Well I've had my car for one year now.

Seems like its time to upgrade the ECU. I have a 2002 X50. I've been looking at the following tuners in my area (South Florida):

FVD: In the $2,000s. They swap out the module for their own.

Champion Motorsports: While I am not too fond of their dealership, they have the Motorsports shop nearby. I think they are heavy into the racing scene which has to be a good thing. They have such a gorgeous garage. I fell in love with the place. They gave me a price of $3,500 which would include their own programming and a before and after dyno test with the front drive disconnected.

Gulf Performance: A local tuner that seems to have tons of Porsches parked in front of his shop every time I go there. I haven't gotten into any discussion with him on ECUs so I don't know what I could do with him yet.

And then are all the other ECU upgrades that I see mentioned on this site.

I just started tracking my car . I want to improve my low end torque but I don't want to give up reliability.

So there you have it. What to do .

 

Send the unit to Protomotive. With overnight shipping you will be out of the car for 2 days but well worth it. Are you running the stock exhaust and air filter?

 

I second that! or try GIAC as well!

 

GIAC.... havent seen anyone stray away from this

 

Call Stephen at Imagine Auto. He'll have you fedex your ecu out, you'll get it back the next day, and the difference will be AMAZING. He'll answer all your questions, day and night.

 

I will give you (4) options,
and for what you describe, I like them all.
(in no particular order):

Orton Performance (Neil: now that he is not doing PSI, his new programming
has seen some impressive results--He is in Georgia)

GIAC (Sharkey, Stephen, or Evoms)

UMW (Kevin has been working his a** off to make a real difference
in our water cooled 996TT's)

Protomotive (aside from his status as a genious programmer/tuner,
they really know what service means)

You would be well served by any of them and if you hadnt planned it,
do a exhaust system and diverter valves at the same time (I would also
recommend new spark plugs).

My K-16 + ECU + exhaust became an even more fun track car,
no problems whatsoever.

Marty K.

 

What Marty said. I had GIAC and now use Kevin's UMW...fantastic...programmable and upgradeable!

 

Kevin's system is unique in that you never have to take out the ECU. So its like doing it locally. He is also closer to being a "custom" tuner than most.

As far as Champion, I have NEVER run accross anyone who has their program

FVD is also a nice option, in that you will have a spare ECU.

 

I have had great results with Kevin at UMW. Product and person are second to none..I took his stg2 zc's and put them solidly in the drag standings ( 11.5 at 128.2mph) with kits costing 2 and 3 times more. When his 3B kit breaks cover it will produce performance at a price that will be significantly less than the others... Good luck, Kevin

 

UMW is great liek KPG states....
In ur case, however, since u have the k24s already.... I would use Protomotive since you can upgrade to the k24/18s turbos for a fraction of the price... and have lethal turbos....
just my opinion...
markski

 

Thanks for all this great info. Now I'm even more charged up to get this done. I guess I'm going to be busy speaking with some tuners this week.

 

I have an old model FVD exhaust. Great sound although lots of resonance between 2000-3000 RPM. I have the stock air filter and I am assuming the DVs are stock too. Are there any differences in aftermarket DV's?

 

DM...you just gave yourself the best advice. Make the calls and do your due diligence..let us know what you decide. kevin

 

What is PSI?

What is UMW? How can I contact Kevin?

What would new spark plugs do for me? What types should I look for?

I love how many of you guys track the car. I think thats what makes this site so cool -- No posers.

 

I guess you're right about Champion. Why risk an unknown.

What do you mean when you say that I will never have to take out the ECU? Do they send me the flash equipment? The 'custom' tuner idea sounds good too. I've often wondered if a South Florida tune should be different than a northern one since we don't have to contend with extreme weather conditions.