Thinking about buying...

[Saltycat1987]

I'm looking into buying an 85 to 87 porsche 944 and I was wondering about specs. power? 1/4 mile times? 0-60? options? also I was wondering whether it's front or rear wheel drive...I've heard both from different people. Any info would be wonderful thanks.

[pearldrum944]

They are rear wheel drive with around 143hp. They are not straight line cars, they handle well and are meant for the corners. I don't know what 0-60 time is...7.5-8 seconds? There really wasn't that many major options. The main important ones I can think of are better suspension and LSD.

[zzpza]

damn, they really smother the car in the US. in the UK it's 163bhp for a 2.5L 8v 944 and 150bhp for a 2.5L 8v 924S.

out of interest do you know what the 944 turbo se (aka turbo s) makes in the US? mine stock is 250bhp.

oh yeah, definitely rear wheel drive. who ever told you it's front doesn't know much about Porsche's. they have only ever made rear wheel drive and four wheel drive cars.

j.

[pearldrum944]

I don't think the euro cars actually make 163 do they? I was thinking it was just a little less. Just like people say the U.S. 944s have 150 hp. The 951S has about 250 here as well.

[RACER D12]

I think the 944 makes a little more than 143hp because from what I have seen they run mid to high 15s stock. Again their not drag cars but they can get up and go when modded. However if you want real power get the turbo version. They were made from 86-92 (I think its 92 might be 93 or 91) If you want the non turbo get a 86 or newer. They have better dashes and suspention design from what I have read.

[pearldrum944]

I know a good conditioned 944 n/a makes about 120hp to the wheels on a dyno. I'm interested in seeing what a euro version would do. Supposedly stock 944s will have a 1/4mile time of around 16.4 seconds.

[RACER D12]

nah I dont think their that slow. Im pretty sure their like high 15s. At least the 86+ ones are

[Cbass]

NA 944's aren't all that quick in a straight line, it is only a 2.5 liter NA motor and they deliberately kept the power down to make it less competitive than the 911 3.2, just like how Porsche used the head they designed for VW(with deliberate poor port design) on the naturally aspirated 924 to keep the power down.

The 944 is not all that light either in stock form, although it's easy to strip a few hundred pounds out.

As for performance upgrades, the stock intake and exhaust are pretty well matched to the head flow, you really have to get into the cylinder head and increase compression if you want to make any substantial power gains. You can increase power with a header or a tuned intake manifold, but mostly in the upper end of the rpm range only, and at the expense of the lower and midrange tuning.

If you're looking for a car for straightline speed, here's the rundown. You can get a 944, upgrade the intake with a MAF conversion and cold air intake with cone filter, delete the cat and run a free flowing exhaust system, and a 75 shot of nitrous. This should get you around 225hp while on the juice. Strip a few hundred pounds of extra weight, rear seats(they're a joke anyways), sound deadening etc, and you'll be running 13s. That's cheap and easy, and a few suspension upgrades will get you a very competitive autoX and track car.

The handling is where these cars shine, and oh do they shine! The stock suspension is a definite comprimise for street driving and novice drivers not familiar with cars like the 944, which is why the factory offered optional sport suspension options. The aftermarket offers even more variety, from simple coilover and shock/strut packages to full race suspension replacements. Take a stock Fohfoh for a test drive, and then consider that the handling which has left you amazed and overly impressed is the soft, comprimising suspension setup.

[eastendr]

Originally Posted by RACER D12

nah I dont think their that slow. Im pretty sure their like high 15s. At least the 86+ ones are

That's a nice looking '44

[RACER D12]

Originally Posted by eastendr

That's a nice looking '44

Thanks but its not mine. You can see more of this 951 on www.cannell.co.uk