Devia

Please post your experience, what you have done!

Several of us would like to know.

Devia

From what I have seen personally, usually done with a Corvette engine (an LT4?).

What I have seen has been beautiful, but most of us would like to know:

1) Did you have to change the transmission?

2) Suspension upgrade?

3) How easy or difficult to care for? Things such as changing spark plugs, timing belt maintenance. There isn't much room in there, from what I've seen.

Thanks!

DanD

Julie,

The 944 na trans is a bit weak, but it will work for a while if you don't 'shock' the system. Dumping the clutch, speed shifting, racing in general. A turbo trans would be better, a TurboS trans would be the best.

Usually they upgrade the front springs to handle the extra weight, (kinda weak anyway).

Sometimes a replacement hood is necessary if you don't get the right engine.

You'll loose your power brakes. May or may not be an issue, it sure would be for me. Some $good$ brake pads might make up the difference.

No timing belt, only a chain that lasts forever. Plugs might be a problem.

Porsche-O-Phile

Yea, just check out renegadehybrids.com; they have a pretty detailed writeup on the modifications required. The only thing I don't like about the kit is the dependence on custom-fabricated parts. For example, if your header pipes or bellhousing ever have problems, the ONLY option you have is a custom fabricated unit - theirs - which is undoubtedly expensive.

The weight issue isn't much of a problem, supposedly less than a 2% change from the na engine and less than that from a turbo engine.

Ditto on the transmission - the only difference (as it has been described to me) is the pinion gear and the gear ratios. Supposedly the turbo transmission has a pinion gear with more teeth on it (so the force is transmitted over a greater number of teeth and thus greater area and thus it's less likely to break stuff). The turbo transmission also has slightly taller low gear ratios, whereas the na trans supposedly has shorter 1st through 4th gear ratios but actually a taller 5th gear. Seems kind of odd to me, since the na cars are consequently power-limited rather than gearing-limited for their top-end speed (it seems odd that they'd put such a tall gear in the transmissions that the engines would never have the hope of pushing to their redline limit, so its overkill).

Maybe the folks at Porsche were building in the gearing for anticipated future advances in power (which did occur), but when these came about in the form of the 951 engines, they changed the gearing anyway. Who knows, maybe they changed their minds. Anyway, that's my understanding of the transmissions. I guess the "ideal" setup for a very high-powered car is either an na transmission and gears with a 951 pinion gear or a 951 transmission and pinion gear with na high gear transplanted into it. I might eventually do one of these options in the course of my Callaway-induced upgrades.

Maybe Danno can chime in here - he's the source of a lot of this info. . .

DanD

I suspect that the lower gear didn't change the top speed in the NA much so they opted for better gas mileage.

In the 951 they were trying to set a landmark top speed which they achived somewhat.

Predator

From personal experience, Its been a love/hate relationship. The hate is from receicing parts that don't work as advertised or don't work, period, then having to remove them, replace them, remove them, replace them, etc., etc. I have been thrashing on my car for 3 months now, and just got it back on the road this week. Some of the problems were my making. I decided to upgrade the hedders to the new equal length tube system just offered by Renegade. The right side is an easy install.... the left side is a pain, as the tubes snake thru the steering shaft, engine must be moved up and over, etc. This was done THREE times in the past month, as I was sent hedders manufactured with incorrect flanges, then used incorrect gaskets. Renegade was VERY professional in correcting the problem. Never the less, its been a knuckle-busting month. Then the new TT (actually rebuilt) failed after 300 miles. The front carrier bearing failed. The supplier replaced it with another, but, again, the labor was a pain in the ***. If you like to wrench on your car, then go for it. I love this car and get a BIG smile every time I start it up and go for a drive. Blowing off cars from Z06's to Vipers, and, of course, our back-motored friends with the "attitudes" is priceless!My car is very stealthly, looking like a nice example of an earky 944. Its quiet and dependable (except when I start 'improving' it). I drove 5000 miles with the stock LT-1 with no problems. The manual brakes are no big deal. The car still has the same brakes, you just have to press a little harder, and after 5 minutes, it becomes a natural. I suggest, use as many of Renegades parts as possible, especially their wiring harness, hedders, and, of course, all their advice. Take your time, measure twice, cut once (actually no cutting is necessary).You'll be rewarded with a supercar that is very unique and a real conversation piece. Of course, alot of listers on this thread will crucifiy you! My car ran mid-4's 0 to 60 with the old hedders and exhaust system, and 0-100 in under 10 secs. This is "grannie-shifting" and an easy launch. I hope to see low 4's and a 0 to 100 around 9 flat as soon as I dial in the car with the new improvements.

Old times:
http://forums.rennlist.com/upload/po..._012_copy3.jpg

Matt H

Ask Pred for as much advise as possible, also user, dmsog. Both of their conversions appear very nicely done.
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hacker-pschorr

Devia, what are you up to?

Why not buy a FACTORY V-8 944 = 928

Matt H

Why not buy a FACTORY V-8 944 = Camaro j/k

sorry, couldnt help myself :>)
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Jim 944S

Hate to give legitimacy to this sort of thing... but...

From what I understand a V8 in a 944 gives you a completely different critter than a V8 in a 928. The 944 = Sports car and the 928 was designed as a touring car. I wonder if Porsche would have ever put a V8 in a 944 based car? It seems a natural evolution and since the two cars are so different there should not have been a great deal of threat to 928 sales.

It's just a shame, IMO, that the 928 engine won't fit

Jim 1987 944S

hacker-pschorr

Jim you are 100% correct, in that the 928 was designed to have a V8 and will be a better "shell" to handle the motor vs a 944.

To say the 928 is "just a touring car" doesn't hold water when you consider what Mark Anderson has been able to do with the 928. Show me any 944's running in PCA, or for that matter, any 944 ever made that will run with his 928. Anything short of the factory GT-1 Hugo Boss car(see tube frame monster) won't have a chance. He runs with GT-3 in the PCA and Speed GT series.

944Fest (aka Dan P)

I thought you meant the more PC version of hybrid..

http://www.jstraubel.com/944EV/EVproject.htm

Jim 944S

Hacker...

I think you may have misunderstood. I didn't say the 928 was just a touring car... I said (or implied that I understood) that the 928 had been designed by porsche to fill a touring car niche as the largest of Porsche's transition to front engine development. Like any (almost) Porsche it does an excellent job of going fast (especially when modified), and I'd love to have one (Intend to some day!).

I'll say again, that with the same engine and suspension technology, I wonder how that amount of power in a 944 would compare to the same engine in a 928 as far as handling and such.

Jim 1987 944S (waiting to afford a 928)

hacker-pschorr

Jim, sorry if I came off as picking on your comment, wasn't meant that way. There are a number of people my comment was directed at, most in the 911 world.

I like the idea of the big GM V-6 in a 944 vs the V-8. Those motors can make some serious power and weigh a bit closer to the 944 engine. Or the Buick and/or GM Turbo V-6 is a hell of an idea.

Porsche-O-Phile

Anything can be made to fit with a welder, torch, and enough time and money.