What would you do?

jez_anderson · Nov 12, 2006

I was thinking of selling my S2 earlier this year but because the market was slow didn't bother trying. I have had a change of heart recently and am glad now I didn't do it. In fact I have gone the other way and now want to spend some money on her.

The car is in good nick generally and doesn't need any major work; so I am looking for some suggestions about what mods I should could make.

I haven't got loads to spend and would like a few projects that I could do over time. Also I realise that changes are not likely to add any value to the car but are done more for me to enjoy. But which ones are a complete waste of money?

I am thinking of things like replacing the rubber spoiler with a bridge spoiler, Replacing the flag mirrors with tear drop mirrors etc

Or do I start with the engine and put a sports air filter in? or change the exhaust to a sports exhaust?

Or simple things like changing the orange inidicator lenses for clear one?

I am looking for suggestions where to start and how much some of these things are likely to cost. What would you / have you done that has been worth doing?

Thanks

944cabby · Nov 12, 2006

I've got a k&n panel filter in mine (50 quid approx) which has given the exhaust a nice tone (tempted to go stainless in the near future).I fitted a strut brace to firm up the front, that seems to make a difference on cornering (150 if i remember right).
I also fitted the promax chip which was the best 100quid spent on her as there was an instant difference in the smoothness especially on accelleration.Not sure about changing the lenses tho' as i like the original look.

Peter Empson · Nov 12, 2006

For the cheap but effective ways to improve the way the car drives I've been very pleased with:

-replacement steering wheel, the old four spoke will feel very cumbersome and old fashioned in comparison with any good Porsche/aftermarket one. I've got a Momo Race (found cheap on eBay) and wish I'd bought one years ago.

-Chip, money well spent improving driveability.

-short shift kit, much like the steering wheel it makes the car feel more immediate and modern.

Each of these is a diy option and possible for not much more than £100 each if you buy carefully.

Best regards,
Peter.

zcacogp · Nov 12, 2006

944 Cabby - My perniticy gland is in full throw at the moment - the air filter will have made no difference at all to your exhaust, but will have made the intake noise more noticable.

Think about what you want from your car that it doesn't provide at the moment. Do you dislike the look of the rubber spoiler at the mo? If so, think about changing it. If not, don't. What about the chip idea? Are you wanting more performance from the car? If no, why spend the cash? If you are into just changing things for the sake of it, take care - that way, tasteless Saxo's lie.

I tend to ask the question "Will it make my car faster/handle better/stop better/use less fuel?" If it fails to answer 'Yes' to any of these questions, I don't spend money on it. End of story. Others may think differently, I know.

Oli.

sbloxxy · Nov 12, 2006

Fortunetly, most of the mods to my 944 S2 (now sold) were carried out by its previous owner. It had clear lenses, Blitz chip, performance air filter BUT the improvement that gave me the most pleasure was the Janspeed/ESS exhaust system - stainless steel and de-cat'ed. The difference in sound was unbelievable and added hugely to my enjoyment of the car, whether it was just listening to it ticking over or reverberating off walls and tunnels. Only trouble was that it was expensive - around £700 I think. i've already gone a similar route on my 964 and again, it sounds stunning and adds immensely to the car's character.

944turboS · Nov 12, 2006

De-cat is the best improvement for the money that any S2 owner could make.

See here

http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/tm.asp?m=201755&mpage=1&key=cat%2Cdelete&#201755

zcacogp · Nov 13, 2006

Interesting - thanks.

My S2 is an '89, without a cat. Therefore removal of the cat is not an option ... were the early S2's (without cats) better than the later ones (with cats) - the performance figures didn't change thoughout the life of the car (I don't think), therefore what changes were made to keep the performance up when they fitted the cat?

Also, would a de-catted later S2 be better than my early never-had-a-cat-fitted S2?

Oli.

ad2015 · Nov 13, 2006

I'm going to cat my non-cat 89 S2 so i can do some useful moding - i hear that de-cating a cat-ed car is a very rewarding mod.

zcacogp · Nov 13, 2006

ORIGINAL: ad

I'm going to cat my non-cat 89 S2 so i can do some useful moding - i hear that de-cating a cat-ed car is a very rewarding mod.

Excellent idea, sir! I think that there is a bit of a hole in the logic somewhere, but I admire your approach!

Oli.

944turboS · Nov 13, 2006

Oli,
You non cat car will have a silencer box where the cat is on later cars (& factory option de cat cars) Mine has a straight through pipe thus reducing the restriction in the system.

Fen · Nov 13, 2006

Even just with a small split ahead of the cat my S2 cab was noticeably quicker and better sounding - or rather it was slower and poorer-sounding when the split was spotted and welded up for MoT.

zcacogp · Nov 13, 2006

ORIGINAL: 944turboS

Oli,
You non cat car will have a silencer box where the cat is on later cars (& factory option de cat cars) Mine has a straight through pipe thus reducing the restriction in the system.

Graeme,

Very helpful - thanks. So, when they fitted the cat, they simply replaced a silencer with the cat?

I am guessing therefore that a cat-bypass pipe could be used on a non-cat car (like mine) as a silencer-bypass pipe. Would it bolt straight in?

Would it offer any performance improvement? If the cat and non-cat versions of the car offered similar performance, is it fair to assume that the cat and the silencer offered similar performance restrictions? Therefore, there is a similar performance benefit from removing them?

Ancillary question - how much silencing does this silencer offer? If I removed it, would I change my sophisticated S2 into a council-estate loud-exhaust special? (I have issues with people driving stupidly loud cars along my street as it is, and would NOT want to do the same!)

Oli.

charles.y · Nov 13, 2006

The siliencer in the mid-box of my 89 944 S2 Cab is also showing some rattles and I am thinking of replacing it with a silencer bypass pipe. Would like to know if this would improve performance or its just louder and that's all.

