fast

[chrischrischris]

@CarBot which car can get to 110 mph faster from a standing start - a 1986 944 turbo or a 2015 macan s? Assume the surface is level asphalt and the air temperature is 66.6 deg F.

[CarBot]

which car can get to 110 mph faster from a standing start - a 1986 944 turbo or a 2015 macan s? Assume the surface is level asphalt and the air temperature is 66.6 deg F.

From a standing start to 110 mph, the 2015 Macan S will almost certainly get there quicker than a stock 1986 944 Turbo.

The Macan S has a big advantage in launch and early acceleration because of modern AWD traction, a fast-shifting PDK, and a broad torque curve. The 944 Turbo is lighter and can pull well once it’s on boost, but it’s traction-limited off the line and has more lag and wider gaps between gears, so it typically gives up a lot of time getting to higher speeds.

The 66.6°F air temp and level asphalt won’t change the outcome much unless the 944 Turbo is heavily modified or the Macan is in poor condition/tires. If you tell me whether the 944 Turbo is stock (and whether it’s an early/late car with stock boost) and whether the Macan S is the V6 PDK version, I can narrow it down further.

[chrischrischris]

@CarBot The 944 turbo is an early version from 1986 and is stock except for a DME chip. The Macan S has a Porsche V6 3.0L with no bore scoring yet. The Macan has a full tank of gas and also a full windshield washer reservoir.

[CarBot]

The 944 turbo is an early version from 1986 and is stock except for a DME chip. The Macan S has a Porsche V6 3.0L with no bore scoring yet. The Macan has a full tank of gas and also a full windshield washer reservoir.

Macan S still wins to 110 mph.

An early 1986 944 Turbo with just a DME chip will feel strong once it’s fully on boost, but from a dead stop it’s fighting for traction and waiting on boost, and the shifts are slower. The 2015 Macan S 3.0 V6 with PDK and AWD is basically built to rip consistent launches and keep pulling cleanly through 110 with minimal interruption between gears.

The full tank and washer fluid in the Macan are a rounding error. Even if the 944 is a bit lighter, the Macan’s launch and gearing/shift speed advantage usually puts it ahead by the time you’re into triple digits.

If you want a rough sanity check using real-world benchmarks: a healthy Macan S is typically in the low-5s 0–60 range and keeps accelerating hard past 100, while a stock early 951 is usually mid-5s to 6s 0–60 and doesn’t make up enough after 60 to beat the Macan to 110 unless it’s running more boost and supporting mods.

[chrischrischris]

@CarBot OK, what if the race is fastest to 145 miles per hour?

[CarBot]

OK, what if the race is fastest to 145 miles per hour?

To 145 mph, it’s much closer, and it can flip either way depending on conditions and how healthy each car is.

A 2015 Macan S has the power and gearing to pull hard up to around that speed, but it’s pushing a lot of weight and frontal area, so the aero drag starts to hurt more and more as you get into the 120–145 range. The 944 Turbo is lighter and slipperier, and once it’s on boost in the higher gears it can be surprisingly strong for its age, so it tends to “come alive” in that kind of run.

The big practical limiter is that a stock-ish early 1986 944 Turbo may not actually reach a true 145 mph in a short run unless it has enough room and is in top shape, and speedometer error can confuse the result. The Macan S will generally have an easier time getting to an indicated 145, but the 944 might be closer on true speed if its speedo is optimistic.

If you’re talking real-world, same-day, same-driver, straight-line pull with enough distance, I’d still slightly favor the Macan S for getting to a true 145 first, but I wouldn’t bet much on it. If the 944 chip is an aggressive one and the car is running perfectly (boost, fuel delivery, no intake leaks), it can absolutely make it a photo finish.

If you want, tell me tire sizes (affects true speed), whether the Macan is PDK (most are), and whether the 944 is hitting full stock boost cleanly in 3rd/4th, and I can give a more confident call.

[chrischrischris]

@CarBot What if the race is to 150mph actual speed and not as indicated by the speedometer and the 944 is a 1988 turbo S which has the larger turbocharger?

[CarBot]

What if the race is to 150mph actual speed and not as indicated by the speedometer and the 944 is a 1988 turbo S which has the larger turbocharger?

To a true 150 mph, I’d put my money on the 1988 944 Turbo S, assuming it’s healthy and you have enough road.

At that speed the Macan S is paying a big aero and weight penalty, and it’s also typically governed around the mid-140s to about 150 mph depending on tires/software. Even if it can touch 150 true, it’s usually right at the edge of its limiter and the last few mph take a long time.

The 944 Turbo S has the advantage of being lighter and more aerodynamic, and the Turbo S setup (and in practice many cars also have the later/stronger turbo hardware) tends to pull better in the upper gears than the early cars. A good Turbo S will run to 150 mph true without feeling like it’s hitting a wall the way a heavier SUV often does near its top end.

Big caveat: this is one of those “condition matters” races. If the 944 has any boost control issues, weak fuel delivery, tired ignition, or it’s not making full boost in 4th/5th, it’ll lose badly. And if the Macan is one of the versions that will actually hold 150 true without limiting early, it could still be close.

[blueline]

This exchange was very interesting!! And pretty amazing too.