stoked944

what is the difference? are the 88's and after all turbo s? And also on a different note why do some 944's have that thin panel on the side of the car while others don't? do all the turbos have them? thanks dudems. <img border="0" alt="[burnout]" title="" src="graemlins/burnout.gif" />

dave120

In 88 there was a turbo and a turbo S. In 89 the all turbos were turbo S spec. The S has around 250 hp vs close to 220 for the regular turbos, bigger front brakes, Limited slip, and a little bit bigger turbo and probably some other things that I don't know about since I'm not a turbo guy. I think stiffer suspension, bigger sway bars maybe?

stoked944

by looking at an 88 how can i tell if its an s model?

dave120

Most obvious is probably look at the size of the front brakes I would guess...

Nabeel

Regular '88 turbos had phonedial wheels. The S had design 90s. Plus the S only came in Silver Rose metallic with a plaid cloth interior.

For '89, all the turbos (as well as the S2) had the design 90 wheels and came in all the standard colors.

I'm guessing the 'thin panel' you refer to is the bosy side molding. It was optional on all cars I believe, even the turbos. Dave corered the basics in regard to mechanical differences between the '88 turbo, turbo S, and '89 turbo. I think some '89 turbos had smaller than S-spec sway bars. Maybe some of the turbo guys here can clear this up.

Red1

One way from the outside is the 16" Club Sport forged wheels. They look like the cast Design 90 wheels, but once you know the difference it's an easy spot. Wheel Enhancement has some good pictures on their website. Sway bars are 30mm front and 20mm rear. The adjustable Koni's are another thing to look for. The fronts look a lot different from the regular turbo's suspension bits. If the original warranty and maintenance book is with it, line 4 will be a 52, as the engine codes for the 88 turbo S and 89 turbos was M44/52. As opposed to M44/51 for the rest of the turbos. You should find option codes 030 (suspension) and 220 (limited slip differential) also listed. All this information is also represented on a sticker under the carpet, between the taillights.

951Badger

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by Nabeel:
<strong>Regular '88 turbos had phonedial wheels. The S had design 90s. Plus the S only came in Silver Rose metallic with a plaid cloth interior.

</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Actually that's not true. In 1988 you could get an "S" spec car in a variety of interior/exterior colors. The Silver Rose was a "special edition" that was supposed to have stopped production after a limited number were made but much to the chagrin of Silver Rose buyers Porsche decided to make more than originally planned.

jim944s2

Option code in the rear hatch area near the spare tire should say 030 or M030, as I believe Turbo S's were M030 spec. Yeah, front brakes will be bigger than rears (non S brakes are the same size front and rear). Option code for Limited slip is 220, S or non-S. I don't think all S's came w/ sport seats, another option.
Don't turbo S's have a bigger clutch too? I think everything else (other than the extra 25hp and the turbo, K27?) is just M030 spec (sway bars, torsion bars, ride height adjustable front Konis), all very good stuff.
Auto-crossing we don't see any advantage to the S over a 88 to 85.5 that is fairly well set up, but for auto-x you're better off w/ a S2 anyway. For light-track/DE use the main advantage will be the bigger brakes, as you can toast 951 front pads w/ some effort and the right track layout, but a brake cooling kit should take care of most of that. The S will probably be easier to mod, as the brakes/susp. will take bigger hp more easily.
I really don't know if they're worth the extra money, other than they have the 'options' you want in a 951 (and they're more 'desireable').

Red1

Import numbers:
1988: 718 turbo S
1874 turbo
1989: 1385 turbo

Compare to 1986: 7513
1987: 3210

That's why it seems so much easier to find the early ones. There are just more of them.

Waterguy

The option code for the 1988 Turbo S package is M758. All the Turbo S cars have this option code whether they are Silver Rose or not.

I agree with the conventional wisdom: if you are going to keep the car stock/nearly stock, then it can be worth the extra dollars for the Turbo S/1989 turbo. They are a bit of a collector's item and a great car straight from the factory. If you are going to modify the car to any extent, go with the less expensive 951. You can upgrade the brakes to Big Reds, and you will have to upgrade the suspension past the M030 level anyway. As far as power, if you spend $300 and put good (not Autothority) chips and a boost controller on a Turbo S, you typically get about 255 rwhp, 290 ft-lbs rw torque. You can get this power out of a non-S with the stock KKK 26-6 turbo using a Guru Stage 2 MAP kit, for about $1,150; a much lower total investment. Next step would be more expensive mods on either car.

sybelix

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by Red1:
<strong>Import numbers:
1988: 718 turbo S
1874 turbo
1989: 1385 turbo

Compare to 1986: 7513
1987: 3210

That's why it seems so much easier to find the early ones. There are just more of them.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">And 1990: 144 Turbo's... <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

I got one.. <img border="0" alt="[thumbsup]" title="" src="graemlins/bigok.gif" />

944Fest (aka Dan P)

One way I can tell a TS is by the door panels. All the 88 S's and 89's I've seen have a flat panel with speakers under the armrest. Earlier models have a pocket. Many time I'm trying to differentiate on a race prepped car, so wheels, brakes, etc are often swapped out. Does anyone know for sure if this was a s/non S item?

dave120

The extra speakers are the 10 speaker option that you could get on any 944 after like 88? 87 maybe? I don't know..I think it may have come standard on the S but there are definately regular turbos that have it. My S2 has it too..

Sami951

Tommy, that's a huge avatar!! Try this instead:
<img src="http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/u/asujamaa/tommy951.jpg" alt=" - " />

<img border="0" alt="[cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" />

jabbadeznuts

Hye, Siblex, that avatar is huge.....