993 ECU Performance Upgrade
02-20-2019, 11:57 AM
#1
993 ECU Performance Upgrade
Hello everyone. I’m sure this question has been asked and answered but I just cannot find it under search.
I bought a 1998 Carrera Cab Tiptronic last year. The car was all stock and I installed Fister II and Fabspeed X-pipe sport cats. It sounds great now.
Now I’m looking into ECU upgrades for a little more power and torque. Any recommendations? Have you been successful in getting more power with a performance ECU?
I see that some some companies are selling these ECU upgrades including one from Fabspeed which requires you to send in the ECU (I prefer not to have to do that).
Your thougut, suggestions and comments are appreciated.
Thank you.
I bought a 1998 Carrera Cab Tiptronic last year. The car was all stock and I installed Fister II and Fabspeed X-pipe sport cats. It sounds great now.
Now I’m looking into ECU upgrades for a little more power and torque. Any recommendations? Have you been successful in getting more power with a performance ECU?
I see that some some companies are selling these ECU upgrades including one from Fabspeed which requires you to send in the ECU (I prefer not to have to do that).
Your thougut, suggestions and comments are appreciated.
Thank you.
02-20-2019, 12:33 PM
#3
Nordschleife Master
discussion of RS Cams/ECU upgrade: https://rennlist.com/forums/993-foru...-road-car.html
power increase : https://rennlist.com/forums/993-foru...ine-build.html
What do you mean by "a little more power and torque" Most people interpret that to mean an increase in the peak value, which in a 993 is expensive to do.
alternatively, while not increasing the peak HP/Torque significantly, there ARE things that will add mid range, i.e. alter the shape of the curve, including flashing the ECU/chip.
Also expensive, is re-gearing the transmission, which will not increase horsepower, but will have a definite effect. LWF will add a touch of throttle response
You can also remove weight from the car, and there are lots of threads on that.
Are you tracking the car, or just looking for a bit more when you step on the loud pedal? How much do you intend on spending?
power increase : https://rennlist.com/forums/993-foru...ine-build.html
What do you mean by "a little more power and torque" Most people interpret that to mean an increase in the peak value, which in a 993 is expensive to do.
alternatively, while not increasing the peak HP/Torque significantly, there ARE things that will add mid range, i.e. alter the shape of the curve, including flashing the ECU/chip.
Also expensive, is re-gearing the transmission, which will not increase horsepower, but will have a definite effect. LWF will add a touch of throttle response
You can also remove weight from the car, and there are lots of threads on that.
Are you tracking the car, or just looking for a bit more when you step on the loud pedal? How much do you intend on spending?
02-20-2019, 01:28 PM
#4
discussion of RS Cams/ECU upgrade: https://rennlist.com/forums/993-foru...-road-car.html
power increase : https://rennlist.com/forums/993-foru...ine-build.html
What do you mean by "a little more power and torque" Most people interpret that to mean an increase in the peak value, which in a 993 is expensive to do.
alternatively, while not increasing the peak HP/Torque significantly, there ARE things that will add mid range, i.e. alter the shape of the curve, including flashing the ECU/chip.
Also expensive, is re-gearing the transmission, which will not increase horsepower, but will have a definite effect. LWF will add a touch of throttle response
You can also remove weight from the car, and there are lots of threads on that.
Are you tracking the car, or just looking for a bit more when you step on the loud pedal? How much do you intend on spending?
power increase : https://rennlist.com/forums/993-foru...ine-build.html
What do you mean by "a little more power and torque" Most people interpret that to mean an increase in the peak value, which in a 993 is expensive to do.
alternatively, while not increasing the peak HP/Torque significantly, there ARE things that will add mid range, i.e. alter the shape of the curve, including flashing the ECU/chip.
Also expensive, is re-gearing the transmission, which will not increase horsepower, but will have a definite effect. LWF will add a touch of throttle response
You can also remove weight from the car, and there are lots of threads on that.
