Carpokes

Why does my Porsche M44/07 engine have 150 hp and the M44/05 engine have 163 hp? How can I get the extra 13 hp? Thanks

From what I can tell from reference material the primary difference between the 150HP 8V and the 163hp 8V was a bump in compression from 9:7:1 to 10:6:1. coupled with an update to DME, Bosche L-Tronic instead of K Jetronic

And the 163hp ROW cars typically don't have a catalytic converter, as is the case with my '86..

As others have said, the difference comes primarily from the higher compression ratio, and to a lesser extent emission equipment. All 944's used a Motronic (DME) engine management system, however, with digital control over fuel and spark -- i.e., no L-Jetronic (analog fuel only) or K-Jetronics (CIS) on any year of the 944 (thank goodness ).

You also wont notice 13hp, you can make the 150hp car accelerate better and feel peppier by reducing weight and a few adjustments to the engine, linear throttle, MAF, Sport DME/Chip. Those may even put you over 13hp, but no one going to pay dyno time to confirm that small amount.

The beauty of the 944 is it's weigh balance and handling. I have removed over 100lbs from my car and done most of the modifications, and put out better lap times then 911's during Autocross... I'm maybe a little more fearless than those drivers tho

And how could I get those 13 hp back?
By changing the pistons?

It's mounted in a 1983 944.

944year83 wrote: Sun Mar 29, 2026 1:57 pm And how could I get those 13 hp back?
By changing the pistons?

It's mounted in a 1983 944.

At that point, you would be rebuilding the whole engine for 13hp -- not worth it really. Get a Webcam, skim the head for a little extra compression, maybe do a little porting, get a free-flow exhaust and chips, and drop 100 pounds, and you'll be faster than the 163hp cars.

I think it is fair to say that for the normally aspirated cars there are some simple things that can be done to make it a little more responsive but if you want more impactful power gains there is a reason they made a 944 Turbo.

5 or 10 hp is fine for me.

I thought I'd share something I heard from Tom Barker, the guy who runs Augment Automotive and does some amazing things tuning and prepping 944's of all sorts. He has dyno'd dozens of 944's over ther years and he says that while stock turbos usually come in pulling the equivalent of factory spec, 220 or 250 bhp, N/A 944's are usually quite a bit lower than 163 or 150, coming in usually around 130-140. A lot of that is probably due to age and wear, so as the experienced folks wrote above, just making sure the stock bits are working as they should ought to make things more lively.