Latest updates on ECU / Chip tuning for CTT
 

I'm finally ready to get a chip for my CTT and was hoping some of you could share your experiences. The claims and prices are across the board and sorting through it is a bit confusing. While my greatest hope is to handle the lag in throttle input and gain more feedback, I'll also welcome more more power and acceleration.

Perhaps related, I also have noticed a strange sputtering in acceleration going up through the gears lately. This is an intermittent problem. It feels like an imediate loss of power followed a split second later by the car lunging forward, it happens repeatedly, 5 or 6 times, usually at 3/4 throttle when getting on the freeway. Any ideas about this would be great too.

Thanks in advance for any help,

JW

GIAC and Revo are the most respected, and priced accordingly, at $1999 and $2599 respectively. Expect 80hp and 85 ft/lbs of torque increase from their claims, or thereabouts. Cheapest by far is Upsolute, which has ECU tuning for all cars - not as specialized as GIAC and certainly not Revo, which services only certain makes/models. Upsolute is $700, perhaps. I will be doing it also, but not for a short while, and will probably go Revo, as I have greater confidence in how they research each individual vehicle when mapping the software. For example, as a favor to one of their distributors, I let them use my 987S to map the software as they did not yet have a US vehicle mapped. They took some information from my ECU, then next time I was in for some pre-race service they did some more, then I was in one more time for further work - 3 days in all and it's still not quite finished mapping. That's just for a little n/a Boxster engine, so I imagine the turbocharged engines get some great attention.

I would be very careful with Revo. Their calibration technical staff's competance is far, far below what I would consider acceptable, especially for a Porsche. Ask for their credentials and see past the marketing hype. Calibrators should have an engineering background, not sales. Three logging sessions is in no way adequate for development of a proper product. These products demand big bucks and should be backed up with proper development. Unlike GIAC (or anyone else for that matter) they don't even have a real facility- no dyno, etc. Do your car a favor and use GIAC. Best option at this point.

Brett

Brett,

They already have the base system software in place as they purchase ECU's from Porsche directly (at their office in Europe). One of their technicans came out from England to help work on the mapping of the 987S engine specifically, but they were working from a base - he's not a salesman at all, trust me. What do you mean they don't have a 'real facility'? Have you been there?

schvetkaaks,

The "office in Europe" is nothing more than than that- an office. (Yes I've been there.) No dynos or engineers on location. The company itself is not much more than an exercise in clever marketting. A European office sounds fancy but notice on their website there is no pictures of this office. Unless something has changed in the last few months, the person who worked on your car has no background whatsoever in engineering. If you know his first name I can say for sure.

Brett

Many have said good things about the GIAC, I was hoping to not spend the 2K. Brett, do have a chip?

Have either of you had experiences with the sputtering feeling I described?

Thanks,

JW

Josh,

No, I don't have a chip (well, not in this case.) In fact I am just now purchasing a Cayenne S. I do have a good deal of knowledge in this area though. Feel free to PM me if you like for more details.

Brett

Mitchell is his name

Cool. I'm just having a hard time figuring what the big differrences are between a $600 remapping and one for 2K. And $2000 is actually not the price I'm told for the GIC. My girlfriend priced it at a shop locally and they said it was about $3500. Big chunk of change.

From a GIAC dealer in CA:

$2000 Performance File (plus CA sales tax)

$2200 Performance and Stock File (plus CA sales tax)

$2400 Performance, Stock, Valet and Kill Files (plus CA sales tax)

$150 Flashloader remote tool (optional) (plus CA sales tax)

Thanks, I can't imagine why they told her $3250 (I just asked my girl what they quoted).

The Cayenne S file should be cheaper... but anyways, the way it's done is you actually have to have internet connection to download the file from GIAC, it's not something that you keep in your hard drive like a BIOS flash or something. So it dials in to GIAC, pretty sure it asked for the VIN, then it downloads the file and flashes the ECU..I was wondering why Sharky needed internet connection when he was doing it..:D The system is also adaptive on the way you drive, but the boost comes early especially when you floor it. No sputtering feeling here, is that from a CTT?

Yes, mine is Turbo. The sputtering is strange, seems to happen at 3/4 throttle, not wide open. Also, it's now giving me a check engine when it happens. Bringing to dealer next week. I can't help but think it's related to the Fabspeed bypass pipes somehow. After putting them on I didn't notice any change other than a great sound. All seemed fine with them. I also added BCM filters. A couple weeks ago I had a terrible rattle underneath. It turned out to be a broken bracket on top of the Fabspeed pipe. Had that welded back together, rattle is gone. But the sputtering is strange, almost like not enough fuel in the mix.

Josh, I think GIAC probably does the most Porsche chipping. Have a look at www.evoms.com who are reputable and use only GIAC.
As for Revo, I had their SPS3 on my old Audi 225 TT and it was nothing short of fantastic. The performance gain was unbelievable and the driveability was essentially unchanged. They are definitely well entrenched in the Audi mod community (go to Audiworld.com) and are probably just number two to GIAC.

I have refrained from commenting again since the thread was moving away from the subject of Revo but since they have come up again:

schvetkaaks:
Last name Simmons. He has NO technical background and certainly no engineering education or specific automotive training. He has no business touching these cars in my opinion. He also has a very checkered past. Their other main "tuner" is even less qualified (if that's possible.) As for Revo being entrenched in the Audi mod community, they do have somewhat of a presence (calling them second would be quite a stretch, though.) But they also were involved in a court case where it was alleged that they stole technology and otherwise defrauded a company whose product they used to distribute. It is very easy to supply a good software product by copying the work of others. It is my personal opinion that Simmons and others at this company are crooks but I know quite a bit more about them then most.

If you are still considering Revo, I highly recommend that you call and ask some questions.


Brett