944 Turbo - Page 1 - Porsche General - PistonHeads UK

Hi chaps After selling my 3.2 Carrera for an E46 330i Sport Touring (I just couldn't stand the guilt of leaving the 911 ungaraged and on the drive anymore!), I have recently sold the E46 for various reasons and am currently with an E30 325i cab because I've decided that 80's cars are definitely my thing. But it's really another 80s Porker that I hanker after and I'm thinking of going down the 944/968 route. I think I'd rather have the 944 Turbo out of all of them as it's reputation for brutal power is rather intriguing but I have a few questions. Firstly, is it best to go for the Turbo or Turbo S? Secondly are they as reliable and cheap to run as they appear (£250 to service with Ray Northway)? Thirdly, I'll probably use it for sprinting as well as on the road and I was wondering if turbo lag makes them a difficult track car or if they're quite predictable? Lastly, what kind of money for a good one and any recommendations for a good buyers guide? Thanks Iain

Lots of stuff here if you search for it. Its not very powerful by today's standards, but there's a fair amount of lag, then boost, which is fun if you like that sort of thing. The 'S' has a bigger turbo plus other mods, worth looking for but these are old cars and you need to buy on condition. One other point, like all Porsches, there is no such thing as a cheap one. They are 17-23 years old and even a good one will be the usual £1k - £2k p.a. to run, and a poor one could cost you a fortune. On the upside, there are plenty of good specialists around, they're built like a brick outhouse (but watch for corrosion) and even in std 220/250bhp form are pretty quick and come with all mod-cons. SS7

If you are looking for a Tutbo this is a good one http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1147775.htm

They can make great track cars with a few mods. A friend has one which has been stripped, caged and has KW coilovers. With a bigger turbo it's running about 300bhp and is a fast and satisfying machine. The only tricky thing was fitting the coilovers - as the rear suspension is torsion bar you either have to remove/disconnect and rebuild the suspension or just keep it in place but lose some of the adjustability of the coilovers (unless someone with better mechanical knowledge can tell me another way around this). I have a stripped/caged E36 M3 Evo track car with standard engine and the 944 is very equally matched with it but a very different experience. If I was taking a Porsche to track on a budget then the 944 turbo would be my car of choice.

Thanks. So what's the simplest way to remove/reduce turbo lag in the 250bhp version? I'd probably keep it pretty standard apart from that and race in the road going class.

Well yes not very powerful compared with modern cars but a 0-60 time of 5.something seconds, even better mid range acceleration and over 160mph top speed isn't to be sniffed at in my book at least Simplest and cheapest way to reduce the lag is to fit a boost enhancer which costs less than a £100 to buy and is pretty straightforward to fit. Various places supply them. Of course you can go further (or alot further if you choose) in reducing lag even more and upping the BHP too. Also well worth reading round both PCGB and TIPEC 944 forums for a wealth of info and helpful types happy to advise. Edited by Jon951 on Friday 24th July 17:28

ICSD said: Thanks. So what's the simplest way to remove/reduce turbo lag in the 250bhp version? I'd probably keep it pretty standard apart from that and race in the road going class. At this far out you could do with ensuring its making the factory boost, the wastegate springs wear over time. ss7

Definitely buy on condition not spec, colour or 'owt else. Depending on mileage the the 1K PA is roughly correct, although my Lux has cost virtually nothing this year & has just sailed through its MOT this morning. It did need 2Ks worth of sills & wishbones & exhaust 2 years ago though There is a buyers guide here http://forums.tipec.net/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=5... you'll probably have to create a login. Edited by tr7v8 on Friday 24th July 18:00

I bought one 4 months ago, I have spent about £750 on it (2 x Tyres, Belts, Service, MoT and a couple of interior bits) but I only paid £2,600 for it. Smile? I'm chuckling every time i drive it...

I had one for a while and regret selling it. A great daily GT and very reliable, too. The handling was excellent and i did a few track days in it at Cadwell, Donington, Silverstone & Oulton Park. I loved it at Donington, Silverstone & Oulton where the more open & sweeping nature of the track really suited it & you could keep it on boost - the car was very quick there & a few other drivers commented that they hadn't realised that a 944 could be that quick - but at Cadwell I struggled because its a much tighter, twistier circuit & I couldn't keep in the turbo power bound (i'm sure left foot breaking would have helped but unfortunately I am not a driving God!!). As a result I think they are fantastic track day (and road) cars but as Sprints tend to be on smaller, tighter circuits (more like Cadwell than Silverstone) I don't think they would be that suitable for sprinting. I'd still have another.

the previous owner of my car won the BRSCC sprint championship in it, so the 944 turbo can be handy enough on tighter circuits... It is a great compromise track car - good on the road and track, but ultimately a bit too lardy for a track-only car. The only prroblem is there's lots of tempting mods available to make more power - always a slippery slope with turbo cars

Yeah, I sprinted a 2.5 944 Lux last year and it was OK but you knew you were carrying too much weight. I'm hoping a Turbo will be a big step up and negate a lot of the weight. Thanks for all the advice chaps.

Mine was pretty good at Cadwell a couple of weeks ago (until the headgasket started to fail... ) I even managed to get through Mansfield without understeer - a first for me Good boost control makes a massive difference to the way the car responds - Tial wastegate and manual boost controller seems like the best combo.

As a matter of interest, if I decided to give the sprinting a miss, how does the cab compare to the coupe in terms of driving and also, does it make as good a 2+2?

Cab is heavier and will have scuttle shake so not as dynamic as the coupe - plus of course Turbo cabs are rare old things and carry a pretty hefty premium..

only 6000 miles from new! https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/20405405

Lovely, the 944 is beautifully proportioned I've always liked them. Like everything else that Porsche makes its looked down on by 911 snobs, its such a shame cars like the 944 being overlooked because the engine isn't hanging out its arse. I've not seen a 944 of any variety on the road for long enough, are they now all locked up in garages or is it there's not many left. A nice Guards Red one for me.