micjhall

I know.
Beaten issue.
Have read many past threads but am not convinced on which plan to choose.
Flawless 1989 stock 3.2 engine with 78k miles but Needing more HP and torque.
Do I change the exhaust using the Fabspeed 911 carrera sport performance package (or equivalent) + SW chip or do a top end rebuild concentrating on heads and cams, or some combination.
Engine runs so well I hate to make many modifications.
Car is for street use with 1-2 track days.
Thanks

rusnak

You'll know from reading past threads that the logical place to start is with the driver, as in taking performance driving lessons.

Bloose993TT

This ^. Also lighten the car up and work on dialing in the suspension/handling before you do any major engine mods. It gets real expensive to get noticeable HP gains on the 3.2 unless you can do the work yourself.

Here's a cool build thread to check out on PP.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/canad...-part-2-a.html

Trakrat

I always hate it when people respond with those 'improve the driver' response.

That's like saying asking "What steak should I buy for the best taste?" and someone responds with "improve your cooking skills first".


Seriously though... I've been looking into the same thing.
If your engine is running healthy and strong, then start with your suspension.
A better suspension will make the car feel lighter and improve handling and response. Go with a lighter clutch/flywheel setup as well for improved acceleration response

Obviously a 3.2 is not straight line rocket... and never will be. Though 0-60 in 5.9 for a 30 year old car isn't too bad.

Remove unnecessary weight can help too... heaters, AC, radio, racing seats, spare, etc...

For engine performance only, what you mentioned are usually the best places to start.
chip and straight racing exhaust will improve power. possibly adding better spark plugs, plug wires, cold air induction kit.
But alas... even with serious mods you might be able to add about 50-70 hp... but that's about it.
Don't expect turbo power with a 3.2.

Amber Gramps

Would you believe that my bone stock 3,2 engine can out accelerate and corner a couple of newer stock 911's? A local 964 and 993 while they may be close, they are no match.

It's all in the power to weight ratio, suspension set up, and in the driver's comfort level.

Look at my car's weight in my signature.

grgallo

Trakrat: improving cooking skills is a good thing
Micjhall: what do you want? a track car or a street car?
Amber Gramps: is correct, Porsche mostly pursued weight reduction to improve performance

Amber Gramps

Yep. My lightweight interior Trumps this bloated red bovine every times it's tried

...and when Dave from TRE spends a half hour drooling over my car and personally invites me to his Treffen at a C&C I know I'm doing something right.

Amber Gramps

The key is to eliminate everything that doesn't make the car go faster. The list of "Delete" items on the back end alone on my car is madness to the average Porsche owner. Most won't even know what's missing if they don't personally wrench on their own 3,2. Likely 65lbs missing from this picture alone.

rusnak

The best response is to bolt in a completely different motor, like a 3.6 with Varioram, but I digress.

I didn't want to recommend any engine mods because the question is like asking what kind of stove should he buy to make a better steak, faster.

Henley1

To answer the question. Yes I'd say a exhaust. N chip. N pull some weight while you in there. Itb set up might be a idea. I have the same problem where we go on drives that are rather "spirted ". My 3.2 dosent miss a beat. Literly 500 600 km of hard running. It runs so well i didnt want ri open it up but I wanted to do a few odds n ends. So I did the above to scratch the itch.

stlrj

The easiest most cost effective way I found to wake up my 87 Carrera was to replace the antiquated single hole injectors with the new style EV6 4 hole Bosch injectors similar to the four hole Bosch Design 3 injectors on the 996 engines. Now I understand why these modern water cooled 911s are so quick and responsive.

Another reason I prefer this solution is to keep it smog legal and invisible to inspecton.


Cheers,

Joe

porsche0nut

Interesting, I've never even thought of replacing the injectors! Thanks!

As far as basic engine mods, I did exhaust (RarlyL8 headers/muffler) and SW chip. Noticeable performance improvement. To save some pennies just do a cat delete/bypass pipe and SW chip. Can't beat that improvement for $500.

Pulling out weight is fun, and beneficial, but not if it compromises the car for you. That's up to you to decide.

stlrj

See how the new style injector spray patterns have changed:

Spyerx

What's your budget?
Removing weight is "cheap"
Adding power is expensive.
An exhaust frees up these motors quite a bit. Maybe a chip helps.
After that it's $$$$$. That many places too

T&T Racing

Engage a procoach to provide coaching, let him drive the car, compare your lap times with the coach's lap times. If the delta is small, consider upgrades; otherwise, invest more $$$ in procoaching until the delta is small.