Hi,
So i will be getting my 06 C4S within the next 2 weeks and the car comes with Sport Chrono Plus.
The first thing i do on the Car is replace the PCM.
I will be slapping in the latest Pioneer Avic receiver.
I have tried searching the forums but cannot find the answers i need.

Ok so i know that i will lose some Sport Chrono functions when i replace my PCM. But what exactly?
Will i still be able to use the Sport Button that adjusts the throttle?
Will i still be able to use the actual gauge on the dashboard? Even if i don't get detailed results via the PCM.
Does the PCM allow you to adjust driving characteristics with Sport Chrono Plus Package? Say like M-Drive in M3'S where you can individually set throttle response as well as steering and suspension.

I will not track the car so detailed lap times and run times etc doesn't interest me. So i don't mind losing these things...
But what else which is essential in the PCM that i can't control otherwise in the car will i be losing?

Any help and info will be greatly appreciated.
The one thing i can't stand about the car is the PCM and it has to go. But if i lose of functionality then the decision becomes more difficult.

Thank you

 

Anyone?

 

I think you're going to have to do this and report back. Not many people have replaced their PCM.

 

Youyou,

The S/C package allows the PCM to record lap times as you already know. In addition it also allows you to change individual lighting functions and air condition settings through the PCM. For instance if you use the welcome home lighting function you can set the amount of time the lights will stay on after you leave the car. You cannot adjust any performance settings from PCM, that is all done through the sport button and it's not individual, it's all or nothing. If your car has PASM then it will be activated automatically when you press the sport mode button. If your car doesn't have PASM (like mine for instance) then the sport mode simply remaps the throttle response and raises the threshold when PSM kicks in assuming of course you didn't turn PSM off through it's own button.

Previous posts on this board seem to indicate that the S/C package is tightly tied in to the PCM. I personally do not know to what extent because I'm happy with mine and I'm leaving it in place. If I had to guess, I would say that you should still be able to use the sport button and the chronograph timer on the dash but I would test that first. If you loose these functions by removing the PCM then I would seriously consider re-thinking your plan.

Also, you should be aware that if your car as the Bose system that it's wired to the PCM using fiber optic cables which are almost impossible to interface with aftermarket equipment. You will likely need to re-wire the entire system. There was a recent thread about this.

Why do you want to replace the PCM anyway? Is it the lack of Nav or perhaps that the Nav is out of date? For around $250 you can get a very nice Garmin Nav unit. If you stick it to the windshield in the lower left corner it doesn't look so bad. The units stuck to the center of the windshield look terrible - I agree. Garmin (or TomTom, etc.) units only use one cable. You can get someone who can "hard wire" the cable to the car so that it runs inside the dash and down to the fuse box. In my opinion this is a MUCH easier and less expensive way to go than replacing the PCM.

 

Thank you very much for the help.
I guess to begin i can always set the lighting settings to what i would want it to be before removing the PCM so that it will always stay like that.
A positive note is that at least performance settings are not done through the PCM and by just pushing the Sport button all is activated.
I will be getting a C4S so i'm assuming PASM is standard right?
Hopefully someone can chime in on the dashboard Chronograph timer and the Sport button without the PCM.

Just got info from Socalsteve's thread that actually even with the Bose Premium system it's a simple swap and not as previously thought. So that was very welcome news and that is why i am seriously considering going ahead with it.

Well i'm getting a 06 C4S Cab so it's the older PCM which is quite frankly horrible. It seems you have the newer generation one which seems to be much better. So had i gone for a 09' + 911 i probably wouldn't go through the trouble.
And the car i'm getting doesn't have Nav as well which just makes things even worse.
I know i can go with a Garmin but truly that's probably the last route i would want to take...
I like to have everything integrated in one system. I've been spoiled with car tech and this is like going back 100 years!!
Plus i absolutely want an ipod adapter and bluetooth...

 

I recommend you to drive your car a bit and then decide what do you want to burn your money on.
Frankly I think replacing PCM will lower your car`s value a lot. It is not a honda civic after all and PCM is a part of its character. But to each his own.

 

++++1

 

3rd party stereos a bad thing in Porsches.

 

Yes PASM is standard on the 2006 4s

 

You can play your iPod through existing PCM by installing a Dension Gateway 500. Sound is pretty good. There is also a Bluetooth add-on solution.

