Allow myself to introduce... my... self...

[mnm222876]

Hello all,

I'm new to owning Porsches, new to the 951. I've always loved Porsches, but never really had the money to own one. Well, I recently purchased a 1989 944 Turbo, Guards Red with Linen/Black interior, completely stock, and 50K miles. It's in great condition and the previous owner took good care of it.

I started lurking this forum (and a few others) about a month ago. There's way too much information to take in. My head starts to hurt after a few hours of reading. I'm going to have lots of newbie questions that I'm sure have already been posted and I apologize in advanced. I will definitely use the forum search function.

Having said that, here's a few questions/issues I have on my mind.

--Aside from scheduled maintenance, what parts/service/issues should I be watching to repair or replace in the near future? What parts are known for failing early?

--Should I leave it stock or modify the **** out of it? What are the must-do or most common mods done to these cars? Where do I start? Can I improve engine performance without lowering reliability?

--I want to put some 17x10 rear, 17x8 front wheels on that are lighter than stock. But all I can find with those rim widths are 18's. Do the 18's look too ridiculous or make the ride unbearable?

That's it for now. More about me, I live in Seattle, WA. I travel a lot to Europe and Asia for work. I read, write, and speak Japanese. My other rides are a 2000 Aprilia RSVR track bike, a 2004 Aprilia RSVR Factory street bike, and a Toyota Tacoma.

Max

[auh]

Timing belt, water pump, and water leaks.

Common mods are performance chips, and you have a turbo, so a MAF will give you an extra 30-40hp.

People put a lot of wheels on there cars, just ask and people will post pics. I think fast924s has 18 inch 911 wheels on his car.

Congrats on the new car man

[mnm222876]

Originally posted by auh
Common mods are performance chips, and you have a turbo, so a MAF will give you an extra 30-40hp.

People put a lot of wheels on there cars, just ask and people will post pics. I think fast924s has 18 inch 911 wheels on his car.

Congrats on the new car man

What brand names or manufacturer of chips, MAF, etc. are known to be the best? Is there one in particular that I should be looking at?

Actually, I don't want 18 inch wheels. I prefer 17's. I was hoping there would be wider ones without having to buy custom wheels like Fikse or Kinesis. I'm not that rich. I like the 17 inch Sport Classic Boxster wheels.

And thanks!

[1.2gees]

I would suggest staying with 17s also. I would go with custom wheels, as otherwise you're going to have a tough time finding wheels that are lighter than the stock forged wheels you already have, the car being an 89 model... Other option is FACTORY Porsche wheels (not replica). I like the look of 993 twin turbo wheels on 944 turbos, but that's subjective.

Again, if money is not the biggest issue stick to *****************, Lindsey racing, and ofcourse Pelican when applicable!

Sounds like a great car, good luck with it.

PS: Get yourself a real bike, like a Ducati!
Ahmet

[will944]

Look at www.vitesseracing.com

GREAT product and great support!!

Congrats on the new car.

[Rmills944]

I posted some pics for you on "the other board" of 18's. Good choics on cars. Sounds like you got a beauty

[auh]

For chips the number one name is Fr Wilks. If you do a search on him you will find a ton of info on modding your car.

[ae1969]

Originally posted by auh
For chips the number one name is Fr Wilks. If you do a search on him you will find a ton of info on modding your car.

FR does not make turbo chips.




Welcome.

Drive the car for a while get used to the feel of the car.
Make sure all the maintenance is up to date before you start modifying the car. Try and run a few track events and you may find the car has enough get up and go for you.

IF NOT.......... John at Vitesse Racing can help.

I run 17x10 and 17x9 Forgeline RS on mine and they are actually quite light. The stock wheels on that 89 are actually a good set of wheels so I would not rush to swap them out.

[natey]

Welcome fellow '89-er! Sounds like a fine car you have yourself there...

Maintainence...like auh said, timing belt, yours should be due in 10k miles if prev. owners kept to "the schedule". 944 owners are paranoid about that belt...but not without reason.

I like my car basically stock...but mine doesn't have to compete with a track bike for WOW factor. You can get ~50 HP just by putting in chips and a restricted-flow banjo bolt (my car had autothority chips, they came with the bolt). This will cause boost beyond factory spec though, which may reduce engine life a bit.

You may also want to consider a Lindsey "boost enhancer" - it's a $100 part with a simple(-looking) install, and it appears to have valid theory behind it (passes the laugh test, anyway).

Before you think about modifying the suspension, remember your car has the turbo S suspension, adjustable for rebound and ride height. (It also came thoughtfully equipped with LSD and a higher-power turbo, but you probably know all that already).

Wheels, I'm partial to the "club sport" wheels the car came with. They're light, they look fine, they're not very common, and they FIT. You may want to make sure a replacement wheel fits before you put any money into it...the `89s have a different offset than the rest of the 944 series, and bigger brakes which can have clearance issues with some wheels (6jx16 design 90's, for example...ask me how I know...)

Enjoy the great toy!

[Blackfoot]

Even with expensive Fikses or other, you will lose some suspension performance due to the added weight via more rotational mass. The forged stock rims are reportedly very strong. Plus, 16" tires are also more cost-effective than 17's, you can get top-rated, grippiest tires like Pilot Sports for around the same price (or less) than inferior but similar costing 17" tires.

____________________
Cars

[speedracing944]

Congrats on the purchase. Many lust after the 88 turbo S and the 89 turbo and it doesn't help that there were around 720 made each year. (going off memory)
Welcome to the board!

Speedy

[Roger Hall]

Welcome, timming belt is the most serious issue. I would add a fire extinguisher. Too many 951's go up in flames. As for mods do you enjoy working on cars? If you do then Vitesse Racing is a good option. If you enjoy driving and working on cars isnt really your thing just enjoy driving it.

[mnm222876]

Originally posted by Roger Hall
I would add a fire extinguisher. Too many 951's go up in flames.

That's not very reassuring...

So, how much can I expect to pay for timing belt and water pump, parts and labor?

[paulc]

ps.....nice Austin Powers intro!

[Roger Hall]

Not sure what a timing belt runs on a 951 probably around $900

[rucool]

great taste in cars, if you allow $2K it will cover any unexpected
suprises, but if all is fine you should take $1k home.
Fun times
Russell