new here and a couple of questions
#1
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I am new to this forum. i just bought a 1988 944turbo. 77,500miles and the timing belt was just done 10,000miles ago. Well i am very pleased with this car and the way it handles, and drives. I was wondering if the factory boost gauge was very accurate. When i first got the car the boost gauge would read just barely above 1bar(14.8psi i believe)
I have an autometer boost gauge that i have not yet installed to get a more accurate reading. well after checking all the boost tubes and re-tighting all the hose clamps now the car under heavy gas pedal usage boosts to almost 1and a half bar(22-25psi? i think). Is this normal?
Also i replaced the spark plugs with bosch platinum2 plugs, in most peoples opinions are these good trouble free plugs?
I have a turbo xs bypass valve, what is a good way to install it without interfeering with the stock air intake tube?
Last question. So what are some good mods that i can do to start off with that i will be real happy with performance wise. I have had a few other turbo cars(vw1.8t, chrysler conquest tsi) so i am not new to wrenching on cars or internet forums.
thanks for the help
jason
I have an autometer boost gauge that i have not yet installed to get a more accurate reading. well after checking all the boost tubes and re-tighting all the hose clamps now the car under heavy gas pedal usage boosts to almost 1and a half bar(22-25psi? i think). Is this normal?
Also i replaced the spark plugs with bosch platinum2 plugs, in most peoples opinions are these good trouble free plugs?
I have a turbo xs bypass valve, what is a good way to install it without interfeering with the stock air intake tube?
Last question. So what are some good mods that i can do to start off with that i will be real happy with performance wise. I have had a few other turbo cars(vw1.8t, chrysler conquest tsi) so i am not new to wrenching on cars or internet forums.
thanks for the help
jason
#2
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When your boost guage is reading 1 bar, it means that the pressure inside the intake is now at normal atmospheric pressure (sea level). It's not until you go above one bar that you're actually "on boost." I believe 1 bar is 14.7psi (correct me if I'm wrong, please). If you peg the boost guage at 2 bar, the boost guage is taking into account 1 bar of atmospheric pressure, and 1 bar of boost. I thought the same thing when I bought my car! "Man they use a lot of boost!" Then I found out about that, and realized that it wasn't actually that much. If your car is stock, I think it should be boosting in the neighborhood 10 psi (?).
As far as the bypass valve? Is it a stock replacement? I'm not too familiar with that exact one so im not much use there.
Modifications: Search is your friend, but most people go to several different places.
-Lindsey Racing offers anywhere from mild bolt on enhancements, to full blown 3.0 engines. They are located in Oklahoma City, and from what I hear, they have great customer service, and great parts.
-Vitesse Racing is also primarily a 951 tuner, and offers many different turbo kits from stages 1 all the way to 5. Vitesse also has several MAFs, fuel system and ignition upgrades, as well as performace chips.
-951Max is growing ever more popular among the 951/944 crowd. I believe he only does performance chips, but they say his work is top notch.
-Speed Force Racing is located in San Diego, and does quite a bit with exhaust systems, intercoolers, turbos, waste gates, and pretty much anything else you can think of. They also do custom work. Tim is a very nice guy and I've done business with them. I have their Stage 1 headers on my car, and I'll soon have his 3'' test pipe, 2 piece cross over pipe, and cat back system.
I'm not sure how familiar with the 944 series cars you are, but the timing belt is one of the largest maintenance items you need to keep an eye on. General rule is to change them every 30,000 miles, and after each change, the belt should be checked after ~2000 miles.
Welcome to Rennlist! I hope you decide to become a member!
-Darwin
As far as the bypass valve? Is it a stock replacement? I'm not too familiar with that exact one so im not much use there.
Modifications: Search is your friend, but most people go to several different places.
-Lindsey Racing offers anywhere from mild bolt on enhancements, to full blown 3.0 engines. They are located in Oklahoma City, and from what I hear, they have great customer service, and great parts.
-Vitesse Racing is also primarily a 951 tuner, and offers many different turbo kits from stages 1 all the way to 5. Vitesse also has several MAFs, fuel system and ignition upgrades, as well as performace chips.
-951Max is growing ever more popular among the 951/944 crowd. I believe he only does performance chips, but they say his work is top notch.
-Speed Force Racing is located in San Diego, and does quite a bit with exhaust systems, intercoolers, turbos, waste gates, and pretty much anything else you can think of. They also do custom work. Tim is a very nice guy and I've done business with them. I have their Stage 1 headers on my car, and I'll soon have his 3'' test pipe, 2 piece cross over pipe, and cat back system.
