Does your Carrera use a performance chip ?
 

Curious to know how many of you Carrera owners have switched to some kind of performance chip. Not least since I am almost convinced I will do it myself in the near future. Steve Wongs products seem particularly popular, hence a separate option.

Bumping this one myself - if there are any more.

One vote for option no 1. Wonder who that might be.. ;)

Steve Wong Chip in my '89 Cabrio. Love it!!!! Runs smoother, down shifts better, revs free'r, etc.
Highly recommend. Don't have to think twice on this one.SmileWavy

So far almost 10% are afraid a performance chip will harm the engine. Thats not statistically significant, but still a bit surprising.

Loren - you have a twin ?? ;)

Another vote for Steve Wong. Used his chip for years until going the 3.6 transplant route.

I see Loren voted 3 times

Chipped!
 

Autothority chip that's been remapped for the new cams, head work, K&N filter and Billy Boat single outlet exhaust.
She really hauls the mail.
Steve Edhttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1159715789.jpg

Needs another choice: "Modify the DME ECM to the late ('89) 28 pin chip."

This modification is usually half the cost of a performance chip and yields
better overall results without the problematic issues, e.g.

1. finding 98+ octane

2. emission test failures;
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?threadid=221772&perpage=20&pagenumb er=1

3. damaged engine;
http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/showthread.php?t=269781&highlight=broken+rings

Check here to see what performance chips really do;
http://www.systemsc.com/tests.htm

Prior owner installed a Club Sport chip which apparently only raises the redline to 6800rpm.

Problamatic issues? Like to know what those are? My car has only run better with each change.

I have had three chips in my car. First was an Autothority that had been in the car for more than 60,000 miles and two SteveW chips. One was in for two years before the rebuild. Did a rebuild due to head studs breaking and there was no damage to the rings or pistons. If the chip had done damage to the engine I would have seen the signs of it. Proof, I think that about says it all and I am at red line every chance I can go there :D

Installed by previous owner. Redline is 6800 rpm. So far so good.http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1159731294.jpg

Uh oh, looks like Markus has got some money burning a hole in his pocket... ;)

ianc

Ian,

I was kind of hoping you would miss this post, since you know how long I have been pondering this issue. Almost embarrassing. ;)

What got me thinking is the fact that my Euro car was imported from Germany with a cat. The first owner in Sweden had it removed along with a O2 sensor I presume. I was under the impression that would need a remapping of the DME as the O2 reference is gone ??? I have no possibility finding out if that was done (if its needed). My car runs great in any case.

With a new SW chip that potential problem would be gone, right ?

What you need to do Markus is get stuck in there and spend a whole bunch of money changing stuff to the point that you forget how good she was.
Then in a fit of confusion as you slide down the slippery slope, call Steve Wong to sort it all out for you.
See you on the slide ;-)
Phil

I just took the DME box apart to localize the number on the chip for Steve W. I have now mailed my order !

I did not realize how small that chip is and how tiny those little metal claws are. How I am going to switch chips without braking those little feet is a mystery to me !!

Steve W. chip has been one of my best investments. My Targa has a different chip per PO and doesn't perform like my coupe with a SW chip.

Steve has excellent installation instructons. The chip comes out quite easily.

As for me I have a rebuilt 3.2 with SSI's and a Steve W. chip.

My dad's targa has a SW chip and it goes like stink, no problems with the motor either as it was just torn apart due to...other reasons...

You made a wise choice Markus!

Thanks Kurt,

As I understand, the stock euro exhaust set up doesn´t strangle the 3.2 too much. Besides, SSI costs the thick end of big bundle of money, right ?

And honestly, I am not capable of handling more than 231 odd ponies anyway. ;)

Sounds good, Matt !

Markus, you are correct regarding the euro exhaust. I wouldn't go with the SSI's unless you also planned on backdating the heat system and like spending money. :D

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1159883083.jpg

Well, according to this scientific study, 40 out 70 Carrera owners enjoy a Steve Wong chip.

And since I don´t hear any of them complaining - I guess I made the right choice. :) Can´t wait to hear from Steve!

Marcus, since you had a cat, how much horsepower do you have?

I have used theem in the past and been very happy, my 88 is so blasted stock that I don't want to change anything, yet I really miss the low end grunt that a chip provides.

One nice thing about a SW chip is that he will tailor it for YOU, and not a generic "high performance" chip. As you live in Europe your requirements may be different.

Tell Steve how you want it, what kind of fuel you have available and what mods you have, and when the chip arrives it will be for YOUR car.

