RE: AJLintern's Porsche 944 S2

[Thom]

clubsport said:for the cost of a good night out you could get the ECU re mapped to nigh on 300bhp.I would have thought insurance wouldn't be that much more and if you want to sell,just put the old chip back in/
Is this a stupid idea?

2.5 turbo engines chipped to 300 bhp are prone to head gasket failures if the prep does not include an "stronger" head gasket being fitted (e.g. Cup head gasket).

>> Edited by Thom on Wednesday 16th April 17:25

[clubsport]

fair enough,but a HG is no big deal or likely to break the bank....I know they can get this kind of bhp as I have seen them performing very,very well on UK track days.

[AJLintern]

clubsport said: Andrew currently your S2 is a fine example of the marque.The idea of 300bhp is gonna cost you quite a bit,not only in terms of application cost,extra insurance and no benefit maybe a deficit if ever re-sale is a consideration.
Would it not be easier to buy a 944 Turbo SE,for the cost of a good night out you could get the ECU re mapped to nigh on 300bhp.I would have thought insurance wouldn't be that much more and if you want to sell,just put the old chip back in/
Is this a stupid idea?

I agree with what you're saying CS, and I want to keep my car basically original. Having said that I doubt it's that difficult to put back the original manifold and resale value isn't much of an issue for me as I can't see myself selling the car for a long time. I chose the S2 because I prefer larger capacity normally aspirated engines with even power and torque. The 2.5 turbo engine is already putting out 250bhp so putting it upto 300+ though easily done would, I feel, be cheating a bit - anyone can turn the boost up to get silly outputs but to the detriment of drivability.
If the new manifold and any tuning were to affect the smoothness of the power delivery or reliability then I would think again, but I suspect if anything the engine will be more reliable through greater efficiency and smoother flow causing less wear of components.

diver944 said: ...makes for scary reading when you add it all up

[clubsport]

I hear you Andrew.it sounds like you have given it a lot of thought,it is always good to have a plan.I get the feeling that you have the bit between your teeth and will see it through. Good luck!

[diver944]

I have a 250 Turbo and an S2. I bought the Turbo to replace the S2 because it is so easily tuned to 300 bhp (and beyond) plus it already has beefier brakes and suspension (M030 option) and I had become hooked on trackdays.

The Turbo is superb on track but even with a shimmed wastegate and a boost enhancer it is still sooo laggy and does not compare to the crispness of the S2 engine. On the road the S2 is much much the nicer car to drive, but at the track the Turbo is ultimateley quicker. My wife now won't let me sell the S2 she hates the Turbo

My plan when buying the Turbo is to replace the wastegate with a dual port design which reduces the lag infinitley and then to have it remapped properly paying attention to the fueling (not just upping the boost).

Now that the Supercharger is a realistic option I have been placed into a huge dilemna, I would love the smooth power delivery of a supercharged 3 litre. Selling the Turbo to finance this has been praying on my mind, and it would clear up my driveway, but ultimately it does need to be reliable - I do 20,000 miles a year.

Decisions, decisions

[AJLintern]

Paul, from what I've read the supercharger is a low pressure system which basically reduces the resistance of the intake system to nothing - this is what gives the high bhp/litre. I'm sure this would be more reliable than any turbo system. I would certainly go for this if I could convince myself to spend that sort of money, though I'm quite happy to settle for 300bhp for less than £3k
I wonder what the quad throttle manifold with supercharger would develop...