Scott at Softronic has earned my business on my current TT and will definitely be my go to guy whenever I get another one. That being said, I think you will be happy with pretty much any tuner in your poll.

 

For anyone interested in our early work in the Porsche community, this is a fun read:

http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/f...rsche-959.html

"Converting the 959 to conform to emissions regulations was never going to be easy, especially in California. For starters, the 959 was never sold with catalytic converters, a requirement in California, nor was its Motronic brain programmed to recognize an oxygen sensor.

Actually the car was built with the wiring harness and an exhaust bung for a sensor, and the ECU was constructed with the circuit in mind. If you're thinking this suggests that Stuttgart left the option for owners to fit the missing bits themselves, you could be right. Factory kits were developed to fit the errant sensors and cats, as well as convert the sequential turbos to a twin-turbo setup. Rumor has it that these modifications are in place on a number of U.S.-based cars. But, say the 959 cognoscenti, try ordering the parts; it's not as simple as you might think.

The California Connection
G&K in Santa Ana, California, was one of the first companies to gain NHTSA and EPA approval for a Porsche 959 under the S&D legislation. In partnership with GIAC, a developer of vehicle software, G&K certified the first of its California-legal Porsche 959s in September 2001. It took $45,000 of work to do so."

While our software won't be the cheapest, it is due to the significant development work that goes into what we do. To write code for the entire DME re-flash is a painstaking process, and is why our software flashes take close to an hour as compared to a 10-minute map flash that you commonly see. Our files are significantly larger due to the amount of changes within the DME, ensuring the highest levels of power and drivability while maintaining all factory safeties.

An example of this is our development on the Panamera Turbo and 958 Cayenne Turbo. We are the only company who can write our own files for this vehicle. While there are other flashes for these vehicles, they are not proprietary code. How do you know? The speed limiter on said flashes is 196, the same as that found on the OEM power kit file.

 

We have worked extensively with G.I.A.C. on work for Turbo kits as well as standard performance software, and I recommend them highly. I can't speak for other companies, but the research, effort and dedication that goes into each G.I.A.C. file is nothing short of remarkable.

G.I.A.C. knows how to get the most out of a vehicle without compromising its reliability and driveability, which is why we sell and use G.I.A.C. Software exclusively.

 

The price difference is not that big, I didn't find any tune for less than $2500... And so far I don't know anyone complaining about their tune... I guess they are all good.

I like Softronic because of the excellent customer services & excellent reviews and Scoot really take care of his clients.

 

Super awesome poll!

 

Im very happy with my Softronic Tune. After several runs on the dyno and some tweaking, Vivid Racing achieved 470hp & 430 ft/tq on Low Boost!

 

2006 997.1 C2S TipTronic

Softronic was the cherry on top of the entire mod set, an excellent way to wrap it up. Love it, and truly appreciate the flexibility to flash back to OEM if necc for whatever reason. This car is an N/A, and this flash squeezes some great timing and performance increases. I doubt other flashes, which I cant revert easily back from, would be worth the extra money. If my 911 was a turbo, well, that would be a whole different story. If you have an N/A, Softronic is likely the best overall bet, looking at the entire picture.

Just my 2cents.

 

Extremely pleased & satisfied with my Softronic Tune! The one great thing about it is you can resort back to the stock tune files when needed, and you can always update for a small fee on adding additional mods.When I purchased mine I just told them what modifications I had done and they sent me the updated files accordingly!They are also great to deal with!Thanks again Dan!

 

It would also be cool if we can see some VBOX or 1/4 times from cars with exhaust and tune only.

 

I know what you saying.
Instead having to read 20 pages of debates and get more confused. One can just look at the poll and see what the majority are using.

 

So if something is more expensive is better?

 

This is the dilemna.....few come forward on the open forums. Many wish to keep their mistakes more private than others. I did raise a few concerns in another thread about this after i had received a set of feedback from users that had experienced a few tunes and had changed to what they felt were far greener pastures. Maybe the better thread for the OP would be to ask has anyone had problems that made them change tunes and to answer by PM only on the basis their info would be kept private and confidential and not misused in the wrong way at any later stage. One could always further their investigations from that point to check bona fides to ensure any negative info is in fact kosher. As you are openly heavily pro softronic i doubt anyone would be openly forthcomming to you Leo as they would know your intentions with any information they may wish to be kept private. I suspect if you didn't had a tune and were seeking such advice then you may well find the results/responses different. Please note that i am not directing this at softronic per say nor wish to cast any dispersions over anyones tune offerings. Just that there users i am personally aware of out there that have changed tunes for various reasons. So there is differences between tunes....well so they have certainly found. I recall one user reporting in a very recent thread that changed his FVD for an EPL and found it superior in every way. You may recall the thread? If not i can link it for you.

I guess from that perspective it will show where all the money has gone lol. But in so far as differentiating the quality and capability between the tunes, that one will remain a mystery here.

....well i have found that in general you do get what you pay for although there is always the rare exception where good money is paid only to find the product does not deliver....least of all any better than the cheaper offering. I have had experience with a product of that nature myself (I will not elaborate further on an open forum).

That's not to say a cheaper tune isn't any good or doesn't perform. But to say the cheaper tune will perform the same or better than another more expensive tune is something that to this date i am yet to hear any one report that. The feedback 99% of the time has shown that the additional spend has in fact produced a superior outcome for the user. In a metaphorical sense it's a bit like comparing a chinese copy to an OEM part. They may both work in the same application but one will outperform and/or outlast the other....hence you get what you pay for.....even if it is only marginally more from a cost perspective. More often than not the marginally more expensive item has been sacrificed immensly in a bid to compete in a toxic market. As a component supplier I can vouch for that where some (most) of the OE parts that we sell up against chinese crap we are having to discount the crap out them just to maintain stock movement. It's a crying shame when we look at the margins but what are the options? So many customers today buy purely on price and get far too caught up in a flashy warranty or excessively indulgent customer service regime. Not saying this applies here either....but just saying it goes on a hell of a lot these days. The guy selling crap is making far more profit that the guy selling the good stuff so he can afford to be a hero all the time when things go inevitably pear shaped.. Boy doesnt that apply a lot these days. Sometimes you have to ask yourself why do i bother offering good stuff when people just want to buy ****....and believe it's brilliant....or better than the expensive good stuff. Crazy...

Where a tune is concerned, from the information i have come across it seems that same principle also applies. I see it again as just another one of those cases where what one doesn't know is actually better than finding out because when one does, they then feel inclined to change up....or feel shafted lol. Ever heard the saying apples and oranges???

 

I had Vivid Racing install the Softronic flash and I added Vivid Racing's Agency Power exhaust to my 04 996TT (6 speed). Had it dyno'd and here's the results:

448 hp (at the wheels)
507 Torque

The turbos woke right up out of their slumber and now it's a bullet compared to stock. I really like the exhaust sound too. Not too loud, but let's you know I'm coming.

Also Vivid Racing has great customer service and they know Porsches inside and out.

 

LOL.

Btw fwiw there is a guy that had an Agency shower exhaust that took it off and got more power with the stock system. There is a thread here on 6 showing the system thrown in a dumpster. Just saying because you may get a better dyno result with the stock system going by his experience.

 

Lost track but Softronic had the lowest prices + good reviews + convenient OBDII flashing = good sales. It seems customer service has improved too. Not surprised by this result.