Rebuttal to a "Competitor" (NOW DEFUNCT)

There is a conversion company, whom we shall refer to as "woof," that has dedicated a section of their website to illustrating what they consider flaws in the Renegade Hybrids conversion, and how they fix them. This is our take on their comments:

1. "Wheel well holes for exhaust outflow: By cutting holes in the wheel wells for the exhaust out flow, structural strength was lost in the chassis which causes to much flex during hard turning."

Customers with stock bodied 914 V-8's have been cutting their inner fenders wells for years. Unless there is significant damage from an accident or rust, there has been no chronic indication of metal fatigue around the wheel-well openings. "Woof" claims that their "directional shrouding" keeps the suspension mounting points intact. Well, if you cut the floor out, then you cut a large hole in the front chin of the car, the ONLY thing that keeps the front of the car from folding together is the front bumper! We have unfortunately seen the results of this first hand.

2. "Venting the out flow through the wheel wells causes turbulence. Hot air is blown through these holes on to the brakes causing unwanted heat."

HUH??? Hours of wind tunnel testing have shown the wheel wells of a 914 are a low pressure area. This helps to draw the air out of the front trunk area. And the brakes are WELL over 800° Fahrenheit at times, and the air coming off of the radiator is at most 200°. How is the radiator venting on to the brake rotors causing unwanted heat? "Woof" must have slept through thermodynamics.

3. "Water hoses are located under car: The hoses are easily damaged by bumpy roads, speed bumps, or other objects on the road."

The nice thing about using a rubber hose is it's resiliency. If you bottom out your car on a speed bump, as soon as you get off the bump, the hoses bounce back. Some 911's and 914's came from the factory with hoses under the car exposed to the ground. Remember this is a sports car, if you want to go play in the dirt, buy a Jeep. "Woof" runs smaller diameter hoses inside the heater ducts, limiting the needed flow and adding multiple 90* turns. The potential for kinks or restrictions is very high and it can heat up the inside of the car. Furthermore, if you were to run the lines through the passenger compartment from the heater ducts, the only way past the fuel tank is over the top (dent the tank), through the bulkhead (cut a big hole in the structural support) and to your radiator. I am amazed that they are worried about adding heat to the brake rotors, yet they are willing to pass the hot coolant hoses over/under a tank full of flamable liquids...

4. "Using original motor mounts: The original motor mounts are too far forward to support the heavier motor being installed."

"Woof" uses the stock motor mounts (see photo). Every conversion I have ever seen has used the factory motor mounts. Porsche has a well earned reputation for over building things, and the motor mounts are no exception. "Woof" beats their chest about their "vibration absorbing sub-chassis that is lighter and structurally stronger." That's all well and good, but when you cant get to the filter because the sub chassis is in the way...

5. "It is difficult to repair the clutch without pulling motor and transmission."

Oh 'common-now. It takes less than 30 minutes to have the motor and trans removed, and you can do all the work on the bench instead of your back. Or you can use this really neat thing called a ratchet strap to keep the back 1/2 of the motor held up while you remove the trans (just like you would do in a "normal" car) Maybe I should mention the oil filter again.

6. "There remote water pump flows to fast for the radiator to cool, causing continual over heating problems."

Sure it does, if you use Woof's low restriction radiator core as opposed to our specialy designed 2 pass, high restriction radiator core. Our remote water pump is engine driven and varies w/ RPM, just like the factory water pump did. It also was designed specifically to meet the custom needs associated with a mid engine and front radiator application. The factory pump was built for a radiator six inches away, not 12 feet. Another advantage to using the remote mounted, belt driven pump is that the motor fits without cutting a hole through the FIRE WALL and into the passenger compartment. The stock water pump sticks through right where the drivers shoulder should be. (Besides, we know the difference between 'there' and 'their!')

For a company that talks like they know what they are doing, "woof" falls far short of presenting a solid product. See our analysis of their "Flagship" car here.

Written by BJ