Porsche 911 Turbo 997 with BBS LM Wheels & Michelin Pilot Sport 4S Tires

Posted on 2026-09-08

Before we get into this build, let’s review a little backstory on the journey Porsche's automotive engineering team has been through to solve the continued challenge of “turbo lag”. The 997 generation was created with a Mezger flat-six strapped with two exhaust turbochargers. Didn’t the 996 have an almost identical setup? Yes, but the 996 had noticeably bad turbo lag. 997 was the first production gasoline engine with VTG, or Variable Turbine Geometry, which in 2007 was considered an engineering breakthrough.

The Porsche engineers wanted three things for this 997: throttle response, consistent power delivery, and everyday usability. With those three things in mind, Porsche partnered with BorgWarner to bring VTG to their gasoline engine. The result was a monstrous doppelganger producing 480 horsepower at a screaming 6,000 RPM. Absolutely terrifying.

From 2006 to 2009, around 5,166 Porsche 911 Turbo (997.1) models were produced. Fast forward to 2026, and there are far fewer of them left in this kind of condition. What we have here is a piece of art from 2007 that continues to age beautifully with time. But, it’s ready for a refresh, and with a gem like this, you must be meticulous about how you build it.

Enter Butler Tires and Wheels. We took this 997 in and made a list of how to make this old gen fit right in with today’s market. First, and always implied: tires and wheels. We wanted 2-piece wheels that would be timeless and would fit the early 2000s build, but still be able to compete with today’s style. The BBS LMs were the perfect choice, making their debut in 1994 and recently celebrating their 30th anniversary. These wheels remain one of the most iconic designs still in production. You pair those with a modern-day flagship tire like the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. It creates a retro style to match this build, along with the ability to have the throttle matted and not worry about grip.

The Michelin Pilot Sport 4S is one of the best performance tires on the market, but with this horsepower-to-weight ratio, it has its hands full, so to increase tire longevity, the suspension was next on deck. True coilovers by KW Suspension offer some of the best overall street and track performance, so it was a no-brainer. They are made with high-quality stainless steel and offer adjustable ride height, as well as adjustable rebound and compression damping. With all this tunability, this is the reason you come to Butler. You can install coilovers all day, but we’re unmatched with our fitment.

Wheels, tires, suspension… what’s next? The exhaust. When it comes to Porsche exhaust, we had one company in mind: Soul Performance Products. We installed a Soul Competition X-Pipe system with 3-inch piping, shedding almost 11lbs by replacing the suffocating stock setup. You can really hear those addictive turbo sounds come through, making it feel like you’re in a Need For Speed game.

The finishing touch entails the Softronic ECU tune, opening the Mezger flat-six with an additional 110 BHP and 140 lb-ft of torque on 93 pump gas. We’re talking 590 HP in a 3,600 lb car, that’s just over 6 lbs per horsepower. An Mazda MX-5 Miata has a power-to-weight ratio of 13.4. The numbers speak for themselves.

It’s always a great feeling when a build is finished, but there’s always a little bit of sadness that comes with it too. It’s becoming rarer to see these older gen cars in great condition still getting love. This build captures everything great about early 2000s German engineering and brings it into today’s performance world. Nearly 20 years later, this build stands as something even better than what rolled off the production line, proof that when done right, age isn’t a limitation. That’s what we do at Butler. Every build is different, every setup is dialed in, and every detail matters. This was certainly one to remember.