!Once AGAIN: Best handling 944?

scottmandue · 08:13 AM

Okay lets say,
Looks (styling) doesn't matter.
Top speed doesn't matter.
0-60 doesn't matter.

Those of you who have driven a 944S2, 951, 968

From the standpoint of a weekend warrior who only uses this car to attack mountain roads and the back canyons of So. Cali...

Of the 944 series which is the most tossable, glued to the ground car?

And to keep things simple lets stick to stock cars.

Also no disrespect to the Porsche gods who have decreed that "always buy the newest/best condition Porsche you can find" however I feel that ideology takes into account the car as a package i.e. comfort/safety/luxury AND performance.

I actually LIKE my noisy, smelly, rough ridding little 944.

Dantilla · 05-21-2003, 08:27 AM

I've had a turbo, an S2, and an NA. The NA feels a bit more "tossable", but I'm not sure if it is because it weighs less, or because of the smaller Momo steering wheel. The S2 was the hardest to heel and toe due to pedal placement.

overkill · 05-21-2003, 08:43 AM

951!!! I know I don't have one nor drove one,... I DON'T CARE!!! I'm loyal to the 9,...5,...1's!!!!

Z-man · Z-man's Garage

951 is probably NOT the best handling car in this mix, due to the fact that is it a turbo. Turbo lag and the wrong boost at the wrong time can be a handful. Just ask anyone who autocrosses a 951!

The earlier 944 n/a's are a little lighter than the post 85.5 cars, but the difference is probably not very noticable.

The 944S2 and 968 have some great low end torque which relly helps gain better exit speed, which is what negociating a corner is all about!

Any of these cars that are equipped with LSD will have a benefit.

My vote? The 968 with M030 & LSD. No turbo issues, good power band, nice low end torque. Sure, it's heavier than the early 944's, but it makes up for that in power.

Just my $0.42
-Z.

924Sman · 05-21-2003, 08:59 AM

924 "Best handling car in stock form!".... J. Pasha - Excellence

scottmandue · 09:45 AM

Ha ha....

I just knew someone would kick me for not including the 924!

Funny how I think that my 1984 944 is the beginning of the series when in reality the 924 was the original.

So yeah from a minimalist view the 924 is smallest lightest (and cheapest!)

I guess I was trying to not to complicate things (after all the 914 is likely the lightest most tossable Porsche!)

I have ridden in one 968 and it was very quite and smooth... almost too quite and smooth... but it seemed really connected to the road.

Although for around half the price of a 968 I could have a 951 or 944S2...

And if I was to stick a to simple old fashioned 944 I could upgrade my car to M030...

But then "the 968 is the ultimate evolution of the series" or something like that, anyway I doubt I would be disappointed if I dropped the big coinage (to me) and got one. Then again it IS heavier and basic physics seems to say pushing more weight around a corner should be more difficult, dunno...

I'm more confused than ever... the beat goes on...

My head hurts!

924Sman · 05-21-2003, 10:49 AM

OH YES! We must not be forgotten! And who can argue with J Pasha! I wasn't kicking you though just a little nudge! hehe.. Funny you mention the suspension. I am in the middle of confusion and common sense. I see where the 924S has available M030 sways 23.5 mm and 19 mm. As for the 968 which is the prefered bars is a sway bar designed for that car-968 which I would believe is heavier up front and would need a heftier bar. So if Porsche designed the M030 sport pkg for the 924S it would lead me to believe that it is the best design (size) for the 924S. So would the 968 bar be a significant benefit over the cost of the two pkgs? which is half the cost of the 968 cost give or take.

scottmandue · 05-21-2003, 11:18 AM

Okay so far the 951 has a lead, and I expected that "most bang for your buck" uh-huh...
It is debatably the most popular...
However let me make the point that we are not voting on the fastest, most powerful, most popular, or even best looking.
But if we can keep this somewhat on topic, the quetion is best handling please.

rbt944 · 05-21-2003, 01:46 PM

I have never driven a 951, but from a S. Cali. occasional mountain driver, I just love the way my 944 handles. A vote for the 944. My car is stock, but it had the sport shocks and rear sway option.

-Gus.

scottmandue · 05-21-2003, 02:25 PM

Holy fuel injectors Batman the plain Jane 944 has pulled ahead!
Personally I lean towards the 944S2... it has the old classic styling and power of the 3L DOHC 4-valve...
Oh wait, I didn't want to consider styling...
DOH!

Frank B · 05-21-2003, 04:45 PM

944. Very "manageable" But you can learn the Ins and outs of any car. I've driven a Turbo (951) it's a totally different car than an N/A it's feels heavier, and quite a bit stiffer to me. BUt it was fun to punch it in that car. for handling, I'd go 944 N/A.

Frank B

scottmandue · 05-22-2003, 09:53 AM

I also keep going back and forth on the 968...
N/A 235 HP and a six speed...
Hmmmm...

rammstein · 05-22-2003, 10:19 AM

At the DE event I went to, back when my car wasn;t at the machanic for 3 weeks and counting (vent), I was driving the 951 all day. Then I took a ride with my instructor in his 968.

Granted, his 968 was on slicks, but I would have to say it was better. Yes, my car was much faster on the straights, but coming out of corners he would start in on the gas and it would just stick and progressively get faster. I don't know if its the fact that my 951 is chipped, but I really had to be almost completely out of a corner before the boost came on, or I'd be driving on grass pretty fast. The 968, from a handling standpoint, would get my vote over the 951, although once again niether car is stock.

But man, I really dug that 3 liter. All that power down low. Now the 951 with some race tires, that will get interesting.

Z-man · Z-man's Garage

Adding to the 968 side is this:
Compared stock for stock, an early 944's suspension is about 10 years older technology compared to the 968.
Also on the suspension: the 968's suspension is beefier compared to the older 944's, if you take the age of technology out of the equation. (Wasn't a rear sway bar just an option on the early 944's?)

IF you were to put a 944 engine in a stock 968, I bet it would still be faster around a track.

Handling is all about suspension, weight distribution, and tires. Case in point: I was at Summit Point this past week for a DE with NNJR - PCA. Coming out of turn 6 (The Carousel), my 944S2 with stock suspension would be leaning to the point that I was close to seeing blue sky out of my passenger window. I went for a ride with an instructor in a 944S with a mad suspension on it. No lean there, and the car was much more controllable. He was quicker than some of the 993's out there! IN A 944S!!! Suspension makes a huge difference.

-Z.

ae1969 · 05-22-2003, 11:13 AM

Uhmmmm

I have owned a 924, 944 and 951.............

The 924 felt so light and nimble....... It was a really fun car that made you feel like you were going faster than you actually were!

The 944 very light, nicer ride than the 924, does not take much to make this car drift. Much tighter than my old 924. It feels like it holds the road better than the 924.

The 951 feels heavier??? (Has wider rims/ stiffer suspension could be causing this 'HEAVY' feel) Not as nimble as the 924 but if you throw it into a corner it holds as well or better than both the 924/944. I tend to hold of the gas a little as I hit some sharp winding turns (I am not used to the boost yet). BUT once you get into a nice long curve and the rpms hit 3000....watch out!!!!!!!!!! It truly flies.

I guess the happy medium for best handling for me would be the 944......

scottmandue · 05-22-2003, 03:52 PM

Maybe I should cross post this thread over a 968.net so I can stack the votes for that model!