STRADALE:

Cann,

I forgot - W/ the AWE 700 kit, I.C.'s, headers, Turbo's etc - Is the ECU the same as the one you put in your car & then the rest of the HP comes from the other bolt-on stuff ?? The reason I'm asking is - If eventually you want to have the 700 kit like eclou can you start w/ just the ECU?  Or is the ECU tune specific to/w/ the other mods? tia~
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08 PORSCHE Turbo Cabriolet, 06 Ferrari F430,  04 Durango HEMI,  04 Harley Davidson Screamin Eagle,  93 Harley Davidson Nostalgia

 

Hi Gregg, I assume you're talking about the stages of Turbo upgrading. I don't know how much you know or have looked into this, but first let me go through these stages. There is no fixed definition, but this is more or less how I see them:

Stage 1: ECU tune only. Almost no one does, or recommends, this. If you are going to tune the ECU, first change the exhaust.
Stage 2: ECU tune with after-market exhaust, usually with 200 cell cat (versus the 600 cell stock unit - AFAIK) to reduce back pressure.
Stage 3: ECU tune with after market exhaust and intercooler.
Stage 4: ECU tune with after market exhaust, intercooler, and larger turbo.

As you could see, each stage adds a piece of hardware. At least for 2 companies that I am familiar with, GIAC and EVOMS, each of the 3 hardware addition above does come with a software modification.
In other words, say you are at Stage 2 and you want to add an intercooler. You could add an intercooler without changing the software and still see some benefit that comes from a reduction in IAT (intake air temp) and EGT (exhaust gas temp).  However the benefit would be more (power), if you change the software as well.

So to answer your question, both software and hardware change as you progress up the ladder. I don't plan to go beyond stage 2 so I haven't looked into the cost involved, but a software "stage-upgrade" should cost a lot less than the initial payment. The beauty about this is It's like going to a Chinese restaurant, you start with shark-fin soup and then add more as your hunger dictates. Smiley AFAIK it doesn't cost a lot more to do it in steps, and that's most definitely how I would go about this were I to move up.

Some people also consider adding a header a separate stage. But no software upgrade is done for this, so I think of it as an "accessory" to be added in the later stages. There are other "accessories" as well, to be added "a la carte" Smiley, like larger throttle body, diverter valve, etc.
My feeling about this (just humble opinion, no statistics) is that the chance of something breaks goes higher as you move up the ladder; and as you add more hardware, there are then MORE  "things" to come loose and break. A stage 2 seems to have an almost 100% safety record from what I have seen; the other stages have excellent record as well, but I am leery. So even though the idea of an intercooler is very hard to resist (the folks at GIAC mentions the phrase "intercooler upgrade" about 26 times Smiley when my car was being tuned), I haven't pulled the trigger.

The flashloader is a must-have if you are going to go with GIAC; I can't see how one could get GIAC and NOT buy the flashloader. Even if you don't plan to switch back and forth between the modes, the ability to do so allows you to switch and confirm, and learn from the very interesting subtle and not-so-subtle differences, between stock and tuned. It's a lot of fun.
 

 

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Regards,
Can
997 Turbo + Bilstein Damptronic ( Review ) + GIAC ECU Tune ( Fast as a torpedo & reversible to stock - Review ) + Cargraphic Exhaust ( Oh heavenly noise! )