.” Switzer's next-generation digital lowering modules for Porsche Cayenne are available now. Contact Switzer Performance dealers for more.
Switzer Performance is proud to welcome Arizona's DYNO-COMP as our latest PREFERRED INSTALLER.
Dyno-Comp has been in the business for many years, and we are very happy to have guys like Rich Garcia, Shane McKinnon, and Ken Rudy on our side. These guys are some of the most knowledgeable and competent installers in the industry, and definitely the area's go-to guys for Porsche, Ferrari, Mercedes, and more.
A little clip from one of their recent dyno-days, below.
CLICK HERE to visit the SPI Dealer homepage - we're growing fast, so you can consider this page ALWAYS under construction!
Our good friend Mike from Tuning-Technologies Russia just got back from last weekend's informal top-speed tuner event in Russia, where he took his Switzer 700/750 997 out to "race" against twin-turbo Ford GTs, Ferraris, SLR McLarens, and more.
The pic above shows the car in motion, leaping off the line ahead of a twin-turbo Ford GT from Heffner - our own VBox shows this package produces over 1.5g under acceleration, so maybe this shouldn't be such a surprise?
You can get a quick glimpse of Mike in this photo, below. More links to the action below - and we'll post video as soon as it's available. Enjoy!
There have been a lot of changes at Switzer Performance in recent weeks. The company is growing almost as quickly as its “next big thing” reputation, adding new staff, new office space, and new infrastructure that simply couldn't be supported a few short months ago.
That new staff includes me, by the way – Tym brought me on board to take over Switzer's sales and marketing efforts, and I'm making every effort to make myself accessible to past and future customers both through email and Skype usename jo.borras (now you'll get answers in minutes, not hours!).
Switzer's new additions also include David Kim, a longtime customer and friend to Switzer Performance, has officially come on board, bringing his extensive business expertise and resources along to help us continue to push into new markets.
On top of the new people and new offices, Switzer has expanded beyond turbocharged Porsches, adding comprehensive tuning solutions for Nissan's R35 GTR to its menu of high-performance goodies.
In the coming weeks, we'll be making some exciting changes to the Switzer website and blog, releasing our new spring parts catalogs, and introducing you to some of our preferred dealers across the country and around the world.
These are exciting times, people! I hope you'll keep visiting the blog, and enjoy the ride!!
Comparisons between Porsche's turbocharged 997 and Nissan's newest GTR have kept the automotive press pretty busy in recent months – with the general consensus being that the GTR stacks up against Stuttgart's performance icon pretty well, thank you very much. Now, however – a year after the GTR's debut – the first tuner GTRs are starting to reach customers ... which seems to beg the question: how do these tuned GTRs stack up against tuned Porsches?
Back in January, the thousand horsepower SLEDGEHAMMER 997 introduced the world to Tym Switzer and his Oberlin, Ohio-based tuning firm. With more than 15 years' experience tuning high-performance cars from Europe and Japan, Switzer is uniquely qualified to answer that question. “Compared to the Porsches, Nissan's 'Godzilla' is a different animal altogether. As an all-weather, four-passenger supercar, the GTR seems like it could appeal to the same kind of audience as the 997, but the GTR is much more of a 'digital' type of experience. It's really amazing how close these cars are, in terms of ultimate performance.”
Switzer would know: for the last few months, Switzer has been carefully studying the GTR, developing a series of sensible, high-performance bolt-ons aimed at producing a streetable GTR performance package that didn't force GTR owners to sacrifice reliability or drivability.
Called the P700, Switzer's new package promises more than 700 bulletproof crank horsepower on 93 octane pump gas. “I was always impressed with Nissan's application of certain technologies. One thing I was not impressed with was the amount of 'fluff' parts I was seeing being distributed for the cars or the 'banzai' sort of crank-the-boost with 100+ octane racing fuel antics I was seeing in the aftermarket. I knew that it was important to take a look at what the car was reliably capable of, and what was really going on within the platform.” Switzer's first step was extensive data-logging and analysis. “We checked for pressure drops, temperature variations, everything. After replacing the stock turbos with application-specific custom units and our own unique MONSTER intercooler package, we slowly dialed up the boost, checking all the data again and again. Eventually, we ended up going beyond the limits of the standard ECU calibrations and hardware, so we built the necessary components and the data-gathering started again.
With more than 626 awhp and 583 lb-ft of awtq on tap, the Switzer P700 GTR is certainly set to deliver a driving experience that is many steps above Nissan's standard “Godzilla” GTR, without putting unnecessary stress on the GTR's driveline. MSRP for Switzer's P700 GTR performance package is 16650 USD. Contact your Switzer Performance dealer for more information and compatibility with your current aftermarket hardware.
Although we have been strongly focused on our Porsche development for the last couple of years, we recently took on an interesting project for a client of ours. The new Nissan R35 GTR. Having been tuning and modifying multivalve turbocharged engines now for many years, I have been involved in many projects spanning many platforms. One car that I have always been a fan of has been the Nissan Skyline. When we were approached about what we could do to enhance the GTR I was reluctant to get involved at first. However there was an interest in the back of my mind to see what we could do with the platform.
