Unfortunately in some peoples minds it does!

 

Hey fellas, I apologize for making a post that's going to instigate an argument. The only reason I posted the price was because I couldn't pm since I was below 15 posts. If I could find another mod to take 1.0 full second off my 1/4 mile time, I would gladly pay the cost. For me GIAC was the best choice. You're not going to save more than a few pennies whether you choose Protomotive, GIAC, Softronic, evoms, etc. BTW, it's not a Porsche thing, the price is really no different for GTR, Ferrari, Lambo, BMW, etc. If you want the software, buy it, if not, no big deal. I am very happy with the tune's performance, no glitches, CELs, problems switching between tunes. If a tune isn't your thing, I get it, move on to exhaust, suspension, or whatever else makes you happy. I started this thread to show some real world results with a tune, not hyperbole from a dyno or other subjective measures. I hope the objective numbers I posted help others come to a conclusion based on fact, not fiction. Cheers!

 

And just so you know I appreciate the info and know it wasn't about the price, just thought it was a tad high but then the comment about it being the best was not justified with any data comparison that's like saying " my dad can beat up your dad"! So keep posting and sharing !

 

Many of the higher end tunes for the 997TT are $2995 and some don't offer switching. By higher end I mean experience, reputation, quality and performance. Personally, I have always liked to sell and run GIAC because I know that they are one of the few who have been at this for over 15 years with Porsche. They have always been there with a great reputation along with many records and firsts. Also, they are purely a tuning company that is chosen by many reputable tuners and Dealerships for their expertise. Nice bunch of guys...my .02

 

Just my $.02 but I've been around the block a few times in the performance market as well.

$3,200 is an unprecedented amount of money for "tooning" (as I like to call it) overall in the market. When you factor in that they are essentially removing some limiters, setting new timing and AFR targets, and letting the ECUs/DMEs run in closed loop to attain those targets. I realize it takes some expertise with the Motronic system in order to do it, but $3000+ is ridiculous. Most of the vendors are applying exactly the same file to your DME, only editing it for VIN and immobilizer codes. You can get into the neighborhood of a Motec standalone system for that price. GTR parts and pricing are high, but the Cobb access port is STILL pricey at $1,000 but at least you get a nifty handheld with a color LCD screen!

In my old drag car I ran an AEM standalone, and later a Motec M800. Maybe it would cost $3,000 to have Shane Tecklenburg himself come out and tune your Motec to perfection, including his plane tickets...

The comment above about several hours on the dyno and tuning for an EVO @ $600 is not overly cheap, but pretty reasonable. The tuning software for the EVO is open source and anyone who buys a $50 cable can "toon" away to their hearts content. The EVO is actually harder to tune as well, since the ECU is much less sophisticated, has no factory wideband, runs open loop at WOT and needs to be fine tuned individually on every car. Not knocking the tuners too hard, the EVO market is also much larger. That's capitalism and the market will pay - I paid the $3000 to Protomotive too. But that doesn't mean that we can't complain about it a bit .

For the OP - Thank you for posting the timeslip. I wish more people did that, and you've made me want to go find my own (rather embarrassing) timeslip to post. Being a bit of a weenie I didn't want to launch the car and was running 2.0-2.1 60's. As the old saying goes, what does your dyno sheet trap? 125mph is moving down the track, very impressive! To contribute some data to the conversation, my car trapped 120mph on 93 octane with the Protomotive flash on a ~100 degree day. Track temps from my infrared pyrometer were in the 130's... Drag racing in Texas in July, what can you do?

Anecdotally, the bench racer in me says that my current Protomotive E85 tune will trap in the 130's. Now that it's cooled down a bit I'm pretty motivated to take it out and see what it will do.

 

This is a much more thought out explanation and a better worded statement. You said that it was best for you which is absolutely correct but better for everybody else? well thats another story

You have a nice car and that is a nice Qrt time bro enjoy.

 

OP, Thanks for your review and those are very good numbers. I appreciate your Real World results vs simply strapping the car to a dyno. Thanks

As for the price of a tune what we are seeing here is the typical P-car tax included. Most of these tuners have the mindset of if they can afford a Porsche then they can afford paying more. As a direct comparison and my own personal experience the more reputable tuners in the BMW world are charging less then half for a tune. But as they say on ESPN, it is what it is. Pay to play.

 

In the context of the overall cost of my 997S, I would not consider $3200 a lot to pay for additional properly executed performance. I believe that a fair amount of time, experience and talent goes into developing a proper tune. Given that the tune is car model specific and sold in a relatively small market, the development costs (and some profit) need to be recaptured. When it comes time to do my tune, I will not hesitate to call the knowledgeable folks at GIAC. Nuclearfishin, thanks for your valuable feedback and further confirmation that GIAC makes an excellent product!

Tim

 

+1. This thread was a good share.. And again congrats and enjoy safely!

 

You're comparing apples to oranges. What you're getting with something like an Accessport is the ability to adjust the maps. Basically like you stated, some limiters, timing, etc. Get into a more complicated ECU, and suddenly adjusting one parameter doesn't yield the changes you expected. There might be as many as a dozen other checks on each parameter.

Additionally, now you introduce control of the veins on the VGT turbos. When the upgraded VGT's came out, people put them down compared to GT turbos because they didn't perform. Much of the reason for the lack of performance was because of poor control of the veins. Now that this has been addressed, we are seeing VGT cars with over 700 wheel horsepower and full boost before 4,000 RPM.

All of our flashing tools are made in house, just like all of our software is developed in-house. It is certainly possible to buy flashing tools from overseas, but then you are limited to the capabilities of that tool. By developing our own, we can essentially access whatever we desire within the ECU. Additionally, to implement something like on the fly program switching requires writing proprietary code, which is why you don't see it offered by many companies.

All our software comes with a 30 day money back guarantee. So anyone is more than welcome to try it out, and if it isn't what you expected we will return you to stock and issue a refund with no questions asked. For any specific questions, feel free to send me a PM. Also, if anyone is in Southern California, you are more than welcome to stop by our facilities and see the operation.