New 944 Owner

[Logie]

Hey all, just moved up from driving the likes of Golf GTIs etc to a nice 944 2.5.

Heres a quick pic of it, sorry its not very good but i was on my way home

Its got optional extra wheels which are 9.5" on the rears and 8.5" on the fronts!!

My question is, what type of upgrades are available for it? I pretty sure its the 2.5 8v as its an 83 model (C Reg Plate). There not the fastest, but its quick and the handling is awersome on it. Plus i love the wide arches and wheels which gives it a nice presence on the road and its a good setup i think. Esp only being 22

What options are available on engine tuning? It doesnt really need anything else. Its brakes are great, handling spot on!

 

[Peter Empson]

Welcome to 944 ownership!
If you search on here, Rennlist and other forums the subject of engine mods has been done to death and there's little that can affordably be done which will give you a big hike in performance.
However there are some subtle things that you can do that will make it much nicer to drive:
-A throttle response cam decreases pedal travel giving a more linear feel to the pedal and is probably the best £20 you can spend (assuming its not already been done).
-A good chip will also improve the feel of the car and might liberate a bit more power.
-A better air filter will make a small difference and make a nicer noise. Experimentation with the exhaust can also give some benefits.
I can't think of anything else at the moment, but despite what the cynics may say there's a lot you can do that will give you an even bigger grin []
Best regards,
Peter.

 

[Fen]

I'd echo Peter's welcome. It isn't an '83 car, it's an '85 at oldest, possibly an '86 if it's on a C-plate. That still makes it a normally aspirated 2.5 8v if it's on its original engine. I've never had one of them so I'll leave the engine mod suggestions to those who have been there before. I think it's fair to say the 2.5 Lux responds well to suspension upgrade and reducing weight to make it feel more nimble and quicker. The wheels look like 18" Mille Miglia Cup 2 replicas and must be in the correct offset for a pre-ABS car (or you have monster spacers). They do look good - I have a set in the garage for an ABS car - but they are heavy, and to be honest too much tyre for the car (265's and 225's?)

 

[Fred Hindle]

And again welcome.
Your 2.5 litre should give 160 bhp as standard. Mine has no modifications at all as I believe that the more basic an engine is the more reliable it will be. You will probably have heard / experienced with highly modified engines how quickly they go 'off song'. It still shows a clean pair of heels to many cars even though it is 22 years old.
Yes, the wide wheel arches give the car a 'presence' on the road, especially from behind.
Enjoy your car, it is probably the best move you have made so far, it looks good, excellent choice of colour.
I can't offer to pay your insurance premium for you!!

Cheers.

 

[Logie]

Thanks for the replies. Regarding the wheels, they were chosen as an optional extra at a cost of 2k when my Step Dad got it. And im sure he said they come with adpaters so they fit properly!

I dont want to hike the performance right up. Just a nice hi flow panel filter, but im not sure on cams or inlet, throttle bodies etc etc on this type of car. If you search the net for MK2 Golf stuff everything is out there for that car!

I think its already got a different exhaust system to what comes as standard which sounds great so i doubt i will touch that!

 

[Peter Empson]

Not to disagree with Fred, just to clarify that I feel that the changes I listed will not reduce reliability or increase wear by any noticeable amount, the only one that is open to debate is the comparison between standard paper and after market filters, but I certianly have not experienced any problems over many thousands of miles.
Best regards,
Peter.

 

[Guest]

nothing to add except to say welcome and enjoy [8D]

 

[Logie]

after searching, found out that ProMax do a small kit for filter, plugs and chip which seems resonable!

Another Q is petrol. It was designed for leaded petrol but i was told it has a filter or something to take unleaded?

 

[Peter Empson]

They're perfectly safe with unleaded, so no worries there. The 'filter' (possibly one of those in the tank things on sale at classic car shows?) isn't necessary.
In standard tune I found super unleaded gave a small increase in smoothness and perceived power, but the difference is relatively small, but the difference will be much greater when chipped.
Best regards,
Peter.

 

[944turboS]

Hi & welcome to the best car for your money. I have had both a 924S & 8v 944 lux, I agree the best percieved improvement to these cars is the throttle response cam. This is a small device that changes the relationship between peddle position & throttle opening to a linier relationship & whilst not actually increasing BHP or torque makes the car feel much livelier.

 

[Logie]

Thanks will look into that. Wont have the car till June/July as Step Dad is getting some work done to it before he will let me have it. I was supprised how cheap the Insurance is.

