Remap 987s

[Nick C]

Hi, just had a guy I've used before on my bmw to remap my boxster 987s and just took it out for a spin, check coolant level and check engine light came on, this isn't coincidence at all. I trust the guy 100% and he will sort it or put it back to stock, anyone else experienced this or any ideas, wish I'd never had it done now. 

Thanks in advance. 

[iborguk]

11 minutes ago, Nick C said:

Hi, just had a guy I've used before on my bmw to remap my boxster 987s and just took it out for a spin, check coolant level and check engine light came on, this isn't coincidence at all. I trust the guy 100% and he will sort it or put it back to stock, anyone else experienced this or any ideas, wish I'd never had it done now. 

Thanks in advance. 

Get a decent code reader to read the errors for starters.

Hope you get it sorted without too much agg.

[Nick C]

Cheers mate but I'm gonna let the guy check it, I'm not paying to find out as car was 100% before. 

[iborguk]

Yeah I meant him sticking it on...coolant level look ok ?  Anything on the floor ?

Edited November 3, 2023 by iborguk

[Nick C]

Sorry mate misunderstood you, coolant perfect, floor bone dry, he's coming back Sunday but in these situations it bugs me to death, car never had any faults in 4 years of ownership, after this remap I get these 2 faults on the dash. 

[iborguk]

Never say never re another root cause but that sounds like too much of a coincidence.

[Nick C]

I'd put my house on it mate, there's no way that's coincidence. 

[bally4563]

53 minutes ago, Nick C said:

I'd put my house on it mate, there's no way that's coincidence. 

He’s put in too much advance, standard is 8 degrees and  the recommended is 15 degrees, allied with fuel mapping 

[Nick C]

Thanks for that mate, I'll show him the info you've sent me. 

[Lonewolfgjp]

I ve had my last two Boxsters re mapped and never had any check lights.

I did have my 981 go in to limp mode when we road tested it but he just plugged the laptop back in and made some adjustments and never had any issues. That was 2 years ago and still running beautifully 😎👌

[Nick C]

My guy is coming back on Sunday and having a look at it, he'll sort it but I just wondered if anyone else had any similar experiences. 

[sa utah]

Waste of time remapping a 987.       Just get it put back to stock

[nelmo]

Never see the point of remapping a factory car - they've spent millions getting it right, no aftermarket guy is going to make it better. If the engine is running rough, you've got some other root cause you should look at. You might do it to get 20bhp extra, I guess but I doubt you'll notice that on the road. My son has spent £450 remapping his car and I can't tell any difference (although only as a passenger) - he insists it feels 'better' but wishful thinking IMO.

In the kit car world, we all get remaps because we're throwing engines, gearboxes, diffs etc together that were never really designed to go together,  so a remap makes a big difference.

[Blakey]

I thought the 987 sort of 'adjusted' it's self anyway,  compensating for different fuels etc. So if you change a throttle body for instance,  does it not just adjust for the bigger butterfly?

[nelmo]

Modern ECUs do have some adaptability based on what the lambda sensors are reading, although something as major as a new throttle body might be too much for it, especially a 15 year old ECU that a 987 has. The slight change due to petrol rating/quality is simpler to handle but new hardware would need a full remap, I'm sure.

[fewtrees]

It’s always been worthwhile on my bikes and I thought one of the main reasons on a 987 was to get rid of some of that flat spot caused by emission requirements? They’ve spent millions making sure you get a car that works for everyone, worst fuel, high temps, most stringent emissions and noise requirements.

Not sure they’ve got the most out of the engine…

[Nick C]

I'm just taking my guy at his word, he's done a few boxsters now and said they always drove better afterwards, proof in the pudding, if it doesn't impress I'll see about getting my money back, simple as that. 

[moneypit]

I'm never sure what a remap is supposed to achieve on a standard N/A car. As said, 20 brake on something that already produces 280 ( 3.2 in my case ) just isn't noticeable on the road at that level. If you remap a standard turbocharged car, in my experience you will get torque gains worth having, but supporting mods on an N/A or turbo car make more sense in justifying a remap.

To be fair though, I've driven a few 3.2s and the one I currently have feels extremely quick compared to the others. I haven't ever noticed any flat spots either, so perhaps Toeside ( Angus ), who I bought it from on here can shed some light on things going on with it that I may not be aware of! 🤔

Edited November 13, 2023 by moneypit

[moneypit]

On 11/12/2023 at 4:34 PM, Blakey said:

I thought the 987 sort of 'adjusted' it's self anyway,  compensating for different fuels etc. So if you change a throttle body for instance,  does it not just adjust for the bigger butterfly?

They'll advance the ignition to take advantage of better fuel, but mods like that are better off being done with other complimentary mods, followed by a remap. The standard ecu can only do so much without help.

[Crudeoink]

On 11/11/2023 at 9:09 PM, nelmo said:

Never see the point of remapping a factory car - they've spent millions getting it right, no aftermarket guy is going to make it better. If the engine is running rough, you've got some other root cause you should look at. You might do it to get 20bhp extra, I guess but I doubt you'll notice that on the road. My son has spent £450 remapping his car and I can't tell any difference (although only as a passenger) - he insists it feels 'better' but wishful thinking IMO.

In the kit car world, we all get remaps because we're throwing engines, gearboxes, diffs etc together that were never really designed to go together,  so a remap makes a big difference.

If only people knew what working in the engineering team at an OEM was really like. Ultimately the engineers dont really spend as much time (as they'd like) getting perfecting the 'map' as requirements are primarily based on Cost to develop, Fuel Economy, Cost to develop, Warranty failures aaaand Cost to develop. Hence why pretty much every road car, bike etc all has a one size fits all map. Dont forget that peak power isnt what makes a car quick, its the area under the curve. Id take a car that makes an extra 10hp from 2k rpm to 7250rpm rather than one that makes 20hp extra from 6500- 7250rpm. It's not just power too, I've had bike remapped in the past that took me from 155hp at the wheel to 157hp at the wheel, barely a noticable difference on paper but the way the power came in was far, far better.  

[Nick C]

That's what my guy said, he said it will just drive and feel better through the gears which for me makes a difference, its not for everyone but that's why we are all different. 

[Menoporsche]

With turbos, remaps are to get clearly higher bhp. That’s a waste of money for NA but they will get you a smoother and stronger power delivery through the curve, originally for emissions, economy or other marketing reasons. 

[Patt]

Turbos only get a higher BHP by increasing boost pressure, an thus requiring more fuel to keep up. etc.etc.

The NA tuning is no where near as easy, but can still reward.  Especially if you consider that our engines are all strangled to ensure the Money/ego maker has the headlines (911).

Increasing the ability for the engine to breathe, especially oxygen is key.  The ECU will keep up, but won't take advantage of the improvements. 

The increase in torque is more noticeable on a NA car.

I've yet to put mine on a dyno, as I'm still struggling with talking to the PDK box.  The engine map has made a considerable difference to power delivery, acceleration and noise.  If the MOT station isn't busy tomorrow I'll see if it makes a difference to the emissions too.  I intend to do a full write up, once I've got everything working.

I would not rule out re-maps, but they are usually not cheap if they are to be effective.  As with everything, there is a path one should follow and some of the junctions one discovers are half the fun...for those inclined to travel that path.

[Menoporsche]

36 minutes ago, Patt said:

there is a path one should follow and some of the junctions one discovers are twice the cost and don't do much