OK guys, what does it take to make the 914 keep up with the new generation cars. You've got Bimmers, Audis and even some ricers doing 0 to 60 in 4+ seconds. I know I can keep up in the curves but I also want to keep up when they drop the hammer. What kind of horsepower and torque specs do I need to keep up. Don't want to put in v-8 or subaru. Wanna stick with the 4 or 6 porsche engines. I hear alot of people who converted to 6 cylinder and say its alot of power compared to stock 2.0, but how do this conversions compare with todays cars.

Mark

the Porsche sixes give you a lot of choice, from a 2.0 liter which goes from 125 to 200 hp, all the way to tricked out 3.6 liters from 993s. How fast just depends on how much money you want to spend. A good power to weight ratio is about 10 lbs/hp, lower the better!! A USAC sprint car goes down to 2.2/hp!

The v8 and Sub conversions are popular since they give a lot of bang for the buck in comparison. Choose your poison.

i think there less than that. 410ci 800 hp, min lbs 1400 [with driver and balast to make weight, with out they are about 1200lbs]

Either way you go; Porsche 6, or big/turbo Type 4 motor, you're gonna spend some long dollars. It really depends on what your budget is. All I can say is, if it were me, I would stick with the T4. Those sixes are REALLY heavy, and any performance/maintinence upgrades are going to be expensive.
As for what HP and torque you want.... Well, there is ALWAYS something faster. I'm not sure exactly what answers you're looking for here, but I'll offer this. Being that the whole basis of the car is it's light weight/reletively low power design, any small thing you do will make more of a difference than it will in the average car. So, lightening the car up a few pounds, and making the extra effort to make sure your engine is tuned just right to get everthing you can out of it (whatever engine you decide to run) will make a big difference. Depending on your personal build, you may even consider going on a diet to drop those 0-60 times. Seriously though, 0-60 comes a lot easier with a lightweigh car, as opposed to a really heavy, really powerful car. I'm rambling now because I've been awake for way too long, but hopefully I gave you somethings to think about.
Mark D.

If what you're aiming for is better acceleration, then you're going to need a few more cylinders. You want to get your hp:weight down as stated earlier. This could mean a 200-300 hp chevy small block or a 3.0/3.2 six, or a high-hp 4 cylinder engine (type 4 or turbo-subi). It all depends on how much you want to spend and how fast you want to go. The more faster, the more $$$$³

I agree with you all that the way to get the car going is to increase your power to weight ratio. I have considered v-8 and subi, but decided to drop that idea. The reason I asked in this post is that my friends have cayman's and m3. I'm considering going with 2.4-4, 2.4-6 or a 3.0-6. All you guys that have these conversions, chime in here and tell me how your setups will do with these new cars. I love my 914. I've had since 1989. I will never get rid of it. But before I decide to spend alot of money into these conversions, I want to know whether it could beat, keep up or be left behind. If the later then I might as well keep it stock and keep it on the windy roads.

Mark

Sub 5 second 0-60 times are possible with a built type-4. A turbo type-4 can do a lot more without pushing it as hard, but nobody makes 'kits' as of yet, so you're gonna have to do it yourself. However, Raby's working on a few 'kits'. A six can do still more, but more needs to be done to achieve the same affect given the higher weight. However, more hp will give you more top end, regardless of weight, but we're talking over 130mph, so you have to consider how you'll be driving this thing. If you really want to dig into a big 6, you can make a damn near supercar. You can get a good 500 hp out of one with some work, and they still don't weight as much as a small block Chevy. It's also still a porsche that way. Again, it's all how much you want to spend.
Mark D.

You could always go turbo 3.0-6 Use the CIS and run a 7th or even 8th injector, or go with a PEFI system. OR find a scrapped 930 and take the engine + goodies...

Keeping up with the times is the buzz your pushing and I think its related to your specific application or the vehicles you have stated. Jake Raby's T4s and Porsche's 6s are both keeping up with the times and both have much to offer. My view is whats ahead of it's time like what Subaru, for example is doing with four cylinder engines that weigh as much as T4s and put out some wiked dependable HPs. In the end, it's all about our own perspective on what we like and can afford. As for status, there is always someone ahead rasing the bar and it just makes things more expensive and less fun.

There's a guy in the Chicago area who does all sorts of turbo manifold work
for Honda Civics: RC Autoworks

I have no connection with the guy, but maybe someone like him could be
coaxed into manufacturing some turbo T4 manifolds to spec.

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