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Anyone had their 3.2 chipped?
- Thread starter Nathan
- Start date
Jamie Summers
Sao Paulo
- Joined
- 29 Oct 2002
- Messages
- 935
Nathan,
I'm still thinking of having mine done, however bust alternator and now worn out clutch (yikes expensive !) have rather put a dent in that idea for the time being ! For what it's worth, the feedback I've been getting from various people "in the know" from other forums etc is that provided it's done properly (and AmD seem to fit this bill) it is a worthwhile upgrade - especially if you combine it with the larger throttle body and a new K&N air filter (or even an induction kit - look at
http://www.essentialstyling.com/index.htm)
The claimed BHP gains seem to be realistic and in terms of BHP per £ it seems to be one of the most economic upgrades for a 3.2 . To get any much more power out of the 3.2 engine you're into pretty big money - essentially turning it into a 3.6 or clever stainless steel straight through exhaust shenanigans = £££££££ for maybe +15 BHP.
I'm sure it's been said before but do be aware of the potential of invalidating your Insurance by modifying - AmD claim on their website that the rechip is undetectable even by Porsche diagnostic equipment ie effectively you'd have been lucky enough to get an engine from the factory that was just put together better than most - giving you more power than the factory stated (which was supposedly conservative in the first place !) - I'm a little dubious (not that it'll stop me doing the upgrade !) If you change anything else ie the throttle body / air filter etc obviously this would be a bit easier to spot should it ever come down to an argument with the Insurance loss adjuster (god forbid).
Hope this helps - do let me now if you decide to go ahead
Jamie
Migration info. Legacy thread was 865
I'm still thinking of having mine done, however bust alternator and now worn out clutch (yikes expensive !) have rather put a dent in that idea for the time being ! For what it's worth, the feedback I've been getting from various people "in the know" from other forums etc is that provided it's done properly (and AmD seem to fit this bill) it is a worthwhile upgrade - especially if you combine it with the larger throttle body and a new K&N air filter (or even an induction kit - look at
http://www.essentialstyling.com/index.htm)
The claimed BHP gains seem to be realistic and in terms of BHP per £ it seems to be one of the most economic upgrades for a 3.2 . To get any much more power out of the 3.2 engine you're into pretty big money - essentially turning it into a 3.6 or clever stainless steel straight through exhaust shenanigans = £££££££ for maybe +15 BHP.
I'm sure it's been said before but do be aware of the potential of invalidating your Insurance by modifying - AmD claim on their website that the rechip is undetectable even by Porsche diagnostic equipment ie effectively you'd have been lucky enough to get an engine from the factory that was just put together better than most - giving you more power than the factory stated (which was supposedly conservative in the first place !) - I'm a little dubious (not that it'll stop me doing the upgrade !) If you change anything else ie the throttle body / air filter etc obviously this would be a bit easier to spot should it ever come down to an argument with the Insurance loss adjuster (god forbid).
Hope this helps - do let me now if you decide to go ahead
Jamie
Migration info. Legacy thread was 865
James Ball
Suzuka
- Joined
- 21 May 2002
- Messages
- 1,065
Some chips require 98 octane petrol. make sure you understand the requirements of any particular chip you look into. Also you want to get a chip that is specially mapped for your car on a rolling road rather than an off the shelf, pre-mapped chip.
Migration info. Legacy thread was 867
Migration info. Legacy thread was 867
Unfortunately, having a Swiss model, I'm already disadvantaged in the power dept so hopefully this will get me back towards UK spec. I believe AMD chips are vehicle specific and not off the shelf. With regards to an induction kit, from what I've read on other BBs most people seem to think they're a waste of money and can in some cases reduce power(?)
I'll let you know when I've had it done (hopefully v.soon!)
Nathan
Migration info. Legacy thread was 869
I'll let you know when I've had it done (hopefully v.soon!)
