so i have this dream....i want to make my '84 944 faster than a viper. i was wondering, is this actually possible or am i just absolutely insane. i want to keep the 944 engine, but by no means will i keep it stock, i know that is impossible to get a stock 944 engine that fast. i'm just curious is this a possible feat? time and money are of no concern here.

 

With a 944 turbo and a hell of a lot of work, you could do it. NA, no way in hell. There are guys out there putting down 550rwhp in 944 turbos, granted they have thousands upon thousands of dollars into the engines.

 

i wouldn't even bother trying with an NA, but i'm just glad that it is not a completely insane idea, i just think it would be fun as hell to see the look on a viper drivers face when a little 944 beats him in a race.

 

Why do you want to keep the 944 engine? The best way to build a Viper beating 944, (and probably the cheapest) is to fit a Chevy V8 or simular V8 then supercharge it! [8D]

Check out Renegade Hybrids if ya think I'm joking!

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for the fact that i want to keep the car a porsche, not a porsche/chevy thing. i did that sorta thing with my crx and didn't like it. yeah the chevy engine is cheaper, but i want a porsche to be a porsche not a hybrid thing.

 

I think this is a bit unrealistic. First, it will take 550Hp (flywheel), or more to make your car faster thna the latest Vipers. That is roughly 400 more than stock so, using a rule-of-thumb I've developed over the years -- aftermarket HP costs $85/per, you'd be looking at $34K. Maybe because you are buying a "giant economy size upgrade" you could get there for $25K, but I would not start the project without that much CASH (save your credit cards and such for all the money you'll spend when it doesn't work quite right after you've spent the $25K).

That is also a lot of power to get out of less than 3 liters, period. I do not think you will end up with a well-behaved streetable engine.

By contrast, completely stock Chevy LS1 crate motor (about $5000 with the ECM) with a full intercooled Magnusen SC kit ($7500), put outabout 580 HP (flywheel) with stock-like driveability. You'd still have to spend something on an aftermarket hood ($2000 with paint), exhaust, new radiator, new front springs, etc., ($2000), and a host of other things (probably only another $1000, but probably a lot of time getting the little things working (like all the guages). You would then have a Viper killer up to the moment the added power ripped apart the drive train (another $10k with either approach you would take to an engine upgrade).

 

If you want to keep the 944 engine, you've got two hopes.....

.....Bob Hope & No hope!

The most powerful 944 was the Turbo S and that only had 250bhp and a top speed of 162mph. Even the most powerful 968 only had 305bhp and a top speed of 175mph.

The fact that you want to modify it means that it's no longer the way Porsche meant it to be. Maybe you could try and fit a V8 from a 928GTS? This engine had 5397bhp as standard, but would it fit? [&:]

 

Vitesse racing has a bolt on kit for the turbo motor that along with his big valve head puts down 533RWHP at 24psi. That is before doing anything with exhaust, weight reduction, ceramic coating, etc. It runs probably about 5-6k once you figure the head in there.

 

I can't believe that that would be the end of the spending, though. I've never seen a stock engine that can take four times the stock power without some reinforcement upgrades, and while Porsche no doubt built the engine strong, at 24 lbs I would O-ring the head, etc. (or does that come with it). Then there is the whole power train, the new wheels and so forth to handle the power.

bottom line I will stick with my estimate that a good conversion would cost $30K + and I would still have doubts about how driveable and pleasant the power would be to use.

I think, overall CTigger Pigglet had the best thought, though: even if it has a "Porsche" motor, a 600 Hp (flywheel) 944 is no longer what the factory meant it to be. I like the idea of trying to find or dpulicate a 944 turbo or 968 S a lot more.

It would be sort of a fun thing to do, though, wouldn't it?

 

With guys getting up into the 450-500rwhp, they simply upgrade the transaxle and put in the S2 R&P to handle the additional torque. Obviously with the transaxles and CV's, you can not drop the clutch, you need to roll off the line gently, once going though, you can give it hell. The Big Valve head is completely worked, o-ringed, etc. Quite honestly, in the 951, you can have a hell of a car for under 10k in modifications. But like you said, then you want things like upgraded coilovers, rollbar etc. From being in the business, it doesn't matter how fast you just made your car, in time you will want to make it faster. Problem with the 944 line, is that for every thousand you spend in modifications, you spend a thousand in maintenance just trying to keep it on the road, lol.

I don't know of anyone who has 30k into a 951 (not including full race spec track junkies), other than the guys doing the 3.0L turbos or the 2.8L strokers.