Tippy

930 vs. 964 Turbo:

Ok guys, I am posting in both forums with this question. I want one for a daily dirver and approximately 400-500 crank hp. Which way should I go?

Some points that are important to me in no particular order:

1. Reliability
2. A/C
3. Ease of maintenance ( I am mechanically inclined )
4. Hp gains
5. Cost of parts
6. Fun factor driving and working on
7. Driving characteristics
8. Making it pull a "G"

YYC930

The only differences, IMHO anyways, are price, gearbox, and optical dynamics (looks).

If you want to save money on the acquisition price, and maybe put it into the car....buy the 930.....if you want the cooler look of the 964, and the 5 speed.....step up to the till.

TrackDays247.com

Quite a bit harder to get big tires on the back of a 965. I like 315s, 285s are getting to the max on a 965 which a friend owns.

But then again, I'm a track *****.

38D

There are more differences than just the looks & gearbox. Just from a performance point of view, the 91-92s are far better. They have a better/bigger intercooler, bigger & better brakes, better turbo (K27), better suspension setup (coil-overs), far stiffer chassis and ABS. Even if you buy an '89 930, you are looking at at least $8k to upgrade to the 965 parts listed above...and then you still will have a chassis that is not as stiff. The '94s are better still.

The only two advanatges of the 930s are 1) you can run bigger tires in the rear 2) they are about 100lbs lighter (my '91 weighs ~2875 wet without ballast). And forget the "the 930 is more raw" BS. They feel basically the same when you drive them, expect the 4 speeds are much more laggy.

I run 295s in the back of a 965.

LuisGT3

Christian (a member here and 6speed) has both, he could probably give you some good insight.

Kevin

I have them both... '85 930 vs '92 965

For creature comforts and real A/C the 965 has it in this area.

The raw steering feel comes thru the 930..

I'll try and sum it up this way.. For a weekend driver and a blast to drive get the 930..

For a daily driver that will deliver the mail get the 965..

Turbo Jonny

I changed from an 89 930 to a 94 3.6. It is a superior car in most respects and much more usable in a variety of scenarios.It may be heavier but it is more agile.Performance is much more like a normally aspirated car though i do miss the fun of the boost-bong at times! I am able to reduce some weight and sound deadening plus exhaust changes that will bring back a lot of the raw feelings that i liked in the 930.If i were to go the 930 route again i would buy one that was not
stock as they are much cheaper ( in UK anyway ).Mine was too original to modify a lot.
They are both great cars!

Geoffrey

The steering feel of the 965 is better than the earlier chassis and as Colin mentioned has a much better chassis and suspension geometry. My 89 turbo was 3050lbs wet so I'm not sure where Colin dropped all of the weight in his 965 since it should be heavier. I personnaly would never go back to a torsion bar chassis (pre 964). You can switch to the 964 N/A trailing arms and run the same width tires as a 930. I have 10 " and 12" rims on mine.

38D

2875 is completely empty on gas. Fully loaded (27g cell), it is right around 3050. I have a full interior, but with 1 piece race seats, full cage, headers, FG bumpers front & rear, fuel cell (no spare tire or jack), and different exhaust. I have since tried to add weight back in with the radio, cool suit and data logger. Believe it or not, these add about 45lbs, with most of the weight being the ice/water in the cool suit.

TrackDays247.com

Typically 965s are about 300-400 lbs more than a 930; a friends' 965 weighs in at 3,100. Mine is 2650 - with a full interior AND a cage.
A data point.

38D

The average delta is more like 200-250lbs. Your friend's 3100lbs must be bone stock with zero mods. Changing out the seats alone will save ~75lbs on a 965. DrJupeman's 3.6T weighed 3075 with a full cage and race seats & the very heavy Speedlines.

jimculp

Does the 964's engine sit as far back as the 930's?

Deanriffs

Kevin,

I have a rock-solid 993 that, so far, I put 2-3K miles per year on i.e. weekends mostly. Only routine maintenance so far. How much more often should I expect to have a reasonably-modifed 930 in the shop? 2 times, 4 times per season?

Having driven both the 930 and 965, I know what you mean by the fun factor on the 930 (I like both), but concerned about the 930 being in the shop much more often.

I could consider a modded 930, but don't want to get blasted with expenses and shop time. I'm not extremely handy, but could do small stuff myself. I understand that the 930 is for tinkerers, but wondering what exactly that means in my situation.

38D

There really is not much difference in terms of reliability between the 930s and the 965s. The major area for failure/issues is the CIS, which the 965s still have.

srf506

38D,
The 930s age also comes into that equation. I don't care how well its built, after 20+ years of driving stress, especially at the "sportier" end of the scale we all push these things to you can expect the reliability to be starting down that slippery slope. However, I dare you to show me another make of vehicle, that old, that still performs like the 930 does, and still looks as good with really a minor set of maintenence issues. The 965 was another in Porsche's long-line of "evolutionary", not "revolutionary" improvements to an already great concept.