wheels and engine options

[ever88]

Hello all

after a year without a porsche I have obtained a very good example 944.

trouble is I'm not much fond of the bbs alloy wheels on it at the moment and nor am I keen on the teledial wheels either which I have a full set of with the car.

I do like the cup alloys but have very limited knowledge as to what size I can fit with offsets etc and just what my wheel options are. If anyone reading this could reply with a picture attached (with sizes/advice) I would be very grateful.

Also if anyone is after a set of 17" bbs alloys with tyres or a set of teledials with tyres then you could also send me a reply here.

My second question concerns what mods can be done to improve the performance of the 2.5 naturally aspirated lump. I'm an able mechanic so are not put off by doing work myself but would like an idea if such efforts are worthwhile based on the cost vs the gains etc.

anyhow

I thank all that can help me and look forward to reading some replies.

cheers
Paul

 

[pauljmcnulty]

The technical chaps will be along later with some more detailed advice, but a few suggestions:

What year is your car? This has a major effect on the wheels you can fit. If the teles came off the car, you can read the offset from them.

Performance-wise, there is nothing that will significantly increase the power within sensible cost limits. Lots of little things, however, will improve the car dramatically.

There are chips for the N/A engine, I'd personally go for a respected brand that has been tested properly. Not a great increase in power, but smoother delivery and better set up for premium fuels. Check the ignition electrics - you might find the original rotor arm, diz cap and leads that won't be delivering optimum performance.

More importantly, how fast do you need to be away from the lights or past the cameras? Straight performance is much over-rated away from the track in my opinion. I'd suggest that overhauling the suspension, a proper 4-wheel alignment and a brake overhaul might improve the driving experience more than an extra few BHP. Your car looks around 20 years old, and Porsche reliability can mean parts will still be original and pretty tired!

 

[ever88]

the car year is 1985

and it's only got 77k on it. I have every mot cert but do admit there are always games that can be played there.

performance wise, I didn't know wether a sporty cam may grab a bit more. I have built a 1600 screamer in my time and simply thought a 2.5 can get bigger gains from such a cam that my old 1600 but again willing to listen to others.

suspension wise I am considering new wishbones and ball joints etc just for the pure reason they are cheap and give good piece of mind.

wheel option wise I was considering 18" but not sure of offsets etc

thanks for your input. perhaps others will follow up later as you say.

cheers
Paul

 

[pauljmcnulty]

If it's an '85 car the offset is 23. Later wheels are 53, so you'd need pretty massive spacers to fit.

IMO 18" is going too far, particularly on a Lux. The handling won't be as happy and what would be the gain? There are plenty of 17" available.

 

[Diver944]

In perfect working order these engines are 163bhp in standard trim and there is very little you can do to make a noticeable difference (Porsche knew how to build 'em back then []). EMC in Birmingham prepare a lot of 2.5 n/a racecars and from memory I saw an article with a higher compression race spec engine, cams, remap etc and I think they were talking about 180-190bhp.

Are you sure those BBS alloys are 17" as the tyres look to have very tall sidewalls in the photo and they look more like 16" to me [&:]

 

[Robbo149]

Those BBSs look the same as the ones on the Wheeler Dealers 928 [:'(]

IMO you should get the teledials mirror polished, they'll look cool.

Cheers,
Robbo

 

[333pg333]

Yes they do look like 16" but could be just my eyes going cross from too much posting everywhere. []
I know that there are 3.0l n/a engines in the US getting over 300hp but they are full on race engines. I would think that higher c/r, some headwork, better cam, chips, new exhaust you could bump up quite nicely, but I also agree that doing up the suspension will get you a faster car around the track much more easily.
You could always turbocharge it heheheheh....

 

[edh]

As we all know, the quickest & cheapest way of getting more power is to sell it & buy something faster.

- you may not want to hear that, but you'd be better off with an S2 (I put this in to keep Oli happy ) or a Turbo