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

[TonyAKAVW]

The original poll question was based mostly on the idea of a engine-bay mounted radiator cooling an EJ2.5 NA Subaru engine versus a Type IV of comparable cost.

Among the issues that people need to decide are:

Preservation of the original 914
Engine Maintenence
Parts availability
Racing rules
Cmplexity
Cost
Performance

The issue of conversion complexity, after preservation is probably the most significant issue for the most people. At this point there is no drop in solution for a Subaru engine. The Renegade Hybrids setup is not too far from it, but it uses a front mounted radiator, which is a major disadvantage for a lot of people. If someone just came up with an engine bay mounted cooling solution to go with the renegade kit, that would pretty much do it.

-Tony