chows4us

I think sometime auto enthusiasts live in some closed world thinking whatever happened in some other car or in years past will also happen tomorrow.

Since there are little computers throughout the car, and more will be there tomorrow, even if the copyright office grants an exclusion, its a three year reprieve. Since the argument is tampering with safety items is a bad idea, in the end, public safety will prevail.

-Ryan-

This reminds me exactly what it was like when BMW released their 3 liter dual turbo 6. A lot of speculation about mod possibilities and a lot of panic about the possibility of blown engines and voided warranties. The next couple of years should be really interesting as far as seeing what this engine is capable of.

Yard Dog

Isn't it part of the deal with "this engine" that Porsche can ramp up through the various iterations of engines they already have in production with slight turbo adjustments to keep them current in the HP wars for a long time at minimal design, development and production expense; and without much change to the existing engine bay? Wasn't a 4.0 liter engine the top of the NA hill?

Scorponok

All this talk of upgrading/tuning/chipping ... No one has mention resale value of modded cars.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I wouldn't touch a modded car ever at any price and I know I'm not alone in thinking that.

That's the ultimate price some will pay to mod and boost their cars. I say keep it factory, be happy with it (or don't buy it in the first place) and move on to a faster model when ready.

-Ryan-

How would you know if any ECU tuning had been done?

fast1

But chances are that you wouldn't even know that it was modded. Most modded cars are returned to their original condition before they are sold.

Archimedes

Which is another reason to be more leery of a turbo car, which is more easily bumped up in HP, sometimes without consideration to the rest of the motor/drivetrain. I know the latest turbos and engines are light years removed from the turbo time bombs of 10+ years ago, but some of us have very long memories.

I too have zero interest in buying a car with any performance mods at all, but I agree, it's sometimes hard to tell. Just another reason I prefer to buy my cars new and keep them a long time. Early in my adult life I wound up buying someone else's problem in the form of a used car and it scarred me for life.

Fishey

The whole DMCA thing is an absolute joke.

I think if we get to the point that you can't change the software because its somehow "Copyright" its all over with repercussions far more vast then the automotive industry.


Regardless, the biggest thing is the unknown strength of the block/pistons/rods.

Scorponok

Wouldn't you be able to tell just by driving it (greater performance)?

Scary. Will have to agree with Archimeds, not sure how I'd feel about buying a turbo.

Is this a problem with the used market for the real Turbo?

MKW

Audi dropped factory turbocharged S4s 10-15 yrs ago and switched to a hard to modify 4.2l NA V8s because resale values had tanked and many auction companies wouldn't touch them ( so dealers couldnt get rid of them) because something like 70 % of them had been " chipped " and then " dechipped " by the second or third owner . Buyers for used car lots at auctions didnt know which ones were potential " live granades " and starting avoiding all B5 S4s , which hurt their resale and therefore hurt potential sales of new ones in showrooms , esp with regard to lease residuals vs the BMW 3 series .

They are back to turbos now on the S4 but now have better ways to check for mods and the market has changed as the car has a much different type buyer these days anyway at its current 70K price point. The Toyoburu twins are today what the Audi B5 S4 was 20 years ago from a tuner stand point . Audi sales execs are thankful for that, I'm sure .

That is why some companies now have so many embedded scattered software " tell tales " to detect via the OBD II port which cars ( esp turbo ones ) have had their ECUs currently or previously modded when brought in for warranty engine/drivetrain maladies .

So it isnt just potential OEM warranty repair costs but also resale reputation ..this is the first time in its 50 yr hx the base 911 has the potential with a " cheap software tune only " to crank out more straight road acceleration than a factory S or Powerkitted S / GTS model esp among owners who could care less of the longer term premature wear from lack of associated bulked up thermal mgmt .....they figure that is a problem to kick down the road to the next owner!

makes buying a used base/ S 991.2 later a bit dicey if you ask me ...esp if aftermarket tuners come out with claimed " untraceable " removable software with claimed 70+ hp bumps over stock, even 100+ hp more for the 20 second overboost button !

Archimedes

Yup, the B5 S4 time bombs. I cringe every time I see someone trying to sell an old one of those on Crackhead's List. Feel bad knowing some young kid who doesn't know any better is going to wind up buying it.

Arcoril

Not if the original factory tune is restored before the sale. This is a common tactic that people use when they have an aftermarket tune while in-warranty and need to have warranty work performed.

STG

This coming from a guy that thought the GTS was a poseur car?? A base cool again?

Yeah, someone is going to sell a 2K chip that's going to give you 100 extra HP?

The only thing that will be happening to your car is a baked engine and warranty. That rear engine grill might be hot enough to grill hot dogs on.

I just can imagine the characters coming out of the woodwork with the turbos. And you guys thought the exhaust and wheel ads were bad!

I'm actually looking forward to the turbo nightmare stories.

Talked to a high volume dealer today, and he said the 991.2 intro and previous turbo gossip had actually helped current 2016 sales.

He's hearing some hesitation from clients about the motor and some aesthetics. Positives about the interior and color options.

Archimedes

Be interesting to see how much torque these transmissions can handle. On many of the Audi's, that's the limiting factor and many folks who added superchargers, or chips and bigger pulleys to their FI cars, weren't accounting for the fact that the transmissions weren't designed to handle the extra power.

Archimedes

I think they're gonna sell well, because I think they're going to be decent performers and will attract some new buyers into the fold to replace some purists who don't care for the new cars. They're a step closer to the mainstream with this car and that will help it be successful. For every person like me who thinks the car is ugly, another will love it. Time moves on.