Hi Everybody -
I've been "lurking" around the forum since purchasing a 1988 944 Turbo S last July. I absolutely love my car and have learned a ton about it from this forum - thanks!

A suggestion by a local mechanic here in Los Angeles has prompted me to finally post a topic. My car is stock except for Weltmeister performance chips, fuel pressure regulator, and wastegate shim which the previous owner had installed in 1999. Does this chip set adversely affect my engine's lifespan? The mechanic suggested that it does - and that I should consider going back to the stock configuration since I have all the parts.

Can any of you tell me exactly what this chip set is doing? The paperwork from Weltmeister doesn't really explain very much about it. Does it raise the rev-limiter? If so, to what rpm? Why was the wastegate shim necessary? What is its function?

Any information about the above or any other issues associated with using this chip set would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again for the lively discussions.

 

The Weltmeister is a chip that goes into your DME. The chip contains maps for timing and fuel delivery which control the behavior of your engine. The Weltmeister chips work like this:

A shim is installed under the wastegate spring to put a preload on it. The spring has a rate [k] and can be compressed over a distance [n] to produce a force [f]. Since the preload on the spring is compressing it a distance [k] then the spring is exerting more force due to the shim; the wastegate is more difficult to open. This all translates simply into MORE BOOST. The amount of boost relies on the spring rate in your wastegate. Let's assume you're getting 14 psi [factory Turbo S is ~10.85 psi] from the shims...

Since your engine is getting more air [from higher boost] your engine will also need alteration to fuel delivery and timing. For a performance oriented chip like the Welt, you want to maintain an air:fuel ratio of 12-12.5:1 under boost at wide open throttle [WOT]. The chip contains a map designed to deliver sufficient fuel with the increased boost to maintain a favorable a:f ratio. Now comes the tricky part...do you trust them? Have they shown you a chart to PROVE that the a:f ratio their shims and chip produce are worthy of being in your car?

If I owned an 88 S or 89 turbo, I'd leave the car stock. That's just me. They're beautiful cars with a lot of torque from the factory. Some people say that the stock turbos are lacking in response and power, so they go to chips. GURU Racing has done a lot of research on all the chips out there, and have developed their own with performance and RELIABILITY in mind. If you're thinking of changing chips, you can go back to stock OR contact GURU and get info on those.

 

PorscheG96,

Thanks for the explanation. The graphs that Weltmeister included with the chips don't discuss a:f ratios so the jury is still out for me.

The question then is do other 951 drivers trust Weltmeister? My car runs great and, since I've never driven an "un-chipped" 951, I don't really have a reference to it compare to. If I get the sense from other owners that the chips aren't doing any harm I will just keep the car as is and keep on drivin'...which I really enjoy doing.
Thanks again.

 

If you are not sure can you trust your chips go for Guru Racing ones.They have all charts available for you.Iam going to install them into my car during next week end.

 

[quote]Originally posted by Silver Bean:
<strong>Does this chip set adversely affect my engine's lifespan? The mechanic suggested that it does - and that I should consider going back to the stock configuration since I have all the parts.</strong><hr></blockquote>


I don't think your mechanic is wrong. The use of aftermarket chips (with increased boost) may certainly cause reliability issues to surface sooner. You are, after all, adding 30-50hp to your car. But I wouldn't go back to stock for this reason. If you do your homework and buy a good set of chips, you should be able to enjoy the car for a long time.

I removed a set of AutoThority chips recently and installed the Guru Racing set. The car runs much better with the Guru Racing set, so all chips obviously are not created equal. The car idles better, drives around town better, blows less black smoke, and the turbo pulls like a freight train at only 15psi.

And the difference between the stock chips at stock boost and the Guru Racing setup is substantial.

 

I have Weltmeister chips in my 1986 951, and I'm VERY impressed with how fast it is. That being said, I plan on going with GURU Racing chips in the spring when my car comes out of storage. The fact that future upgrades are easier, plus the support offered by Danno and Travis makes this a sensible decision for me.

Arne.

 

Arne,

is your last name Vainio?

If so,you probaply have a finnish grandfather??

 

I guess I should post here as I had Welt. chips in my 87 turbo and now have GURU. The Welt. are just like all other after market, "universal" chips. The are rich down low and lean up top. The key to safety and performance with these cars is proper air/fuel ratios. I had the ability to see my valves and head while changing the headgasket and noticed the deposits and burn on the valves from the chips. I now have GURU and the car, runs better, harder and smoother. I believe smoother due to the fact that with higher than stock boost, which most of us run here, the computer was detecting ping and contstantly retarding the ign. due to lack of fuel up top. Now, the car suns smooth and pulls hard all the way to redline, and thats with out shims, which I need to get around to doing. CALL GURU. It is rare that you can spend a little money on an aftermarket part and get performance AND reliabilty. GURU offers just that.

 

Hi Everybody -

Thanks for all the fine information - I certainly understand the whole "chipping" situation much better now. As I don't track or race my car I'm going to keep it as is for the time being and, as $$$ permits, perhaps upgrade to GURU chips. Unfortunately, I've got some other things to spend my money on too...like rent, food, electricity, etc. Given that, I'll have plenty of time to educate myself on my options.

Thanks again.

 

Olli-
I do have a Finnish grandfather. His name was Nestor Vainio. He was born in Jaala, Finland and emigrated from Hango, Finland. He arrived in New York in 1902. He eventually made his move to Northern Minnesota and settled on some acreage and farmed. He married a Finnish woman by the name of Amanda Lagerspets. She was from Pori, Finland. They had 3 children...one of them being my father, Arne. My wife, Ivy, has done a lot of genealogical research on my Finnish side and has gone back as far as the mid 1700s. We would love to go to Finland to see my ancestral land. Maybe someday. I only have one aunt alive on my Finnish side...Aunt Bertha. She lives in California and is in her 80s. We are hoping that she will send us info but it hasn't happened yet. My father died when I was four years old and my grandparents died when I was in my teens.

Are you born and raised in Finland? Small world!

Arne Vainio

P.S. Sorry for hijacking this post. I tried to email you directly but it didn't go through.

 

silver bean - maybe you should put your car on a dyno to verify your air fuel ratio is safe, plus you have a benchmark for future upgrades.

 

My 89 is equipped with Welt Chips and the Shim and i am very impressed with the power gains.I drove the car before chipping and the difference is AWESOME! Cant wait for cams and port polish.......................

 

89951S,
Thanks for the post. I am happy to hear that somebody else is pleased with the Weltmeister chips and feels they made a difference. Have you had any problems associated with them? Any info on your experiences helps me a lot since I have nothing to compare to and my car runs great - smooth, strong, steady idle. Thanks again.

 

I'm not familiar with 951's technically (I'm currently shopping for my first), but in my experience with other vehicles, aftermarket chips that't DON'T raise boost have virtually NO effect on longitevity of the engine.

With some other turbo cars, chips also control the boost levels (ie, 1.8 Turbo VW/Audi). In this case, running a chip programmed for 1.5 bar, combined with a driver who has a lead foot, could shorten the life of the engine and/or related parts.

Also, after chipping a 951 that was previously stock, I'm certain some owners really want to feel the difference so they hammer on the car a little harder. That's the second way a "chip upgrade" will "hurt your car."

But just having those chips installed? Nope, you aren't gonna shorten the life of the motor what-so-ever. Uber-high boost levels and a heavy right foot, which are sometimes *related* to chip upgrades, are what shorten engine life.