ecu chip

[gs986]

i own a 1999 boxster tiptronic, and i am thinking about putting a chip in the ecu so i asked my mechanic about it and he said that it is bad for the transmission and that it couldn't handle more power. is this true?

[DFW02S]

Your mechanic is by extension saying that Porsche installed a system that is on the extreme end of performance and reliability and the tranny has no margin for error built in.

Get a new mechanic.

Don't spend too much on the chip and that way you won't be too disappointed. There's only so much power that you can get out of a normally aspirated engine without addressing intake and exhaust along with programming.

[DenverSteve]

Many people race the stock transmissions without difficulty. Your transmission would be fine (if the chip would actually do that).

[shlim8]

I've got a 2001 2.7l Tip with a superchips (brand) ecu remap.

Frankly, the main difference is a smoother engine that is more willing to rev up, with alittle bit better power. It's supposed to have better fuel consumption but I've not really notice that (maybe it's better if I stay in the lower rpm range vs b4 the remap).

I don't think the "additional" power (assumption) is going to stress the tip box. Supposed to have an additional 10bhp.

Your mechanic may be right if it was a turbo.... I had a massive 70bhp increase in power on a custom remap on a prev turbo car. The gearbox protested against the increase, but surprisingly survived the 3 yrs I had the car.

A remap or add-on chip will void warranty but I don't think it's a concern for most of us here as most of these car's warranty would have ended long ago (unless u have a new replacement engine from Porsche maybe)

Is the ecu remap worth it ? Well, if you didn't have to pay much for it, it helps alittle. The IPD plenum with larger TB gave me much more results but that's bigger $.

[gs986]

about a year ago i had problems with my gearbox and had to rebuild the transmission with new differential gears and new torque since my 3rd 4th and 5th gear stopped working, it works just fine now but maybe the mechanic's concern is that it will cause me problems again?
and what should a chip and an ecu remap cost range be?
thank you for your help

[ppbon]

... an e-mail an I can get you all the info you need on Chipping your car.
Pedro@PedrosGarage.com
Happy Boxstering,
Pedro

Originally Posted by gs986

about a year ago i had problems with my gearbox and had to rebuild the transmission with new differential gears and new torque since my 3rd 4th and 5th gear stopped working, it works just fine now but maybe the mechanic's concern is that it will cause me problems again?
and what should a chip and an ecu remap cost range be?
thank you for your help

[Johnny Danger]

Originally Posted by gs986

about a year ago i had problems with my gearbox and had to rebuild the transmission with new differential gears and new torque since my 3rd 4th and 5th gear stopped working, it works just fine now but maybe the mechanic's concern is that it will cause me problems again?
and what should a chip and an ecu remap cost range be?
thank you for your help

First of all, the term "chip" is a bygone phrase used to describe past methods regarding ecu "tuning". Current day ecu programming is done with a software file that this is uploaded through the vehicle's OBD port. There's no more soldering or anything like that . In any case, the premise of ecu re-mapping is to alter air/fuel ratios in order to improve engine throttle response and efficiency . This typically goes hand in hand with other modifications such as exhaust upgrades, air intake ect.. Under the best of circumstances, a good ecu program will only result in the gain of a few horsepower . However, the boxster's transmission is designed to withstand significantly greater increases in horsepower . In fact, cases involving the successful application of a forced induction system that have resulted in large horsepower gains, didn't required any modifications to the boxster's transmission .

[ppbon]

Originally Posted by Johnny Danger

First of all, the term "chip" is a bygone phrase used to describe past methods regarding ecu "tuning".

... "chipping" is not the technically correct term, but doing a quick Google analysis of keywords you'll find that chipping is much more prominent than remapping, tuning, etc. That's why we still use it.

Also, on the newer Motronic boxes you can upload through the OBD-II port, but not so on the first gen 986 and 996. For those cars originally the chip had to be removed, read, remapped and finally resoldered back on.
Through some very unique custom software, we can now just connect the ECU box to our special computer, download, remap and upload the new data without having to physically open the box.



Happy Boxstering,
Pedro

[DenverSteve]

I have read herein that the dealership can "flash" or remap the program for better performance. Is this true or not?