After doing some initial research to get familiar with the newest platform, I was impressed with Nissan's application of certain technologies. One thing I was not impressed with was the amount of "fluff" parts I was seeing being distributed for the cars or the banzai-crank-the-boost with racegas tuning tactics that I was seeing. I knew that it was important to take a look at what the car was actually capable of and what was really going on within the platform as we tried to push it beyond factory performance limits. One thing that I have come to realize at this point after many dyno pulls and recalibrations for different hardware... Many of the cars out there are running on the very edge of their durability and their longevity will certainly be tested. The Nissan ECU is very dynamic in its control strategies and this is absolutely the only reason many of the modified GTR's out there are staying together (for now).
During the development of this GTR, we have done an enormous amount of data aquisition and testing. We were able to see the deficiencies of certain factory components and confirm the outstanding performance of others. I am steadfast in my stubborness in regard to not adding any component to a project that doesn't contribute to the end goal. Rather than just throwing parts at a given project to achieve a result, it's important to know why you are changing them.
Since our client was looking to road race his car heavily (yet wanted the ability and convenience of not having to find race gas all of the time to enjoy the car), I wanted to lay out a combination that would make around 700hp at the crank without stressing the engine or transmission. I also wanted the car to be ultra consistent. What good is 700hp if you can only use it once before you have to let the car cool completely down to get the same performance? Dyno Queen? No thank you. I don't race dyno sheets.
In order to generate this kind of performance reliably and consistently, it is imperative that you increase the efficiency of the combination. It was my personal opinion that to run the stock intercooling and turbochargers much beyond factory levels was pushing those components into areas of inefficiency that would eventually become counter productive to our efforts from a durability and performance standpoint. Data analysis from testing easily confirmed this.
Working with our development partners, we have been able to put together a combination with the finest turbocharger technology currently available. These new turbochargers utilize Garrett GT ball-bearing center sections and custom compressor wheels with the most applicable aero profile for this combination. These turbos not only produce the airflow needed to meet our performance targets, they also offer the best intial and transient boost response as well. This is hugely important for road course and street use. Along with the intercooler and plumbing package we have developed, this combination has the best thermal capacity we have produced on a platform to date. Our pressure drop through the entire system was less than .05 psi... virtually no pressure drop. While the cores can flow up to 1057hp worth of air, we are experiencing no loss in response from the combination. During our 4th gear runs on the dyno, our charge air temps would rise only 1 degree F max. Now that's efficiency!
The other key to success of this project has been in regard to tuning. Tuning is everything to a performance project like this. It is the key component to pulling everything together in order to achieve the desired result. We have been working with Cobb Tuning's Pro Tuner software with the GTR. As I prefer to do all of my own tuning on the packages we develop, ecu programming was essential to the success of the project... especially since we had to deal with huge increases in airflow which the standard calibrations are not compatible with.
At any rate, we've just completed our first round of testing on the new package and we were able to exceed our initial goals and projections along the way. Here's a quick video link showing our progress so far...
I am very happy so far with the performance, although we still have fine tuning to do. The transient response is outstanding and the driveability is that of a stock GTR at this point. I am looking forward to some road tuning and track time with the car in the very near future... we just need this damn snow to melt!
Switzer Announces 700/750 VTG Performance Upgrades A few weeks ago, the one-thousand horsepower bolt-on prepared Switzer SLEDGEHAMMER introduced the world to Tym Switzer and his Ohio-based tuning firm Switzer Performance Innovation (SPI), but Tym wants also the world to know that there is more to SPI than its Bugatti-baiting flagship.
“The SLEDGEHAMMER is a great package,” explains Tym, “but a thousand-horsepower 997 isn't for everyone. The L4 700/750 Tiptronic package appeals to a much broader audience, and with the flexibility of the semi-automatic transmission and mild exhaust note, the L4 Tiptronic cars are as much at home in traffic as they are at the racetrack.”
Switzer's “soundbite” sounds pretty good, but it begs the question: how do the L4 cars perform at a racetrack?
Pretty well! Simply, SPI's L4 700/750 Tiptronic-equipped Porsches can deliver 2.5 second 0-60 acceleration and quarter-mile runs in the mid-to-high 10's at well over 130 mph. Tym explains that “with the SLEDGEHAMMER, we really wanted to push the envelope, but the 700/750 Tiptronic cars are a lot more than baby SLEDGEHAMMERs. They are really their own unique concept and just awesome cars – let's face it: any car that can run 0-60 times neck-and-neck and fender-to-fender with a Bugatti is an awesome ride!"
The L4 700/750 PKG upgrades the 997 turbo with unique DME software, a pair of VTG V3 turbochargers, SPI's MONSTER intercoolers, and a competition-style “full-exhaust” system. “This is a very reliable package that's as easy to drive fast as it is to drive slow. We designed the L4 package to be flexible enough for everyday driving without compromises, and our 700/750 customers are always telling me how easy the car is to drive. They go on the forums and talk up the cars, post Vbox numbers and timeslips – with several cars dipping into the mid 10's! These guys are having lots of fun with their cars. That's what we like to see and that's why we do what we do.” Switzer's L4 700/750 Tiptronic package retails for 18450USD, and is available through SPI. CLICK HERE for more information.
