daly944

I have decided without a doubt that I am going to either turbocharge or supercharge, or maybe even nitrous my car. I will not buy a 951 cause i am completely in love with my car, it has very low miles, I installed custom stereo, and it is in mint condition. My question is, what would be the best mod, cheapest mod, most reliable mod:supercharger, turbocharger, or nitrous. Thanks

TLMikey

There's a shop near me that has seen 2 of the N/A supercharged cars and he wasn't fond of either. Both apparently had a really bad flat spot and had numerous problems with their fuel mapping. I've run nitrous on my truck and loved it....I also blew the motor up when the fuel pump seized....Doh! I know this isn't popular with the Porsche crowd, but check out a V-8 transplant. It seems to be the only alternative besides a 968 transplant that is worth the money.

deni durrell

I have spoken with a few people about doing what you want to do and have gotten a lot of flack for it (people hanging up on me, telling me off, etc.). They have said that for the price of changing all the necessary components, - you know this already - buying and modifying a 951 would be cheaper... But hey, if you are made of money, why not? I have this attitude as well, but I am thinking of just getting a second car (a 951). Here's something that I got from Powerhaus, (it is well-known that they are are expensive, but they are also a very reputable conversion specialist in the industry):

"Unfortunately, it's not cost-effective to connvert the non-Turbo models. The pistons, rods, cooling & fuel systems, exhaust, clutch, transmission, suspension, and brakes are not designed to accommodate or cope with the added power of a turbo. If your car is a 944S2 or 968 we can turbocharge the engine to achieve well beyond 400hp, but the cost is over $20,000."

Personally, I would NEVER, EVER install a Chevy engine in a Porsche. I'm not going to get all snobby about it (you should read what people say on the 911 lists - they go nuts! they have a thread that is STILL going after several months!! Insane!) I just think that when you put something like that in a highly engineered German machine, it is no longer a Porsche... Even if it fits and works "more efficiently" (ahem).. While it sounds fun and entertaining from a mechanical viewpoint, I wouldn't be able to stand myself driving around in something like that. <shrug>

Anyhow, I don't know what your background is, but perhaps you can do-it-yourself cheaply and cost effectively. nonetheless - I know exactly how you feel about your machine, I feel the same way about mine & I've only had it for 6 weeks...

Just my 2 cents (and a bag a chips).

Thaddeus

Yeah, they had a vicious flame war going over on the 928 board about a 911 with a Chevy engine. Lots of bad feelings and now people don't post to that board nearly as much.

I don't think doing extensive mods to an NA 944 is going to do anything but spoil the car. Porsche did an awful lot of beefing up of chassis, etc, when they built the 951. If you really want power, start at the high end and build from there, not from the low end... otherwise you're spending a lot of money and work just to pull even.

my 2p

~Thaddeus~

Tabor

What do you mean by this? Are you saying they used different chassies for the 951 than the 944 NA? If so, either you or Jim Pasha is wrong. I have read that the 944 Turbo S had a stiffened chassie.

Thaddeus

It was my understanding that the brakes, suspension, and transmission/clutch were all modified for the turbo.

Thaddeus

Tabor

Thaddeus: For that you are right. The clutch, tranny and suspension is modified. I though you meant that the tub was actually different for the 951. It was slightly more rigid for the 951 S.

I agree that for a nice street ride, selling a 944 NA and buying a 951 is the way to go. However, if you are going to replace the suspension and brakes already, starting with a 944 NA is no big deal IMHO.

Tabor

And one more thing, the 944NA tranny can take the power. That is not a problem. At least, Renegade hybrids says that they have not had any problems with 300-350HP applications.

