Our next stage in performance modifications for our Porsche 997TT was the VRTuned ECU Flash. Many others have proved their softwares potential and now it was time for VRTuned to show why it has some serious power. Because our car already had the JIC Cross exhaust installed on it, we did 3 different tests to show where the ECU stood in performance.
First, lets discuss about VRTuned a little bit. VRTuned has been doing Porsche Performance for 20+ years. As the former PCA technical advisor and now working with Porsche Motorsports and even well known race teams for data checking and tuning, Scott Slauson brings a convenient, well thought out, and proven form of ECU Tuning to Porsche. Vivid Racing has had strong success with the VRTuned ECU Tuning in the 996TT community. VRTuned has been flashing 997TT’s on the East Coast since the cars release and now Vivid Racing is bringing the proof to the mainstream. As everyone knows, the CAN software the 997TT uses does not allow for Client OBDII flashing. The ECU must be removed and sent in for a bench flash. What makes VRTuned different is their ability to tune off the factory timing and lambda tables instead of Global changes like others may do. Another strong factor is that VRTuned ECU Tuning is adaptive to race fuel and bolt on components such as an exhaust and intake, so there is no need to re-reflash the car. VRTuned has also gone so far to have ECU maps developed for GT30 turbo kits, GT2 Turbos, and more.
As tested here at Vivid Racing, after installing our new flashed ECU, we connected the factory Porsche PIWIS tester to check for any faults or signals that the data has been tampered with. Many users are concerned about warranty. The PIWIS tool showed a ECU program was installed, but no other info about what was done. This could be a factory Porsche software update or anything. So no worries on the warranty being voided.
Before the car was dynoed to show the results, we did a variety of street and highway driving. We looked at characteristics of gas mileage, partial throttle driving, acceleration, and overall impressions. Gas mileage was only changed under full throttle circumstances. During normal driving characteristics, the gas mileage stayed consistant with what it was stock. Partial throttle driving had the car feel like a normal vehicle without being to punchy. When you exceeded that throttle point and the boost kicked in, the car hit hard and was litterally a land rocket. For only having an exhaust and flash on the car, this car was as fast or faster then some of the 996TT with 650HP kits and over $15,000 invested in them.
Once we were happy with the cars performance on the street, we wanted to see how it would perform on the dyno. We strapped down our 997TT to our Mustang All Wheel Drive dyno. This dyno is also known as the The Heart Breaker for its low readings but more accurate results for tuning. With proper fans on the intercoolers and radiators, we ran the car in the summers 105 degree room temperature. We compared the car with sport mode and off. We did about 6 runs to make sure we had consistant results.
The first dyno graph shows a comparison of what the VRTuned ECU Flash added for power. The car was first tested with the stock ECU and exhaust then tested with the flash ECU and exhaust. The VRTuned ECU Flash added 66HP and 54ft/lbs of torque.
The 2nd dyno compares the VRTuned Flash with JIC Exhaust to the Stock 997TT. This was a gain of 104HP and 83ft/lbs of torque. Now this is a hard one to compare to other products and companies because of 2 variables. Exhaust brand and temperature. The 997TT is very finicky in sport mode with different exhausts. Most aftermarket exhausts are running 200cell cats. So you have to have the ECU flash done to turn off the CEL caused by the cat inefficiency code. The JIC exhaust uses 80mm piping and is much more free flowing then other systems, so it adds alot of power.
The 3rd and final dyno compares the VRTuned with and without Sport Mode turned on. Watching the boost gauge on the dash, in sport mode, the car held a constant 17psi to 6800rpm. Without sport mode, the car ran 15psi. These runs were done back to back. What was interesting is that without sport mode, the car made more peak at redline power. But if you look at the curve the initial boost from Sport Mode gave the car a TON more torque and mid range. It could be possible that the Sport Mode which caused the EGT to rise on a back to back run cut out at the high RPM. The inital torque and midrange is good as that is one thing you can TRULY feel when driving.
Baseline test of the completely stock vehicle was done on 91 octane. Exhaust Test and VRTuned ECU test were done using a 93 octane map. These are all my opinions and observations from my own tests. If you are interested in the VRTuned ECU Flash, View the 997TT Flash Product Here.
You can view more pictures from our Project 997TT and tests here – https://www.vividracing.com/forums/gallery/browseimages.php?c=342
