High output Type IV or Subaru Options

[TonyAKAVW]

There has been a lot of talk recently about affordable engine upgrades for the 914, namely larger displacement Type IV engines and Subaru conversions.

It looks as though a Type IV with 125 HP will cost about $5000 to do. It also looks like a Subaru conversion, using the Renegade kit (or a DIY conversion) will run somewhere around the same price for 165-180 HP (or more with a turbo engine).

So the poll question is if you had $5000 to spend on an upgrade for your 914, would you rather have a Type IV or a Subaru conversion?

As far as I know, no one yet offers a complete drop-in solution for the Subaru conversion, whereas a Type IV can be purchased and dropped in with little effort.

-Tony

[andys]

Tony,

I think that you should perhaps decide on what you want as an end result. Purity to the brand, non-basterdized (sorry couldn't think of another word), reliability (though the PO of my car put 135K on the TIV), modern driveline, modern EFI performance/driveability, racing w/ PCA, SpeedTrials type hot lapping, fun and run, and many others' I surely left out. If your projected costs are within your budget, then do what YOU like, as we all have a different vision. Also, we all have different skill sets and resources that determine the path we choose. I'm doing a V8 conversion because I enjoy fabication and conversions.

As far as an opinion on cost, I suspect they're close to equal, when all's said and done. Down side of the TIV IMO, is that as they get more rare, parts cost go up, and fewer and fewer available repair shops (especially with D-jet/L-jet knowlege). OTOH, your local Subie dealer or tuner car shop can help; there's a lot of value in that.

Andys