2.5 Boxster vs. 944
 

I have a buddy with a normally aspirated 944 with a 4 cylinder in it. He's having a turbo installed to make it faster and I'm wondering if we were to race (on a closed track, of course) with and without the turbocharged engine, who would win each race, both drivers being about the same in skill?

My boxster is a 2.5 by the way, so take this in consideration...

I'd bet on the Boxster, but that's an opinion without anything to back it up.

That would also depend on the 944 he's turbocharging.. What motor does it have in it currently?

there is no replacement for displacement.
Unless your Boxster is considerably lighter than his Turbo charged 944 then you've got no chance in a 2.5 or 2.7
A turbo charged 944 is very similar in power and weight to a 2000-2002 BoxsterS. 250 HP on 2.8 tons. The BoxsterS should take that one. Not hard to imagine because the 944's are at least one classs below in local autocross and I regularly match the 300 HP 996's.

In stock trim the 944 is not so impressive.
160 -200 HP(depending on the model) at about 2.8-3.0 tons. A power/weight ratio of .05
a 2.7 Boxster is about 217 HP at about 2.8 tons. A better power/weight ratio of .07 and much better handling to boot.
I think a 2.5 Boxster makes about 180 HP on 2.7 tons so depending on his 944 model it could go either way.

I personally know some people who have ran high 13s with a 944 Turbo. With little work those cars can be no joke in a straight away.

"250 HP on 2.8 tons."

Ouch. World's heaviest 944, at 5,600 lbs. Even a turbo wouldn't help. I think I'd take the Box over that one.

I assumed we were talking road racing? If it's a drag you may have a problem, but on the twisties bigger meats and mid-engine balance should make up for it.

Again my un-scientific opinion...

It's 201 HP @ 6,000 rpm; 181 ft lb @ 4,500 rpm. Don't shortchange me 21 ponies ;) Although, curb weight for 2.5 Boxster is 1280 kg and for 2.7 Boxster, 1260 kg.

The 944 turbo came stock at 217hp, or about 185-190whp. The 2.5L boxster put down 160 or so to the rear wheels. The 944NA on the other hand came about 160hp at the crank IIRC, and while the power is not there, the car corners extremely well, better than the turbo in the stock setup anyways due to being a little lighter. It will be very similar if not better than a boxster through the corners, you have to remember the car has a 50/50 weight distribution with the engine in the front and the transaxle in the rear. Can you beat him? It is going to depend on what kind of setup he does on the 944NA as far as a turbo goes. A stock 944 turbo runs about 11-12psi boost. A 944NA that has been turbo'd with no internal engine strenghtening is not going to be able to run that much boost without popping the motor, so you will probably be able to take him still. If he goes in and changes the compression and what not, then look out, as he will be able to run more boost. I run about 17psi on my car, and put down 252 to the rear wheels, with virtually no modifications (chip, and a few other minor goodies), so be careful, the cars are very easy to modify. I run a mid to low 13.

Cost wise, he should have just traded his car off and bought a 944T, it would be a lot cheaper to do that, than to add a turbo and go into the engine to strengthen it like he really needs to when adding a turbo. Using used parts and doing the work yourself, I estimate about 3500 absolute minimum to do it properly.

Edit:
So stock 944NA you are going to smoke at the track. You will be able to hang with him in the corners, but you will pull on him in the straights.

The real 944 Turbos are a serious little car. They handle and they kick butt.

The 944S Turbo is even quicker.

Beware!

PorscheDoc, thanks for this detailed info.

My buddy, like myself, bought a cheap 944 that had a good paint job but needed just about everything else... engine work, a new interior, new suspension, new rims and tires, etc.

The guy's got far too much time, energy and emotion wrapped up in this particular vehicle not to keep it. If he sold it, he'd lose his shirt. Modding what he has makes more sense than trading up in the product line

Sadly, he and I have a lot in common.

Lol, don't we all :)

"If he sold it, he'd lose his shirt."

Actually, he has already lost his shirt. He just may not know it yet!

In finance, we call this a sunk cost.

I'm in the same boat. The black book trade price for my car said it ranged from $9800 to $12,900. I have 25k invested thus far. Of course, I'd never trade a car this old for a new or newer boxster... I'd sell it to a private party.

I don't think I will ever sell my car unless I come into a sizeable inheritance and buying a new or newer one is just a simple decision for me and the loss isn't painful.

So a sunk loss of my own will only be experienced after many, many more years of enjoyment!

I absolutely love driving my car. It's great fun and continues to be a dream come true for me. My buddy with the 944 feels the same way, so we don't have bigger dreams like some do (trade up to a turbo, a GT, Ferrari, whatever).

If you look at it from a depreciation per TIME OR USE unit, yours is the way to go. If you love your car and keep on driving, hey, that is the deal, no?