To change to an S2

[AntB]

So - hyperthetically speaking...

If I was to want to change my pretty much mint 2.7 lux to an S2, what do you think would be the best way to go about it?

Sell the 2.7 and then buy an S2?
or
See if there is anyone who wants to exchange there S2 for my 2.7 plus potentially a few ££££..

Trouble with option 2 is I am not sure if there will be people wanting to do this...

My lux is, as I say, a VERY good example, and I would probabily want the same from an S2..


The only driver for doing this BTW is I wouldnt mind just a little more grunt... Not that my lux is sluggish by any means and GT One actually commented that it "pulls like a train".. I just fancy a little more go go.

What we think?
A

 

[Tam Lin]

Well, unless you're specifically attached to THAT 2.7 Chassis, I think it's always better to sell & then buy "one up". I've done it the hard way, upgrading every component of a 924S to S2 spec, but then my reasons were different: I wanted to learn a lot about the car "works". The upside is that I have a pretty good overview of the development of the N/A 924/944s [], the downside is that there would have been a lot cheaper ways of getting to the same result, especially as a modified car does not sell for more than an unmodified one, so if I were ever to part with the 924S, I'd have to sell it in bits to recoup anything approaching what the bits cost.

The only exception would be if your current car has the perfect, rust-free body in white, or you had some other reason for keeping it as is. Rust free 944s are getting rarer..

 

[AntB]

TBH I didnt even think of keeping my 2.7 and upgrading it..

When I say exchange my 2.7 for an S2 - I meant the whole car asin PX.

Cheers for he thoughts tho..
A

 

[Lowtimer]

I would definitely "sell" then "buy" as two separate transactions. Your chances of landing the best available S2 are about 10x higher if you look at all the cars on the market rather than restricting yourself to the far smaller number of people who might be looking for a part-ex Lux

As far as the power question goes, if you feel that way about your 2.7 have you considered that if you do upgrade to an S2 you may find that in a while you could do with some more power in that too? Not attempting to take sides in the great S2 vs Turbo debate, both can be delightful, though there is much more that can be done to develop a Turbo than an S2. So if you feel you might want to get into a horsepower race with yourself, then it could make more sense to go straight for a standard Turbo now, then you have a variety of upgrade paths with the same car over the next several years.

 

[AntB]

Very good question actually.

As I say I love my 2.7 - and I actually dont find the power bad at all, problem with me is I like more.... I am coming from a 362BHP Saab 9000 before my Porsche, which started with a exhaust upgrade and went from there!!.

TBH - I think with the 944's I want to stay standard regardless of model.. The modification approach is a slippery slope to lots of £££ and for me, never ends []

Prehaps I will just stick as is and enjoy as I always do everytime I drive []

 

[Tam Lin]

ORIGINAL: AntB

Very good question actually.

As I say I love my 2.7 - and I actually dont find the power bad at all, problem with me is I like more.... I am coming from a 362BHP Saab 9000 before my Porsche, which started with a exhaust upgrade and went from there!!.

[] Yep, that definitely sounds familiar. Can you immunize against upgrade disease? On the NHS or private?

 

[pauljmcnulty]

The only driver for doing this BTW is I wouldnt mind just a little more grunt... Not that my lux is sluggish by any means and GT One actually commented that it "pulls like a train".. I just fancy a little more go go.

What we think?

I think "think carefully". [&:]

I was surprised at how the S2 is not really appreciably faster, in the real world, than my Lux was. And that was a 2.5, your 2.7 would be that tiny bit torquier and therefore feel a bit quicker already. Have you got the rapid-response throttle cam on yours, many people say it really improves the car.

The S2 is heavier, feels more "mature" for want of a better word. I think it's over-tyred as well, the Lux was far more nimble and chuckable. The only real performance improvement I find is the lazy way you can build speed, such as pulling out on a motorway to overtake without downshifting.

If you want real power then a turbo is the only way forward. I'd also consider getting a cheap lux or "S" and lightening it as a fun car, possibly more useful on our roads than something more powerful anyway. I think the S2 would be possibly the worst car in the line-up for what you want. [8|]

 

[Peter Empson]

I think the S2 is deceptive in its power delivery, I was almost underwhelmed the first time I drove my car after the engine swap until I realised just how much more quickly I was travelling at known places. I have never driven a 2.7 but can't help thinking that a MAF and chip on it would be a really good option - not for HP gains, but I bet it'd feel better/more modern than an S2 running an old AFM.

Most of the S2's i've looked at recently have been getting quite scruffy, so I think you may struggle to find a car as nice as yours sounds Anthony, without paying a very large premium.

 

[tref]

ORIGINAL: pauljmcnulty

I was surprised at how the S2 is not really appreciably faster, in the real world, than my Lux was. And that was a 2.5, your 2.7 would be that tiny bit torquier and therefore feel a bit quicker already.

Sorry, I don't agree Paul! I find the S2 considerably faster from A to B... I can only attribute that to the different roads we are using the cars on - the S2 isn't as nimble as the Lux around windy A and B roads of Dorset, but on my mainstay - the A30, A303, M3, M4 (A4 prefered most of the time) the S2 would blow the doors off my old Lux... I'll qualify that further by saying "if both were being pushed"... and it isn't often you can push either of them... if you know what I mean!

