Performance Upgrade 944 8v

[al@broadway]

Looking to eke out some more power out of a 1986 2.5 8v non-turbo, what would be the best route (add-ons) without taking out a second mortgage?

 

[Lowtimer]

There aren't really any substantial simple bolt-on power increases to be had on a normally aspirated 8V 944. However, it depends on what you call cheap: what sort of budget did you have in mind, and how handy are you with a spanner?

If you are not wanting to spend big money , and want to avoid getting into quite serious levels of engine disassembly and modification. it's mostly a case of making sure you still have as much as possible of the power the car originally had, by making sure that the compressions are all good and that the ignition system in particular is in first-rate condition, and making sure that you have no induction leaks.

After that the best way to improve the performance on the cheap is to take take things away rather than add aftermarket stuff: i.e. lighten the car.

 

[edh]

Fit an S2 or 968 motor - not cheap, but not many other options

 

[DavidL]

If you do a quick search you will find the same sort of questions a few times over. As has been said there isn't a magic wand option.
Better breathing and exhausts maybe but the results will be limited.

As LT said make it lighter - the seats weigh a ton as does all the carpet etc. Better (or just new) suspension will make it feel faster round the corners.

In the end you tend to be content with what you have or sell it and buy a turbo if you want to go faster.

 

[944 man]

Theeres nothing further to add.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

Start by making sure it's running at it's best, if you were to see the condition of things like rotor arms and leads on some cars it's a miracle they run at all! If it hasn't got one already, the fast-response throttle cam makes a cheap difference to the power delivery that makes it feel more responsive. Beyond that there's not a lot you can do with the engine.

As already said, taking weight out has the same effect as upping the power. Make sure the brakes and suspension are in top condition, and a good alignment can transform the handling.

 

[Mike_Pollock]

Its amazing what will run - this cap has bent locating pins and you can see the state of the contacts but it still worked!
My secondhand cap and arm inproved it no end though!

 

[steves944]

This has been our mission this year to get the fastest acceleration from our 944 n/a.

We have put Leda suspension, stripped out every shred of carpet/trim, I borrowed 2 fibreglass doors ( the originals weigh an absolute ton) and bonnet. Put 2 racing seats inn. Mine is a non-sunroof model so shell is lighter. Fine tuned everything we could in the engine department and ...after all that its just not fast enough - for track use anyway.

I borrowed a bog standard turbo with no changes to original spec and still with the interior trim in place and it was just so much quicker!

Agree with other comments .

 

[Northern924]

Pretty much whats been said, but if Porsche could make it go faster they probably would!! The 2.5 was pushed about as far as it could go at 160bhp.

Many people have tried and without spending a stupid amount of money in the search for more bhp it would most certainly be cheaper to buy a turbo!!

Having recently done it I can't advocate how important it is to change all serviceable parts:

Air filter
Oil/Oil filter
Fuel filter
Plugs
Dizzy cap & rotor
Gearbox oil
Even coolant while you're at it

If you haven't done this already you will be very surprised what a difference it can make, I was!

 

[944 man]

I disagree that Porsche took it as far as it could go. They held it back, sacrificing power for a fat spread or torque: getting drivability but ensuring that it didnt come too close to the 911SC.

The cylinder head is lovely, but the primitive DME (not a restriction to Porsche, but certainly one to us after the fact) and the super steady camshaft profiles - in fact the whole inlet tract restricts this engine.

If you can afford a new ground from a blank camshaft and put the time into installing and mapping Megasquirt or maybe an Emerald ECU, then approaching 220bhp should be available. Itll spit and pop a bit and tick over lumpily at 1,000rpm, but the power can be made: if you think that it is worth it...

 

[Lowtimer]

Absolutely you could get more high-revs power by camming it, raising the rev limit, changing the fuelling and doing some induction / head work. But that hardly falls into the category of cheap off-the-shelf bolt-on horsepower, which is what I understood the OP to be looking for.

 

[al@broadway]

Fantastic responses from this forum, I'm game for most things actually and I do understand that most things Porsche do not come cheap. Camming and porting sounds good with an ecu remap, improved throttle cam response and potentially a good exhaust system. The car is already lightened and prepped for track use, suspension and brakes etc.some more work in this area might also be in order.
It's a given that the current electrics and basic maintenance should be tip-top, once again thanks for all responses.

 

[barks944]

ORIGINAL: 944 man

The cylinder head is lovely, but the primitive DME (not a restriction to Porsche, but certainly one to us after the fact) and the super steady camshaft profiles - in fact the whole inlet tract restricts this engine.

So true and thats what I'm going to do. Once I have finished my DME project I will have a fully tuneable MAP based DME with wasted spark setup, then I will start experimenting with cam profiles. I really think that theres good gains to be had with this engine.

 

[sawood12]

Or just install a nos kit. Cheap, big power gains and for 90% of the time when you don't need the extra power, you've not compromised the silky smooth running of the standard engine. Nos has a poor reputation, but it is useful and an elegant solution if you just want squirts of power every now and again rather than power all the time like you would on a track car. Why carry around all that capability when you're only going to use it occasionally?