ECU upgrade/flash - which one should I go for?

[uwe4711]

Hi, I have a 2005 Turbo S (996 TT) and I would like to get some more HP from the car by changing/upgrading the ECU. I found several offers on the Web (Upsolute, APR, EVOtech, PowerChip, to name a few), which all seem to give me ~80 or so additional horses. The pricing however ranges from less than $1k to almost four times that. Does anyone have real life experience with any ECU upgrade? In particular, long term (> 1 year) experience?

I do not plan to apply any other upgrades besides the ECU, so adjusting the programming later is not necessary. Also, this car is a daily driver, so the reliability aspect comes before the desire for more power.

Any feedback will be greatly appreciated!

[White987S]

Ok, so you have 450 HP right now (you lucky bugger! :) ) and you want 80 more (if that is really possible) to do exactly what?..................

[wross996TT]

I do not plan to apply any other upgrades besides the ECU, so adjusting the programming later is not necessary. Also, this car is a daily driver, so the reliability aspect comes before the desire for more power.

That's what they all say....so if you really mean it, you will be fine with upsolute....if you are thinking longer term, talk to the tuners before you jump. (Todd @Proto, Kevin @UMW, Tony@EPL, Stephen @IA,...)

[ard.]

^^^ Somewhat agree.

Here's something to consider. You get a flash, all is well. In 8 months you get a CEL. Dealer or indy says "must be your flash".... who do you call? (No, not ghostbusters).

I view these kind of "non-commodity" upgrades as a more complex purchase than a SSK, or a JIC suspension...

A

PS After you get that flash, let's chat about a wastegate upgrade to free up the midrange on those K24s! :) See? It never ends!

[Chuck Jones]

Where are you located? EPL is coming to Freemont California in August to put on a local show and tell...might be a good time to stop by if you're geographically located in the area and just check it out. There are a number of excellent tuners with established reputations who can tune your car. It helps to put your location in your signature so we know where you are.

Also...if you have the Turbo S...you probably have some warranty left. Some of the dealerships are anal about flashing and will void your warranty if they can even remotely tie the failed part to the flash. Others are a bit more lenient, but there have been a number of guys who have been told...Sorry bout' that...you voided the warranty.

I'm waiting till August kuz I have the remaining part of my CPO that runs out then...and I intend to visit Tony at EPL in Freemont.

[geoff]

Softronic supposedly has the capability to revert to the original Porsche firmware if there's any problem. I've heard good things about them on some of the other Porsche boards. You could check on rennlist or 6speedonline. Scott Slauson (PCA Boxster tech lead and Porsche mechanic) is one of the key people in the company

[wross996TT]

Here is an interesting poll:

6speed poll