Silberwolfen

Good Afternoon Folks and Happy New Year,

After some advice from the board here, I reached out to TPC Racing in Jessup, Maryland.

As of right now my 996TT has a FVD Cat-Back Exhaust, so I have that out of the way. After some “exhaustive” research here, my mod plans for the car in 2013 will be 1) ECU tuning, 2) replace OEM shifter, and 3) suspension upgrade---PSS9, etc.

What I do not fully understand yet is the ECU tuning. I received a message from Tom at TPC Racing and his shop does an in-house ECU tuning and an optional 3-way map switch which allows you to switch the mapping back to stock. He said the gain was around 60 HP. I have also heard very good things about the UMW tune, but do not know the difference. However, would feel more comfortable having a local shop like TPC do it as opposed to trying to order something online and hope it works. So, my big question with ECU tuning is: how does it change the drivability of the car? What exactly is it that I would notice with just a DME flash? Does it make the throttle response twitchy or jumpy? By flashing the ECU is there an increased risk of engine damage? What I assume an ECU flash does is alter the amount of fuel that is being detonated inside the engine by altering the air/fuel mixture. Will I then be driving around in a car that gets 5 to 6 MPG less? I am really curious what I would notice about the car as I was driving it home from the shop---seat of the pants meter

Renn 951

With a good tune you are not going to get a jumpy/twitchy throttle response. You'll still get a smooth throttle and probably some more low-end torque, but the biggest differences will be felt at full throttle. Gas mileage shouldn't be significantly affected as long as you can restrain your desire to frequently satisfy any "boost addiction."

My x50 has a GIAC chip that was installed by the previous owner and is tuned so that the car can be run all day long at track events on 93 octane and not put the engine at any risk. GIAC has some comments on the "art" of tuning that can be found here: http://www.giacusa.com/about.php. A super-aggressive tune could certainly present more risk of engine damage, but the 60 hp bump suggested by TPC is a moderate, safe approach. UMW has a lot of fans on this forum, but as you note there are a lot of potential benefits to having a qualified local shop that can do this for you, and TPC is certainly well-qualified. And you can build on the relationship for long-term maintenance needs as well as specific tuning projects.

Tom at TPC is honest and great to work with. They took great care of my x50 with for the previous owner and I've continued to use them, even though it's a bit of a hike for me from N. Va. to get up there. Sounds like you are on a good path for your upgrades -- Happy "New" Car, and Happy New Year!

Lance 4c

Let me be the first (second edited) to reply. The UMW tune is awesome. The support from Kevin is top-notch. Your butt meter will leave no question whatsoever of the improvement. Throughout the rpm range, the drivebilty is vastly enhanced. I have been driving my 2002 since june 2011 with the tune, about 9k miles with no troubles at all! Do it. And after a few thousand miles, the next step is his hybrid turbos. Good for more butt meterable upgraded performance. Contact Kevin at UMW, and ask him. He will answer way more questions than you thought to ask. All the upgrades are performed without you having to take the car to anyone. He provides what you need to get it done.

CincyScott

Let me first say I'm a big fan of UMW, however, there's two things that factor into that for me. #1, I like to do as much of my own work as I can, and #2 I ask a lot of stupid questions. Kevin fills the bill for me on both.

That being said, if you're not going to do your own work, TPC has a solid reputation and the proximity is a bonus. They've obviously got a lot of tuning experience with their SC kits et al, so I don't think they'd lead you astray.

Can't go wrong either way, I think.

32krazy!

giac tune on my 996 turbo with 3 stage flash loader. absolute garbage!! car runs pig rich and couldnt feel any difference from a 93 oct file and a 103 race file. changing over to epl tuning with 2 stage launch control and no lift shifting.

what many dont factor in is most tuners price you "off the shelf" tune. its vastly different from a custom datalogg tune or dyno tune. also tuners charge more for more mods. injectors? costs more. modded turbos? cost more. intake mods? costs more. k24 turbos cost more to tune than k16. most off the shelf tunes only take exhaust and turbos into consideration.
do all the mods your going to do for the foreseeable future. THEN search for your tuner. epl is in ct and can remote tune in your garage , on their dyno, or on a dyno of your choice. retunes cost extra also.
stock off the shelf tune for a k24 setup is about 1000$. my tune with all my mods was just shy of 1900$
research and be sure of what you want
shifter swap. my car came with a b&m short shifter. hated it. would routinely miss 2 to 3 shift at the strip. went to the numeric shifter and its nite and day. price has become reasonable considering the quality and craftsmanship of the tower and the shifter.
btw if your concerned with mpg, leave it stock sell it and buy a prius! modding and mpg are mortal enemies!

Silberwolfen

Thanks folks...good advice. I will work with the team there to sort this out!

No, I am not worried about MPG...just don't want to tune something in such a way that I spend all my time driving gas station to gas station like I used to do with my Ducati race bikes. Been there done that...and don't want a Prius either.

BTW...I like the write-up on the Numeric Racing Short Throw Shifter. My big concern with a new shifter is not missing 2nd to 3rd shifts. I have been doing the two stage shift from 2nd to 3rd, but prefer a bit smoother transition.

Dock

UMW is IMO the way to go. My bet is that your jaw will drop at the difference between stock and Kevin's tune.

The Turbo in OEM form is tuned way below its safe potential.

Silberwolfen

Thanks Dock....hey one question for you...what do you think of the Numeric Racing Short Throw Shifter? It seems that the $700 unit replaces the entire plastic housing of the OEM piece. The pics of it look pretty sturdy.

Dock

I haven't driven it. I will reserve final judgment until I do; however, the stability issues with the OEM unit is not because of the support structure, it is because of the plastic bearings Porsche uses. The B&M unit uses aluminum bushings.

CincyScott

Take a look at the recent thread I brought up on this subject. If cost is no object, I'd get the Numeric too.

For me, I have to weigh benefit with how much I can get away with in the spouse department

Silberwolfen

I agree, Scott. Same thing here which is why I have to pick my mods and budget for them this year---I have to make them count!

Silberwolfen

Good point, Dock. When I swap them out I will try to get some detailed pics and feedback so I can pay the advice forward a bit. I had a B&M in my ZO6, but am a newbie when it comes to P-Cars. My journey has just begun.

mamir

Siberwolfen - I have the UMW tune in my car and i love it. IMHO, the difference from stock is night and day. Also, I'm near you in Alexandria, VA, let me know if you want to try it out in person.

Silberwolfen

Will do. I used to live in Old Town. We local folks will have to get together for a meeting of the minds:-)

Silberwolfen

BTW...here is my FB profile for you folks in the area:

Regards,
John