427grips

I have an original 89'Carrera that had an Autothority chip installed in it 11 years ago. If I upgrade to a Steve Wong chip will I notice anything different?

RMS

kenshi

Can't go wrong with the Wong. If you do not like it, he will give you a refund. What do you have to loose? I got one, had the Europroducts chip prior. Love it.

But do not listen to me because i am a satisfied Wong customer. I might also be naive, unintelligent, illogical, not have 15 years of experience and have uncontrollable urges to herd

Try it out yourself.

alf

Dave Thomas

Agreed, you can't beat a Wong! :> Steve may be willing to read your Autothority chip and tell you how it's set up. The problem is that some chips get their horsepower claims by advancing the timing and raising the rev limit to dangerous levels. If yours is one of those, you may actually notice a slight decrease in power with a Wong chip, but you'll be a lot safer. But Steve also tweaks the fuel maps so the throttle response and power is better across the entire rpm range, not just at the top end.

Lorenfb

Don't get sucked into comments by those naive users of performance chips.
All the chips are basically the SAME. They all just advance the ignition timing.
Modifying the fuel maps has little effect, since the oxygen sensor corrects for
any modification of the fuel mixture except at full throttle.

There are many problems which occur and don't showup until certain conditions
occur, e.g. hot weather, or an emissions test. Check out this web site for more
info (www.andial.com) on the FAQ page Question#2.

Don't waste your money a second time and buy another performance chip!
Those recommending chips have little knowledge about Porsche fuel injection
and the problems associated with performance chips.

Have Fun
Loren
'88 3.2

Dave Thomas

Yeah, well, Loren has come to be known as a whiner about this issue on the Pelican site. He is DEAD WRONG that they are all the same. My impression is that Loren had been the "expert" in the past and doesn't like the new guy on the block.

Steve Wong will set up a chip to whatever specs you require, including setting the initial and maximum advance (which can be held back if you want a safety margin to prevent detonation), setting the RPM limiter to whatever you want, and modifying the fuel maps, which DOES make a difference. I started with one of Steve's early-generation chips, and he has since provided 3 successive versions (at no charge) each with a differently modified fuel map. Each version provided better low and mid-range throttle response and more power in those ranges than the one before. I think Steve has developed these about as well as they can be. In addition, they're about half the price of the "name brands" and he provides free upgrades.

Regarding hot weather - I ran my Carrera last summer, driving it really hard with the A/C on in near-100 degree weather, with absolutely no indication of detonation. I know what detonation sounds like and I know what it looks like on the plugs.

Regarding emissions, my car was tested in Illinois last fall, and even with the euro premuffler (no catalyst) it passed with Steve's chip.

And before anyone asks, no, I haven't dyno'd it yet, but the car CLEARLY has more power and vastly improved throttle response.

All that being said, you still may experience less maximum power that the Autothority chip, due to the fact that they probably have raised the maximum advance to dangerous levels.

Peter Kelly

You crack me up Loren. News flash: The only time a driver cares about having more power is when he is at full throttle. If he is only at part throttle and wants more power, he simple presses the gas pedal more.

I know you are very knowledgeable about motronics but making statments like the above undermines your credibility.

Lorenfb

I didn't say anything about WOT performance (Where most DON'T drive.)
just that the O2 sensor doesn't control the fuel mixture there!

Setting up "ANY" chip for any mod, e.g. special exhaust/air filter, on the
PC is a real joke. It needs to be done on a dyno. Let's get real here.
I guess you "buy" into anything.

I don't sell chips nor have anything to gain one way or another. Chips
have been around for over 15 years and the "track" record is NOT good.
It's an easy sell that's why they're still around. There's always another
3.2 owner willing to spend/waste money for wild hype/claims.

Have Fun
Loren
'88 3.2

Dave Thomas

"wild hype/claims"? My comments were from my own actual experience. You think I'm halucinating about the performance gain I got with Steve's chip? I guess I'll have to dyno it to prove my point.

Loren, seriously, what's your problem? I AM having fun, sounds like you need to.

Lorenfb

Bottomline:

All the performance chips are basically the same, which has been the case
for the last 15 years. No single chip programmer has discovered anything
that Porsche wasn't aware of when they developed the 3.2 fuel & ignition
maps.

Dave Thomas

LOREN LISTEN UP: ALL PERFORMANCE CHIPS ARE NOT THE SAME!!!

Example:

Europroducts chip: 30.4 degrees @ full advance, 6950 rev limit. Very close to Autothority settings. Most of the mass-market chips go full-tilt on the advance and rev limit and that's how they get their horsepower claims.

My Steve Wong chip: 27.5 degrees @ full advance, 6700 rev limit, and fuel maps altered.

I think everyone agrees that Porsche was aware of what they were doing. Guys like Steve Wong are making improvements on what Porsche chose to do. The problem is that Porsche didn't maximize the settings for performance, rather, they held them back to accomodate low octane/poor quality fuels and overzealous drivers that the cars might encounter. There is clearly significant power to be found by optimizing the settings. I've experienced it myself and my car has been transformed. I believe that as long as you run a premium fuel (I use 93 octane) and don't spend every second near redline, you'll be fine. Well, maybe not YOU, but a normal person.

Chris Picklo

Lorenfb:

It doesn't matter "where" the chip is reformatted and configured. At Autothority or Steve W's computer, they can change the same settings.

What matters are the setting for your particular car. This has been performed and tested so many times that particular settings work for certain mods.

Even a bone stock car benefits from a performance chip - it's a fact. Better track times aren't made up in the back of our heads and dyno's don't lie.

Here's another reality check for you: Porsche has been known to "detune" their street versions of cars. For example, look at the BRAND NEW GT3. It is "detuned' for the street. My Boxster S gained 8 - 10 bhp with a reconfigured DME (when I had it, that is). Anyway, the chips provide more fuel where its needed (if programed correctly), and will not threaten your 3.2 carrera's longevity as long as it is programed correctly and you don't raise the redline. You CAN spend every second "near redline" and be OK with the right chip.

These modifications work, and to get the most out of them they must be customized to the car.

Do you track your car, Lorenfb?

Dan in Florida

Hello? Have you ever driven DE solo or raced your porsche? No porsche should die without being driven to the limit.

86NOH2O

Isn't the only difference between an 86' motor and 87' motor a chip? I believe the book says the motor was "re-mapped" in 87' which resulted in 10 more hp. Talking US models here.

Can this chip be carried as a spare in case the stock DME dies? Is it the same thing?

g-50cab

You guys may as well argue with a wall - And by the way - Loren is in the DME repair business.

I know I'm going to take the "fun" out of it - but I'll say again that Loren has probably done more for Steve Wong's business than anyone. He talks his line about blowing up the engine and no performance gains yada yada yada - then becoup of satisfied Steve Wong customers chime in and express their satisfaction with his product and refute his claims.

Then Loren accuses everybody of having a herd mentality and that no one knows what they are talking about and that we will all have detonation on hot days. Did I miss anything...

MikeF

Will someone puhleeeeze dyno their car with the stock chip...then install a Wong and dyno again? Do it on the same day, same dyno, etc.

Between here and Pelican, no one (if I recall) has posted these results and put this discussion to rest, once and for all.