I always recommend upgrading to the Denso IK22 iridium plugs when you flash as the stock ones can cause you to sputter at around 4000rpm from the increased boost and power. But yes your MAF can have issues too.

 

"It took me many months to settle on this flash. I have had others that I was happy with, and several times made up my mind to stay with what I knew. In the end however, I was intrigued by the delivery method and what seemed to be uniformly favoable reports online. I pulled the trigger last week--just in time to head our of town with the kids! Upon my return I flashed the car. It truly couldn't have been easier. I timed it at two minutes start to finish. Of course, it was pouring down rain, so I didn't drive it. It did start normally, and I didnt notice any idle hunting or other behavior that wasn't there previously. Yesterday I got up early and took it out on the highway. The increased rev limits per gear made a significant difference in the overall drivability of the car, and you can say the the turbo lag is almost gone altogether. At high RPM it feels like a completely different car. I dont intend to dyno it, but there is no reason not to believe the claims of added horsepower--there is a BIG change in power. Dan at Vivid is very responsive and customer oriented, and Scott at Softronic is forgiving of clients who send him incorrect data initially. Overall a five start experience and an outstanding product!"

 

sweet!

 

I went for a Softtronic tune for my 996 turbo. Contacted Dan directly and he kept in good communication. My 996 turbo Fabspeed Maxflo with 200 cell cats, AP Y-Pipe, AP Diverter Valves with F-hose, EVOM V-flow intake, AP race plenum and large bore throttle body. The turn around time was very quick, a matter of hours. I uploaded the tune which only took 2-3 minutes. I tried a few sprints from 0-60 then 60-120, then pushed it up to 155 and it never hesitated. The boost comes much earlier and pulls very hard. A dramatic difference than before the tune. My Porsche feels like a rocket! I highly recommend the Softtronic tune for your Porsche turbo, as mine was transformed into a beast overnight. The nice thing, is that you can upgrade to the Durametric cable and have access to the diagnostics of the vehicle.

 

Uploaded a Softronic flash from Vivid last week. Finally got to take it out for some real hard pulls today. I was going to be satisfied with just pulling 1 bar given the 91 octane we have here. Much to my surprised pulled and held 1.1 - 1.2 bar consistantly. All I've got on it is an exhaust with 200 cell cats. Nothing else. I envy you guys in states that have better octane ratings. I can only imagine the HP you're putting out.

 

I've had the Softronic tune that I bought from Dan @ Vivid for about 2 years now. The car will NOT pass emissions with the Softronic tune on it. I reset to stock program before I take it in. The tune does cause higher CO2 emissions at lower RPMs as it does tend to make the car run rich. That being said, it does produce noticeably more power once the boost comes on. I'm limited to 91 octane here and the car is pretty consistant at .9 or 1.0 Bar depending on conditions.

It's easy to install using the cord, and once you've done it a few times, the whole process takes about 5 min start to finish to change out the programs. If your mods are limited to exhaust, intake, DVs, and you haven't put in new turbos yet, then the ST flash is a great choice.

 

Now i'm torn between what flash to do on my x50...epl or softronic?

 

went the why is my car missing ? thing too felt like i was running over railroad tracks. changed my plugs, changed my tune (went to giac)changed my coil packs ,and a lot of other stuff. took it to three tecs and no one guessed it it was my maf....i had ran an oil cover air filter and gotten my maf coated, went to a clear paper filter and all is well .. oh did change the maf(a5minjob)

 

I think you'd be good with either. Softronic is an easy DIY thing and no shipping of ECU is required. I cannot speak to the performance of the EPL as I've never used them.

 

There ecu tune is basically the same; they send it via email/diy. Performance on a x50 is same as the rest...50whp gain.

 

Well, then if the price is similar, just do some homework on their support and customer service. I've had good luck with ST, but like I said, I've got no experience with EPL.

 

Porsches are one of the (if not the most ) efficient cars out there, emissions-wise from the factory. My EPL car has passed our emissions twice now...no problems....My rear O2's are turned off as my exhaust flows a little more than my ECU would like, but it passes every time. I check my plugs often and they always look mint. Most aftermarket flashes should make your car MORE efficient, as the tuner has the time and ability to do this, whereas the factory likely doesn't.

 

I agree. There are some "bad" tuners out there. But can't say much bad about either of the above mentioned companies.

 

Hi,,At your level they all should be pretty close in performance...I had GIAC as my first mod at the beginning, it made power and ran great....Also there customer service was good....Go with a company that will be there for you after the sale and with good customer service after that....Good Luck

 

What plugs are you running? Iridium plugs should last a very long time in our cars considering we are not really running high boost, for example.....my supra runs 30+ of boost and I change plugs once a year if that..they last at least 15k miles.