Upgrades??

[dillenrocha]

First off, I would like to say thank you to everyone that has helped me with my 84 944. It looks great and my dad is super proud of me for working on my own car only being 17 and its a porsche! the clutch job took awhile but rides great new radio and 4 new speakers sound great. all new gauges and alternator. Last saturday i got my windows tinted which topped it all of 25% back window and quarter panels with 35% on front doors with a brow.

My question is what to do now? I know my car is only a 4cyl but i would like it to sound a little more beefy. I was thinking of a cold air intake? new muffler any ideas on what kind? Any ideas on what i can do now?? I will upload some pictures tomorrow.

thank you!!

[nynor]

cold air intake.... that is a can of worms. waste of time, IMO. if your intake is stock, you already have one.

muffler isn't going to help, either. unless your goal is to sound like a fart can. you need an entire exhaust, headers back, with a catalytic converter bypass or a high flow cat, and a free flowing muffler.

YMMV.

[alan6272]

Check out youtube there are many types os exhaust ideas for the 944.

[Cocacolakidd]

You can mount one of those "Cool Air Intake" systems - but they are not really. The original air cleaner box and tubing is the closest thing to a true Cool air intake (Gets the air from the inner fender area, and not hot air from under the hood. Those advertised cool air systems collect hot air from the engine compartment with a cone type filter and actually decrease H.P. by 5 to 7 - The original air cleaner will actually flow more air than the under hood cone filter systems also - The under hood air systems look great but do not function as well as OEM...German Engineering. Aw heck go for the red filter, looks cool. When switching over to the the under hood system make sure you also fabricate a mount to hold it up, and to keep it from flopping around. The pre-fabbed mount for the cone style filters is very hard to find if still available (No one tells you about this), and that mount is different than the adapter that mounts the cone air cleaner onto the Air Flow Meter. So now every thing is only being held up by the Air Flow Meter which is held up by the rubber J-boot.

As far as mufflers go Magna Flow makes good mufflers that do fit the 944's, and you can choose different sounds with them, like more throaty or ???

Have pfun...

[Norm101469]

Keep the idea's coming guys, I also would love the inside info/help I just bought a 84 944 that the PO installed the cone air filter under the hood and it is just flopping on the altenator and sucking in hot air. I am about to fix that by reinstalling the OEM airbox with a new K&N airfilter so it should breathe much better

[nynor]

don't expect any real gains from the K&N. i use them, but only because i like the idea of being able to clean and reuse. FWIW, i like the K&N filters.

[hopps]

Is noise an issue? If you're not afraid of being loud and have a couple hundred to spend, then full exhaust with cat delete is really nice. When I first got my 86, there wasn't any power untill I went over 3500-4000 rpm, this was due to the cat being blocked. So we just removed it all together. (No emissions here) I then was forced (kinda long story) into using some cheap muffler that made it sound like a lawn mower. Fed up, I spend the money on MSDS headers, and a magnaflow exhaust sold by Lindsey Racing (forgot the part number, but they have it there). I've had plenty of people come up to me and say that it now sounds how a porsche should really sound. Nice beefy tone, with an excellent high end. A couple of the people that race their 944's have the same set-up. It's really loud, but the tone it produces is so amazing, that I can deal with it.

[ernie9944]

[QUOTE=Cocacolakidd;6227070]You can mount one of those "Cool Air Intake" Aw heck go for the red filter, looks cool. When switching over to the the under hood system make sure you also fabricate a mount to hold it up, and to keep it from flopping around. The pre-fabbed mount for the cone style filters is very hard to find if still available ____(No one tells you about this)____, and that mount is different than the adapter that mounts the cone air cleaner onto the Air Flow Meter. So now every thing is only being held up by the Air Flow Meter which is held up by the rubber J-boot.

Rigth on thats why most of them end up on top of the god knows where inside the engine bay.Surprising how that J-boot & Air flow meter are heavy.Like __nynor__said the subject is a can of worm,but will still like to show the one I fab on my ex 944 so to show new guys asking the question that it's not as easy as it look.(made it of alluminum tig welded)




LOL I miss that sound on my 968.

[Cocacolakidd]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention - if you take off the OEM air box and it's mount, to mount the under hood cone filters - that leaves the radiator hose loose to flop up against the Alternator pulley - with engine running the pulley will wear a hole right thru the rad hose in about 10 minutes...Secure that rad hose also...

Plus there is a secondary air hose connected the OEM air Box. that hose connects to the timing/balance belt cover for fresh air to the almost sealed timing covers there - some put a small filter on it - OK. Porsche did put out a bulletin on the air hose system to delete the entire hose with a plug/cap on the timing cover - it was found if the AOS seals go bad that introduces oil in the intake system which can go by way of the air box into the timing cover and ruin the timing belts. so small filter or delete the entire hose...

Ernie - is that second red bar mount for the rad hose ??? :>)

[ernie9944]

Originally Posted by Cocacolakidd

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention - if you take off the OEM air box and it's mount, to mount the under hood cone filters - that leaves the radiator hose loose to flop up against the Alternator pulley - with engine running the pulley will wear a hole right thru the rad hose in about 10 minutes...Secure that rad hose also...

delete the entire hose with a plug/cap on the timing cover - +1

Ernie - is that second red bar mount for the rad hose ??? :>)

Yes it is,otherwise kiss goodbye to that rad hose.

