Varioram or not Varioram That is the question!!

[Mike M]

I'm interested in the thought process of why people turn their noses up at the pre-varioram 993. I currently own one of these poor relations and absolutly love it. However in my 4yrs of owner ship pervaying forums, I have noticed a few anti pre-varioram post's. In my mind I love the 993 full stop! I'd have the varioram or the pre with no specific choice over the other except getting the specification I want, colour etc. On paper the performance figures are very similar, however I am aware that the varioram supplies more torque at I believe lower revs following a post from the 993 guru Morris some time ago. If you are a competative track racer then I can understand the bias towards the varioram, however I could imagine your driving ability to have more effect than having a varioram or not. If its a pleasure car for ragging around country lanes then who cares! If the answer is purely a speed diffrence then why not go Turbo and be done with it and notice a huge diffrence! I'd be interested in PCGB members perception of the pre-varioram.

 

[Guest]

Hi Mike,

I think you might have opened a can of worms here! In my humble opinion, I'm happy with my 1994 pre-varioram because:

• Less to check at service time
• Less to go wrong
• (Hopefully) my March 1994 car has the older design of camshaft sprocket (as per 964), which does not "slip" due to its Woodruff key design. I believe that it has been known for the later bolted design of sprockets to slip, causing a small change to the timing & potentially loss of power. An expert (AKA Colin Belton from 9m) told me recently that it's pretty difficult to know which design you have, but a dyno session would show up any significant loss of power. I'm hoping to get out to 9m for the dyno day in April.

There are as many arguments in favour of varioram however, all no doubt very good. My understanding is that the difference in performance in day to day use may not be noticeable. If however you're into getting every last drop out of your engine, and particularly if you like track days, you're likely to want a top end rebuild anyway around 100K & this issue could be dealt with.

I would also admit to not being an authority in the slightlest on this matter. I must say though that during the recent visit that R5 made to 9m in Warrington, I was very impressed by Colin's encyclopedic knowledge of the 993 engine & it's characteristics - he's a very, very busy chappie! Hope this helps (go easy on me if I've got anything wrong here anyone!). []

 

[Guest]

Nice one Maurice! [][]

 

[Andy B Aces High]

I concur with Roddy, less to check and go wrong. Also easier to get round an already cramped engine bay when working on it.

I have read numerous articles about buying 993's and they all say dont be put off by non Varioram models. I have also read that the non Vario engine revs slightly quicker, but I have not driven a Vario equipped car to validate this claim. I think the fact that these cars already have ample power and the difference in torque would generally be difficult for most of us to detect on the road.

I did not know that the early engines had the different sprocket design (as per 964), does this apply to all the non Vario cars? I have read that slipping problems can occur with the latter design and it would be good to think my car cannot develop this fault.

I am sure the debate will continue but I am more than happy with my 'non' equipped car.

 

[LeoSayer]

I have driven both and the additional torque of the VR below 4000rpm is very noticeable at part throttle, it almost feels artificial when it 'kicks in'.

 

[sawood12]

Interesting thread. About 2 rs ago I was very interested in taking the plunge with a 993 and was very tempted by an early pre-VR car so went through this very same debate myself. Porsche official figures is that headline power, torque and performance figures are exactly the same so the difference is in the shape of the torque curve. I came to the conclusion (probably misguided conclusion) that you'd probably only notice the difference when 'tootling in traffic where you'd feel the extra midrange torque and have to change gear less. But when you are 'on it' say on a track day or a well known country lane where you are keeping the engine revs high you are unlikely to notice it. Also if you are considering modifying then you can probably get a good early pre-VR car and pay for Motronic (or similar ECU upgrade) for less than a later VR car and have much more torque through the range and higher headline figures too.

To be honest if I were to look at a 993 again it wouldn't even be a consideration - i'd simply buy the best car on condition for my budget irrespective if it is VR equipped or not.