I'm not sure how familiar with the 944 series cars you are, but the timing belt is one of the largest maintenance items you need to keep an eye on. General rule is to change them every 30,000 miles, and after each change, the belt should be checked after ~2000 miles.
Welcome to Rennlist! I hope you decide to become a member!
-Darwin
#3
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I think you may be making a mistake the way you are interpreting the dash boost gauge.
Where it reads 1 is actually normal atmospheric pressure with no Turbo boost. Where it reads 2 is actually 1 bar of Turbo Boost. If your gauge was reading 1 bar then it means you were getting no boost at all. All your tightening has obviously cured a few leaks and you are now seeing 0.5 bar of boost (but you still have 0.2-0.3 bar to find if your car is basically standard)
You have more to come, I think you're gonna love this car
Where it reads 1 is actually normal atmospheric pressure with no Turbo boost. Where it reads 2 is actually 1 bar of Turbo Boost. If your gauge was reading 1 bar then it means you were getting no boost at all. All your tightening has obviously cured a few leaks and you are now seeing 0.5 bar of boost (but you still have 0.2-0.3 bar to find if your car is basically standard)
You have more to come, I think you're gonna love this car
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#5
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Spark plugs. If you use the search feature for this forum section for spark plugs you will likely find a consensus that NGK’s standard plug is the best for this engine, either BPR7ES or BPR7ES. Stock range (BPR6ES) for the street or one range colder (BPR7ES) for the track.
Denso, Beru etc were also recommenced. This site has a lot of info if you search it. http://www.sparkplugs.com/
You will also find some horror stories about the Bosch plug you are using falling apart under high boost.
If you go back year or two searching for “Special Tool”’s posts you will fid he has documented many mods with dyno charts.
Denso, Beru etc were also recommenced. This site has a lot of info if you search it. http://www.sparkplugs.com/
You will also find some horror stories about the Bosch plug you are using falling apart under high boost.
If you go back year or two searching for “Special Tool”’s posts you will fid he has documented many mods with dyno charts.
#6
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Ahhh, the cycle continues. More fresh blood to the alter. Hehehehhe.
Thing of it is, that the car is a really good car, which most of us here feel was abandoned by Porsche way too early due to cost cutting etc...So we have taken the baton and are running with it. There are many that have been running for a few years now as mentioned above and more, and some like me for only 1 year. How much I've learnt in that year though. There is plenty of stuff you can do to these cars to make them really good, and more stuff seems to be developed every other day which is amazing for such an old, forgotten car.
As for the first mod's to do, well I would suggest deciding which side of the fork you want to turn? Street only or tracking too. If you want to track it then do stuff to the handling and brakes first. In stock form they're ok for a bit of fast cruising on the Hwy, but once on the track the 20 year old suspension and brakes get found out pretty quickly. So this is what i'd look at first. If you just want a street machine, then you can just get some decent chips which will be a good starting point + update the wastegate. There's also plenty of preventative maintenance to be done too on your car to bring it up to scratch. Don't worry though you'll have heaps of fun with it and there's PLENTY of info on this site and others.
Good Luck.![thumbup](https://rennlist.com/forums/graemlins/thumbup.gif)
Oh and you'll find plenty of conjecture as what oil to use. Many swear 'blind' by Mobil 1 synthetic low viscosity water...er...I mean oil. Do lot's of search on this as it is really important to the lifespan of our cars.
Thing of it is, that the car is a really good car, which most of us here feel was abandoned by Porsche way too early due to cost cutting etc...So we have taken the baton and are running with it. There are many that have been running for a few years now as mentioned above and more, and some like me for only 1 year. How much I've learnt in that year though. There is plenty of stuff you can do to these cars to make them really good, and more stuff seems to be developed every other day which is amazing for such an old, forgotten car.
As for the first mod's to do, well I would suggest deciding which side of the fork you want to turn? Street only or tracking too. If you want to track it then do stuff to the handling and brakes first. In stock form they're ok for a bit of fast cruising on the Hwy, but once on the track the 20 year old suspension and brakes get found out pretty quickly. So this is what i'd look at first. If you just want a street machine, then you can just get some decent chips which will be a good starting point + update the wastegate. There's also plenty of preventative maintenance to be done too on your car to bring it up to scratch. Don't worry though you'll have heaps of fun with it and there's PLENTY of info on this site and others.
Good Luck.
![thumbup](https://rennlist.com/forums/graemlins/thumbup.gif)
Oh and you'll find plenty of conjecture as what oil to use. Many swear 'blind' by Mobil 1 synthetic low viscosity water...er...I mean oil. Do lot's of search on this as it is really important to the lifespan of our cars.