What kind of Power Improvements did you see after Conversions? Options

[9144me2enjoy]

There has been all kinds of engine swaps into the Base 914s (Porsche Aircooled 6 cyls-2.0L 2.2L 2.4L 2.7L 3.0L 3.2L 3.6L) along with a large range of Subaru Conversions and LS1 engines, SBC, any other conversions, along with 2056 builds etc. I’m sure a lot of people besides myself would like to see some performance specs after these conversions were completed (0-60mph 0-100mph, 1/4 mile, roll on performance) along with transmission changes and estimated cost for conversion.

Example: Upgraded to 2056cc build (Fats Performance), 125-130hp, dual 40 carbs, cam etc., headers, stock 901 side shift trans. With Rennshift Shifter, 911 suspension conversion. 0-60 6.5 seconds. 1/4 mile about 90 mph. Cost for drivetrain including trans rebuilt approx $10,000.00 in 2015.

[Andyrew]

Well I have two conversions under my belt so let me throw my input out there..

Base engine was a 2.0 with FI that ran poorly. I had 75whp.


Next I did a $3k rebuild and SBC V8 conversion. This was done on a 16 year olds budget working at Taco Bell....
Mild build, made 240whp and 290wtq. Too much torque for the chassis in relationship to the power. Biggest issue was keeping it cool. I loved the V8 sound and played around with the V8 for about 10 years. I never made it reliable enough for me to really drive it. So that lead to my next conversion.


After daily driving an Audi A4 that I modified with a big turbo I really liked the engine a Lot. It had great MPG and a fantastic powerband. So after doing some research I decided to make the 914 something it wasn't. A potential daily car. And with that I wanted all the comforts as well as an engine that could be driven easily as well as something that could be driven both in spirit and anger. That led me to do an Audi 1.8turbo swap. I've never fully built a motor so I said let's do it and out way more money into the build than I needed. I could have done this for about 4k comfortably but I spent about 10k. You can read more about it in my signature.
Anyways numbers. On low boost it's 250whp. On medium low boost it's 285whp. Keep in mind the setup is about 150lbs lighter than the V8. I will say that I still haven't pumped it up yet as I've been going through a lot of teething issues, but over the next few years I'll keep pumping the boost up, I should be able to get 400whp as is with good gas. If I put cams and an intake manifold on it that number should be able to grow to 500whp.

Is it fast? You bet. Faster than the V8? Yes, but only over 4k. But probably the biggest thing is it feels really analog. The turbo noises and engine sounds are extremely apparent and so distinct. The turbo and associated bits itself has about 10 district sounds that I can pick up. One of the reasons for me to go with such a small motor and big turbo was so that I can run low boost and it be quick, take it in the canyons and be pretty comfortable and safe. Then when I really wanted to GO I can turn up the boost and be right there with the big boys.

No drag times or whatnot. I do have an autox vid. Traction is a big issue on a dirty low speed autox, so I'm constantly on and off the throttle. This is boost on the lowest setting. 7psi. Note, prepare for turbo noises..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXLC59RiHe8