-Tabor

Exotic HorsePower

I have own three 944s. My current 944 is a highly modified 91 944S2 Cab. For the money I spent to acheive acceptable levels of horsepower I could of purchased a 400HP LT1 and installed it. There were many 944s built and there values have drop to a all time low. A V8 conversion will actually increase the value of a 944. The comment " I wouldn't be able to stand myself driving around in something like that." is nuts. I believe a true car enthusiaste would be more concern with the fun factor. I have driven one of these V8 conversion and they are awsome. They have the handling characteristics of a Porsche and the speed of a Viper. The fact is the 944NA is a very rewarding car to drive but they lack horsepower. To convert a 944 it will cost about 7,000.00 which includes all part and a LT1 engine. In other word you will have Exotic car speed for the price of a new Daewoo. I believe Caroll Shelby did this back in the 60's when he took a British sports car known as the AC Ace and transformed it into on of the best known sports cars of all time. The AC Cobra.

deni durrell

exotic-
With all due respect: you are most likely right about the ride on one of those lt1/944 things (never had the opportunity to try it), but I tend to be more of a purist on these matters. I think that a 'true enthusiast' means that they love motorsport as a whole. Which is fine. I think it's OK to have people who try different things, but it's not my "cup of tea".

It has been well documented that it is cheaper to put in a chevy w/mods than a porsche w/mods, but, to reiterate - it wouldn't be a Porsche anymore, would it? So on one hand you've got the motorsport enthusiast, and on the other you have the 'Porsche' enthusiast.

It all depends on what a person is trying to achieve and at what price they are willing to go. My bro (who has an m coupe + m3, is a crazy BMW nut [lives in Folsom btw], and says the ferrari factory is awesome) says, "The more money you spend, the faster you go", which may or may not be true in this case, but... ymmv (your mileage may vary)?

I dunno, I never see those types of cars racing (!) It's usually (in GT anyway) Ford + McLaren, BMW + <whatever>, Mercedes + <whatever>.... exotic: did you see that guy's yellow carrera w/ the short block V8? he is on a one of the lists here. Looked like a clean install, but the air filter makes it look like a redneck sportscar.
(SF, Ca)

Adam Richman

I might have misunderstood him but in talking to the guys at Huntley Racing . . . I thought the guy told me I could get somewhere around an extra 40 ponies going to dry sump. I personally can't spend the 3 to 4K now on the car and in your case, you might not want to have a dry sump case riding shotgun.

FWIW,
Adam

Untier

do the V8 and LIVE for a change
im doing my 88 944 na and its only costing me about $3,000. at the most.
can you imagine what its like to drive a 350 hp porsche (thats show room stock hp) without going broke, and its everyday depenable, of course you have to have the mechanical and mental abilty to do this, and there arent too many that actually can. dont listen to the winers that think their purist, talk with someone who has done it and then youll see what its all about. try renegade hybrids.......

Dave

Why not just pick up a mid eighties Camaro for a few hundred bucks, and throw six or seven thousand dollars into the suspension???

Ahmet

We have different ideas about the engine swap issue... I personally bought the Porsche, cause I like the way it drives. Granted I haven't driven a 944 with a V-8 in it, but I don't want to. Call me a whiner, I'm buying a turbo that should smoke a 944 with an LT 1 without much of a problem.

*** Despite what renegade says, the 944's transaxle (of the 8v non turbo models) can NOT handle too much extra power, and neither can the clutch (and if you break ~250+), not even the torque tube. You know there's a reason why Porsche put the uprated parts in the 944 T, with only so much more power.
Ahmet

Untier

personally im doing it for more power, i like the looks and handling, but the na just dont have jack for power. if i had a turbo it would be quite another matter. this started when i had a maxima wax my ***. if im easy with the CHEVY clutch, there should be NO trans problems, but im looking for a turbo trans now for the gearing anyways. when its done we can compare weights with my buds 16V. should be about 50 lbs? ive never heard of a torque tube problems. im only aiming for about 350 motor hp, show room stock corvette - dependable w/power, that doesnt have to be wound up. and i could build it even more to beat your buddys 914 1.7 :-) for a 1/4 of the price. and a camaro aint squat to a porsche! dont even go there. i can 2x+ the power and be dependale for $3,000. couldnt do that w/a porsche motor. its not a legal class to race but i dont track and only need it "on demand" for the street. where is that rice-a-roni thing?