whats best for a DE/track Car

[mambodave]

Whats best for a DE/ Track Car?

924
924 Turbo
944 NA
951


and I want to make this thing a company sponsored project. Were gonna paint it and logo it. (which ever it is)


What are the advantages of a 924 over a 944 (or Vica versa) Lighter?

Ive heard the NA 's have advantages over the turbos..is that true? (for the track)

I found a great 924 thats perfect.

And if were your track project, what would you do to it

[scheistermeiste]

i say for something like autocross a 924S would be best, or a 951

[CJFusco]

951 would definitely be the FASTEST of your above choices, but some people don't like boost in their track cars. I wouldn't let this keep me away from a 951 as a track car - they are very tuneable and very fast - but if inexpensive and still fast is your goal, I would probably go for an early 944 or a 924S

[mambodave]

whats the skinny on a 924 turbo..they have always been interesting to me....are they fast?

[CJFusco]

quicker than a 924, almost as quick as a 944

[my924gtc]

Simply put, what you have there is a list of excellent track candidates ranging from least expensive to maintain to most expensive to maintain.

The 924, while slightly underpowered is lighter, much easier to work on, and can accept all the later model suspension upgrades making it a superior handling machine. It is a non-interference engine and can be completely rebuilt for less than the cost of front end service on a 944/951 motor.

The 931 is a slightly better hp motor but is an interference motor. The car is a bit heavier, the turbos are oddball 3 bolt flange units and are good for 30,000 miles and then need to be rebuilt. As with any turbo motor you are dealing with lag.

924S, 944, and 951 are major interference motors and will be tripple the cost of upkeep for the 924 and double that of the 931.

All models handle relatively the same in stock trim, but suspension upgrades on the 924 will far outweight those on the other models because of the weight savings.

Major question is what class do you want to run in and how good of a driver do you aspire to be?

[mambodave]

yeah..i was leaning towards the 24....

I just want a good car to learn to drive realy well on..then jump up to something else....

any 924 track car pics out there?

[my924gtc]

Dave check out PUB Racing He races a 924 in ITB and has a fairly nice setup.

And yes my opinion is biased, but for good reasons. None of which have anything to do with the fact that you are looking at my 24.

[mambodave]

...im buying yours anyhow Id be dumb to pass it up!

[mike944]

If you have the cash, an S2, or a 968 would probably be the best for track use, since they have the horsepower, without any turbo lag, but both are fairly rare, very desirable, expensive to purchase, and not cheap to maintain.

In your list, i would think the 944NA would be best, smoothest, and least expensive to maintain, unless you really want to feel the horsepower, in that case, the 951.


I have a friend with a 924 turbo. it's probably one of the more expensive cars to keep running on your list, for several reasons. Not well designed for durability, combined with the low production numbers, make parts availibility poor, and very expensive. As somebody else said, turbos need rebuilding frequently, and the exhuast manifolds crack from thermal stress. They have similar timing belt issues as a 944, and an interference motor. My friend has kept his running since he bought it new in 1980, but it needs something significant almost every year. Chassis and suspension is almost the same as a 944, but sway bars are small, and were only available as an option for the rear, so not all 924's have them, and retrofitting them is not a cheap proposition.

[jphillips-998]

I race a 951 and have co-driven a couple of 944 S2's. Given a similar price, I would opt for the 951. That said, the S2's are awesome track cars and on many tracks are as quick as the 951s. They can also easily be build to the 951 power w/o the turbo lag.

I have not autocrossed, but my guess is that the heavier 951 combined w/the turbo lag would make it much less competitive that the 944s or S2s.

[KilnRed83SC]

Dave,

If you need any parts cars, I know where there are 3 924's outside of Waxhaw.

Brian

[Z-man]

The answer depends on the track. For example, take two tracks:

Lime Rock Park - my 944S2, or a 968 is probably the best 944-series car for that track - you don't need a whole lotta power, but the low end torque really comes into play in this tight, technical track.

Watkins Glen - a modified 944 turbo will simply run away from the rest of the 944-types on this track - there's lots of room for that turbo to spool up!

For autocross - none of the turbos will really do well - here, turbo boost will adversely effect the car's handling dynamic. Amongst the 8-valvers, I'd say either the 924S or the '89 2.7liter 944 would be best. Amongst the 16-valvers, both the 944S2 or the 968 work well.

-Z-man.