skipp

I'm looking for a 930 and would appreciate feedback on what mods are common to make the 4 speed more driver friendly for city driving.

Thanks for any help

A930Rocket

The best bet would be to change the gears. It would limit the top end, cost more, but be better than a new ring and pinion IMHO.

F350Lawman

I never heard the 4 speed wasn't friendly for the street. It's almost an automatic...2nd gear for anything between 15-90mph On the track the 4 speed is challenged in some peoples opinion. Personally I like it and with enough hp, I think the 4 gears can work just fine. Lowered R&P would make it even quicker out of the turns and still give you enough top end for every track you are likely to encounter. On the street though, lowered gears would be counter productive in my book unless you're racing light to light.

A930Rocket

I should have siad I was happy with my stock gears for the street and track, but if you were determined to do something, change the gear(s).

F350Lawman

I should have siad I was happy with my stock gears for the street and track, but if you were determined to do something, change the gear(s).

Yeah man, you're slippin'

pcar964

What is the exact speed in each gear at redline, does anyone know?

Mark Houghton

[QUOTE=F350Lawman;6575515]It's almost an automatic...2nd gear for anything between 15-90mph QUOTE]

Now that's one of the better descriptions I've heard on this much discussed topic!
I tend to agree and feel that the 930 is really designed for the 4 tall legs it has. I kinda like standing on the throttle and watching all the bells and whistles and lights and gauges doing their thing while I build speed, without having to concentrate on over-revving and having to shift. To me nothing feels better than a nice long full throttle pull...and you get to do it 4 times! That's extended endorphins to the brain = serious addiction.

A930Rocket

Don't I know it! I can't even remember what I had for breakfast....

srf506

I've alway found the 930 4-speed to be very user friendly on the street. It's as close to an automatic as you'll ever get. 90% of the time I'm in 2nd or third gear and just leave it there. In second, if you need to move it'll accelerate like a scalded rabbit, and third is kind of like an overdrive gear for economy. It'll move out, but your way above most urban speed limits at that point. The only time I get to go to fourth is on the interstate, and usually I'm not near one.

Chuck Jones

SRF: Whereas I have the 4 speed and like the tall gears insofar as leading onto freeway onramps or being able to accelerate for a substantial amount of time without having to change gears, IMHO, I do not think this is an ideal car for city traffic. Additonally, on one of the the fun runs where we went into an out-of-the-way mountainous route and I was amongst a string of cars (which invariably ends up with someone being a speedbump), I found it difficult to find a gear that was "in between".....I was either winding it too tight, or almost lugging it....and was constantly shifting to find the comfort zone.

Now on the road, or in a situation where there's a lot of distance between lights or stops, I love it...and I like the long gears for phasing into traffic....especially second and third.

srf506

Guess it depends on the speed limits and roads you're on. Here in Florida I've got fairly long runs for a pretty substantial part of the time. There's maybe 12 lights in the 13 miles I drive one way a day to work, but most are probably clustered in a 5 mile radius right around my subdivision. Speed limits are typically 45 MPH, with a few sections of 35, and about a two-mile stretch at 50. Generally, I run it to 3rd gear and it cruises around 2 - 3k Rs which seems to be a fairly happy place for it. My car is a Euro w/o much in the way of EPA stuff left on it, so maybe that makes some difference, but I thought the trannys were the same for a US or ROW car. I have found a few cases like you mentioned where traffic is running kind of "in-between" gear ranges. Usually in that case I leave it at higher revs versus lugging it. By higher I mean 3 - 4k. My gas guage seems to mind it more than the engine. I actually wish I had more time on long accelerating runs like up the expressway ramps. My car will nail 6k RPM really quickly. Only in third and fourth can I "wind it out" for any length of time. Mine's just a basic '85 930 pretty much in Euro-stock trim, no headers, wastegate springs, still running CSI, and a stock airbox.

Chuck Jones

I guess that's why Porsche eventually went to the five speed in 89. Folks wanted something with a better gear spread...but there are afficianados for both the 4 and the 5 speed versions. Some guys like the long gears....great when you're pacing someone who has to shift and you can keep going and blow on by. I've never driven a 5 speed 930 so I don't really have a point of comparison, but other than those instances where you get "in between" on an rpm range....I enjoy driving it. I too keep it wound up if it's a choice between lugging or keeping it wound tighter. And you're right....the gas companies like it when you wind it tight!!

srf506

I think you're right about the changes Chuck. By the time Porsche had taken the "2nd-gen" 930 to the end of its development they had fine tuned the engine, turbo, IC, and FI system to the point to hold it in the "right" rev bands it needed a more uniform spread in the tranny. That, and Porsche had finally gotten confidence the 5-speed would be reliable enough with the turbo and, they were also anticipating the even better twin turbo, AWD variant coming out the next year or so. If I was going to do anything to my box it'd be a gear ratio change and not just a ring and pinion fix. Things have to work together as a system and I think you can match the gear sets much better than making an arbitrary change with the R&P. But of course budget is everything and it depends on how far you wanna go down a really slippery slope ;-)
Good luck with it and let us know what you do.

Jim

Chuck Jones

SRF: Sorry if I gave you the impression I was planning on changing out gear ratios or R and P...I have a factory slant, and the value of the car lies in maintaining originality. Although I have done a few modifications that appear in my signature block...all my upgrades have been bolt-ons so that I can retro to stock when it comes time to sell. I'll be sticking with the 4 speed which...aside from the issues we've discussed, isn't that difficult to drive once you get used to the longer gears and keeping the rpm's up.

Chuck

srf506

Chuck, you can always keep the stock gears and give them to a future buyer if he really wants it "stock." I would submit that most drivers couldn't tell you if you'd changed the gears out or not, unless he was a very knowledgeable Porsche fanatic. I agree with your premise though, that's why I've made very few mods to my car period.