 

I suggest you contact SocalSteve to get answers to all your questions, since he has done what you want to do. I don't think you'll lose any sport chrono functions other than the ridiculous logging system. And as others have said, I expect you'd lose individual memory functions available in the PCM. I'm not sure that by setting them to your preference and then removing the PCM will work. Why not post on SocalSteve's thread so we can all see his answers?

Regarding resale, I would expect you could always put the PCM back in one day to sell the car, as I don't believe anything SocalSteve did is irreversible.

 

Youyou,

The "S" should have PASM standard, that's correct. I know you said you really don't want a Garmin but I would suggest you do some more research or even go a store where they actually have a working unit (Target and Walmart only have "dummy" non-operating units on display) and look at the features. Many Garmin units are actually MORE sophisticated than the PCM 3.0 in my 997.2. Many of them have built-in bluetooth that will automatically download your phonebook (just like the PCM 3.0) and they are compatible with more phones than the factory bluetooth option in the PCM 3.0. They have an FM transmitter built in so you can hear the nav voice over your factory sound system just like the PCM does. They also have traffic information that is better than the PCM 3.0. They also have a built in MP3 player but they are no where near as good as an iPod. As I suggested above you can get someone to hard wire it into the lower left corner of your windshield and it will look almost like it's built in. It's also easier to see in that position than looking down and center at the PCM.

Like the others above had said, you are about to take delivery of a Porsche 911. It's not a low end Hyundai or Kia. The PCM is part of the character of the car and should be preserved just as many of owners of early 911 preserved the original stereo systems in those cars. While the "pink slip" legally makes us the owners of these cars we are also in a sense "caretakers" of these extraordinary machines.

I'm not saying you shouldn't modify the car to suit your taste. Lots of the guys on this forum modify their cars but many of them are careful to chose modifications that are either genuine Porsche (like adding a GT3 front bumper to a C2 or C2S) or they are from highly respected aftermarket firms like Sharkwerks or AWE. By pulling the PCM and replacing it with an aftermarket unit you will most likely take some value out of the car. As utkinpol suggested, I also highly recommend you get you know your car for a while before you do anything to it.

You said you are buying an '06 so the end of the warrantee is approaching if it hasn't expired already. You may have some repair or maintenance issues to deal with and these cars can be wicked expensive to repair and maintain so save your extra money for that rather than diving right away into mods that will remove value from the car.

 

You can remove the PCM 2.1/3,0 as you can also do the same with CDR 24/30 and put in an aftermarket and you will keep your chrono operational yes and your sports button will work okay. Did it in a 2009 Boxster and a 996 before also. However you will loose your in dash linked displays to the PCM and also the ability to change those functions like lights, ect as others have mentioned. You say you'll set them as you want to and thats okay however hope they stay set and aren't loss with something like a battery chance or some maintenance or repair which causes the car to to loose its internal power and settings. If so you may have a hard and frustrating time getting things back where you want them.

Also yes you will loose a certain degree of value in your car but that depends on what you want to do with and/or keep the car. But yes you'll lose value of your car especially if its not professionally done (stay away from Circuit City etc). Yes PCM 2.1 is not the best in the world; PCM 3.0 is light years better but then you'd need to get a 2009+ car for that as others have said however you can add bluetooth and ipod and sat radio to PCM 2.1 and also Nav and have a pretty good unit that is well intergrated to the functions of the car.

 

Thank you guys for the info and help.

A lot of you are telling me it's a bad idea and that it would lower the value of the car and that it will make the car look cheap.

Well here's how i see it.
First off this will be a 24 month lease. So resale value doesn't mean anything to me.
This will be a Porsche lease with a full extended certified bumper to bumper warranty so that's something i don't have to worry about as well.

Now i agree that OEM is always better and looks nicer but unfortunately in the case of PCM 2.1 it's not.
Don't want to offend anyone but it's seriously horrible.
Now SocalSteve did an awesome job and it looks flawless. Doesn't really look like it was modified.
So to me it's well worth it.
Just like to some people here they enjoy changing their bumpers adding spoilers , making their cars look like GT3's or Turbo's etc.
That's something i would never ever do.
To me the car is a C4S and that's what i want it to look like.
It's really just to say that everyone has their opinion and likes what they like.
To me Tech in a car is extremely important and well in the Porsche it's really non existent.
Would i have liked to stay OEM definitely but unfortunately it's really not an option for me.
Now the ultimate scenario would be if i could get the PCM 3.0 to work in there... But i don't think it's possible.

 

Why would you want to modify a lease car?