More power in an early 85 porsche 944

[slyde944]

163hp 150lb/ft was plenty of power 2 years ago when almost everyone in Houston sucked at drifting, but as tuning, driving, and competition gets better I find myself at a loss competing against 350zs and the like. I'd appreciate any suggestions as to how to boost power in my N/A 944. I know that the Porsche transaxles can't handle more than 400 horsepower which makes the ls1 swap a dangerous option. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[EuroDeavor]

According to Porsche the Euro Spec Turbo Diff will accomodate up to 500HP, mine are both E spec so thats what I am going to try with my LS1 swap but if not I guess I will just have to get better drivetrain.

[aristo]

You might wanna swing by some Porsche forums to see if they have any suggestions as to how to increase power. Have you tried things like messing with the CIS and the cams yet?

[JunpoweR]

163hp 150lb/ft was plenty of power 2 years ago when almost everyone in Houston sucked at drifting, but as tuning, driving, and competition gets better I find myself at a loss competing against 350zs and the like. I'd appreciate any suggestions as to how to boost power in my N/A 944. I know that the Porsche transaxles can't handle more than 400 horsepower which makes the ls1 swap a dangerous option. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Why not just swap a 944 turbo motor into it??
the turbo models haul *Censored**Censored**Censored* and that would be the easiest for you to do..

[slyde944]

Turbo motor

For the price of swapping in a 944 turbo motor I could probably just as easily go ahead and get the ls1 conversion. Turbo motor doesnt seem to make enough power for the price. I think the turbo motors make somewhere around 225hp. Intake Exhaust and maybe a port polish will put me close to 200-210 for cheaper. 944 is such a money trap, don't drift one lol. Pfeiffer was right.

[mranlet]

Porsche mechanics agree - 944 turbo motor is a bad idea for anything. 944s can be drifted very well, but if you want to be competitive they're limiting. Porsche torque, brakes and suspension is a great package and the balance of the 944 Series 2s is impressive. Get a diff, a spare transaxle and some spare wheels and you can have yourself quite a time.

The Turbo motor is really a poor afterthought by Porsche engineers. Exhaust routing is reduculous - out of the head, under the oil pan, up into the turbo, through the downpipe, back across the oil pan and out the passenger side. 944 Turbo motors also are notorious for breaking timing belts and destroying themselves due to their interference design.

The stock Series 2 motor has gobs of torque and great response, but it you really want more, ITB kits are available and Megasquirt can be applied to optimize Air/Fuel and help you run stoichiometrically. Valve jobs and honing can be done to improve breathing as well.

For the cost and work involved in swapping in another motor, modifying the one you have may turn out to be the better option.

[slyde944]

Agreed

I have the spare transaxle already, I have the turbo transaxle w/ locking diff in now. As far as wheels, that's another thing that's hard to find. Porsche's dumbass 5 on 130 bolt pattern is hard enough to find wheels in, even harder to find wheels that fit the early 85 offset and that are bigger than 15x7. I had played with the idea of a Nitrous system but I know that most systems are set to run only on full throttle and spraying when the car is not at full throttle will make the engine run lean. I'm good at drifting, but not good enough to be drifting at full throttle all the time. Thanks for the input everyone.

[2years180sx]

Ive got the lightest 944 NA available... but it isnt really a 944. I agree with slyde944 about how NA 944/924's really arent worth drifting... it costs way too much to make a solid competitive drift car. My car just has a throttle cam, exhaust, air filter so it prolly puts out about 170hp at the flywheel. The car is one of the most competent cars on the autox track (remember im comparing it to 40+ grand 911s and even sum bimmers). Check out the rest of the mods at cardomain. Good luck with the LS1 swap... cant wait to see that thing!

[aaronlosey]

which 350z in particular are you having trouble with? you can fight fire with fire and just get a 350z, turbo kit, suspension, steering junk, diff, wheels, ect and be done with it. that seems like the best solution : )


i think you are at a junction where you need to step back and decide how far you want to take your car. if you want a turbo 944, sell your car and pick up a cheap *Censored**Censored**Censored* 944 turbo. if you want a cheap *Censored**Censored**Censored* 944 v8, i've seen the 968s or whatever they are turbos go for stupid cheap.

one of my good friends who works with me drives his 944 turbo everyday to work, and has put a crapload of miles on it. i think its over 200k total now. its been very reliable, and he has a boost controller and suspension on it. it pulls decently, and probably puts down 260-280 wtq. ( i forget what he dynoed at )

if you simply love your chassis and want to put an ls1 in it, its going to cost alot in the long run to build it to stay together. i know you beat the crap out of your car, and in the long run, it might be easier to just go to another platform, unless there is a specific reason you wish to stay with your current car.