Are you tracking the car, or just looking for a bit more when you step on the loud pedal? How much do you intend on spending?
I don’t want to track the car and don’t want to alter the car too much from its stock. I upgraded to Fister II and Fabspeed X-pipe but have kept all the original parts just in case I put the car back to stock.
I was thinking of spending around $1000 for an performance ECU upgrade.
02-20-2019, 01:47 PM
#5
The performance gains will be very minimal, maybe 5-7hp and torque and you may/may not feel them from your butt dyno.
As said previous, there are no cheap power upgrades on a 993. The more you wanna feel the power, the more you're gonna feel it in your wallet.
Cheapest big power gain is a supercharger, about $13K or so, and 100 horses or so. It comes with it's own drawbacks.
My suggestion is enjoy what the 993 is, and if you feel yourself wanting for power, save your money and get a 993 Turbo.
Good luck!
02-20-2019, 01:49 PM
#6
RL Community Team
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Some find regearing the transmission gives more pep to our cars but the cash price is a good bit more than $1000 to do this.
I have a C2 coupe and although I find the first gear rather short I do like the tall second & third gears as they make in-traffic driving easier.
A 993 is a vintage sports car where the balance and feedback it gives you while driving is the joy in it. If you want the best bang for the buck on a slap-you-in-the-seat experience consider a 996 Turbo.
Andy
Last edited by pp000830; 06-09-2023 at 12:42 PM.
02-20-2019, 01:58 PM
#7
Trending Topics
02-20-2019, 05:21 PM
#9
Drifting
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: La Jolla, CA
Posts: 2,166
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Save your money as a chip upgrade is a slight and incremental change on a non-turbo car.
Some find regearing the transmission gives more pep to our cars but the cash price is a good bit more than $1000 to do this.
I have a C2 coup and although I find first gear rather short I do like the tall and long second & third gears as they are so for me I have let enough alone and just enjoy the ride as it is.
A 993 is a vintage sports car where the balance and feedback it gives you while driving is the joy in it. If you want the best bang for the buck on a slap you in the seat experience consider a 996 Turbo.
Andy
Some find regearing the transmission gives more pep to our cars but the cash price is a good bit more than $1000 to do this.
I have a C2 coup and although I find first gear rather short I do like the tall and long second & third gears as they are so for me I have let enough alone and just enjoy the ride as it is.
A 993 is a vintage sports car where the balance and feedback it gives you while driving is the joy in it. If you want the best bang for the buck on a slap you in the seat experience consider a 996 Turbo.
Andy
02-20-2019, 06:07 PM
#10
I totally agree with this statement. Just enjoy the car. The 993 is a joy to drive and is what it is, not more. I have increased by 993 race car (now sold) quite a bit of horse power through a lot of money and while it was faster in the end it is still a fun 993 to drive and will never be the fastest car out there. Make sure your car looks good, sounds good and handles well, forget about the horsepower......
02-21-2019, 12:22 AM
#11
Save your money as a chip upgrade is a slight and incremental change on a non-turbo car.
Some find regearing the transmission gives more pep to our cars but the cash price is a good bit more than $1000 to do this.
I have a C2 coup and although I find first gear rather short I do like the tall and long second & third gears as they are so for me I have let enough alone and just enjoy the ride as it is. have let enough alone and just enjoy the ride as it is.
A 993 is a vintage sports car where the balance and feedback it gives you while driving is the joy in it. If you want the best bang for the buck on a slap you in the seat experience consider a 996 Turbo.
Andy
Some find regearing the transmission gives more pep to our cars but the cash price is a good bit more than $1000 to do this.
I have a C2 coup and although I find first gear rather short I do like the tall and long second & third gears as they are so for me I have let enough alone and just enjoy the ride as it is. have let enough alone and just enjoy the ride as it is.
A 993 is a vintage sports car where the balance and feedback it gives you while driving is the joy in it. If you want the best bang for the buck on a slap you in the seat experience consider a 996 Turbo.
