regardless of claims, nobody makes a cat-back/chip/intake for the 968 that makes 35hp - many people try to add the gains from one mod to another, but it doesn't work like that - they do add to each other, but not in full

the best thing out there so far in a simple cat-back/chip/intake is about 25hp - there are claims of more from some companies, but they don't really do it - many of the cat-backs actually lose power - others give a couple of ponies up top, but lose torque in doing it - open mufflers do not work on the 968 - it needs back pressure - the dual resonance intake manifold messes with exhaust timing - the only cat-back so far proven to not lose power is from rs barn - by itself, even it does not add power - however, it does allow the other mods to perform better than without it - it also loses a LOT of weight in the process

i did a chip shootout test for 9 Magazine a while back and found a winner then (speed 6) - we have subsequently seen a better chip developed (also from rs barn)

the airbox mod featured in 9 Magazine outperforms all cold air intakes, and costs a LOT less - it does require the K&N filter

rs barn currently has the best total setup of bolt-ons for the 968 - with their header, cat-back, chip and the airbox mod, you add about 35 real hp, and a lot more torque and driveable power - that will set you back about 2 grand

there are a couple more bolt-on tweaks in the works, but testing is not complete yet - coupled with the above, they should yield a total of about 50hp increase over stock, for a few hundred dollars more

after that, yes, it's cams and/or forced induction

Yeah, search for the 968 airbox mod. There seems to be plenty of confirmation that it really does improve the power, and is easy to do.

My vote is for the 968. Although my next will probably be a 951. I am partial to the back seats for now, they come in handy. Eventhough I use another vehicle to shuttle the little guys then go back home switch cars and go to work. At least I can say it is practical.

I think I'll wait till flash sells me his 968;)

968 hatchbacks have back seats - i wanted a cab, which doesn't have them

lol - everything has a price i suppose, but i think this one is out of reach - i am really starting to like the car - i had my last toy for over 20 years before i finally let it go, so you could be waiting a very long time

I thought I read some where that they did away with the rear seats.
OK, maybe I wont wait then. Lifes too short allready!

OK my confusion was with the cab. S2 cab has back seats.

yup - they deleted them in the US version of the 968 cab - seatbelt laws changed, and since a shoulder belt cannot be added safely, without real risk of injury in an accident, the seats were deleted

they were still available in canada and elsewhere though

So realistically, what are we looking at here:

- Airbox mod (i've found some pictures of people drilling holes in their airbox, i am not sure that is the mod) or maybe an open cone filter might be an option?
- New EPROM
- Exhaust modifications suitable for the engine

More extensive/expensive (but probably the real improvement in combination with the items above):
- Cylinder head
- Exhaust manifold
- Intake manifold

the airbox mod essentially consists of 4 large holes (the sizes and locations are specified in the article) and a K&N filter (you only get about half the gains without it) - this gives 10.8hp by itself

the eprom that currently makes the most power, by a fairly wide margin as chips go, is the rs barn - it makes about 15 hp by itself - there are different stage chips available for different levels of modification, and they offer a trade in policy for future upgrades

contrary to most cars, the exhaust on the 968 is very finicky when it comes to back pressure - thusfar, the rs barn cat-back is the only one to show no losses, and has been shown to contribute to larger gains in conjuntion with other mods than without it

there is marginal improvement to be had in cylinder head work, but not a lot - this is for somebody trying to get that last tiny bit

the header does make a very nice gain, in the neighborhood of 10hp

very much to the frustration of all those who have tried, there have been no gains shown with any intake manifold mods or replacements - in fact, every attempt has shown loss - this is likely because the stock unit is a dual resonance manifold, a change they made after the S2, which was half responsible for the 20hp gain over the S2 - according to the porsche sales literature, it makes 3lbs of boost by recirculating and accellerating the air

Though the tunability of the 951 is tempting I'd have to say 968 for me. The rare 968 turbo would be the ultimate!!!

Flash: thanks for all the input so far! I am afraid we do not have 9 magazine over here, maybe there is some way to obtain a digital copy of the issue or a digital subscription.

The whole tuning part of the 968 is very clear to me now, i quite like the options. It's not too expensive and should result in just that bit extra.

Now, to the S2. Same question: tuning do/don't. Probably we will end up with the same list of tuning options as the 968, as of course it is an N/A and pretty much all N/A's are tuned the same, but there might be some difference. For instance, could i do the same trick the porsche engineers did with the 968 by changing the intake manifold. Is there also an airbox mod that works as well on the S2? Is an open exhaust a good investment or does the S2 need the same amount of back pressure?

Keep in mind that a good S2 goes for about 7500 euro and a 968 for about 12-14k euro over here. So there is about 8000 dollars to play with, when choosing the S2 over an S3.

Ok, this is getting really hard. I found these pictures of a German S2 on 944er.com and i must say, i love the look and feel of the car with all the small details like 968 mirrors, clean rear. Not sure about the rims and open nose, but imagine this in a nice black finish and a regular 968 rear wing and nice 18" rims. The pictures pretty much say it all. It just breathes 'power' and 'speed', even when it's parked.

http://www.944er.com/944/porsche/bilder/27.jpg

http://www.944er.com/944/porsche/bilder/22.jpg

http://www.944er.com/944/porsche/bilder/12.jpg

http://www.944er.com/944/porsche/bilder/3.jpg

Pictures say it all really....

not sure about the 968 manifold on an S2 - sorry - not heard of anybody trying it

yeah, the strosek side skirts are cool too

9 Magazine is available online at www.9magazine.com

ok...I have a black S2 and voted S2 before seeing S3 (968)....while I LOVE my S2....I will own a 968 in the next 2 years.