Nathan
Migration info. Legacy thread was 869
Jamie Summers
Sao Paulo
- Joined
- 29 Oct 2002
- Messages
- 935
Nathan,
You're right that AMD will do a tailor made chip to get the best from your specific engine and do all of the before and after dyno testing etc. They will chip the car to run happily on 95 octane, but if you tell them that you will only use 98 octane they can probably screw and extra couple of bhp out of it.
As far as the induction kits are concerned I have no first hand experience to add - but as I'm sure you're aware there are three main rules to getting the most power out of your engine 1. Get it in (air & fuel that is)2. Get it through (polish & port) 3. Get it out (efficient exhaust). Thus if you can get more air in by reducing restriction (larger bore throttle body & less resistant filter) you get a bigger explosion and more power. Stands to reason whether reality bears this out I don't really know - but an extra 10-15 bhp for a couple of hundred quid sounds pretty good value to me (assuming it works !)
Jamie
Migration info. Legacy thread was 871
You're right that AMD will do a tailor made chip to get the best from your specific engine and do all of the before and after dyno testing etc. They will chip the car to run happily on 95 octane, but if you tell them that you will only use 98 octane they can probably screw and extra couple of bhp out of it.
As far as the induction kits are concerned I have no first hand experience to add - but as I'm sure you're aware there are three main rules to getting the most power out of your engine 1. Get it in (air & fuel that is)2. Get it through (polish & port) 3. Get it out (efficient exhaust). Thus if you can get more air in by reducing restriction (larger bore throttle body & less resistant filter) you get a bigger explosion and more power. Stands to reason whether reality bears this out I don't really know - but an extra 10-15 bhp for a couple of hundred quid sounds pretty good value to me (assuming it works !)
Jamie
Migration info. Legacy thread was 871
Jamie Summers
Sao Paulo
- Joined
- 29 Oct 2002
- Messages
- 935
Phil,
A very Happy New Year to you too !
The clutch has been on the way out for a while now - first discovered when trying some hooligan car park tyre smoking antics (purely scientific of course, just to see how easy it is to get the wheels spinning !) Anyway needless to say I went just about nowhere the wheels didn't spin and the needle hit the rev limiter before I knew what was happening, accompanied by a sickening smell of burning clutch. Clearly not a good idea. As long as I wasn't trying to beat people off the lights it seemed ok for a while, but while I was coming back after New Year I was accelerating hard to join the motorway from a petrol station and it was as if I had a box of neutrals - pretty scary, so that has prompted me to get it fixed ( I got home ok but it's getting worse and worse).
Prices seem to vary a bit - the Official Porsche kit costs £406 apparently, so the balance comes down to what you're charged for labour. To get the clutch done and a 12k service at the same time I got about five quotes, ranging from £850 to £1300 inc VAT and labour, the lowest seemed far too good to be true, and although they claimed to use genuine Porsche parts everyone else I spoke to could not believe that that was the case. Anyway I've decided to go with Chelsea Carrera in Fulham (obviously !) who seem like a decent set up although small (I've had them recommended by two different sources) who quoted me about £1000 all in.
I'm going to grit my teeth and get all of the other little niggles fixed too, and it's time to say bye bye to the whale tail ! I'll put up a post to let everyone know how I got on. Car goes in a week today ...........
Jamie
Migration info. Legacy thread was 873
A very Happy New Year to you too !
The clutch has been on the way out for a while now - first discovered when trying some hooligan car park tyre smoking antics (purely scientific of course, just to see how easy it is to get the wheels spinning !) Anyway needless to say I went just about nowhere the wheels didn't spin and the needle hit the rev limiter before I knew what was happening, accompanied by a sickening smell of burning clutch. Clearly not a good idea. As long as I wasn't trying to beat people off the lights it seemed ok for a while, but while I was coming back after New Year I was accelerating hard to join the motorway from a petrol station and it was as if I had a box of neutrals - pretty scary, so that has prompted me to get it fixed ( I got home ok but it's getting worse and worse).