Andy
All you can buy for $1000 is the programming flash, which does not include the 97 ECM, which is NLA from Porsche.
Since the 97 ECM is NLA, one will pay a pretty penny for a used unit for its programability.
Today, the most economical horsepower and torque boost is via a supercharger, as goofballdelux mentioned; which is about the same price as a 97 ECM and flash. The supercharger will provide 50 horsepower across the rpm range from 2500 to 6500. Whereas the ECM upgrade will provide maybe 10 to 15 horsepower. The math is simple.
Last edited by nine9six; 02-21-2019 at 02:49 PM.
The following users liked this post:
pp000830 (06-09-2023)
02-21-2019, 10:53 AM
#12
Three Wheelin'
As a counterpoint, I did an ecu flash last year and am happy I did. The difference is not huge, but it is a noticeable improvement. Power comes on a little sooner, the engine feels more eager, and there are no flat spots anywhere in the RPM range, it just pulls smoothly to the top.
It won’t blow you away, but its a little extra oomph and smoothness to the acceleration that for me made the flash worthwhile. At the same time you can remove immobilizer, which was the motivation for my flash to begin with. I found the immobilizer extremely annoying and was willing to flash just to get rid of that. The power increase was gravy.
It won’t blow you away, but its a little extra oomph and smoothness to the acceleration that for me made the flash worthwhile. At the same time you can remove immobilizer, which was the motivation for my flash to begin with. I found the immobilizer extremely annoying and was willing to flash just to get rid of that. The power increase was gravy.
02-21-2019, 11:06 AM
#13
As a counterpoint, I did an ecu flash last year and am happy I did. The difference is not huge, but it is a noticeable improvement. Power comes on a little sooner, the engine feels more eager, and there are no flat spots anywhere in the RPM range, it just pulls smoothly to the top.
It won’t blow you away, but its a little extra oomph and smoothness to the acceleration that for me made the flash worthwhile. At the same time you can remove immobilizer, which was the motivation for my flash to begin with. I found the immobilizer extremely annoying and was willing to flash just to get rid of that. The power increase was gravy.
It won’t blow you away, but its a little extra oomph and smoothness to the acceleration that for me made the flash worthwhile. At the same time you can remove immobilizer, which was the motivation for my flash to begin with. I found the immobilizer extremely annoying and was willing to flash just to get rid of that. The power increase was gravy.
Fabspeed says eats send in the ECU. I don’t even know how to take it out!
Also what do you mean by immobilized? Are you referring to car not starting unles you lock and unlock first?
02-21-2019, 11:11 AM
#14
Three Wheelin'
Thanks for the info. Can you tell me who or what company you used to flash the ECU? Did you have to take out the ECU and mail it in? And how much did it cost.
Fabspeed says eats send in the ECU. I don’t even know how to take it out!
Also what do you mean by immobilized? Are you referring to car not starting unles you lock and unlock first?
Yes, the immobilizer is what keeps the car from starting unless you cycle the locks. Now I can just get in and drive. Its great! Also don’t have to worry about the immobilizer stranding me, which was always in the back of my mind, even if it’s unlikely. The immobilizer removal also requires a fuel relay bypass in the frunk (simply plug it in) and the removal of a warning light in the clock. Otherwise it blinks because it’s missing the immobilizer signal. Not as complicated as it sounds, and well worth it. You can also remove the SAI fault, so that the ECU acts like a 95 and ignores SAI failures. I think that’s worth doing as well, if it’s legal for where you live.
02-21-2019, 11:21 AM
#15
Today, the most economical horsepower and torque boost is via a supercharger, which is about the same price as a 97 ECM and flash. The supercharger will provide 50 horsepower across the rpm range from 2500 to 6500. Whereas the ECM upgrade will provide maybe 10 to 15 horsepower. The math is simple.
Used ECU is around $2K, add another $1K or so for the flash. You won't see a 15 horse power increase, probably about half that.
Supercharger kit and installation done right by a pro will cost well over $10K and add about 100 horses.