I've been seeing performance parts and performance part websites selling different suspension set ups for early 85 and late 85 and on. I'd like to know what the differences are between the suspension set ups and how hard it would be to upgrade to better suspension from later model years on an early model 944. I'm just not seeing differences here... Please help me out!

 

The later models use different control arms that are cast aluminum vs the stamped steel the earlier models use. Is it better? Sure, but new control arms for the later models are $530.00 each. New control arms for the early models are $21.00 each. So is the new setup up 25 times better? Hell no.

As far as the geometry angles, I don't know the differences or the reasons behind them.

 

OK, here's how I understand it, from early cars (83-85.1) to later cars (85.2 to "when the wheel offset changed" 87??).
Front - Early car has steel control arms, late has aluminum. Both are interchangeable. However, be careful before you "upgrade" to the later aluminum ones. The steel arms have very inexpensive replaceable ball joints, the aluminum ones don't. The steel arm is good. For most racing, a boxed steel one is hard to beat. Strut inserts (the front "shock") and springs are interchangeable. Sway bars are identical (obviously except for diameter) on all cars including 968, as are the inner mount. However the outer mount is different between steel and aluminum control arms. Just use the outer swaybar mount that goes with the proper control arm.

Rear - Most parts interchangeable. As in the front, the rear arms are steel, where the later ones are aluminum. Again, dimensionally the same, and not alot to be gained by going to the later setup. The rear bearings are different, the early setup uses 2 bearings, where the later setup is a single sealed bearing. Swaybars all interchange with the correct bushings. Shocks are different, but not by much. The shock its self is the same, just the diameter of the attachment bolt is different, bigger in the later cars. This makes the mounting hole bigger in the later shocks. Some have used the late shocks on an early car by using a sleeve to take up the slack in the mounting hole of the shock. This won't work the other way around!

That should do it. One other thing to note when looking at "underneath" differences of the early and later cars is the transaxle mount. This is probably the biggest single difference in the chassis. The earlier setup used 2 hefty mounts to the frame, where the later uses one mount to a added crossmember. Most agree the earlier setup is preferred.

 

Ok I was wondering this because I was looking at possibly getting rear coilovers to replace the torsion bars, and my friend who conveniently lives down the street has an 87 turbo on which he has the later Turbo S Koni Adjustables, and i've driven his car and it rides really well and you get a great sense of control, so i've found some from Lart for $200 and was wondering how hard those would be to mount up on my car or if they're just interchangeable, which is what I'm guessing murrayg means by that. Any advice as far as bang for your buck suspension upgrades go on an early 85? Thanks for the help guys!

 

Also if i wanted to upgrade transmissions, would i be able to use my mounts on the later transmissions or would there need to be some sort of custom mounts that would need to be made?

 

Trans will bolt right in. You can buy a full suspension pretty cheap from a later car but85.5 or 86 is your correct offset