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Hello. I'm interested in buying a first generation Panamera Turbo/Turbo S (2010-2016). However, I'd like to tune the car, but haven't found much info on doing so. What's the most power that someone's seen with the 970 Panamera Turbo? I know some companies have made an ECU tune for it, but, what's the most people have seen when taking it to a private tuner with full bolt ons and an exhaust? I haven't been able to find much info on this so anything would be appreciated.
Hello. I'm interested in buying a first generation Panamera Turbo/Turbo S (2010-2016). However, I'd like to tune the car, but haven't found much info on doing so. What's the most power that someone's seen with the 970 Panamera Turbo? I know some companies have made an ECU tune for it, but, what's the most people have seen when taking it to a private tuner with full bolt ons and an exhaust? I haven't been able to find much info on this so anything would be appreciated.
Your best bet is FVD or GIAC. I have a 970TT with GIAC program, IPD plenum, cat-less down-pipes, Akrapovic exhaust. It's making ~600hp ~630tq. on 93 octane. That's about your limit with all the bolt-ons and software.
FVD does offer upgraded turbos and programming - I believe 7000hp for the total package.
The Pannie Turbo is a fast sedan, out of the box. The important word is sedan, since it carries quite some weight.
My Panamera was my office commuter, and I would say the best vehicle I have ever owned for such purpose.
If you want a blindingly fast tuned Porsche, you should look at the 911 Turbo line. The 911 is like a go-cart on steroids, while the Pannie is more stable and may be capable of better straight line speed, all while bathing in a very luxurious cabin. All in all, despite the heft, the Pannie TT is a stupid fast car and most probably not a wise decision for a beginner since you often do not sense how fast you're going (well insulated cabin, Burmeister sound, ...)
Having said all of the above, I put an FVD flash on my car. Overall, I am very happy with it. It seems to result in added oomph in both Sport and Sport Plus, while resulting in better fuel economy while in comfort mode.
You should be able to pick up the flash for about 1K$ and add about 100HP. As of there, there's diminishing returns as to the dollars you have to spend per extra HP.
Side note : I am on the fence selling my original MSRP 200K$ PTT S since I hardly use it anymore (my life shifted from 80 hours work weeks to exploring the Cascades). Feel free to ping me if you want to find out more.
Not much after market support, if you really want the ability to mod try an M5, C63s, or a RS3. That’s being said my Panamera is full bolt on turbo with tune and I love the car. It’s also for sale!!! 650 HP
Seems like getting HP out of these motors isn't hard, but it is a little pricey. A lot of it is tied to how few people do it compared to other models and the Porsche tax.
That being said there are a number of "usual" ways people get a lot more HP out of motors with turbo'd cars you don't hear a lot with Panamera tuning. FMIC or water to air SMIC, meth injection (props to someone recently starting a thread on this), higher octane gas/maps. Doesn't mean no one is doing it, but it leaves me to believe there potential still on the table.
The biggest challenge doesn't seem to be making horsepower. It's the relatively unproven bottom end PDK/driveline as well as just overall weight (4500lb). These cars are amazing performers for their size/weight, but that is always going to be a challenge.
As for me, I'm still early. Got the tune, will work on figuring out exhaust components to swap out next.
Paul
Last edited by tallpaul; May 11, 2020 at 07:09 AM.
Paul - What tune did you end up going with? Are you happy with it? I purchased a 2011 PTT in October and am thinking of adding a tune, as it seems to be the most bang for the buck.
Paul - What tune did you end up going with? Are you happy with it? I purchased a 2011 PTT in October and am thinking of adding a tune, as it seems to be the most bang for the buck.
I went with FVD. They were fast and it was a painless process. I'm very happy with it. Added a lot of power. It was easily noticeable. Plus it really felt like it woke the car up. I saw other comments about this before buying a tune and would say they are right on with the comment. Much better throttle response. I'm sure many of the other tuners/tunes are great as well.
No question with turbo cars simply adding boost in a safe way is always going to be the most cost effective way to make power. Everything at this point is usually about getting the turbo to spool faster or more dense (more boost, cooler air, etc).
Perfect. Thanks. Did you load the tune yourself and if so any issues? FVD was on my short list, so glad to hear another good review.
No issues. They ship the tool. I did the read and emailed the file to them. They sent it back a few hours later. I loaded it and I was done.
Two things gave me question:
1) The screens in their demo/instruction video isn't 100% what you see on the device (I'm sure due to being newer/software updates). It's not way off, but enough a few times I was like 'uh, is this right'. But it's close enough I was able to figure it out without a lot of complexity.
2) The and the tool make a big deal of having a charger on it while you do it. I'm still not 100% sure this was necessary, it took 1 minute to read and ~10 minutes to write. No way the better was going to die if the car runs regularly and the battery is good. But they mention a 40A - most are either trickle, 12A (charge), 75A (jump start). I posted the question here about it. https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ecu-flash.html. In the end though I borrowed one just to have it. My guess its really insurance. If your battery is junk and it dies during the flash you could kill your ECU.
Last edited by tallpaul; May 11, 2020 at 10:18 AM.
The Pannie Turbo is a fast sedan, out of the box. The important word is sedan, since it carries quite some weight.
My Panamera was my office commuter, and I would say the best vehicle I have ever owned for such purpose.
If you want a blindingly fast tuned Porsche, you should look at the 911 Turbo line. The 911 is like a go-cart on steroids, while the Pannie is more stable and may be capable of better straight line speed, all while bathing in a very luxurious cabin. All in all, despite the heft, the Pannie TT is a stupid fast car and most probably not a wise decision for a beginner since you often do not sense how fast you're going (well insulated cabin, Burmeister sound, ...)
Having said all of the above, I put an FVD flash on my car. Overall, I am very happy with it. It seems to result in added oomph in both Sport and Sport Plus, while resulting in better fuel economy while in comfort mode.
You should be able to pick up the flash for about 1K$ and add about 100HP. As of there, there's diminishing returns as to the dollars you have to spend per extra HP.
Side note : I am on the fence selling my original MSRP 200K$ PTT S since I hardly use it anymore (my life shifted from 80 hours work weeks to exploring the Cascades). Feel free to ping me if you want to find out more.
Do you have a FVD supplier/tuner stateside? Or are all FVD tunes straight from Germany?
