hi guys, 5 years and 45k miles later, i'm finally getting a bigger urge to start doing some major mods to this car (probably due to the fact that i've been driving my modded GTR a lot more lately). last summer, i changed the wheels out for some HREs and also put on a cargraphic race exhaust. also switched out to the BMC filter a few years ago (first "mod").

over the last few days, i have been searching and searching on what tune to get. i really like the reputation of GIAC and how reliable their tunes are. keep in mind, there's a reason i have kept the car this long and plan to hang on to it for as long as possible; therefore reliability is a big issue to me (don't want to blow the motor after a few thousand miles when the car has been holding up well this many miles later - what a waste).

i also like the softronic and how easy it is to install. i know these two tunes are probably on the opposite ends of the bench but i have yet to hear/read anything bad about it.

i have a set of GMG springs laying around but was wondering if i were to put them on at this mileage, if there is anything i should be worried about (shocks, etc.)? i don't track the car and it is driven almost daily. therefore, i don't really see the need for coilovers; especially if i wouldn't use them to their potential. though i would probably pick up a set of the GMG sway bars as well and some other suspension components (what do you recommend?)

basically, i want to know what precautions i should take in order to start doing mods like these at this point? anything i should check?

spark plugs have been changed so far (OEM) as far as engine servicing goes. along with all the oil changes of course. front brake pads/rotors have also been changed.

the car is a tiptronic by the way.

thanks for reading.

 

There are a lot of tuners out there offering reliable tunes. Don't worry too much about reliability of just a tune, because most tuners leave the safety bits of the motronic unharmed. The motronic control unit always protects your engine nomatter what. No serious tuner disables any safety features at all. The thing you should focus on is the efficiency of the tune and apparently the car's on the road. Sometimes things in real life are different than those things a tuner promisses... A durametric is also important to see how the engine deals with the extra boost taking into account intake temperature, egts and timing advance. But the important thing is that if you stick with the tuners that have been around for years you won't be having a blown engine for sure, so no worries there...! I chose APR software and the car is a monster. No problems at all. I had doubts about the power gains that APR claims and also the super torque values they published, but they're really not far out of their claims!

 

i prefer EGX unit, that gives excellent performance

 

I don't recall the exact mileage but I was in a similar situation to you. I sold the car with around 67K miles but didn't add HP for quite some time. Maybe 45K or so like you.

I did address the suspension much sooner. Tried a bunch of things and combos. Finally settled on TPC Racing's complete system.

After some time I settled with Protomotive for my tune. I also had modded turbos and IC's.

I would definitely do the sways if you do springs. It will make a big difference. The most important thing with suspension is finding a really good shop.

There should be no issue with a simple tune. As mentioned most of the major companies are looking towards safety and reliability.

Looking back, the suspension mods added more to the enjoyment of the car than the HP increase. With the amount of traffic in NY and the cops there really is no place to enjoy the power. Kind of wish I had some of that cash back LOL.

I started tracking the car more and more which made driving it on the street more frustrating. I sold the turbo and bought a properly built, dedicated 996 race car. Haven't looked back since.

 

thank you for the input and comments so far. i will take everything said so far in consideration when it comes to pulling the trigger on a tune.

much appreciated

 

Being that you're from Southern California, I'd say GIAC is a no-brainer.

Call them up and make an appt with Andrew and I'm sure you'll see why their software is the best in the business. We back them 110%.

Besides...let's say you ever have any issues or questions, there's nothing better then being able to knock on your tuner's door for help. Phone calls and emails can be frustrating during times of "need". Having an actual brick and mortar business counts for a lot.

 

Chris we think alike LOL; agreed with all points. Besides the fact that the stock Turbo is just made too soft to begin with, in my case particularly because I drive daily through hilly/mountainous road, the suspension mod was critical and added so much to the enjoyment of the car.

Nico, as mentioned by Tom, especially if you're in California, see if you could talk GIAC into doing a custom tune for you. This is more desireable than a generic tune. If you are interested, click the GIAC link in my signature to see what they did.
The TPC Racing suspension mentioned by Chris is a Bilstein modified by TPC, who I would assume know a thing or two about racing :-). It is a complete system/integration of coilover/sway/link designed by professionals; therefore probably "the best" solution and I would also very highly recommend it. (It does cost a bit more.)

 

To reiterate what a few others have said, we are probably right in your backyard (as we are in Southern California as well). Feel free to email me if I can answer any questions for you, or give you some more information on our software and facilities.