Turbocharging my S

[Endat]

Just thinking out loud here.. it would be great to have a turbocharged 16v engine. Forget about the pistons for now, will standard 944 Turbo manifolds fit onto my 16v head?

[944 Ecology]

No

[speedracing944]

For the 968 guys they convert over to a 8 valve head so all the stock 951 items bolt up instead of making all the needed components. You could always swap heads but then you might as well by a 951.

You could custom make everything which would be allot of work but you would also have to reduce compression ratio.

Speedy

[pjburges]

You have the 2.5L block which is convienient - swap in the turbo's forged rods and pistons and (I have heard) they will clear the valves and yield a 9-9.5:1 CR. Then the elaborate intake and exhaust work to run a turbo....the bigger transmission, brakes, clutch....

[Endat]

Sounds like I need custom manifolds.. how can I go about having that done?

[ilikemy944]

Call a local tuner shop.
Or SFR or Lindsey might have something for you.

[nota]

Originally Posted by Endat

Sounds like I need custom manifolds.. how can I go about having that done?

intake should work with al tubing and silicon bends to plumb turbo to intercooler and back to existing TB or a turbo TB unit
pressure flows better so most cars donot need changes on the intake side
ext can be cut to add a turbo but needs a bigger down pipe out of the turbo and bigger pipes to bigger cat and muffler
to make power turbo's need free flow out
or have a custom turbo header made
or use a upgraded aftermarket 951 header or a stock 951 one

biggest pain willbe adding oil and water lines and returns for the turbo
donot skip water cooling or a good intercooler

I donot understand the fear of adding a turbo here
porsche was a hotrodded VW to start with

yes you need to lower the compression or limit the boost to say under 5-6 psi
but a small turbo will give better response and good mid RPM power
with little danger of blowing up the motor or drive train

I would favor a stock volvo unit off a 230b and megasquit control to keep costs down

[Sterling Doc]

"Forgetting about the pistons" is a bad idea on an S, as they run higher compression to start with - not a good base for a turbo.

[rickharrison]

I know a guy with a full 944S turbo set up....turbo, intercooler, custom exhaust...he ran 5-6 pounds of boost on a stock 944S engine...it was a monster he said.

It lasted until on turn 5 of Mosport when he was at full throttle the spring in the boost control let go and the engine got something like 15+ pounds of boost...let's say the head gasket was not a fan of this.

It will work...just need to remember the compression ratio of the S engine and keep the boost under 6 pounds, + or -.

[Endat]

right.. changing the compression ratio is easy as the internals would need to be changed anyway, thats why i said forget about the pistons.

How did your friend do his turbo setup? do you just need a custom turbo tubing to attach to the manifolds?

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Generally speaking the 8V heads will work better with forced induction. There's a guy over on that "other" board who goes by the username of special tool, he's quite knowledgeable in this area and has done a lot of R&D testing for Vitesse Racing (including their "sledgehammer" 8V head). I'd recommend doing a search on those few names/phrases as a start...

There are a couple of 16V turbos running around out there (3.0L typically) but they are INSANELY expensive to build and when you can get 400+ RWHP out of a 2.5L, I don't really see the point unless you like throwing big piles of money at diminishing returns just to get bragging rights.

My advice would be to research the many fine options available for 2.5L builds on existing 951 engines, get one and transplant it into your "S" if you want, or better still just buy a 951 and build it up. For $10k you can get a nice one, then spend another $10k-$15k in mods and you'll have a 350-400 RWHP turbo car that will hang with just about anything out there today.

If you're hell-bent on turbo-ing your existing 16V car, yes it can be done, but it's not the easiest (or cheapest) way to proceed in the long run.

[rickharrison]

The guy I was referring to races 944s and 928s. He made custom headers for the turbo and intake piping, etc...I'm trying to buy it from him as we speak.

[Endat]

I just dont like 8v heads... you can get more power out of a 16v setup. I've decided NOT to turbocharge my S, and just wait until I get a 968 to have a big 16v Turbo

[FoFiddy]

Endat, if you are still interested in a turbo for your S, check this out. It's very interesting!

http://www.ststurbo.com/

I don't know anything about these guys or the reliability of their product or the validity of their claims.

[FoFiddy]

OOPS!! I just saw your last post!!! Oh well... It's interesting anyway.

[HondaDustR]

why not get a turbo car and swap the 16v head and block into it. Then all you'd have to do is custom intake and exhaust headers.

[rickharrison]

Those STSturbos look very interesting. I saw them add a twin set up to a C6 Vette on "2 Guys" and its performance was impressive for the cost.

No fancy headers, intake mods.

The universal kit (single turbo) is $1695...not bad.

[tuurbo]

I like Nota's solution: Cheap and cheerful - limit your boost and control your spark.

You could also use water injection, and Megasquirt, and enjoy the boost a little more. Saves you some engine bay plumbing headaches (e.g., no intercooler req'd).

[cvriv.charles]

Originally Posted by Endat

I just dont like 8v heads... you can get more power out of a 16v setup. I've decided NOT to turbocharge my S, and just wait until I get a 968 to have a big 16v Turbo

Actually there was a comparison online and that isnt true at all. If I remember correctly the 16v head produced more HP and the torques were the same. So,.... by time your get your "S" turbo charging properly,... you could have easily bought yourself a 9.5.1.

If you are hell bent on using a 16v head put one in a 951. easier then putting all the 951 and custom components in an "S". But seriously,.... just get a 951. with a few upgrades they are faster than what you really need.

[cvriv.charles]

Originally Posted by HondaDustR

why not get a turbo car and swap the 16v head and block into it. Then all you'd have to do is custom intake and exhaust headers.

Am I missing something here?!?!? What is he trying to accomplish? A custom turbocharged 944 or lots of horsepower/ torque?!?! There are companies out there that have gotten up to 600bhp out of these 951's. Costs a lot but it aint gonna be any different with what you want to do. Sell your "S" and get a 951. Easy. Bigger turbo, chips, bigger injectors, MAF,... almost 300hp right there is not 300.