 

[JB 3.2]

When looking for a 993 I tried both options, and thought v/r models had a more even spread of power. But the non v/r models had a bit of a kick to them as they came into the power band which was quite impressive.

 

[Porker993]

I always thought Porsche introduced the varioram engine to coincide with the introduction of the wide bodied cars. [] Presumably the extra weight requires extra power to maintain performance levels.

On the subject of power delivery, I rather like the way the early engine comes on cam at around 4,000 rpm and shoves you back in the seat, particularly in the 1,370 kg Carrera 2. I'm not sure I would want a flatter torque curve.

While it is true that many sellers (e.g. 911 virgin) often advertise "varioram" as a selling point, I would have some concerns about the relative complexity/inaccessibility of the varioram engine.

I think as most have said, I would not be too bothered either way. I would buy on condition and provenance.

 

[stuttgartmetal]

The pre varioram car, although having a different torque curve, compensates by having a gbox with closer ratios.
This box is quite sort after when tuning 93's.

My advice is to buy on condition, a well sorted example is what matters.

 

[Porker993]

ORIGINAL: stuttgartmetal

The pre varioram car, although having a different torque curve, compensates by having a gbox with closer ratios.
This box is quite sort after when tuning 93's.

My advice is to buy on condition, a well sorted example is what matters.

Sounds good to me. I wonder what are the comparative 0-60 and 0-100 times ?

 

[38F3E1]

Varioram was delivered as a result of the 993 RS for which it was specifically developed. It worked so well on that engine they decided to use it on the rest of the model range from 1996. IMO it is not a complex system and it works faultlessly on pretty much all cars.

Have driven both back to back the difference is noticable on the road. The pre-varioram 993 engine is much more like the 964 engine, you have to keep the revs up to make spirited progress. The varioram version achieves the same performance whilst being less fussy on the revs. The longer gearbox magnifies this characteristic as there is less gearchanging going on.

All in all Varioram was a step forward in the 993 engine. Not the sort of step that makes it a 'must have' and not enough of a step to make pre-varioram engines poor cousins IMO. It could be that the perception comes from the fact that people post the "looking for 993, must be late model, varioram, etc" because as 993 make the transition to collector type of cars they are always looking for the perfect 993 spec (right colour, right model, right mileage, right condition, etc) rather than really feeling strongly about Varioram vs non Varioram.

Ian.

 

[38F3E1]

PS if you are talking ideal gearbox then the best one for spirited driving IMO is the RS gearbox. If I ever have to rebuild mine these are the ratios I would go for (unfortunately requires a new mainshaft which is very expensive).

Ian.

 

[LeoSayer]

Where can I find the gear ratios for the various 993 gearboxes?

 

[Guest]

ORIGINAL: Andy B Aces High

I did not know that the early engines had the different sprocket design (as per 964), does this apply to all the non Vario cars? I have read that slipping problems can occur with the latter design and it would be good to think my car cannot develop this fault.

No, is the short answer. I believe that only the earliest 993s have 964-type sprockets. There's no way to tell apart from stripping the engine down, but a dyno session will tell you if your engine's producing the power that it should be. See you at 9m?! []

 

[Guest]

Very true. Let the dyno roll...[8D]

 

[edelschmetterling]

Varioram is the answer. Varioram from what I understand is pre 993, old technology to Porsche... The discrepancy from what I have experienced is in the feel and thus deliverance & response of power to the driver above a rev range. The disparity is iccle, but sometimes the icclest things in life is what makes the difference. ;-)

 

[Neil_Pickard]

I have a pre Varioram with 50 odd thousand miles and I would rather have the condition and service history of mine. I'm sure in the long run a low mileage car in good condition will be worth more than a Varioram with higher mileage.

Get the best you can get and don't worry if it's pre varioram, it's a fantastic car and unfortunately in these days of congestion you can't feel the extra tiny shove later in the rev range IMO.

 

[sue11sam]

give up everything for a GT2 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!