Charles

Fen · Nov 13, 2006

It's not noticeably louder, just a little bit of a rasp at much the same volume. My 964 was similar when the car was bypassed. Now it has a G-Pipe and big tailpipe also I guess I'd better not drive down Oli's road [&:][8D]

zcacogp · Nov 13, 2006

ORIGINAL: Fen

It's not noticeably louder, just a little bit of a rasp at much the same volume. My 964 was similar when the car was bypassed. Now it has a G-Pipe and big tailpipe also I guess I'd better not drive down Oli's road [&:][8D]

Useful, thanks.

Please do feel free to drive down my road, but if you'd like to avoid leaving it idling right outside our bedroom window at 3.00am for 25 minutes, I'd be grateful. Oh, and leave off the racist abuse and vandalism of other people's cars when you are asked to behave more considerately.

Thanks for the input tho'. Stupid question, but if the middle silencer doesn't do much silencing, what is it there for? And much to gain from removing it? And will a cat by-pass pipe do the trick?

Oli.

Fen · Nov 13, 2006

ORIGINAL: zcacogp
Useful, thanks.

Please do feel free to drive down my road, but if you'd like to avoid leaving it idling right outside our bedroom window at 3.00am for 25 minutes, I'd be grateful. Oh, and leave off the racist abuse and vandalism of other people's cars when you are asked to behave more considerately.

Thanks for the input tho'. Stupid question, but if the middle silencer doesn't do much silencing, what is it there for? And much to gain from removing it? And will a cat by-pass pipe do the trick?

Oli.

These days I'm more likely to see 3am as a time I get up rather than am still up, and I can assure you that when I get up very early it's not so I can leave my car idling for 25 minutes anywhere. I did feel guilty last Monday at 5am taking it off my drive though, especially as it doesn't really idle for the first 20 seconds or so and it's really difficult to hold at constant low revs, so there was a bit of noise associated with getting it to stay running. Sorry neighbours.

I think the middle box was probably put in to balance the effect of the cat as by the time the S2 was built there were some markets that demanded cats. If that is the case then replacing it with a straight pipe will make the car feel more lively. It's slightly less civilised noise wise, but far from unpleasantly so.

zcacogp · Nov 13, 2006

ORIGINAL: Fen

These days I'm more likely to see 3am as a time I get up rather than am still up, and I can assure you that when I get up very early it's not so I can leave my car idling for 25 minutes anywhere. I did feel guilty last Monday at 5am taking it off my drive though, especially as it doesn't really idle for the first 20 seconds or so and it's really difficult to hold at constant low revs, so there was a bit of noise associated with getting it to stay running. Sorry neighbours.

Sounds like you have enough social decency to feel bad for what you do, and offer an apology. The w4nk3r I am dealing with fails on both of the above points. (FWIW, the car he drives is a halfords-special Supra, with a tailpipe that has difficulty fitting under the lowered underside of the car. A real chav-creation of the first order.)

I think the middle box was probably put in to balance the effect of the cat as by the time the S2 was built there were some markets that demanded cats. If that is the case then replacing it with a straight pipe will make the car feel more lively. It's slightly less civilised noise wise, but far from unpleasantly so.

Interesting, thanks. I think I need to find an S2 with the straight-through middle pipe, and see what it sounds like. More lively sounds desirable!

Out of interest, was there any other difference between the cat and non-cat S2's apart from the cat/silencer swap?

Oli.

Fen · Nov 13, 2006

Non-cat cars have "coding plugs" in the ECU to tell the car not to use a lambda sensor, but if yours doesn't have a cat then it already has them.

My indie was trying to explain something about them for my 964 when he fitted the decat, but I didn't fully understand. That has reminded me that I think he said the plugs were on back order and he'd coded the car manually but it would "forget" if the battery was disconnected.

Graeme's car is a good choice to hear what it sounds like decatted, especially as it's a cab also. I don't know how likely it is you will ever be in the same place though.

I had assumed your noise-nuisance would drive an Impreza rather than a Supra. Apologies Mik, Steve et al who have Scoobies. I have to admit to making more noise than strictly necessary with my 964 at more sociable hours of the day. In fact I haven't driven it with the window closed except on motorways since I had the G-pipe fitted and I paid £1 to cross the QE2 bridge on Thursday just so I could drive through the Blackwall Tunnel in the opposite direction (in 2nd gear)[

]

zcacogp · Nov 13, 2006

ORIGINAL: Fen

Non-cat cars have "coding plugs" in the ECU to tell the car not to use a lambda sensor, but if yours doesn't have a cat then it already has them.

My indie was trying to explain something about them for my 964 when he fitted the decat, but I didn't fully understand. That has reminded me that I think he said the plugs were on back order and he'd coded the car manually but it would "forget" if the battery was disconnected.

Graeme's car is a good choice to hear what it sounds like decatted, especially as it's a cab also. I don't know how likely it is you will ever be in the same place though.

I had assumed your noise-nuisance would drive an Impreza rather than a Supra. Apologies Mik, Steve et al who have Scoobies. I have to admit to making more noise than strictly necessary with my 964 at more sociable hours of the day. In fact I haven't driven it with the window closed except on motorways since I had the G-pipe fitted and I paid £1 to cross the QE2 bridge on Thursday just so I could drive through the Blackwall Tunnel in the opposite direction (in 2nd gear)[]

Thanks. I'll try contacting Graeme then.

Blackwall Tunnel? That's right near my gaffe! Drop by for a cuppa (or stonger) when you are next in the area!

Oli.

jez_anderson · Nov 13, 2006

Whats the difference between changing the air filter for something like a K&N filter and replacing the whole lot with an induction kit? Other than one is £50ish and the other £180ish?