[austin944]

I got to test drive the 968 that I was talking about in the other thread.



The first thing that struck me was how quiet the inside of the cabin

was compared to my '84 944. I couldn't really hear the engine much

and the amount of road noise coming into the cabin on the highway

was far less than my '84.



I kept looking down at the tach and the speedo to see what the car

was doing because my normal audio clues weren't there. The engine

sound was muffled compared to the more mechanical sound of my car.



The ride was more comfortable than my '84, and I did not feel every

bump and undulation in the pavement in the suspension or through

the steering.



But I felt disappointed that there wasn't more of a 'raw feel' to the car.

I was expecting a 944 with more power but the 968 was a completely

different car.



Other than that, it drove and handled really well.



Is my comparison flawed? Do I need to drive other cars, perhaps

modified cars?



FWIW, the car had 60k miles, probably the original shocks and

17" wheels.

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[Anchorman]

I've never been in a stock 944, so I can't offer that kind of comparison. However, all of my experiences in non-race 968s suggests that they're pretty refined - "raw" would never be an adjective I'd have thought of. In that way, it can be pretty surprising how well it handles - in stock form it's a very streetable race car (or is it the other way around? whatever). In my limited experience, if you're looking for a "raw" feel of a 968, go to a DE event and get into one of the race-prepared vehicles.

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[flash]

that sounds about right - remember, the 968 is a lot heavier - it's going to feel a lot more "civilized" - the good news is that you can get that feel you are after with relatively little effort and cost, and end up with a far superior car

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[orphanowner]

The first thing I noticed when I drove a 968 back in 92 was how quiet it was.



No engine noise until you were well into the throttle. Even then no exhaust noise. Remember that a multivalve 4 cylinder is inherently very loud and that Porsche went to great lengths to quiet it down without a big power loss. The airbox modifications do add some intake noise, but this is minimal compared to the sound an unrestricted 968 motor makes.



I'm working on modifications to the well designed stock exhaust to release some power which will come with a moderate increase in noise. I will post more info when I have something definitive.

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[Dave]

Yup, my 944 was a lighter, louder, more "visceral" car. The 968 is noticably more refined. Well, mine WAS until I ditched all the rubber bits and original spring/shocks <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[flash]

lol - finding that same transformation myself - had already ditched the shock, struts, springs and torsion bars, but finally changed out the control arm bushings to monoball - very different feel indeed

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[Dave]

Up the spring rates about 4x and it gets mildly obnoxious <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/wink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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