09-22-2011, 06:48 PM
stick an LT1 or LS1 in it
there has always been a lot of talk about V8 conversions in the 968. in search or torque, it seems on the surface to be a solution. unfortunately most people doing it tend to do it on the cheap, with a used engine, and rinky dink ghetto installation. that's bad enough, but on top of that, it seems that nobody really bothers to do the homework on what it means to the rest of the car. the increase in power means more brakes needed. the increase in torque means more bracing needed. the rpm band that you drive a V8 in is much lower than a 4 cylinder, and the gearing in our car is set for a 4, not an 8, so you end up revving a V* at well over 3k on the freeway. that's not a fun thing to do for long.
but the real issue is what it does to the car's balance. a lot of people seem to think that the LS1 is super light, and some claim nearly the same as the 968 engine. now for a V8 is is very light, but not nearly as light as you might think. people fail to realize that the numbers published in european cars are different than in american cars. that's because american manufacturers don't want people to know how heavy their big engines really are. european companies generally publish FULLY DRESSED figures. that means intake and exhaust manifolds, water pump, oil, flywheel, yada yada. american companies don't. they publish dry engine crate weights.
so, i thought i would do some homework and put facts out there rather than conjecture. here is some real data for you, for those who seem to be in denial:
the 968 engine is 379lbs FULLY DRESSED.
an LT1 engine is 576.4lbs fully dressed
an LS1 is 390lbs DRY AND BARE!!! it's still a whopping 497.2lbs fully dressed. that's nearly 120lbs over the 968 engine, and you still haven't increased the cooling capacity yet, or added any of the weight of any additional bracing, brakes, or suspension
the weight change isn't the end of the world, but if you want to take a very rare nearly perfect 50/50 distribution car, and add all that weight to it, mostly up front, go ahead. personally i think you should then just go get a camaro or a corvette and be done with it, and not have to screw around with the gearing so you can actually drive it
there has always been a lot of talk about V8 conversions in the 968. in search or torque, it seems on the surface to be a solution. unfortunately most people doing it tend to do it on the cheap, with a used engine, and rinky dink ghetto installation. that's bad enough, but on top of that, it seems that nobody really bothers to do the homework on what it means to the rest of the car. the increase in power means more brakes needed. the increase in torque means more bracing needed. the rpm band that you drive a V8 in is much lower than a 4 cylinder, and the gearing in our car is set for a 4, not an 8, so you end up revving a V* at well over 3k on the freeway. that's not a fun thing to do for long.
but the real issue is what it does to the car's balance. a lot of people seem to think that the LS1 is super light, and some claim nearly the same as the 968 engine. now for a V8 is is very light, but not nearly as light as you might think. people fail to realize that the numbers published in european cars are different than in american cars. that's because american manufacturers don't want people to know how heavy their big engines really are. european companies generally publish FULLY DRESSED figures. that means intake and exhaust manifolds, water pump, oil, flywheel, yada yada. american companies don't. they publish dry engine crate weights.
so, i thought i would do some homework and put facts out there rather than conjecture. here is some real data for you, for those who seem to be in denial:
the 968 engine is 379lbs FULLY DRESSED.
an LT1 engine is 576.4lbs fully dressed
an LS1 is 390lbs DRY AND BARE!!! it's still a whopping 497.2lbs fully dressed. that's nearly 120lbs over the 968 engine, and you still haven't increased the cooling capacity yet, or added any of the weight of any additional bracing, brakes, or suspension
the weight change isn't the end of the world, but if you want to take a very rare nearly perfect 50/50 distribution car, and add all that weight to it, mostly up front, go ahead. personally i think you should then just go get a camaro or a corvette and be done with it, and not have to screw around with the gearing so you can actually drive it
94 Midnight Metallic Blue Cab Porsche 968 w/deviating cashmere/black interior and WAY too many mods to list - thanks to eric for creating www.968forums.com
"It isn't nearly as expensive to do it right as it is to do it wrong."
(This post was last modified: 09-22-2011, 06:53 PM by flash.)
