I agree lart, the guy with the smaller powerband will have to shift more and work at it to get the results out of his car. And yes, an ls1 will be cheaper and more reliable.

I personally would never have a v8 unless it was in a Corvette or something like that.. But as lart said, that's just personal preference.

Very interesting thread!

EDIT: I take back my statement about never having a v8 unless it was in a corvette.. I might consider doing something like what Mike is doing with his LS1/80's bmw 5-series! One can try and compare the performance per dollar, but in the end it just comes down to what you would enjoy the most.

 

those are some clean ls install's.

I would like to have a ls7 in my 951. Then I could just do some simple mods and enjoy 135-140 traps.

 

More like blown transmissions and axles.

 

I'm not at all into hybrids, but I will say this. That purple car is hot looking, and gives me the impression it would be a beast on the track? Wow!

 

Also, an NA car is going to be more easily throttle steered thru the corners when the engine is usually going to be in a relatively lower rpm range.

 

And prior to that is trail-braking. After you do your braking, let alone, threshold braking hard, you can come into that turn having confidence with a N/A, that after you trail-brake the RPMs will be their sooner and you can throttle steer thru the turn as you said. This is the on-going challenge turbo people have as we know. Good point Chris!

 

They do make these things called superchargers...

 

Gee, thanks for letting me know E-thug, I never heard of a supercharger. Anyway, I was talking about driving techniques as it related to Chris's post.

 

build the tranny and yeah cv's and axle's will go some.

but, thats not the point is it

 

anyone have a breakdown of the actual costs to do the ls1 into a 944? it seems MUCH higher than simply modifying a turbo by looking at the numbers on renagade hybrid's site:

$2,100 Complete LS-1 kit for 924S, 944, 951 and 968 Porsches, hardware and instructions. For design and application purposes, parts will not be sold separately. (does this really have EVERYTHING I need to drive away with a ls1 in my 944na? just the existance of a large optional parts list makes me think that it doesnt really have all that's needed)

plus optional parts - what do I need here??????

plus the engine $2500-$15k

total is UKNOWN but anywhere from $4.6k to $17k and up

this is where I'm looking for costs

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both cases need a new 951 trans, maybe a new clutch, maybe new brakes but not really since I'm on the street only....

anyone with actual experience and numbers?

this is where I'm looking for actual costs for a nice sporty street 944

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do it the turbo way

from broadfoot racing:

1987 through 1995 944S, 944S2, 968 16 valve engines $4,200 (add $1,200 to R&R and Tune) (I'd have it be done with strong studs and forged everything and metal gasket and low compression, maybe lightened crank)

add turbo parts and vitesse kit/LR kit/exhaust $3k max (combination of used parts when possible)

total for turbo route is about $7.5k

 

+1

V8 = low end grunt and that's it. It runs out of steam way to fast.

Are you, those that do the conversion, looking for the "feel" of a low end car or do you want the best performing car? to inlcude 0-60, 1/4 performance?? I would assume straightline accel is a major factor if one is putting a V8 in their car.

Because 10-15K to have a smile on your face for 4 seconds from a redlight seems very expensive due to the fact that at 5 seconds you will see a VR tuned 951 come screaming past you.

My car is not even at VR levels of spool up (kind of laggy) and I can't tell you how many V8's I have driven around; even in low end/speed races.....much to their dissapointment.

Of course, to each his own.

 

What about a turbo that is more linerar in it's spooling and not a "instant on" turbo?

Just another thing I like about my "too big" of a turbo in that it is very linear, at least in the spool up. I get pressed back into my seat, but not a sudden onslaught of boost

Which I agree at the track is NOT what you want coming out of a corner. Although that style of exit from a corner sure makes for some cool video clips

 

I don't think this is factual that a v8 runs out of gas at high RPM's. I am sure that ls(x) V8's are a more powerful and reliable engine than any 944na or 944T 968na engine (I think we all agree on this).

The question for me is which is cheaper and easier to put in a 944na that I bought for $550.

My choices are:

1) ls1 transplant (lots of work)

2) 2.5 or 3.0 944 turbo transplant (fit's just right)

3) 2.5 or 3.0 944 turbo engine but with a kenne bell/whipple (twin screw) type super charger (fits just right, but need to make a custom intake and mount and expiriment with the amount of boost to get 400rwhp)

 

I dont want to turn this into a turbo vs supercharger debate but this is very interesting:

 

Well Todd, everyone has different applications for their car. Some want straight line power, some are dyno queens, pure track, street racing (ouch, I didn't just say that!), and some want a nice broad/usable powerband. For example, you love the traits of the Super 75, which I had but with a T4 and "P" trim wheel. It was very laggy until 4k, but when it hit, it hit all the way to redline. But if the application for a turbo car is to be a full-time track car, you don't want a peaky turbo that hits late and then falls flat. Or has a short powerband, instead, you'll want something that's as "close" as possible to the traits of an N/A, and is as broad as possible. But as you know, achieving this goal is very tricky and doesn't just rely upon a turbo. Other components needs to be configured to all work together, others being the cam design, the head flow, just to name a few. Any expert engine builder will tell you these things.



Sorry for the OT, back to the program....