Prices seem to vary a bit - the Official Porsche kit costs £406 apparently, so the balance comes down to what you're charged for labour. To get the clutch done and a 12k service at the same time I got about five quotes, ranging from £850 to £1300 inc VAT and labour, the lowest seemed far too good to be true, and although they claimed to use genuine Porsche parts everyone else I spoke to could not believe that that was the case. Anyway I've decided to go with Chelsea Carrera in Fulham (obviously !) who seem like a decent set up although small (I've had them recommended by two different sources) who quoted me about £1000 all in.
I'm going to grit my teeth and get all of the other little niggles fixed too, and it's time to say bye bye to the whale tail ! I'll put up a post to let everyone know how I got on. Car goes in a week today ...........
Jamie
Migration info. Legacy thread was 873
Jamie, from what I've read the standard air filter is not the most restrictive part in the intake system, so unless other mods are made it's a bit of a waste I think. Well, I'll keep telling myself that and save some money!!
I smoked my clutch also recently making a quick getaway, and was worried it was on its way out. It's been Ok since but I'm not holding my breath. Given a bootful of revs and a dry road from a standing start will the clutch on a 911 always give way to enormous grip the rear tyres generate? I hope so! I understand Porsche use Sachs clutches as OE, so you might find your alternative quote is based on the same parts branded as Sachs opposed to Porsche? The company I work for (automotive) does this also - same parts, different box (premium brand) so premium price.
Nathan
Migration info. Legacy thread was 875
I smoked my clutch also recently making a quick getaway, and was worried it was on its way out. It's been Ok since but I'm not holding my breath. Given a bootful of revs and a dry road from a standing start will the clutch on a 911 always give way to enormous grip the rear tyres generate? I hope so! I understand Porsche use Sachs clutches as OE, so you might find your alternative quote is based on the same parts branded as Sachs opposed to Porsche? The company I work for (automotive) does this also - same parts, different box (premium brand) so premium price.
Nathan
Migration info. Legacy thread was 875
Jamie Summers
Sao Paulo
- Joined
- 29 Oct 2002
- Messages
- 935
Nathan,
I'm sure you're right about the clutch - it's an old trick and everyone does it. I might investigate a bit further, but I'm still going to go for Chelsea Carrera who seemed genuinely keen to satisfy the customer whereas the cheaper people sounded rather disinterested (I'm a sucker for the old butter up the customer routine !), and they're nearer home !
I do hope that we're not doomed to have to change the clutch every time we get a bit over-enthusiastic with the right boot. A set of tyres is defintely cheaper than a clutch ! I have no experience of a Porker with a fresh clutch, for all I know mine is still the original having covered 90K miles. Whilst my sensible trousers tell me that wheel spin isn't a good thing, how boring would it be if you can't light up the wheels every once in a while !
Migration info. Legacy thread was 884
I'm sure you're right about the clutch - it's an old trick and everyone does it. I might investigate a bit further, but I'm still going to go for Chelsea Carrera who seemed genuinely keen to satisfy the customer whereas the cheaper people sounded rather disinterested (I'm a sucker for the old butter up the customer routine !), and they're nearer home !
I do hope that we're not doomed to have to change the clutch every time we get a bit over-enthusiastic with the right boot. A set of tyres is defintely cheaper than a clutch ! I have no experience of a Porker with a fresh clutch, for all I know mine is still the original having covered 90K miles. Whilst my sensible trousers tell me that wheel spin isn't a good thing, how boring would it be if you can't light up the wheels every once in a while !
Migration info. Legacy thread was 884
Jamie Summers
Sao Paulo
- Joined
- 29 Oct 2002
- Messages
- 935
Phil,
My car is still with them at the moment - so I'll report back when I get my car back. They seem like a nice bunch and had some quite smart cars in at the time (a rather tasty looking 73 RS for example !), but the workshop certainly wasn't the most state of the art laboratory conditions (not that it was dirty, just pretty jam packed with cars !) Also they said there would be someone there at 8.30 am and no one showed up until 9.05 which wasn't a great start - I guess that's London traffic for you !
As far as the quote went they weren't the cheapest (RGA in Vauxhall) but were much cheaper than Charles Ivey or JZ for instance. If all you need is a service then prices don't seem to vary that much.
