Oh one more question. I thought the S had all the same stuff as the turbo like brakes, tranny, ect... except the engine and front end? Which then later they did switch to same front end.

 

The S did not have the same brakes and body panels as the 951 and the S2. The brakes were exactly the same as the 8V N/A with the exception of the addition of a brake bias valve. The car basically looked the same as an 8V N/A with the exception of the "16 Ventelier" badge on the fenders and the 944S badge on the rear.

The S2, which was basically a much better version of the S (IMHO), is the one that looks like a 951 and shares a lot of the suspension, brakes, body panels, bumper cover, etc. The S2 motor is a 3.0 16V verses the 2.5 16V of the S. The S2 also has more horsepower and more low end grunt.

Don't get me wrong, the S is still a great car. It was placed midway between the 951 and 8V N/A cars in terms of HP and price, and once into the proper rev range it was a barn stormer. The S2 is just a much nicer evolution of that car.

Also, I may mention this: For those of you who have not read the 50lb "Excellence Was Expected" latest edition..............Porsche experimented with a turbocharged S2. A prototype was built and tested, but in the end the project was shot down by the shareholders due to projected tooling costs and production costs. The waning sales numbers of the transaxle cars did not help that decision process much, either.

EDIT: Doh! I forgot to address the transmission question. The S transmission was a different trans from the 944 8V, with different gearing and a *slightly* stronger ring and pinion gear. The S2 transmission was different than both the S and 8V. The S2 trans has different gearing and a much stronger ring and pinion gear. The S2 trans, out of the three, is the strongest and would be able to handle some additional horsepower if one desires to modify the car. I am looking for an S2 trans with LSD to buy and squirrell away in the corner of my garage for a little project on down the road. I want to swap a 968 3.0 motor into my car. Or something bigger.

 

One thing that should be repeated is that a Turbo S and a regular 944 S are different cars. Porsche didn't turbo-charge the 16 valve engine. The 944 Turbo S and Turbo Cup cars are 8 valve. Even the very few 968s (Turbo S and Turbo RS) porsche did turbo-charge were 8 valve. I Haven't seen a "Turboized" 16 valve 944 S, S2 or 968 that wasn't meant for the track. I'm not saying it hasn't been done - but it would cost a fortune to do well. If it was easy Porsche would have done it. Anyway if you do turbo-charge a 16 valve engine you are going off the map as far as porsche engineering is concerned. That is usually where all of the fun is but it is also where all of the risk is too. If you do decide to go that route please post pictures!

 

Yea I'm convinced. I guess if the 16v was better Porsche would have done it.

 

I couldn't even find an after-market exhaust system that anyone liked better than stock for a 944 NA.

 

Hey ZOD, I don't want you to think that we all think that "If Porsche did it, it must be perfect". Frankly, that can't be further from the truth for me. My car is nowhere near close to the way it was when it rolled off the line in April 1985. To be quite honest, it is a bastard, with parts on it from everything from a 930 to a 968. My ideal car is something that can be built from parts mostly available from Porsche production bins, but never placed on one particular model in this certain combination. [:-] If that makes sense.................


Anyway, there are a few areas where Porsche excelled, and some where they didn't. Plus there are lessons learned by some of us that have been around for awhile...........that if we can pass along to others that are as maniac as we are, then it will free those others up to go forth and find new truths.........

For example, don't get me started on the weak r&p gears in pre-1988 8V transmissions. But ask me about the perfect balance, great road manners, and flexibility that the 944's have in stock form.

Nami

 

I guess that did sound a bit pessimistic. I was trying to commiserate with the poor guy. I've been working on my 944s for years, and I also have a list of things I love and hate about them. Replacing the rubber centered clutch disc on one illustrates the "hate" nicely. I couldn't agree more about the handling. My other project car is a 68 mustang. Its funny that many of that car's deficiencies are the exact opposite of the 944. Maybe we all should post a list of the mods we have made. I've done some things that have worked and other that haven't. I'm sure that I for one could learn from the group.

 

Ah, yes, the rubber-centered clutch disc, when it seemed a great idea at the time they designed it, is now considered to be one of the PIA features of these cars, right up there with the original liquid-filled motor mounts (that leak and fail in rapid order, particularly on the exhaust side).

Probably not a bad idea to discuss some of the things that we have done to our cars. People like Scott (sh944) are going to have lots to say, particularly since they have multiple examples of the breed.

I'll start a new thread, sorta on that topic.