997 Turbo - Aftermarket TUNING and some thoughts
A lot of 997 Turbo owners, including myself, are planning to upgrade the power of their Turbo. Some of them already did that with their "older" Turbo(s), others want to go for the ultimate "kick" and performance. Very understandable.
BUT here's a little bit of warning, just in case you haven't read similar threads/posts in the past: WAIT. Do not rush into some fast and "easy" chip tuning, shortly after the 997 Turbo is introduced to the market.
I try to explain: the new VTG technology is a world premire on a fuel operated engine, no Tuner has experience with this new technology. Why is that so important? Easy: we're talking about extremely high exhaust temperatures for example. Or a pretty new software mapping which needs to be very refined to make sure that the VTG technology works fine. Meaning: a lot of software engineers put a lot of effort (and drank a lot of coffee
) to make sure, that the new VTG technology works fine from the start.
Despite the bells and whistles regarding the new VTG technology, there is one thing which people should know: the VTG chargers are more sensitive to false software programming and/or bad emissions setups than the "classic" turbo chargers. Another thing people should know: due to the pressure on the car market to stay competitive and at the same time, to lower cost, turbo chargers are usually not over-dimensioned regarding reliability and stress anymore. Since the modern electronic control units allow much more precise operation of the systems, the need for higher "limits" isn't really necessary anymore.
Bad fuel with lower octane values in combination with aftermarket tuning can also cause serious damage to the VTG chargers.
My advice: PLEASE wait before you rush into something you may regret afterwards. I still don't have any clue how much a new VTG engine costs but be sure it won't be cheap. Porsche also introduced some "measures" to make sure that aftermarket tuning will be detected if necessary, despite the possible usage of piggyback devices or second black boxes.
I'd say that after 8-12 months, we're going to see some light on the horizon, meaning that a couple of Tuners may actually offer something "reliable" for the 997 Turbo engine. But personally, I don't expect spectacular power increases like on the 996 Turbo, more something up to the 50 HP range if Tuners are honest. I would also be very careful about sport exhaust systems and aftermarket high flow cats in the first 12 months, they may also cause substantial damage to the VTG engine if not designed right.
Just a friendly reminder and some thoughts from a "friend".
Of course we all are mature people and we can do what we want. But mature people also turn their brains on before they act, so maybe you do the same and enjoy your car like it is...at least for the first year.
BUT here's a little bit of warning, just in case you haven't read similar threads/posts in the past: WAIT. Do not rush into some fast and "easy" chip tuning, shortly after the 997 Turbo is introduced to the market.
I try to explain: the new VTG technology is a world premire on a fuel operated engine, no Tuner has experience with this new technology. Why is that so important? Easy: we're talking about extremely high exhaust temperatures for example. Or a pretty new software mapping which needs to be very refined to make sure that the VTG technology works fine. Meaning: a lot of software engineers put a lot of effort (and drank a lot of coffee
) to make sure, that the new VTG technology works fine from the start.Despite the bells and whistles regarding the new VTG technology, there is one thing which people should know: the VTG chargers are more sensitive to false software programming and/or bad emissions setups than the "classic" turbo chargers. Another thing people should know: due to the pressure on the car market to stay competitive and at the same time, to lower cost, turbo chargers are usually not over-dimensioned regarding reliability and stress anymore. Since the modern electronic control units allow much more precise operation of the systems, the need for higher "limits" isn't really necessary anymore.
Bad fuel with lower octane values in combination with aftermarket tuning can also cause serious damage to the VTG chargers.
My advice: PLEASE wait before you rush into something you may regret afterwards. I still don't have any clue how much a new VTG engine costs but be sure it won't be cheap. Porsche also introduced some "measures" to make sure that aftermarket tuning will be detected if necessary, despite the possible usage of piggyback devices or second black boxes.
I'd say that after 8-12 months, we're going to see some light on the horizon, meaning that a couple of Tuners may actually offer something "reliable" for the 997 Turbo engine. But personally, I don't expect spectacular power increases like on the 996 Turbo, more something up to the 50 HP range if Tuners are honest. I would also be very careful about sport exhaust systems and aftermarket high flow cats in the first 12 months, they may also cause substantial damage to the VTG engine if not designed right.
Just a friendly reminder and some thoughts from a "friend".
Of course we all are mature people and we can do what we want. But mature people also turn their brains on before they act, so maybe you do the same and enjoy your car like it is...at least for the first year.
But nobody should start now to delay the delivery of their car(s) because the powerkit will be introduced EARLIEST with the next model year, more likely later.
Advantage: simple logic. During development of the PASM setup, H&R of course supplies various test configurations. And of course at the end of the development, H&R knows very well which combinations worked fine in combination with the PASM system and which didn't. I'd say that this gives them a HUGE advantage over ANY possible competitor because their springs have been tested and verified by Porsche standards and not those of an aftermarket tuner who tested a few set of springs on one car and voila, the product is ready. 
