My 968 has kept up with the 944's on the tracks here. So, I would lean in that direction. I think skill and lack of is more detrimental.

 

Said it like a true boostaholic!!!!
Regards.
Raj

 

Yes, but a 944 and a 944 Turbo S are two completely different animals. Even a stock 944 Turbo is nowhere close to a stock Turbo S, much less one that's probably putting out close to 300rwhp now. I understand what you're getting at, but my original question was to keep MY 951S or get a 968. Based on what I've learned (limited power upgrades for 968, rarety of M030 968s, etc), I'm definitely going to stick with my 951S.

 

Evan, good choice. You can't go wrong with either M030 but 968 M030's show up maybe once or twice a year. You have a rare and special car, stick with it. Also, you can make your 951 a lot faster for almost next to nothing.
Raj

 

I agree with Raj. I miss my 951. The 968 is a really nice car, but it is missing the WHP. If I could only figure out a way to justify a turbo conversion for the 968.

 

Jonathan,

The justification is in the "oomph"...The 968 is a great car to adapt to a turbo.

Jason

 

I just started researching into front-engine porsches (944/968/928). This may be a strange question, but how does the 928 (8 cylinder) compare to both 944 Turbo and 968 in terms of driving performance and handling?

Jim

 

I don't have 1st hand experience and this is based on everything I have read. Peformance wise, stock 928's can be quite fast but just like any NA cars, mods can be expensive compared to the gains. Handling. the 928 has more weight so it lacks in this dept.
Raj

 

The 928 is Porsche's muscle car, Germany's answer to the Mustang. It also has the 50/50 weight distribution that the 951/944 have, but the engine is twice the size of the 951, therefore it is at least 500-600 pounds heavier. With today's gas prices, it's a lot more costly to drive, but it does have a timeless design and that rounded rear end, much like the whale tale on the 911 turbo, is a true Porsche characteristic...

 

Drive one, you'll notice how much heavier the car is. That said, for a street car they are pretty awesome. Great seats, some of Porsches most elaborate and expensive engineering, many trick features, the growl of the V-8 exhaust as you drive through an underpass with the sunroof open... It's just a "different" experience.

 

I happen to own all three models being discussed here, so I think I am in a position to comment on this.

951's, easy to get decent power on with minimal money, and are cheap to get into, relative to a 968. If you want to do track events tho, I'd suggest that you not get power mad, as 300rwhp puts you at a point where I feel you will overpower the suspension/tires on a "streetable" car set up and you will wind up with slower lap times and MUCH poorer driving skills, especially if you are just getting started doing track events. If you are planning on track only monster, this would be the car to get, you can get the wide body set up and put a suspension on the car that will make you a true 911/Viper eater and get the hp to match, just open the wallet VERY wide. Same could be said for most cars tho...

968's have the balance and poise that make it a better track car, in my opinion. Limited upgrades tho, and M030 cars with LSD are very rare, and a decent 968 will set you back more money. Also, there are a couple of potential areas of concern that need to be monitored (cam chain tensioner, in particular) or you could have a major $ repair on your hands. Its an easier car to be competitive with, given the SCCA/PCA class restcrictions, if you care about such things.

If you already have a 951S, I think its a foregone conclusion that you should keep it. Boost IS addictive, and you already know the car, so you should have few surprises. If you want to go to the track, I'd suggest hanging out with your local PCA DE'ers, there will be several guys in that group running 951's and they should be able to get you started down the right path. As much as I like Rennlist, I'd be very leary of the advise you get on the main boards, as most of those guys do not have real track experience and think that HP is everything. Trust me, its not. Driver skill is what you need.

As for the 928, it exudes a lot more "Porscheness" and is in a category by itself, at least as far as engine sound goes (I LOVE the rumble...). As noted, its a heavier car and feels HUGE compared to a 951/968, altho the weight really isn't *that* much more. Its a wider car tho, and that makes the polar moments a bit more extreme under real hard braking/cornering, but a 928 in the right hands is still a very capable track car. The only classes I think its competitive in would be unlimited classes (you really need to ask some of the guys campaigning 928s), and again, open your wallet wide. 928's tend to be pretty finicky as far as maintenance goes (driveline is pretty solid, but the little things will drive you crazy!) and they are a LOT more expensive to get parts for than a 951. My 928 (my wife's, actually) has the competition Bilstein struts, upgraded sway bars and a LSD diff in the automatic tranny, and is a BLAST to drive, especially in corners. My 951 will eat it alive, tho, in all categories except "Porscheness".

Regards,

 

"As noted, its a heavier car and feels HUGE compared to a 951/968, altho the weight really isn't *that* much more."

I think 600 lbs. is a whole lot more than just "that". An '86 951 is 2899 (factory specs), 928 GTS is 3594 lbs. Big difference!!! It's like having 3 men at 200lbs. each driving with you!!

 

I think if you weigh your average 951S, you'll find it tips the scales at somewhere around 3200lbs... big difference between an '86 and an '89. If you are running an earlier 928, like I have, the weight difference is only around 200-250lbs.

Regards,

 

Only difference is ABS, Airbags, suspension and brakes, maximum 100 lb. difference, factory specs are 2998 lbs. for '89 and 2,899 for '86

 

Well, if you don't mind, I will disagree with you, based on my experiences. I've weighed more than one 944 and had different results than the factory specs.

Regards,