Rick

Guys,
Thanks very much for the help - I'm going to enjoy the car a lot and really enjoy being a part of this discussion forum.
While the car only has 14000 miles, every hose & rubber component has been recently replaced. I had 2 PPIs done (I'm a bit ****) and the only issue that came back was that the stereo won't turn on.
My initial plan is brakes & suspension and possibly a chip. I'm also going to do wheels & tires right away (the PO had put on C2 replicas with brand new S02s) - I'm not sure what wheel I'll buy but won't be putting competition tires on yet for the reasons outlined above.
The real reason for my post was to understand if the process/benefit of the various upgrades that are discussed extensively on this forum are any different for a TurboS. Are they interchangable and the benefits roughly the same for a Turbo vs a TurboS?
I've had a fair amount of track experience with my 993s but am still convinced that the best performance improvement is improving the guy behind the wheel.
Thanks again.

944Fest (aka Dan P)

My car (89 951) is set up very much like these guys are saying, with one other thing.. The Camber plates. If you get serious at the track, you WILL need a spare set of rims/track tires. Otherwise you will just be sliding around, chunking street rubber, giving away LOTS of speed to anyone on Hoosiers. If you go to Hoosiers, as I did, you can probably expect two FAST weekends per set. ($750 a set) You'll need the camber plates to run the Hoosiers as they require -3 camber to wear evenly and the stock will only allow you -2 to -2.5, and the tires will be gone in a day or two.
The car is extremely capable in stock form. The hawk blues and Hoosiers will put you in some very fast company. The fact that your car came with a full cage yet the rest is still stock is a bit puzzling, but it sounds like you've got yourself a great track toy.
We plan on a mass Turbo S attack on Mid Ohio July 12/13 with the NOR PCA, garages and all.. probably 6 or 8 of us. We'd be honored if you joined us. Also, watch for info on 944Fest 03, July 6th in Mansfield, OH.

Rick

Dan,

Count me in for the Turbo S attack on Mid Ohio - I'll be there. How do I get registered or get more info?
(I'll be a MidOhio in April for both the Tracquest & OVR PCA DE events if any other TurboS owners are showing up).
I'll watch for the info on 944Fest 03 as well.

The previous owner of the car thought that he wanted to get involved in DEs and potentially PCA racing so started with safety items first - hence the cage, seats & belts. He quickly realized that he wasn't as enthused as he first thought so stopped there. It certainly makes for a good start on a street/track combo car for me.

Thanks again.

Danno

"The real reason for my post was to understand if the process/benefit of the various upgrades that are discussed extensively on this forum are any different for a TurboS. Are they interchangable and the benefits roughly the same for a Turbo vs a TurboS?"

It depends upon the upgrade; some are different for the TurboS vs. normal Turbo, some are identical. It comes down to whether you're upgrading the parts that differentiates the TurboS from the Turbo or not.

For example, the difference in power-output is due to a K26/8 turbo vs. a K26/6 turbo. So if you're going to be upgrading with a chip kit and/or a MAP/MAF kit, then that kit must be configured for a TurboS because the flow-patterns are completely different.

However, if you're going to be upgrading the turbo or the swaybars with aftermarket stuff, you've tossed out the unique parts that makes a TurboS what it is. In this case, the upgrade will be indentical to a standard Turbo.

Rick

Does anyone have any recommendations on what to do with the suspension on a TurboS? What's worth looking into that provides measurable improvement? At this point, the suspension is 100% stock but has been lowered (no component changes).
I put the Bilstein PSS-9 coilover kit on my 993 and couldn't be happier but it's not available for a TurboS. It's highly adjustable so is very adaptable for street/track use. I'd love to find something for this car that makes me just as happy.
Thanks much.

fast951

Try Leda, Karl at RacersEdge sells them. He knows how to set these cars nicely, he won few club races...

Alan C.

Rick,
I'll be at MidOhio in April. Look me up.

A good source for suspension info in the Dayton/Cincy area is the WheelSource. Dave Schardt and his family campaign 3 Turbo S's.

Alan C.

Rick

Alan,
I'll look forward to seeing you at MidOhio - I think we may have met last year at the Tracquest event (I had my '95 993 at the time).
I'll probably give Dave a ring to chat sometime in the next few weeks - maybe even tweak the suspension a bit before MidOhio.
Thanks.

Brett

my .02 Rick if your gonig to spend most of your time on the street I would upgrage with a MAP kit first. Then attack the suspension. Reason being is that on the street the stock suspension will handle everything you can throw at it anyway, so why not go for a little more power first?

GaryK

Rick,
The stock suspension/brakes on the S are pretty good even on the track. For the track, I would suggest the 968 M030 front/rear swaybars, Carbotech Panther XP pads , possibly a brake cooling kit like the one from OG Racing, a wider front wheel/tire, and more negative camber front and rear. For power improvements, a Bursch test pipe, some good chips like Guru's and a manual boost controller.
But hey you could always go for the big power and suspension upgrades up front instead!
Gary
'89 951

Fonck

Gary, you mentioned wider tires up front for track use. Two things I've heard recently:

1) For the track, use the same sized tires front and back to complement the 50-50 weight distribution of the 951,

2) 16" wheels (stock on the 944 Turbo S) in particular are good because the diameter is smaller, effectively shortening your gear ratios. That equals more RPM's sooner which spools up the turbo sooner.

Are these both true? Anyone?

hally

Hi Fonck,
I'm also trying to work out what wheel sizes to go with on my turbo s for track use.
Not sure about in the USA but one negative with the 16inch rims is limited tire selection.
One suggestion I've had is to go with 993 / GT3 spec wheels, which I think are 8inch wide front 10inch wide rear on 18inch rims. With low profile tires you can achieve the same rolling diameter & gear ratios as with 17inch rims I think.
Still I'm watching this thread to see what the experts think.
Also one concern I have with wider wheels is weight, a heavier wheel / tire combination accelerates slower, so maybe there is an acceleration / traction tradeoff here also..

Fonck

Hally, if one were to go with the same size tires all around on 16" wheels (in the USA), then it would seem to me that the Yokohama A032R's would be a great choice in the 245/45ZR16 size.

<a href="http://www.yokohamatire.com/TireSizes.asp?TireID=2" target="_blank">Yokohama A032R Sizes</a>

Russ Murphy

Good luck finding 16x9 wheels. I do have the same wheel/tire size front and rear. 17x9 993 wheels with 255's.

fast951

If you are keeping the stock suspensions, for track use you need a bit stiffer setup. I'll go with the 17 or 18 wheels as they have shorter sidewall therefore a bit stiffer. The larger wheel enhances the handling, it feels more responsive.

The following wheel sizes are a good start, and you should be able to find them used...
Wheel: 17x8 - 17x9 Tire: (245 & 275)
18x8 - 18x10 (245 & 285)

Using the same size wheel F & R is nice as you can rotate wheels and get a bit more out of the tires.

The Yoko A032 are nice as they last the longest, you can drive them to/from the track (if you don't trailer it). You can use them as rain tire, however they are not as sticky as Hoosiers or Khumo. A032 are very noisy, but gives you better audible warning when on the edge.

Great item to enhance the handling will be a set of stiffer sway bars. I personally like the 968 M030 ones..