Fishguy

Since my car will be stored at home all the while im at college

i have plenty of time to think about a few simple mods to get a little bit more power outta this very nice little car

specs:
1984 944 (european spec, w00t!) with 26,000 miles on it (no joke!)
now, its been taken pretty good care of (though since i got it, the oil pressure seems to run low, frequently going to 1.5 and 2, after it runs for a long period of time (though when revved up to anything past 2 k rpm's, it goes all the way to 5 constant)
is that something to worry about? or could the pressure gauge be misreading do to underuse? that seems to be teh only problem with this car, its got too few miles, and things like the seals dry out (ive got a wee bit of an oil leak do to a leaky seal - i think) I had to get the Clutch slave cylinder replaced becasuse the seal on it failed and leaked alll the fluid out.. the PO said that the seals might've dried out do to underuse (he only drove it 3 times in the last year before i bought it from him)
though it seems to run really well, and seems to have a decent enough amount of power (plenty fast for me!) though you cant expect a whole lot out of an 8 valve NA 4 banger, its still good

but anyway, I would like some advice on planning upgrades to this car
I found 9xauto.com, they seem to have a lot of good info and stuff at reasonable prices

It seems i have to start with changing some parts that might be useful to have changed

like fuel filter, intake boot, fuel pressure regulator & fuel damperner

what are all the little things that need to be done before i actually do teh performance mods?

so far fuel filter, intake boot, fuel pressure regulator & fuel damperner (though i think the last too probably dont need a change yet),

then K&N Oil Filter + Mobil 1 oil (what kind is the best for summer use? they have the 0 w30 "european engine" stuff, or should i go with the multiengine 10 w30?)

ok then will that be all i need to do to actually start doing performance mods?

what would be good bang for buck mods ? new camshaft? new Muffler? upgraded exhaust?

i was thinking to start with a K&N intake kit, including bracket and adapter from 9xauto.com

then a set of Nology Hotwires and Silverstone sparkplugs

after that, i was thinking of a new ECU from Powerchip (though they are $450, are their cheaper yet still comparable chips out there?)

please give you all your reccomendations as to the best way to get more power with the best bang/buck in mind

thanks guys!

hacker-pschorr

Supercharger

944Play

N2O

HY M8NC

Do some research on this thread (a search of the topics) on 9XAuto-that's all I'm going to say.

My car is pretty modded up. Exhaust, cam, DME, Wires/Plugs, K&N, etc. I think it added 15-20hp. A lot of dough for a little power. In my opinion, you would be better off doing suspension/braking mods. Replace the leaky seals-and take care of that car, it will be a pleasure for some time. You just aren't going to get serious power out of it without spending SERIOUS money-and then you still won't be satisfied.

However-learn to drive it, learn to track it, and you will have just as much fun as brutal acceleration.

For the oil pressure. I think a hot engine idles at 2 bar, and then the oil pressure increases 1 bar per 1000rpm. Do a search-this comes up often. I had a problem with low oil pressure-and ended up replacing the oil pressure relief valve. Take a look at that.

M758

You are right except even the brakes are pretty darn good.

Simple fact is that 15 hp is the most you can expect short of increased displacement. In my ming 20hp is pushing it unless you have some crazy 7500 rpm peak cam.

Fix the car to stock specs both mechincal and cosmetic if you want.
Then take it to autocross and high performance driver's ed events and learn to use all the potential in the car.
Then you can stiffen the suspension and the car will handle even better, but may be a bit stiff on the road depending on how much you do.

Power? in a 944? Ha... that is funny!

You can get speed, but that comes from never slowing down!

Dave951M

One other path to consider for more power-

1) sell the 944
2) buy a 951

tifosiman

<OR>

Spend a TON of cash on your 944 and then decide that you are in too deep and start looking for a 951 motor........



Wait, that's me......

Tifo

Mr. Avionics

What they said.

But seriously, your not going to set the world on fire power wise but you can do some realy good mods for suspension/handling/braking. I have an 83 an have a set of 87 951 sway bars to go on then on to some more suspension mods. Been just doing all the little detail fix ups so far tho.

An oh yes, Replace the timing belt and water pump before you do anything else, even/especially since it has such low miles for the age the belt should be replaced before it goes and trashes the whole kit-n-kaboodle.....

Have fun,
Bill

And did I say replace the timing belt?

Manning

9xauto is a nightmare, avoid them like the plague.

Charlotte944

Unless you have real deep pockets, getting any significant performance increases from "bolt on" stuff is a waste of time (IMHO).

My advice is to keep the car stock. With only 26,000 miles on the odometer of a Euro Spec car, you have a fairly rare automobile that has more horses than a US Spec car. I've had the pleasure of driving a Euro Spec '83, and it stomped all over my stock US Spec '84.

Andre

uh why would you do something SOOOOO stupid?????

geez i hope i fixed my overheating problem on my 951 swap....

pete944

Get the engine in top stock mechanical shape. Belts, waterpump, hoses, plugs, etc.
After that add Koni yellow shocks, 968 M030 swaybars, 200-250lb front springs (stiffer if you plan to track the car but then you should also upgrade the rear t-bars), 951 brakes, and a good set of tires (popular choices are Bridgestone Potenza S-03 or Yokohama AVS ES-100).
The best chip I've heard of for NA motors is FR Wilk's chip. I wouldn't spend over $200 on a chip. There's not that big of a return on your money.

EZRider

After reading through everyone's recommendations here's what I think. You've got a somewhat rare 944 with exceptional low mileage. This in itself is a nice bragging right. Keep the engine and everything else up to tune. Pay attention to the little details like a small burnt bulb in glove compartment, etc. Upgrades for your car I'd invest on the chassis. To get the most out of your money on engine upgrade the supercharger seems like the best choice. But you have to ask yourself if you really want that extra speed bad enough to spend 4k$+++. There's nothing wrong if that's exactly what you want

Andre

i dunno about ther supercharger, i spent less money putting in a turbo motor and rebuilt the head, new headgasket, 30k turbo, oil cooler seals and such, clutch.....

Tom

Think about this for engine mods: When Porsche looked for more power they added valves and a cam. I don't think they would have done that if there was a simpler way. Ultimately they added another 0.5 liter.