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]

QUOTE

I feel that for the way most of us drive most of the time, a 125 hp Type IV fits the bill perfectly. It's damn fast, easy to install, and looks factory.

I completely agree! And I think $5000 is a very good deal for that engine. I think there's been a desire for a long time among many people for exactly what you are building. For a long time there wasn't really a whole lot between the really crappy type IVs and the Raby machines. Anyone who did their research discovered that the crappy engines were just that.

On the other end of the spectrum, a Raby engine is beyond the reach of most 914 owners.

The conversion has great appeal for many, but not all. At this point at least, its a project, rather than an engine swap-out. No one has come up with a complete Subaru kit. I think its hard to say whether a kit would be really succesful. A good number of the people interested in doing a Suby swap are really interested in the project aspect of it, and those people to some degree might not care about buying parts that they can make.

-Tony