Sprintrider

I have a stock 1997 TT with 41K miles and am considering a performance upgrade in the near future. I do not generally AX or track the car but like to drive fairly aggressively in the mountain roads and passes near Reno/Tahoe. My goal is to get a decent increace in power without putting undue stress on the motor and components, and do so for a reasonable cost.

Most companies offering upgrades offer Stage 1, 2 and beyond, however I am focussing more on a stage 1 upgrade with chip only or chip and some minor other additions. Ideally I will upgrade to around 475 HP if possible.

Here is what I have found by looking around:

Company Description HP Gain Torque Gain Final HP
======================================================================== ======

GIAC Stage 1 45-60 HP 45-60 FT/LB 453 - 468 HP
(+oil cooler)
Autothority Stage 1 65 HP 55 FT/LB 473 HP

FVD-USA Stage 1 40 HP 40 FT/LB 448 HP

Imagine Auto Stage 1 62 HP 470 HP
(+ div Valves, Air Filter)
Rennsport Stage 1 22 HP; 72 HP 430 HP; 480 HP
(+Oil Cooler, ???)

There are clearly a number of options and some require other parts etc, but I am interested in getting feedback from this group as to recommendations and/or experiences with similar upgrades you have done. There may also be additional options I have not found.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

BlkC4S

The factory had a 430PS upgrade kit that was a chip and an additional oil cooler.

I'd take 2 things away from that:

1) The factory felt that even going from 408PS to 430PS that you needed more oil cooling so expect that whatever option you choose you'll be adding an oil cooler.

2) I'd be somewhat skeptical of HP claims much higher than 430PS (or 424 HP for those of us in the US) with just an ECU change and the stock K16 turbos.

The factory also had a 450PS upgrade kit that changed to K24 turbos.

You can see the factory upgrade kit's on http://carnewal-europe.com

Another reality check is all the changes Ruf did to get their 490HP Turbo R (turbos, camshafts, ecu ...).

Personally the most tempting kit for me is the Ultimate Motor Werks' Stage 1. I just don't drive my car enough right now to spend money on upgrades. http://ultimatemotorwerks.com/

If you search this forum, you should see plenty of info on the UMW kits.

(I don't have any affiliation with any of the vendors. Just my 2 cents from reading a lot in this forum.)

Sprintrider

Good advice BLKC4S. Thanks.

It is very hard to figure all the options out which is why I thought of asking what people have experienced. The UMW kit does seem like a good option and many have gone that route with a Stage 2 kit. That's a bit much for the pocket book at this time so I will follow up on the stage 1.

The local dealers up here all reccomend the GIAC flash but I have not figured out what other things are needed.

sfbanchs

umw stage 1

srm993TT

Where is UMW located, and how much $$ for the stage 1?

Ziad

Mark

Go with the UMW Stage 1. I don't remember the exact price, contact Kevin for details Kevin@ultimatemotorwerks.com

Cheers

IamSMC

He's one of our sponsers here.

Checkout his website:
http://www.ultimatemotorwerks.com/

pole position

1,4,5 is GIAC, not necessarly a 993tt leader. Autothority is a no no due to variuos reasons. FVD is ok so is Cargraphic and both advertise realistic gains. 480hp sustained from a ECU is absolute dreamland.

sfbanchs

having giac reprogram my ecu was the worst move and waste of money i ever did fvd was much better however i am happiest with umw

Sprintrider

Looking at the FVD it appears that they post a modest 40 HP gain which sounds to be more realistic based on the comments above. I agree the UMW kit seems the best as they address chip, upgraded turbos and oil cooler among other things.

The problem is that the FVD is about 2K and the UMW Stage 1 about 7K if I remember correctly.

I will check out the FVD and get a bit more info while other feedback comes in.

Good info, much appreciated.

Kevin

Stay tuned.. I'll be posting information about my OBD2 flash loading programming for the 993TT.

In theory we will be able to flash load 8 different programs at once.. One would be able to load comparision programs side by side..

I need to add the it will be for all years, including the early ECU's.

Turbodan

Kevin,
that sounds like great news.
keep up the good work!
as for this thread: I don't know all that much, but it seems like Kevin is the best guy to deal with to make our cars go fast

WHB Porsche

Ditto. I'd go with UMW for the peace of mind. Knowing Kevin is on the board makes it worth any premium (well, Kevin's stage 1 includes more than FVD's chip). I know he can be reached quickly. Do you know the head of FVD on a first name basis?

sfbanchs

cant wait for that obd 2 flashloader

pole position

Huh?

So, are you on a firstname basis with Hartmut Kristen ? It must be , otherwise you would not be driving a P car.............