 

[pauljmcnulty]

Sorry, I don't agree Paul! I find the S2 considerably faster from A to B... I can only attribute that to the different roads we are using the cars on - the S2 isn't as nimble as the Lux around windy A and B roads of Dorset, but on my mainstay - the A30, A303, M3, M4 (A4 prefered most of the time) the S2 would blow the doors off my old Lux... I'll qualify that further by saying "if both were being pushed"... and it isn't often you can push either of them... if you know what I mean!

I agree that on unrestricted roads an S2 would be faster. Fact is, in the UK the Perodua Nippa is as fast as a Veyron on the motorway. Even if one were to accept that some people push the speed limits a bit, I'd suggest that most normal people would consider about 80-85MPH to be the most they'd regularly cruise at. My Lux was exactly equally as fast as my S2 at 85MPH. [&:]

My experience would be, for example, a convoy run to Cornbury House with Rick and John; both of whom have at least double the power of the Lux, along with massive brakes, tyres etc. We'd be using motorway, fast a-roads and some pretty decent b-roads, and invariably we'd all arrive together. Sometimes I had to be pushing the Lux harder to keep up, obviously if they decided to do a "launch" on the motorway I was going to be left behind for a few seconds, but the Lux always got there. The S2 gets left behind in the same places, as they still have nearly double the power.

In the real world you can only drive, safely and responsibly, at speeds a Lux is easily capable of. Being lighter, and having less rubber, I genuinely think it was more fun than my S2. It's subjective, I know, but just my view. With the OP's question in mind, I'd want him to try an S2 against his current Lux before buying in case he felt the same as me.

Would I go back to the Lux? Interesting point. No, but only because the S2 has the leather, ABS etc., and is a more civilised drive. In hindsight, I'd restore the Lux.

 

[MRGT]

If your 2.7 is a minter would you take a risk on a potentially expensive S2? Would a simpler option be to find an S2 lump and drop that in. I know that that is certainly the route I would go with with my 'S' although I appreciate that there may be other costs involved.

Howard

 

[Suffolk944]

If you are looking for a minter S2 then you will be needing a bit more than just a few £££'s over a minter Lux in order to get one and even an average condition S2 will potentially involve a reasonable outlay over and above the Lux's market value. I would certainly echo the advice to try the S2 first before deciding what to do and also to sell the Lux first rather than attempt some sort of PX arrangement which will both limit your choice of S2's (may be to none !) and will mean more hassle than its worth imho.

 

[Copperman05]

Personally I think the S2 is the best of the 944 derivative (modded turbo's aside, but they cost £££ and break down all the time!) so can well understand your pull towards them. With the looks of the turbo, low down grunt and effortless driving they stand out at the end of 7 years of Porsche development, at least before the 968 anyway.

Would I trade in my mint 2.7 for one? Good question, the 2.7 being the rarest of the 944's then perhaps the decision should be taken carefully. I think that if you manage to get a very good S2 you certainly will be happy, but there are a lot of dogs out there and finding a good one will be difficult and could be expensive. I fear that should you get an average S2 you may still wish you had kept your 2.7, a good car is always a car worth keeping...

Edd

 

[ukmastiff]

Obviously this one is a very personal choice for anyone but I personally find the topic interesting. I have had two turbos and dont particularly fancy an S2 but that is certainly not because I think they are any better or worse it is just because I dont think another 944 would excite me, in fact I wish my second 944 had been an S2. As a result I am only considering another 944 if it is seriously modded possibly by supercharging which very much interests me over turbo charging.

So for my mind IF money was flowing and I had a 2.7 that I trusted and loved I would
want to Supercharge it , not sensible I know but is having 944's sensible certainly not []

 

[Suffolk944]

ORIGINAL: Copperman05

(modded turbo's aside, but they cost £££ and break down all the time!)

Ahem - they do cost £££ but they don't break down all the time (or indeed at all !) []

 

[dave364634]

if you want powarrrrrr, you want a V8.

http://www.renegadehybrids.com/#

 

[Suffolk944]

ORIGINAL: dave364634

if you want powarrrrrr, you want a V8.

http://www.renegadehybrids.com/#

True but even more £££ ![]

 

[DivineE]

How has this thread lasted this long without BOOOOST[]

 

[david924s]

If you want more power and the option to upgrade to even more power buy a late 250bhp Turbo, if you want easy decent power and plenty of torque buy an S2.

When I changed from my 924S I bought an S2 as I knew if I got a turbo I would end up spending all my money making it go faster than I can really use in the real world. It was also much newer and in far better condition than turbos of the same price for obvious reasons so I got an S2 bit disappointed at first at the performance until you look at the speedo and realise you are going a lot faster than you think, so easy to drive fast but also easy to drive quickly and lazily no need to keep it buzzing over 4000rpm indeed if you are not in a rush you can almost drive it like a diesel and 27mpg round town 33+ on a long run.

 

[AntB]

Great advice guys...

Its interesting to hear that some people feel that the S2 may have a different feel to the lux in the handling etc as its a little heavier.. thats something I dont want to change...

Been doing a lot of driving over the last few days - and at points REALLY pushed the car, and TBH, I agree that for everyday drivaility, which when driven 'as designed' is hard to keep up with, I think that the conclusion is I will not trade this in..

My lux is pretty much in top shape in terms of engine and body, and I have spent a good few ££ in getting it there with belt changes and tyres etc - so that would potentially all be a waste..


What I am interested in is Peters comments about a MAF and Chip... Who does such a thing for the 2.7? Is this an easy mod, i.e. DIY, or a tuner job?

Interesting - thanks guys, all amazingly helpfull

A