I'll update as and when ........
Jamie
Migration info. Legacy thread was 949
My car is still with them at the moment - so I'll report back when I get my car back. They seem like a nice bunch and had some quite smart cars in at the time (a rather tasty looking 73 RS for example !), but the workshop certainly wasn't the most state of the art laboratory conditions (not that it was dirty, just pretty jam packed with cars !) Also they said there would be someone there at 8.30 am and no one showed up until 9.05 which wasn't a great start - I guess that's London traffic for you !
As far as the quote went they weren't the cheapest (RGA in Vauxhall) but were much cheaper than Charles Ivey or JZ for instance. If all you need is a service then prices don't seem to vary that much.
I'll update as and when ........
Jamie
Migration info. Legacy thread was 949
No, not chipped yet, although it's definately on the cards for the spring. I'm trying to get hold of some Euro spec pistons first to up the compression, so want to get all the mechanical changes done first as this will have an impact on the fuel/ign map.
Nathan
Migration info. Legacy thread was 2225
Nathan
Migration info. Legacy thread was 2225
[quote:JzRL7AwSxI="Previous poster"]Quote: Originally posted by Nathan on 06 January 2003Jamie, from what I've read the standard air filter is not the most restrictive part in the intake system, so unless other mods are made it's a bit of a waste I think. Well, I'll keep telling myself that and save some money!!
I smoked my clutch also recently making a quick getaway, and was worried it was on its way out. It's been Ok since but I'm not holding my breath. Given a bootful of revs and a dry road from a standing start will the clutch on a 911 always give way to enormous grip the rear tyres generate? I hope so! I understand Porsche use Sachs clutches as OE, so you might find your alternative quote is based on the same parts branded as Sachs opposed to Porsche? The company I work for (automotive) does this also - same parts, different box (premium brand) so premium price.
Nathan
[/QUOTE]
Yeh this is what most people in the know say . The 911 exhaust on later models is the weakness not the intake. I've read some horror stories of what can happen when fitting oil filtered air boxes ie K&N such as oil coated particles of dirt sticking to the final pipe leading into the intake valves AFTER being filtered . That is the air that is going into your engine! Do a search on Pelican Parts forums on K&N and be prepared to go back to stock. Besides the exhaust updates for 911s there is also the engine management systems offered for earlier CIS K-Jetronic equipped engines from Milford systems called 'K-Star' I think . They are fitted by AMD and map fuel and ignition timing .There is a bhp gain but I don't know how much . Cost is about £750.00 I think . For later cars they offer a system called 'Film Star' I believe the Mass Airflow device is involved , similarly expensive I think .
milford microsystems
AMD
Migration info. Legacy thread was 2354
I smoked my clutch also recently making a quick getaway, and was worried it was on its way out. It's been Ok since but I'm not holding my breath. Given a bootful of revs and a dry road from a standing start will the clutch on a 911 always give way to enormous grip the rear tyres generate? I hope so! I understand Porsche use Sachs clutches as OE, so you might find your alternative quote is based on the same parts branded as Sachs opposed to Porsche? The company I work for (automotive) does this also - same parts, different box (premium brand) so premium price.
Nathan
[/QUOTE]
Yeh this is what most people in the know say . The 911 exhaust on later models is the weakness not the intake. I've read some horror stories of what can happen when fitting oil filtered air boxes ie K&N such as oil coated particles of dirt sticking to the final pipe leading into the intake valves AFTER being filtered . That is the air that is going into your engine! Do a search on Pelican Parts forums on K&N and be prepared to go back to stock. Besides the exhaust updates for 911s there is also the engine management systems offered for earlier CIS K-Jetronic equipped engines from Milford systems called 'K-Star' I think . They are fitted by AMD and map fuel and ignition timing .There is a bhp gain but I don't know how much . Cost is about £750.00 I think . For later cars they offer a system called 'Film Star' I believe the Mass Airflow device is involved , similarly expensive I think .
milford microsystems
AMD
Migration info. Legacy thread was 2354
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