[Tervuren]

If your bushings are old - taking the time to replace them will make the car feel a LOT better. Also if you have any play in the steering, make sure all the bolts are torqued to spec in the steering rack.

I'm afraid there really aren't any cheap modifications to the 944 that really make a difference, especially when it comes to the engine. My exhaust on my '84 is too quiet, so when I replaced the clutch('84), I went in for a new exhaust, similar to hopps', just I'll be using a Cat, and a Borla muffler.(I had a Borla oval mufler on my '85 944, loved it). I've been having electrical issues after putting the clutch back together, so I can't really report on the exhaust system yet.

My other plans for the car are a Momo steering wheel, and a MAF kit, but I haven't picked out what MAF kit I'm going for yet. Cheapest is probably the miller MAF @ < $600.

The stock wheels on a '84 are probably the best you can get, aside from Fuch's, which will weigh about the same. You might want to go for better brake pads when they wear out.

Aside from those, you'll be looking for 2X the price of the car to do any real engine mods.

[John_AZ]

Originally Posted by Norm101469

I am about to fix that by reinstalling the OEM airbox with a new K&N airfilter so it should breathe much better

I have used the K&N air filter and took it out.

Excess K&N filter oil will get into the intake and gum up the AFM door and temp sensor, Throttle Body & ICV/ISV.

John

[racer]

Forget the car.. work on the driver. Save money, join PCA or SCCA (depending on where you live) and get some SEAT time if you don't already have some. Learning how to DRIVE while making due with only 150hp and no ABS will only make a better driver in whatever car "comes next".

[nynor]

Originally Posted by John_AZ

I have used the K&N air filter and took it out.

Excess K&N filter oil will get into the intake and gum up the AFM door and temp sensor, Throttle Body & ICV/ISV.

John

so, don't use excess oil!

[Tervuren]

Originally Posted by racer

Forget the car.. work on the driver. Save money, join PCA or SCCA (depending on where you live) and get some SEAT time if you don't already have some. Learning how to DRIVE while making due with only 150hp and no ABS will only make a better driver in whatever car "comes next".

At 17, I'd second this advice. Work on making perfect matched shifts, not riding the clutch too much, learn to make good stops in rough conditions - sliding with all four tires locked up in the wet makes for a very bad stopping distance, and then also learn to balance the car however you need to in a corner.

The shifting and braking doesn't require a track. There was a speed limit sign and a mailbox in close proximity on the road I lived on, when I was learning to drive my 944 as a teenager, if it was wet, I'd see how short I could make my stop. In the dry I could beat the mailbox, in the wet I'd always end up past, but I'd try to concentrate on hitting maximum initial brake pressure for the traction, then as weight balances forwards, increasing pedal pressure.

Street cars have a heavy front brake bias, so in the wet when you do not have as much traction, there is also less weight transfer, so its VERY easy to lock the fronts up if you stab too hard at first. Also, more weight shifts over the front as you stop, allowing you to brake harder than initially possible. The trick is to not overdo the first stab, or you lock up, and have to release slightly to regain traction.

[dillenrocha]

So adding a cold air intake is really useless for sound and that's what I am worried about I don't want to add a muffler and it sounds like bbs in a can. Plus I live in California so emissions are pretty harsh. So stay stock?

[Rasta Monsta]

Rule one for modding a 944: did you do your front engine service?
Rule one(a) for modding a 944: start with the suspension, Porsche has aslready done very well squeezing power out of this motor. . .money is better spent making it handle

[Cocacolakidd]

You can always add one of those cone filters for looks - and California will let it pass (No change in smog equipment) - but there again one is not allowed to fart without a bag for it in Cal.

The cone filter will add a little motor rpm sound - decrease HP by a little - look good and are somewhat difficult to change over because of the special parts that must be hand made ...etc.

[MrTibbs]

I took my airbox lid off to 'swiss cheese' it, then went for a short drive without it on and loved the noise. I drove it around like that for a bit (filter fitted tightly enough in the bottom not to jump out.

I've since put the lid back on but without the snorkel (and with a few holes drilled in it) and the sound's still as good as with no lid in my opinion. Haven't noticed a drop in power, and I seem to remember seeing a thread where someone had driven around with a thermometer under the hood by the air box and found that when you're moving the air temp there is very similar to that outside. I can live with losing a couple of horse power when I'm in traffic jams.

And best thing about this mod is that it's 100% free.

I've replaced all shocks on my 924S and put a rear sway bar in (a 16mm), and I'd second the 'sort the suspension' advice. The cars can corner so fast you should be able to do fine with the power they have.

Good luck - working on these cars can be frustrating, but I've learnt a lot over the last year by sorting issues on mine.

Mike

[nynor]

Originally Posted by dillenrocha

So adding a cold air intake is really useless for sound and that's what I am worried about I don't want to add a muffler and it sounds like bbs in a can. Plus I live in California so emissions are pretty harsh. So stay stock?

yes.