Flashing the ECU - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

dennis · 04-30-2011, 11:58 AM

Does anyone know about flashing the computer? I called a local Porsche dealer and they said it could add 40 HP and is not detrimental to the car, although it does void the warranty, but I have an '01 so no issues there. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. i am honestly thinking about it as it is a substantial hp improvement for such a light car.

Johnny Danger · 04-30-2011, 01:37 PM

If you can find a software program that adds 40 hp to a boxster's power output, please let the rest of us know about it ! Even the best ecu programs only add a small blip in hp.
Re-mapping the ecu generally results in better throttle response, fuel efficiency and the like, than it does actually creating significantly greater power output .

Steve Tinker · 04-30-2011, 07:46 PM

There is an interesting section in Wayne Dempseys book "101 Projects for your Porsche Boxster" regarding flashing the DME - he recommends Softronics but doesn't give any hard and fast figures.
Maybe using the search function for Softronics may give you something....

dennis · 05-01-2011, 08:17 AM

well i've heard 15-20 from one shop and 40-45 from another. Both being Porsche performance shops. Somewhere there's a disconnect. I can't believe they are telling me what I want to hear to take my money when there are $100k+ porsches in their shop, but hey, you never know

Johnny Danger · 05-01-2011, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dennis

well i've heard 15-20 from one shop and 40-45 from another. Both being Porsche performance shops. Somewhere there's a disconnect. I can't believe they are telling me what I want to hear to take my money when there are $100k+ porsches in their shop, but hey, you never know

Sorry, but the only disconnect here seems to be between you and the individuals providing wrong information . Any appreciable gains in hp relative to remapping the ecu are usually part and parcel with a series of other performance upgrades; namely, the exhaust system, air intake and possibly the plenum . Provided that all of these upgrades have been done in a thoughtful and methodical manner, one can expect overall gains somewhere in the range of 15-20 hp . Give or take some .

thstone · 05-02-2011, 10:04 AM

Agree that 15hp is all you're likely to get from a ECU remap of the 986 2.7L engine (20hp is more typical of a 3.2L "S" model).

Here is a source for reference:
http://www.softronictuning.com/product-information/porsche-cayman-boxster-ecu-tuning/