Porsche 944 Weight Reduction
If you’re building a track car or are just looking to shed some weight on your Porsche 944 to improve your power to weight ratio here is a list that should help you decide where to focus most of your energy.
This is a list of individual Porsche 944 part weights. Most parts, whether from an NA or turbo have pretty much the same weight with a couple of exceptions, so I have not tried to track down the NA specific numbers. Most of these figures come from ’86 to ’89 Porsche 944 turbos, otherwise known as the 951. I’ll try to make the list as accurate as possible with information that is available and from my own experience.
All weights are listed in pounds. If you see any discrepancies or have anything to add please leave a comment below. If possible please provide proof as I’d like to ensure the list is as accurate as possible.
Totals
*All weights listed in pounds
| Model | Factory Weight (lbs) | Total Savings | Working Weight |
| 1986 944 Turbo | 2895 | 797.5 | 2097.5 |
| BODY | |||
| Weight | Replace with* | Weight Savings | |
| Hood | 42 | 16 | 26 |
| Fender with undercoating | 15.5 | 6 | 9.5 |
| Fender without undercoating | 11.7 | 6 | 5.7 |
| Rear Quarter Panel *2 | 25 | 8 | 17 |
| Nose Panel | 4.4 | 3.5 | 0.9 |
| Headlight Motor & Mechanism | 8.8 | 0 | 8.8 |
| Front Bumper | 42 | 15 | 27 |
| Rear Bumper | 42 | 15 | 27 |
| Doors | 50 | 16 | 34 |
| Sunroof Panel | 15 | 4 | 11 |
| Windshield | 23.5 | 15 | 8.5 |
| Door Glass *2 | 16.5 | 5 | 11.5 |
| Side Window Glass *2 | 10 | 3 | 7 |
| Hatch Glass | 59 | 17 | 42 |
| Undercoating – adjust for fender replacements | 120 | 0 | 120 |
| Spare Tire Compartment | 18 | 2 | 16 |
| Body Subtotals | 503.4 | 131.5 | 371.9 |
| . | |||
| INTERIOR | |||
| Weight | Replace with* | Weight Savings | |
| Carpet padding | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Carpet | 30 | 0 | 30 |
| Rear Carpet | 20 | 0 | 20 |
| Center console w/cassette box | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Air Conditioning | 35 | 0 | 35 |
| Heater | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Stock seats *2 either this or the next one | 84 | 38 | |
| Sport Seats *2 | 110 | 38 | 72 |
| Rear Seat back | 20 | 0 | 20 |
| Rear Seat bottom | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Door Panels | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Door hardware | 15 | 1 | 14 |
| Speakers *4 | 2.2 | 0 | 2.2 |
| Sunroof | 15 | 4 | 11 |
| Sunroof interior panel | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Dash Components – Strip to bone | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| Luggage Cover | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Spare Tire | 28 | 0 | 28 |
| Jack and Tools | 6.6 | 0 | 6.6 |
| Hatch Release Motor | 1.5 | 0 | 1.5 |
| Interior Subtotals | 428.3 | 81 | 301.3 |
| . | |||
| ENGINE | |||
| Weight | Replace with* | Weight Savings | |
| Flywheel | 15 | 8 | 7 |
| Battery | 30 | 3.7 | 26.3 |
| Exhaust Cat Forward | 35 | 10 | 25 |
| Exhaust Cat Back | 35 | 15 | 20 |
| Charcoal Canister | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Windshield Washer tank – full | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| Cruise Control | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Engine Subtotals | 136 | 36.7 | 99.3 |
| . | |||
| MISC | |||
| Weight | Replace with* | Weight Savings | |
| Wiring Harness (un-needed for a track) | 25 | 0 | 25 |
*The replace with field is a populated with a lightweight version of the same part made out of fiberglass or other lightweight material from various vendors found online such as gt-racing.com and americaninternationalracing.com
If you need to replace some parts on your 944 consider checking out Porsche 944 Parts Without The Premium Pricetag and How to Build and Install Fuel Lines on a Porsche 944 Turbo
Below are a couple of track purpose 944s built by Mantis Autosport for Ultraray Motorsports. When they’re not dealing with the occasional mishap, they’re typically capturing podium finishes. They feature numerous fiberglass parts, plexiglass rear hatches, gutted interiors, lightweight parts such as the mirrors and seats and full roll cages with side impact protection.
Credit to a few individuals from Rennlist and 944racing.de for providing some of the data points, not sure of the names of the parties involved in the original list but if anyone knows let me know and I can credit them here.
