944 S2...NOS, MSD, EXHAUST,CHIP.....Ahhh the madness
 

OK, I want some honest opinons from people with experience in modifications. I have a stock 944 S2 Cabriolet with 112,000 miles and it runs great. But like everyone else I crave some more power. Now before you go off saying get a turbo I've driven both and prefer the low end power of the S2. I am really looking for power when I'm passing on the highway or dropping down a gear. I have seen the following.

NOS system for 944 NA from 9XAuto

Powerchip/SteveR chip upgrade

SFR/Borla exhaust

MSD ignition

I have looked at both the Huntley Racing supercharger and the SFR supercharger. I think both would be great but at $5,000 or more are not really in my budget right now. Plus I'm not sure of the effects on the engine in the long run.

I looked at the Powerchips and they sound really promissing. I also have seen a couple of induction mods which would also be good.
The 9xauto NOS kit is a 50-75 HP shot of Nitros.
The MSD system is installed in my friends Mustang Cobra and he swears by it.

My question is with these components installed correctly and all preventative maintanence done would this be a safe and worth while power increaser? I'm going to run relatively low boost from the NOS and 93 octane fuel. I'm looking for 50-75 HP gain with the NOS setup with a progressive controller.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I know the old adage about our cars and the whole "If there were any more power Porsche would have found it" But Porsche also has to work in very restrictive environments as far as emmisions and what not. Anyway, fire away. :)

Couldn't tell you about the other mods you have there, but the MSD Ignition will definitely make your car more responsive. Courtesy of Skip's write up on how to install it, it took just under an hour from raising hood to closing hood. My car started quicker and the revs seemed more confident. On a low tank of gas, and some weight removed (spare tire, etc.) I indicated 138 mph with what felt like more room to go...the MSD was the only thing I had done at that time. Very worth it for a couple hundred bucks. It can also give you enough spark to ignite the more fuel you'll use with the nitrous setup.

-edit-
MSD recommended the "Blaster 2" coil, but I opted for the more powerful "SS Coil". I also ran a MSD-6AL (rev limiter via plug in RPM module) igntion box.

Very good info. Is the MSD setup info on the same webpage as the SteveR chip info? Thanks. Keep em coming.

I got it from Skip's tech collection (tech-session.com)...

http://www.tech-session.com/kb/index...x_v2&id=87&c=4

I say save your money up and get a supercharger. Then you'll have more low end torque than the typical 3L and better high end than the 2.5L Turbo. We 951 owners will be jealous of you for a change. ;)

Lose the S2, and get the 951. The S2 is for a more city type enviroment. It has alot of low end torque, no turbo lag. The 951 is more of a highway car, it has a system that you can easily upgrade. It's alot easier to upgrade the 951 than the S2. But I think the S2 has a supercharger from SFR.

>>Now before you go off saying get a turbo I've driven both and prefer the low end power of the S2.<<

I agree. But, I'll STILL say get a 951 if (like I have been at many points) you are on a search for a lot more power. A good 951 setup can greatly reduce the turbo lag and with enough mods you will have power and torque aplenty. And, it's supposedly tough to tune an S2 to get along with a supercharger, or so I've heard from a couple of sources (Anderson, Broadfoot) in the past.

YMMV Al

I bet it wouldn't cost you too much more than 5 grand to get Anderson to turbo your S2. Then you've the best of both worlds really. On a low boost setup you keep the stock S2 compression, etc so it goes on the low end just the same..then goes a lot more. And if you get crazy later on you can go all out like Dfastest951 and get 500+ hp out of your S2 motor. Once you break the turbo threshold on an S2 motor the options are the same as they would be on a 951 for the most part, with a higher ceiling being as it's 3.0L and 16 valves.

I personally wouldn't put NOS near a Porsche, but that's just me.

91S2,

To lose the S2 for a 951 means losing the convertible top plus the hundreds of other mods he has done to his car. That's probably not an option.

I disagree: the S2 is a remarkable track car. Since it is more of a momentum car, it also teaches better driving skills: the power of a turbo covers a multitude of sins! Plus with the low end torque, it's got great pulling away power. Sure, the 951 is faster on the straights, but WHO CARES? Anyone can hit the loud pedal and go fast in a straight line.

Do NOT get NOS for the S2. NOS is great for straight line acceleration, but it is also great for destroying your engine. Do NOT Supercharge or turbo your S2. The S2 engine is 15+ years old, probably with close to 100k miles. Doing anything substantial to an old and tired engine is NOT a good idea. Be happy and satisfied with your car. Geez, 208hp is quite a lot of power. I have a 944S2, and believe me, it costs me enough just to maintain it in this stock form! Introduce forced induction or NOS, and you're just in for trouble. (Bear in mind, that the S2 has 16 valves, and at about $100 per valve, if you do damage to them, the parts alone can add up to $1600.00!!!!)

Ok, so you don't have the pulling away power to beat those Bling! Bling! Honda's at the traffic light. But once you throw in some corners, it is all over. Have fun with the car in the twisties, and forget about the straights.

Ok, getting off my soapbox again....
-Zoltan.

I was going to comment on the great track car thing, but I had a feeling someone was going to get down my back for it. :rolleyes:

>>WHO CARES? Anyone can hit the loud pedal and go fast in a straight line.<<

I think many of us get the musclecar itch for straight-line acceleration at one point or another.

The S2 is a very impressive car, I love mine, probably better than the several 951s I've owned over the years. As stated many times here, in the right hands an S2 can positively humiliate a 951 in most venues.

If you are most interested in driving a drop top, here in the US market, then indeed, your options obviously include turbocharging your S2 engine or transplant in a 951 engine and mothball the S2 engine for a rainy day.

I have been exploring all these options myself; if I go this route, I will probably turbo the S2 after dropping the CR with shorter rods and other relevant work. Great thing is you can get 996 Turbo-beating performance for a small fraction of that car's cost.

YMMV Al

Yeah. how do you think I feel with my 924S with a whopping 150 (on the high side) hp?!?!?! be happy with what you've got!

From what I know an old block is better then a new block.
Because if there was someing to go wrong with it, Its not going to happen now becuase the block has flexed into its limits and actually makes it stonger.

I completely disagree. Sure, a stock block after running 100k miles will most likely keep on going and going, as long as everything is not changed. But age and mileage does stress an engine: where there is friction, there is wear. Just like tires have a given lift expectancy, so do engines.

When you introduce NOS or forced induction (turbocharger or supercharger) you are now putting a lot more stress on the block. While the block was fine with what it has been used to, adding this pressure will ultimately result in some form of breakage.

Think of it this way: if you have an old balloon that you've filled with helium 100 times to a specific volumetric pressure, it will handle that pressure. Now try filling it with twice that pressure, and it will fair far less favorably than a new balloon being blown up to this level.

Yes, I've been hitting the helium too much! Sorry. :bigbye:

-Z. (singing "We're off to see the Wizard" in a Munchkin voice...)