Guys, lets get off of this "SW chip damages the engines" crap. If you have proof then post it and we can go from there, otherwise you are just ruining your reputation.

Congratulations Markus! I'm sure you'll be pleased. I expect you to break out the digicam and post a full how-to when Mr. Wong's present shows up at your door,

ianc

A few questions from the new guy... What am I going to spend on a SW chip, what kind of gains can be expected, and how can I make sure the PO hasn't already chipped my car? Thanks!

How do you see that? Or is that a joke? http://www.pelicanparts.com/support/smileys/wat5.gif

I have emailed Steve W. and read his website. I'm sold, if for no other reason than the throttle lag. Holy butterflys, Batman, driving an EFI car after an MFI car I feel like I'm docking a boat where the input is retarded to say the least.

Or even compared to CIS. I hate to tell ya Milt, but it still ain't gonna be the same. Better, hell yes, but not the same...

ianc

Perhaps if there were an option for

"No, and I don't plan to though I doubt it will hurt anything, I'd just like to drive to work and not bother spending a couple of extra hundred dollars on something I have never wanted because I am perfectly happy with the way the car came.",

there would be fewer hits for the first one.

+1

Wolf,

Cat was already removed when I bought the car. So 231 ponies.

Joe,

I have e-mailed Steve and he has been terrific. It will be tailor made according to my circumstances and choices. Very nice indeed !

Ian,

Oh yes ! I only hope I receive it before the salt season starts. You never know around these parts. Can be as early as in November.

"It will be tailor made according to my circumstances and choices."

RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And the car's being shipped to the USA for full dyno mapping?

Have to love that marketing and what gets "bought" into.

Oh look!

The broken record showed up!

ianc

Disclaimer: Those were my choice of words - NOT Steve´s.

Although dyno tuning each particular car in person would be a nice luxury, it is really not necessary. What is provided for each car is programming based on available fuel octane, ROW or N.A. motor, rev limiter of choice, and exhaust configuration, and in most cases this has been worked out over the years of tuning countless cars. In Markus' case, an '85 ROW Carrera to run on 95 RON octane fuel in Sweden. Such tailoring is included in the standard chipping and hardly what I would call custom tuned, although that is an available option. See here:

http://www.911chips.com/custom.htm

and here for some examples:

http://www.911chips.com/dyno.html

Custom tuning from 3.2s, 964s, and 993s can be done remotely with a client provided air/fuel log from their local dyno or a log file from a wideband air/fuel meter such as an Innovate LM-1. Since optimum ignition tables have already been worked out for each type of motor and fuel octane (91 to 100+), all that is really needed is to fine tune the fuel tables to the optimum ratio for maximum power. For custom built motors, or even stock engines, since every 911 motor has inherient flow variances from one to another, this is the best way to achieve optimum power and reliability. Code mods for lightweight flywheels, cams, or engine displacement increases are all options. Hundreds of 911s have been custom tuned this way around the world, with the results being identical to actually tuning it in person on the dyno, and are usually perfect within 1 or 2 tuning iterations.

Certainly does, along with a whole host of other bolt-on force-fed goodies ;)

Steve W.
Hats off to you mate.
Your comments are offerred to help educate us more about choices, your products being one of them.
I always read eagerly when you post.
Only reason I haven't bought yet is that I can't decided whether I'm going to do what you did to my car, ie. bore throttle body, hone inlet manifolds, port & polish heads, SSI's or 993 HE's, sport exhaust as this would alter your chip programming I believe.
I appear to be a bit like Markus.- carefull with the dollars and only wishing to optimize what is there without visual meddling with the original car.
Half your luck Markus, at least you've finally decided............

Steve Wong has it together
 

Markus,

I put a SW chip into my 3.2 DME shortly after rebuilding the motor. The idle steadied out, the motor is more responsive and when it gets up on those 964 cams it takes off like a rocket! The power curve is much smoother and hits the cams at about 3000 RPM. I sent it back to Steve for additional dialing for the altitude here in the AZ mountains. He turned it right around and it's perfect. Steve always returns you a stock chip too in case you need it for any reason. Running hard (fun hard) the car gets a consistent 23 MPG. At standard hwy speeds it just got and amazing 28.6 MPG.
Do I like the Steve Wong chip? Well... YEA!
You can't go wong with Wong!
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1160059365.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1160059588.jpg

"Your comments are offerred to help educate us more about choices,"

Educate????????????? or Hyperbole?

Please do some reading beyond the marketing hyperbole.
There's a lot of very accurate info available about improving
performance besides the typical marketing promotional stuff,
from those that really understand automotive engineering.