why haven't you done an s-chassis yet? its been show again and again that its an extremely capable, easy, cheap setup. plus, i'm sure you have helped casey alot with his, making you very comfortable working on them. you can pick up a running sr20 240sx for 3500 ( both jaime and i purchased running s13s with srs in them for this price ). toss in a suspension, your roll bar for daily drifter tandem, a welded diff, some boost, and your competitive. with an NA porsche your constantly going to be trudging through uncharted waters, holding yourself back in terms of driving skill because your fighting your car setup.

i'm partial to 350z's though, try one. ( s-chassis still make better drift cars though )

[slyde944]

Haha, there is this one guy, Aaron i think his name was who keeps kicking my *Censored**Censored**Censored* at Daily Drifter events in his 350Z. Yes I could get a 240, but, I just won't let myself do it. Novelty counts for a lot in terms of drifting (ie: El Caminos) I just love that Porsche too much to get rid of it, I think im just gonna have to grit my teeth and put up the money for an ls1 swap, progressive nitrous system, or a supercharger. Uncharted waters, yes, but not untamable. So in to debt I go, see you at FD qualifying Aaron.

[aristo]

I got a better idea for uncharted territory. How about an SR powered 944?

[aaronlosey]

if the whole transaxle thingie can be worked out fairly simply with the ls1, i would think that would be the most cost effective, best solution for power. i have no idea if it can be easily put into the car, but i've seen those transaxle torsion assemblies taken out of multiple cars, and i wouldn't really want to mess with them. i pretty much understand them, and they are neat, but complicate tossing a different drivetrain in there.

if you just want to be different, there are plenty of other cool platforms out there that are pimpier than the 944 chassis, such as a sc300 ( supra motor ). you can later add a turbo kit, ect, and they can be picked up for less than an ls1 swap into your other car. gs300 would be even pimper. old bmw 6 series, bmw 8 series, 7 series v12 : )

pick up an e36 3 series bimmer bottom of the range car and toss in the ls1, it would be way easier. maybe a 240 with an ls1. i've seen an s10 extreme drift pretty damn well, or an old school toyota mini truck with an sr20 in it, that would be bad *Censored**Censored**Censored*. it would be very light, and allow you to carry your tools and tires to the track without a trailer.

anyways, good luck and make sure these plans don't keep you from attending events, as they are more important than building something in your garage forever.

[GotNismo?]

people will put an sr in anything huh...., why not an s2000 motor for originality and reliablity. but other than a motor swap or a turbo, do research on a rebuild. stroker kit, higher compression, bigger cams, head work, and hours on a dyno and a competent engine management system. i mean if people can poop out 250 horses to the wheels with bp motors n/a (i know its like 15 grand so dont yell....), it shouldnt be to hard with a porsche. i am under the impression tho with those cars when it rains it poors so really think about how far you wanna go with it. ill ask a friend of mine down here (hes part of a porsche gt series team.)

[AccurateInjecti]

I may have your Solution!

I'm building a Toyota Powered 5mge Turbo coupled to the Torque Tube via a simple Bell Housing Mod! The Toy's Tranny is a true 2 piece design that allows the torque tube to be mated with a 1/2 aluminum plate you can make on a Drill Press! It bolts to the Bell Housing and torqu tube bolts to plate!

Key is using a older 911 Clutch Disk with the 7MGE Turbo Clutch and Flywheel! The engines oilpan is symetrical! Simply put the pan on backwards and lengthen the pickup tube! Ebay sells Turbo & manifolds for dirt cheap! I will let yo know how my POS turns out! I have some 911 buddies I need to Spank!

Euro versions 5MGE's are 178hp and 180tq stock, compression bump by shaving head, porting and ITB's could be in the 250 range easy in N/A mode as well! Turbo on Stock 5MGE is easy 250 to 300, and loads of Torque like only a 6 cylinder can provide! A Turbo 7MGE is easy 500 plus HP!

Kevin

[nstevic01]

I have had a 944 for a couple of years now, and recently lost the motor due to a head gasket failure. I was wondering if you had any information on the project you were working on, parts list, photos, and so forth. Would a 7mgte work as well? I was contemplating throwing in a 13b twin turbo rotary but I appreciate the reliability of the Toyota powerplants more so. Thanks in advance.