968 or 944s2

[msc247]

I have a question to the forum pubic, Which i your experienced opinion is the better of the two engines and with that I would like your opinion to include the performance H/P, torque, reliability, and ease of maintenance? the reason I ask is that I am considering dropping in a 968 engine in an S2 since the S2 had the dreaded head explosion, or would it be better to repair the top end?

[mistertate]

pm sent

[legion]

I'd take an S2 over a 968 engine for one reason alone:

Maintenance costs. The 968 has the first generation Variocam, which adds a lot of complexity to the head.

That said, I like the 968. I've driven one and it has the most road-friendly engine of the series.

[PorscheG96]

Originally Posted by legion

The 968 has the first generation Variocam, which adds a lot of complexity to the head.

What?? lol.

The head designs between S2 and 968 are practically the same and the only difference that most people even know about is the tensioner with the same placement and basic design. With that said, both tensioners have ramps that become worn by the cam chain which has caused teeth to break off of the camshafts or the tensioner to break resulting in the same problem described by op...

The only major differences w/ a Variocam tensioner are that it's hydraulic instead of spring tensioned - requiring a single oil tube - and electrical connector to vary the cam timing. It's a very simple mechanism and shouldn't require any more maintenance than the S2. I'd argue that the 968 head may require less maintenance because its tensioner has 3 mounting points on the head instead of 2 like the 944, so at least if the tensioner fails it's less likely to rip apart the cylinder head like in this case.

I think that the 968 engine is better than the S2 engine in every way: variable timing, larger intake valves, forged pistons, forged rods, mass air flow, etc. You have to decide whether those things and the 30hp gain are worth the significant extra time and cost over getting a new donor head for your S2, head rebuild, and reinstall.