Review: Softronic Tune on the 3.6L TT
05-24-2021, 04:27 PM
#1
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Thread Starter
Review: Softronic Tune on the 3.6L TT
For nearly 2 years, I had been eyeing the Softronic ECU tune for my 2016 Cayenne GTS with 95k miles. I was very much on the fence, but the real deal breaker for me was that it required a bench flash; meaning the car has to taken to their shop in Conneticut, or you have to send off your ECU. I was less than thrilled with shipping the ECU; particularly because flashing back to stock requires additional round trips, should it ever be necessary. Upon recently learning that you can now perform the flash yourself, I pulled the trigger. I've seen multiple posts and threads looking for feedback on Cayenne tunes, and specifically the Softronic one, so I wanted to share my experience thus far.
Install
I placed my order, and 3 days later received a package with a Dimsport mobile programming unit. Softronic provides a PDF with instructions that walk you through installing software updates on the Dimsport, and then using it to grab your existing ECU file. I emailed it to them, and 48 hours later they turned around a tuned file to load onto the Dimsport. The flashing process itself is rather straightforward and for me it required about 20 minutes for the ECU file to load to the car. Note that it's strongly suggested that you stabilize your battery during this process, as if anything goes wrong you'll brick your ECU. Scott at Softronic recommends a minimum 15amp battery charger if you have a newer battery; ideally 40 amp or higher. I opted for a 15, as my battery is only a year old and larger than stock. Upon completion, your stock tune file is loaded to the Dimsport automatically. Meaning that in the event you need to flash back to your OEM config, it's already good to go. Pretty slick.
Performance
After flashing, your engine spends about 30 miles re-calibrating, though this was impercebtable to me. I didn't have any issues, or check engine lights to deal with. I've since logged nearly 300 miles, and can sum up my initial experience in one thought: WHY DIDN'T I DO THIS SOONER?
I've never been overly impressed by the 3.6L twin turbo in our car. It makes a lot of power and the torque comes on quick, but it feels "de-tuned" to me. Naturally, Porsche has an incentive to keep it toned down in the interest of differentiating it from the V8 in the Turbo and Turbo S. For a car with 440 horsepower, it's pretty mild mannered, and perhaps most notably, the turbos seem greatly underutilized. During normal (non-spirited) driving I see very little use of boost. And for a twin turbo engine, there isn't nearly as much top-end power as one would expect.
After the tune, things are markedly better. Power comes on quicker, and you definitely see boost utilized earlier in the rev band. When you stomp on it, the car pulls noticeably harder. It caught me off guard the first time I hammered it. But even during mild driving, you feel the additional power. The entire experience feels very "stock." The character and drivability of the car hasn't really changed; it's just better. To me, this is how I would have expected the car to come from the factory. Shift points haven't changed as far as I can tell; it's just generally more responsive and using the turbos better. For $1,500, I have now grown considerably more fond of our Cayenne.
Worth noting is that defeating auto stop-start is not an option yet. I figured this was an option on just about any tune, but apparently Scott hasn't figured it out for this particular model yet. This was a bit of a let down, as I was very much hoping to eliminate this unpredictable and annoying feature.
Summary
I'm extremely satisfied with the results, and have a lot of confidence in how the car has reacted to the tune. Being at nearly 100k miles did give me some hesitancy, but the car has so far taken it in stride, and the nature of the tune is such that I have a lot of confidence in how the car feels. Perhaps worth noting is that it's a good idea to have relatively fresh spark plugs and coil packs when applying a tune. Also, I'm in CA and am limited to crappy 91 octane gas with 10% ethanol. Despite that, the tune seems to handle it pretty well. I suspect those with access to better gas will see better results though.
I've seen a number of questions around how this will impact gas mileage, and for me it's too early to tell. I expect some effiency gains to be had given that the turbos are being utilized more heavily, which are likely to offset any additional fuel burn associated with higher power output. I am tracking it though to see where things land. Prior to the tune, I averaged 15mpg.
Install
I placed my order, and 3 days later received a package with a Dimsport mobile programming unit. Softronic provides a PDF with instructions that walk you through installing software updates on the Dimsport, and then using it to grab your existing ECU file. I emailed it to them, and 48 hours later they turned around a tuned file to load onto the Dimsport. The flashing process itself is rather straightforward and for me it required about 20 minutes for the ECU file to load to the car. Note that it's strongly suggested that you stabilize your battery during this process, as if anything goes wrong you'll brick your ECU. Scott at Softronic recommends a minimum 15amp battery charger if you have a newer battery; ideally 40 amp or higher. I opted for a 15, as my battery is only a year old and larger than stock. Upon completion, your stock tune file is loaded to the Dimsport automatically. Meaning that in the event you need to flash back to your OEM config, it's already good to go. Pretty slick.
Performance
After flashing, your engine spends about 30 miles re-calibrating, though this was impercebtable to me. I didn't have any issues, or check engine lights to deal with. I've since logged nearly 300 miles, and can sum up my initial experience in one thought: WHY DIDN'T I DO THIS SOONER?
