What can I do to make my 86 porsche 944 faster?

Question

I have put a chip in it and a k&n air filter i want to put a exaust system in it how much would a nice one cost and what would i need to get new headers? what else can I do to it thank you

Answer 1

The problem you face with the 944 is that outright speed simply isn't a strength of the car, and Porsche did not leave a lot on the table in terms of extra power that can be had by compromising other aspects... so, you're left with a couple choices.

First, the one thing that makes any car faster is a good driver. And it's also the area most people tend to overlook and often the one thing most in need of upgrading! If you spend some money for some on track instruction or attend a PCA Autocross school or something similar, you'll do more for improving the speed of you car than anything else. The sad fact is that we drivers are most often the most limiting factor in the car. This will also enable you to better overcome the 944's weaknesses (power), and make the most of it's strengths (balance and handling).

As a follow on to that, you may find further upgrades to it's strong areas to yield big improvements in performance that better allow you to keep up the momemtum of the car.

Going that route of otherwise, the biggest bang for the buck would be performance tires. Tires are the only part of the vehicle that actually touch the road, and they are the main limit for performance. Better tires will give you better grip for accelerating as well as for maintaining speed out of a corner.

The other 944 appropriate means to improve performance would be to look at what you can do to lighten the car... if the goal is more power to weight, the easier path on this car is to do away with weight!

But all that said, if your goal is a car that rockets away from stop lights, you have the wrong car. You can look at engine swaps or forced induction upgrades, but in the end, these will all wind up being as expensive (and more likely, more expensive) than simply selling your 944 and getting a different car. If you want a faster 944, look at the 951 (ie, 944 Turbo) which will have more options for power. Or if just a faster off the line car, something American with a V8 would fit the bill (it won't have the balance and handling of the 944, but it will have alot of torque).

Answer 2

Your best bet would be an engine out of an 968...other than that, you'll be throwing a LOT of money at the car to come up to snuff.

The problem with the 944 is the car has WAY more chassis than engine, so it feels slower than a car which has much more engine than chassis. Look at it from that perpective.

Answer 3

Supercharger is the best way to go. Check out Speed Force Racing.
http://www.speedforceracing.com/

Here's another link that might help:
http://www.connact.com/~kgross/FAQ/944faq13.html

Here's another good source of info - Rennlist:
http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=70

If you want more speed, you'll need to do something major as those other mods you mention don't make much of a difference. Either do something major (Turbo, Supercharge, Engine swap, etc) or buy a different car.

Good Luck!

Answer 4

Put a small block Chevy in it. Yes it's been done. Alot.