Which engine?, i want to make a conversion Options

[andys]

At the risk of being flamed to no end, the cheapestand easiest HP can be had by adding a NOS. It can be tuned to add plenty of fuel to avoid lean out, gives you power when you need it/want it, and can be had for the budget you describe. You just need a place for the bottle. I know this is hotrod stuff, but it is an alternative that can be easily adapted and removed if you change your mind. Flame on!!!

Andy

[lapuwali]

34:1? This new math or are you carrying a few friends with you in the car? An early 1.7 is about 2000lbs with about 80hp. That's 25:1. An early 2.0 would be about 20:1, which is about the same as an early Miata. More recent Miatas are more powerful, but heavier, and would be in the 18:1 range, as you say. Lighten a 2.0 to 2000lbs even and bump it up modestly to get 110hp, and you're in the same ballpark as even recent Miatas. $2500 would probably get you that, with some effort. You'll get more bang for the buck by adding lightness on a budget than adding power on a tight budget, esp on late cars with their heavy bumpers.

[ArtechnikA]

Very good point. A N/A 944, or a sh*tbox 928?... A $2,500 928 might be a fun car

(no offense to your post Rich, I was just feeling contrary)

you answered a different question, not the one i asked...

here's the setup in this thread: stock-engine 914 2,0 with brake and suspension mods.
you want to add as much power to that car as you can for $2500. what do you buy?

i'm not a big fan of nitrous except in a drag race setting but i agree you get power for the money. it's also flat illegal in any PCA or SCCA track event ...

and if you're trying to offend me, you'll need to work harder at it than that :-) ...

of course power is important. and it's also a fact that most of us are lazy and we'd rather buy the power and feel the kick in the pants than invest the work and the seat time to get really fast.

but it's my opinion that it's easy to learn car control and conservation of momentum in an underpowered handling car than a car that lights the drivewheels every time you touch the throttle, as much fun as that car might be...

and i continue to stress that it's important to know what you want to do with the car.
i'm making a bunch of changes to my car but i knw where i'm headed: i want a reliable street and fun DE car. it is not intended to be competitive in any class.

[airsix]

34:1?  This new math or are you carrying a few friends with you in the car?  An early 1.7 is about 2000lbs with about 80hp.  That's 25:1.

My 1.7 is 2400lb wet. I weigh 185 pounds. It makes 80hp in my dreams. That's 32:1.

-Ben M.

(Don't ask me why my car weighs so much. It beats me.)

[bondo]

34:1?  This new math or are you carrying a few friends with you in the car?  An early 1.7 is about 2000lbs with about 80hp.  That's 25:1.

My 1.7 is 2400lb wet. I weigh 185 pounds. It makes 80hp in my dreams. That's 32:1.

-Ben M.

(Don't ask me why my car weighs so much. It beats me.)

Whoo, I weighed my 73 1.7, and it came up to 2150, 1000 front, 1150 rear. Had a full tank, a spare, extra oil and brake fluid in the front trunk, and it's probably got a few pounds of weld and overlap where the two cars were joined. Still has the sound insulation too. It's really strange that yours is so heavy, maybe it's time to start looking for anything the previous owner may have stashed away in it somewhere... gold bullion from a fort knox raid maybe? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[lapuwali]

That is very heavy. The early (pre-door-bar) cars weighed a shade under 2000lbs with no gas. I believe the door-bar cars weighed about 2200lbs, and the rubber-bumpered cars about 2400lbs (all dry).

A recent Miata by your measure (full tank and driver) weighs nearly 2700lbs, and makes about 140hp, so the goal post is only 19:1. A full tank in a Miata only wieghs 60lbs. A full tank in a 914 weighs 100lbs, so you have to make sure you're comparing apples to apples.

Knowing how to drive the car is certainly very important, but one area where power to weight really matters is passing that annoying Toyota Camry with the 200hp V6 that's being driven at the limit of THAT driver's ability, meaning they park it in the turns and scoot away on the straights. Said moron can't understand why you're glued to his bumper some of the time, and a quarter of a mile away at other times, and certainly doesn't realize how much slower he's going than you want to, not does he appear to have a clue what turnouts are for. Happens to me all the time, and mostly because I've owned good-handling, but underpowered, cars. Pulling over to let him go never helps, either. There's always another Camry coming along behind them...

[bondo]

Knowing how to drive the car is certainly very important, but one area where power to weight really matters is passing that annoying Toyota Camry with the 200hp V6 that's being driven at the limit of THAT driver's ability, meaning they park it in the turns and scoot away on the straights. Said moron can't understand why you're glued to his bumper some of the time, and a quarter of a mile away at other times, and certainly doesn't realize how much slower he's going than you want to, not does he appear to have a clue what turnouts are for. Happens to me all the time, and mostly because I've owned good-handling, but underpowered, cars. Pulling over to let him go never helps, either. There's always another Camry coming along behind them...

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif) Every day man.. Every day. Minivans and SUVs too.