Switzer P550 PKG vs. ECU flash
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Switzer P550 PKG vs. ECU flash
I'm thinking about adding a little extra to my 997.1 tt tiptronic.
From what I can read the Softronic flash is quite popular and will for sure add you some extra fun at a cheap price while the car is still suitable as a daily driver.
I have also read the treats about Switzer and their awesome packages and can see that they have a P550 PKG at around 6k.
Now I'm thinking - is this package worth tree times the money over a Softronic tune?
I'm also under the impression that the Softronic itself adds around 80 bhp = 560 bhp in total.
Please enlighten me!
Thanks,
From what I can read the Softronic flash is quite popular and will for sure add you some extra fun at a cheap price while the car is still suitable as a daily driver.
I have also read the treats about Switzer and their awesome packages and can see that they have a P550 PKG at around 6k.
Now I'm thinking - is this package worth tree times the money over a Softronic tune?
I'm also under the impression that the Softronic itself adds around 80 bhp = 560 bhp in total.
Please enlighten me!
Thanks,
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Will the exhaust from the Switzer P550 also give me a better sound then the stock exhaust?
But how can it be that Softronic says 560 bhp after a ECU flash while Switzer only says 550 bhp including the exact same Softronic flash + exhaust & air filter?
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Don't flash without getting a high flow exhaust. They go hand in hand. I'm pasting what Bob wrote recently in another thread. It's quite informative.
Restriction and back pressure is the same - whether or not it is high horsepower or not. The number does not change just because your boost pressure or air flow is greater, only it's influence on temperature as EGTs climb.
An exhaust's backpressure dictates the pressure ratio across the turbine - the turbine needs to be able to do the most amount of work possible with the available inlet pressure. This number is relatively constant....ie for a given turbine inlet pressure, you will get the highest pressure ratio across the turbine when you have the lowest possible discharge pressure. I think it is just as important to see the numbers behind back pressure, as it not only influences the HP and torque, but also on temperatures IATs and heat cycling with repeated use. A single run on a dynometer or a high velocity run is only part of the equation.
The reason for using a low restriction exhaust on a turbo application is to reduce the back pressure as much as possible - I don't think it is unreasonable to compare actual data...we do this for compressor maps for turbochargers, IATs for intercoolers, and unsprung weight for suspension components.
An exhaust's backpressure dictates the pressure ratio across the turbine - the turbine needs to be able to do the most amount of work possible with the available inlet pressure. This number is relatively constant....ie for a given turbine inlet pressure, you will get the highest pressure ratio across the turbine when you have the lowest possible discharge pressure. I think it is just as important to see the numbers behind back pressure, as it not only influences the HP and torque, but also on temperatures IATs and heat cycling with repeated use. A single run on a dynometer or a high velocity run is only part of the equation.
The reason for using a low restriction exhaust on a turbo application is to reduce the back pressure as much as possible - I don't think it is unreasonable to compare actual data...we do this for compressor maps for turbochargers, IATs for intercoolers, and unsprung weight for suspension components.
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I didn't know that, thanks
Will the exhaust from the Switzer P550 also give me a better sound then the stock exhaust?
But how can it be that Softronic says 560 bhp after a ECU flash while Switzer only says 550 bhp including the exact same Softronic flash + exhaust & air filter?
Will the exhaust from the Switzer P550 also give me a better sound then the stock exhaust?
But how can it be that Softronic says 560 bhp after a ECU flash while Switzer only says 550 bhp including the exact same Softronic flash + exhaust & air filter?
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 10,774
From: OR Room 5
Rep Power: 1007
b
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Would there be other packages similar to the Switzer P550 I should take a look at?
- Suggestions are welcome :-)
- Suggestions are welcome :-)
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This is a very common topic, I would recommend doing a search. There are literally dozens of threads on this very subject where people have posted their experiences good and bad.
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Almost anything is better than stock except for the ones that drone. There are a lot of great options out there. Best to check them all out before you pull out credit card.
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The runs on a dyno may show the same with or without an exhaust. A good exhaust would be more beneficial as it would reduce the heat for more than one high HP dyno run. Basically the exhaust would allow more repeatable consistent runs without the heating and reduced power from it. Some exhaust systems can actually reduce the HP with the same given flash while others add etc.
Dynos are very deceiving as small corrections, changes in sensor positions, runs on different days, different operators and much more all can change the outcome. The best judge for tuning is what any company produces with real world driving. You could have a car that has high HP numbers on a dyno and be slower than one with quote lower HP numbers. This is why unless done correctly I regard most of them like sheets on a roll like TP.
I just recently reworked a conversion file for a 3.8X51 997 engine in a 2003 996NA car with 12k miles. Keep in mind they use two different type DMEs, the 996 used a 20Mhz 7.8 while the 997 is a 40mhz. The car had bad partial throttle acceleration with hesitations in its entire range. The cams would also switch at incorrect times with the valve lift and ran rich. The shop that brought it to me said the owner refuses to drive it and is disgusted in it. Several other shops and tuning companies had tried to program it and fix it yet they couldn't.
He originally had the conversion done just to get the X51 and more power as his engine was ok and didn't require it. Unfortunately these conversions happen often and then a shop looks for software after the fact. The dyno results on the car had been ok yet it drove terrible otherwise. I spent the time to as I say tune it for the entire range of 3% throttle to the Open loop 100% full load settings. The 3% is stated as the idling of the car is set by the throttle plate. No dyno was used yet factual data logging of the car and corrections made for the issues. When I was completed with it the shop picked it up. They not only said it now drove like a 997 X51 the customer said it never drove as good with even the factory 996 engine. They did just out of curiosity take it to the same dyno and it had 20hp more.
My point is that while the Dyno showed an increase there was more than just the dyno results at full throttle. Proper tuning should be more than a number on a dyno and the other 99% below WOT in open loop.
The kit you mentioned works very well with the software and recomended.
Dynos are very deceiving as small corrections, changes in sensor positions, runs on different days, different operators and much more all can change the outcome. The best judge for tuning is what any company produces with real world driving. You could have a car that has high HP numbers on a dyno and be slower than one with quote lower HP numbers. This is why unless done correctly I regard most of them like sheets on a roll like TP.
I just recently reworked a conversion file for a 3.8X51 997 engine in a 2003 996NA car with 12k miles. Keep in mind they use two different type DMEs, the 996 used a 20Mhz 7.8 while the 997 is a 40mhz. The car had bad partial throttle acceleration with hesitations in its entire range. The cams would also switch at incorrect times with the valve lift and ran rich. The shop that brought it to me said the owner refuses to drive it and is disgusted in it. Several other shops and tuning companies had tried to program it and fix it yet they couldn't.
He originally had the conversion done just to get the X51 and more power as his engine was ok and didn't require it. Unfortunately these conversions happen often and then a shop looks for software after the fact. The dyno results on the car had been ok yet it drove terrible otherwise. I spent the time to as I say tune it for the entire range of 3% throttle to the Open loop 100% full load settings. The 3% is stated as the idling of the car is set by the throttle plate. No dyno was used yet factual data logging of the car and corrections made for the issues. When I was completed with it the shop picked it up. They not only said it now drove like a 997 X51 the customer said it never drove as good with even the factory 996 engine. They did just out of curiosity take it to the same dyno and it had 20hp more.
My point is that while the Dyno showed an increase there was more than just the dyno results at full throttle. Proper tuning should be more than a number on a dyno and the other 99% below WOT in open loop.
The kit you mentioned works very well with the software and recomended.
Last edited by Softronic; Sep 10, 2011 at 05:08 PM. Reason: Added info
