M96 3.6 seems lazy to rev--

[lowufo]

This is a replacement 90K 2003 3.6 that I got with 60K on it when I did a transplant into an 03 986S to replace the 3.2 in it at the time... I went with a Softronic tune based on Scott having a tune specifically for 986 with a 3.6 and have had now for about 20K. Initially due to me living at 7500' we had to go back and tweak some parameters to adjust for altitude because the car ran poorly as it was tuned for sea-level.

Scott was quick to address and for about a week the car was very responsive. Shortly thereafter I had a weird thing happen in that the cold air filter tube became detached from the TB due to the clamp not being tight enough. Obviously, the MAF was confused and the car ran very rough for just long enough for me to pull over and assess. It was a simple fix and in about 10 minutes I was on my way.

From that point on however, I have felt like the crispness in throttle response softened compared to prior vs after this happened. I drove the car awhile thinking the ecu had to relearn or something but know that something beyond me occurred and I could not do anything more than try to reload the tune. When I went to go back and ensure that I could reload the tune I was informed that I could no longer reload the tune through my Durametric cable.

Obviously, I can monitor the car and log, but as far as uploading my tune again to ensure that it is still exactly what I had before--I cannot.

I spoke with Scott and he said he no longer supports this tune through the cable and since then has remained somewhat unresponsive (a little like the tune...). He went on to say that once a tune is in the ecu it cannot change. However, I also know that the ecu also has to "learn and adapt" to the tune and I believe I am missing the opportunity to rule the tune out since I cannot be 100% sure it is the exact tune I had. I lived with this now for several years and while the car has been dead reliable, I just lived with the knowledge that there are likely some ponies missing...despite a 70HP (on paper) difference, I feel as though the car runs just about as well as it did with the 250HP 3.2 motor.

I recently drove a friend's 2003 Carrera and even with the PDK, my butt gyro tells me it was quicker. We did not do a side by side but as a long time Porsche owner, it confirmed really believe my car is off somehow. I did not do a baseline dyno, but wish I had when I got this motor. The motor does not use oil, coolant, or smoke at all. With a heavy foot, I still average 25MPG overall. I appreciate the difference in torque which despite the perceived lack of overall crisp responsiveness, is very present when going up the mountain roads in my area.

I've since redone plugs, MAF, coil packs and keep the TB clean with unhindered actuation. As this is a by wire throttle is there a way for me to see how the flap actuates either by the Durametric or by watching it (without the car running)? Can anyone offer any insights? The car shows no codes. I looked for vacuum leaks via aerosol carb cleaner and no changes in RPM. The varioram seems to be alive and well and there are no surges, hiccups, flat spots as it pulls towards redline--it just takes longer than it should. I should be happy right?

I really also don't have the parameters in terms of air/fuel %'s, heat ranges of O2 sensors at given temps or RPM's, the responsiveness of the TB to input's, etc. Can someone steer me toward any published information where these values can be found?

Thanks in advance.
Patrick
630.853.3640