inkatouring

I put a LWF in my 95 and it was stalling too much. I reduced it somewhat with some changes to my driving style, but I will still far from ideal. I bought a brand X chip (brand X because I'm not here to diss any one's product) and things were slightly better. But only slightly.

Time passed and while reading other posts on the subject, I noted that Steve Wong of 911 chips guaranteed no stalling from LWF on a 95. So, I called him and explained my situation and asked if he would still guarantee it. He suspected there might be some vacuum leaks in the intake (which I did, too) but said he would stand behind his product nonetheless. So I ordered one.

Well, it was apparent from day one, minute one, that the idle was stronger and -- as Steve told me it would -- the idle was also higher by 100 rpm. I've had it in for about a month now and, while I can't say it has never stalled since installation, I am thrilled with the improvement. The car does not want to stall and when it does it does so because a LWF is not ideal for driving around in bumper-to-bumper traffic of such a hilly city as S.F. Most importantly, the fear of stalling on downshifts is gone -- and that was my main concern.

After the first few stalls, I thought to myself "well, I could return this for a full refund" but decided instead to sell my brand X chip -- with full disclosure, of course. I made this decision because, even though the car still stalls, it is clear to me the idle is stronger and the car wouldn't stall in a flatter environment or if the vacuum leaks weren't there. In other words, the stalling isn't the chip's fault.

So, you 95 owners with LWFs, get a Steve Wong chip (if you don't have one already).

Oh, and the only downside I've noted is that my wife feels more comfortable driving the car now.....

[this has been an unpaid, non-commercial announcement]

RDS928S

I have Steve Wong's chip in my 95 & love it too.
He can remap his chips too when you modify your motor etc.
Good person, very honest dyno proven products.

Post a pic of your cab. Never saw that color combo before.

Rich

cavlino

Thanks for the tip on Steve Wong's chip. I have the exact same problem, stalling occasionally on down shifts.

matt777

I just received my remapped Steve Wong Chip with the LWF upgrade. I had sent him back my std Steve Wong chip and he charged $75 to upgrade it (I didn't have a LWF when I bought the chip). Much of the stalling was fixed by increasing the idle speed with an ISV valve adjustment however it wasn't a total fix. I am looking forward to trying out the LWF chip upgrade which should surely take care of the problem (when the snow and ice goes away in a few months that is!).

inkatouring

I haven't seen (or heard) of the color combo anywhere, either. The interior is "chestnut" -- which really red (pitifully, I don't have any pics of the interior). I bought it from the original owner, who ordered it that way in 1994....

x50type

Isn't this a repeat of your earlier exhortation of the steve wong chip?

inkatouring

No one in the prior post -- as far as I recall -- had an actual comparison. Praise, yes. But not actually comparing one against the other, which is why I thought it was worth sharing.

95 C4 993

If Im not mistaken, Steve Wongs chip raise the rev and brings everything closer to stock vs. the chip I have that improves mid range performance. I had the opportunity to try out Steve Wongs chip a few years back but I passed. I've went through a lot of what I call "wasted time" dealing with my LWF and chip that I have learned to cope with it since it was installed---maybe 5 years ago or so. My last major shop visit, I spent close to $6k and fixed everything imagineable (vacuum leak tests, new suspension, ISV cleaning---you name it, I had it done) only to drive less than one block to have a stall. I had my car in shop at least 5x dealing with chip related issues within a period of 1 month. Granted its rare that my car stalls but it does happen once in a while. The above statement that says Steve Wong's chip can stall as well heads me to the conclusion that I made the right decision not trying it out.

The bottom line, IMHO, those who go with a LWF in a 95 will increase their stalling by over 70%--that was the poll percentage. Im sure the statistic is higher because some may not dont want to admit their car stalls because when it comes time to sell, who wants a car that stalls, right? If you were selling a 993 and knew it had stalling issues, would you think that might have a negative impact on selling it if you told the buyers that it does stall? I wouldnt buy a 993 if I knew it stalled. I wouldnt buy any car if it was known to have stalling issues. Of course if you can knock $4k off a fair asking price to go back to a DMF and stock chip, thats another story. Track car, again another story.

I do like the performance of the LWF and chip but if I were to do it all over again, I would pass. Im just an average street driver that does not track. I dont do any DIY on my 993 or any vehicle. Gas and oil and thats how I roll.

matt777

The Steve Wong chip is a performance improvement chip. Why else would anyone buy one? Steve said that the LWF mod changes how the engine responds to rev drops which is the core of the problem. It doesn't just change the idle speed (in fact I don't know if it does that). Anybody can change the idle speed by just turning up the ISV valve. I did that and it is not a total solution.

nile13

Inka, could you send details on the other chip, including price you are looking for? I don't have LFW on this car, nor planning on one (after my previous 95 stalled like crazy with LFW).

x50type

I bet steve wiener [rennsport systems] is laughing at this thread - are you not steve?

skywachr

I remember photos of a car just like this for sale in the SF Bay area in late summer/early fall of 1998. Possibly this car. It was a stunning color combination. Kind of like what Ralph Lauren (a serious car buff) would have ordered for himself in a 993.

If it is that car, did you copy those photos from that ad to a file? I kind of remember an overhead shot with the cab top lowered. Worth sharing if you still have them. A very unique and cool car.

matt777

Why would he be laughing? So far you have added nothing.

Lorenfb

"Isn't this a repeat of your earlier exhortation of the steve wong chip?"

Right! A total waste of Rennlist thread space!

"The above statement that says Steve Wong's chip can stall as well heads me to the conclusion that I made the right decision not trying it out."

As many have come to admit!

"The Steve Wong chip is a performance improvement chip"

Really? So now one has to carefully monitor when pinging will occur
AND always pre-locate where the gas stations are located with the
new required octane level.

"Why else would anyone buy one?"

Because they got 'sucked-in' by the hyperbole and the chip 'evangelists'
and their naivete.

x50type

matt777

sorry - but apparently you don't know steve or rennsport systems.