I've never been overly impressed by the 3.6L twin turbo in our car. It makes a lot of power and the torque comes on quick, but it feels "de-tuned" to me. Naturally, Porsche has an incentive to keep it toned down in the interest of differentiating it from the V8 in the Turbo and Turbo S. For a car with 440 horsepower, it's pretty mild mannered, and perhaps most notably, the turbos seem greatly underutilized. During normal (non-spirited) driving I see very little use of boost. And for a twin turbo engine, there isn't nearly as much top-end power as one would expect.
After the tune, things are markedly better. Power comes on quicker, and you definitely see boost utilized earlier in the rev band. When you stomp on it, the car pulls noticeably harder. It caught me off guard the first time I hammered it. But even during mild driving, you feel the additional power. The entire experience feels very "stock." The character and drivability of the car hasn't really changed; it's just better. To me, this is how I would have expected the car to come from the factory. Shift points haven't changed as far as I can tell; it's just generally more responsive and using the turbos better. For $1,500, I have now grown considerably more fond of our Cayenne.
Worth noting is that defeating auto stop-start is not an option yet. I figured this was an option on just about any tune, but apparently Scott hasn't figured it out for this particular model yet. This was a bit of a let down, as I was very much hoping to eliminate this unpredictable and annoying feature.
Summary
I'm extremely satisfied with the results, and have a lot of confidence in how the car has reacted to the tune. Being at nearly 100k miles did give me some hesitancy, but the car has so far taken it in stride, and the nature of the tune is such that I have a lot of confidence in how the car feels. Perhaps worth noting is that it's a good idea to have relatively fresh spark plugs and coil packs when applying a tune. Also, I'm in CA and am limited to crappy 91 octane gas with 10% ethanol. Despite that, the tune seems to handle it pretty well. I suspect those with access to better gas will see better results though.
I've seen a number of questions around how this will impact gas mileage, and for me it's too early to tell. I expect some effiency gains to be had given that the turbos are being utilized more heavily, which are likely to offset any additional fuel burn associated with higher power output. I am tracking it though to see where things land. Prior to the tune, I averaged 15mpg.
Last edited by BrendonSF; 05-24-2021 at 04:35 PM.
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GTCharlie (04-19-2022)
05-24-2021, 04:43 PM
#2
I noticed their website mentions, "The performance software tuning results in these typical performance gains for stock vehicles, all files are tested with 93oct ." Do you have any idea what the power gains are on normal 91 octane?
05-24-2021, 04:49 PM
#3
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
I do not know what gains can be expected from 91 octane, though perhaps @Softronic can chime in on it. I would expect it to make a relatively neglibable difference; maybe 10hp or thereabouts.
07-26-2021, 12:00 PM
#7
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dndodd (08-02-2021)
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07-26-2021, 12:01 PM
#8
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Thread Starter
And either way, manufacturer's are forced to prove that an aftermarket modification caused the failure before they can deny service.
07-26-2021, 12:40 PM
#9
Sometimes flashing back to stock may not be an option, if the service is unscheduled or happens away from home. Lugging around a 40 amp charger and the programming tool will still require an outlet.
Plus, the history of flashing the ECU may somehow be recorded elsewhere that they can see. Yes, the onus of proof is on them however, they need only claim that proof exists and they have it to deny, the
onus of then calling their bluff, that is on you and that would get expensive quickly, unless you happen to be an attorney.
I would like the performance gain for sure, at a minimum, I bet it eliminates most, if not all, of that damn accelerator delay. Press the accelerator to pull out into traffic and in 4,3,2,1,0 you start to accelerate.
That is annoying.
Plus, the history of flashing the ECU may somehow be recorded elsewhere that they can see. Yes, the onus of proof is on them however, they need only claim that proof exists and they have it to deny, the
onus of then calling their bluff, that is on you and that would get expensive quickly, unless you happen to be an attorney.
I would like the performance gain for sure, at a minimum, I bet it eliminates most, if not all, of that damn accelerator delay. Press the accelerator to pull out into traffic and in 4,3,2,1,0 you start to accelerate.
That is annoying.
07-26-2021, 12:51 PM
#10
Advanced
Sometimes flashing back to stock may not be an option, if the service is unscheduled or happens away from home. Lugging around a 40 amp charger and the programming tool will still require an outlet.
Plus, the history of flashing the ECU may somehow be recorded elsewhere that they can see. Yes, the onus of proof is on them however, they need only claim that proof exists and they have it to deny, the
onus of then calling their bluff, that is on you and that would get expensive quickly, unless you happen to be an attorney.
I would like the performance gain for sure, at a minimum, I bet it eliminates most, if not all, of that damn accelerator delay. Press the accelerator to pull out into traffic and in 4,3,2,1,0 you start to accelerate.
That is annoying.
Plus, the history of flashing the ECU may somehow be recorded elsewhere that they can see. Yes, the onus of proof is on them however, they need only claim that proof exists and they have it to deny, the
onus of then calling their bluff, that is on you and that would get expensive quickly, unless you happen to be an attorney.
I would like the performance gain for sure, at a minimum, I bet it eliminates most, if not all, of that damn accelerator delay. Press the accelerator to pull out into traffic and in 4,3,2,1,0 you start to accelerate.
That is annoying.