Tried some rough quotes via www.confused.com and KwickFit quoted me £900 with 2NCB. Its Alarmed and Immoblised in a low risk area. Thats cheaper then a BMW 325i, M535i by £200~£300! And the Porsche does look hella lot better!

 

[Guest]

ORIGINAL: Logie
And the Porsche does look hella lot better!

Amen to that! []

Welcome to the club.

 

[944turboS]

Do a forum search for insurance threads in the last 365 days & this will turn up some specialists that could be even cheaper.

 

[sawood12]

Welcome!! Just scanning throught the thread so far I can't see a mention of the Janspeed stainless steel exhaust back box available from Essential Stying. You can get them with either a 6"x9" oval or twin 3" tailpipes but both look the business - definetaly the best looking aftermarket exhausts i've seen around. They are not out and out performance exhausts but do claim all the usual performance increases that you get from the usual exhausts and have a cracking deep sound that isn't too loud or boy racerish.

After that the sky's the limit.

 

[DivineE]

Hi,

I can see myself writing a book long response to this topic but will try to with strain and save you the dull reading! I went from a Mk2 Gti 8v to a 944 lux (my first 944) and feel that I had a very similar mentality to yourself so can relate.

Firstly I would just like to ask if you actually own the car yet? I understand that you want to have it because its a family sale but if you don't have it yet I might be able to persuade you that you'd be better off letting it go. Rather than me say it again I would recommend you read this review I wrote a while ago (hope the link works) and bear in mind that my insurance company at the time (tesco) actually insured me for £100 less on the turbo than the lux (same year) still can't work that one out!!! But I'm not one to complain []

http://www.pistonheads.com/reviews/reviews.asp?c=54&id=422&r=1341

If you do already have the car or stand to inherit it for little or no cost making it a very desirable choice then here are a couple of things I would have loved to known...

1. Do NOT fast change from 2nd to third gear in the wet like you are used to in BMW's, Golf's (especially) the really low torque band in the 944 means you can very easily launch the car sideways with a snatched gear change in the wet! (I had a couple of close calls)

2. Because the acceleration doesn't feel any quicker than a Golf gti and the performance 'book' figures are very similar you could be fooled into thinking that your old golf was quicker off the mark (0-60) but you would be very surprised to see the difference when I tested this theory at length against a modified mk2 golf gti belonging to a friend of mine. The 944 is simply faster in everyway including off traffic lights due to the torque and longer first gear.

Anyway whatever you do, welcome to 944 ownership and have fun

 

[Diver944]

WElcome to the forum Logie, your car looks nice on those wheels [8D]

Before you start dreaming of extra power I would get the car fully checked over and serviced first and also measured on a good rolling road. You may well find that it is already down on power so it would be nice to get that back first. The most you are ever going to get from the chip, zorst and filter route is a few % extra so it would be much better to fix whatever has worn out before bolting extra bits on.

After that, get used to the unique RWD, 50:50 weight distibution, perfect handling and then go down the extra power route.

Remember - power corrupts []

 

[sawood12]

I would echo Pauls comments. A 944,as good a handling car as it is, is not as 'safe' a handling car as a typical front wheel drive hot hatch. It is true that they are awsome cars in the handling department but do need to be treated with respect in slippery conditions. I know of two people who, within a couple of weeks of getting their 944's have ended up in a ditch. They are not modern cars with all the ususal modern refinements such as traction control and I now know that for 'normal' drivers front wheel drive cars are inherantly safer if you do overcook things - the 944 can bite back. 944's are certainly not 'chuckable' like FWD hot hatches and require you to drive properly to get the best out of them. I don't mean to scare you but my advice would be to get used to the car and take it easy before going for the power hikes.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

I know of two people who, within a couple of weeks of getting their 944's have ended up in a ditch.

It's true, and I've got a few interior bits off a guy who did just that!

 

[Logie]

Just got back from my Mums who BF im buying it off. Most mods have been done to it, got nothing to do. Being a car nut since he was 5. and ex rally driver. Hes had most things done! Was sent away to Porsche for 2 days to have performance cam, exhaust and remap (Also to run on SUL). Also had the throttle flap changed to the disc type, something done with the inlet etc. Was rolling road at Porsche 220 bhp!

 

[Guest]

Logie....Welcome to the wonderful world of 944's!!

At 220 bhp you are in 944 turbo territory[:-]