Porsche 991.2 Carrera Development : Turbos for All!
In the coming months we’ll be developing our Accessport and Accesstuner tuning solutions for Porsche’s newest Carrera. Fun fact – IT HAS TURBOS!
The 2017 Carrera S marks Porsche’s first turbocharged non-Turbo model Carrera S. The outgoing 3.8L naturally aspirated motor is replaced with a smaller 3.0L motor with two turbochargers bolted to the sides. Porsche’s reasoning behind the switch is to improve both power and economy without sacrificing the core benefits of the Carrera and Carrera S. There are, of course, may opinions on whether or not they’ve succeeded in that venture. We’ll save that for another time and focus simply on the differences in power output between the old and new.
2015 (991) Carrera S
The outgoing Carrera S was equipped with a naturally aspirated 3.8L engine that produced around 369hp and 309 ft/lb measured at the wheels. Displayed in the dyno graph below, the torque curve was (relatively) flat across the board with a steadily increasing horsepower curve. This is a motor that loves to live above about 5000 RPMs. Also obvious is how high-strung these motors were from the factory. While there are definitely gains to be had with bolt-on modifications and tuning, they are not anywhere near what we typically see with a turbocharged application.
2017 (991.2) Carrera S – Baseline Dyno Pulls
Below is an initial baseline from our 2017 Porsche Carrera S. Immediately noticeable is the sharp low-end torque curve which reaches peak almost immediately and carries to right at 5000 RPMs. This car is making about 10 wheel horsepower and 70 wheel torque more than the outgoing Carrera S. The additional low-end torque is hugely present while driving and makes the Carrera S a pleasure to scoot around town. Power is still very strong up top approaching the 7400 RPM redline. We are extremely excited to dig into Stuttgart’s newest Carrera and have high hopes for their future turbocharged vehicles.
Our engineering team had the pleasure of disassembling a brand new Porsche. Along with increasing power output through tuning, we’ll be determining an ideal upgrade path based on what parts are found to be a limitation to making additional power.
Do you have anything for the 2017 991.2? Or is it in development?
We do not yet offer tuning support for the 991.2 however it is a project we are actively working on!
Marshall@COBB
Hi Marshall,
Any updates on the progress of the 991.2 AP support?
Thanks,
John
Hey John, no updates as of yet! There may be some light at the end of the tunnel, though. 😉
Marshall@COBB
Hi Marshall,
That’s great! Really looking forward to getting the PDK tune as well as a proper ByDesign stage 4 tune. 🙂
Thanks,
John
Hi, any more news?
Hey Amir, nothing of note quite yet.
Marshall@COBB
Hello, I’d like some news too, anything yet?
Hi Marshall,
After nearly two years of owning the 991.2 and waiting patiently on the Cobb, I cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. Can you give me something more concrete? Been a Cobb customer for all of my Porsches. Thx!
Hey there! We definitely appreciate your loyalty and patience thus far. With some recent developments, I hope we are able to provide more accurate information in the very near future.
Marshall@COBB
Any news on the tune for the 2017 991.2?
Hey Alex! Unfortunately, we don’t have any updates on a timeframe for a potential consumer release. We do have the ability to tune both the 991.2 and 718 cars using internal tools, however, developing a polished flashing solution for the end user takes a bit more time.
Marshall@COBB
Hi Marshall,
Any further updates as of yet? Also, since you have the capability to do it “in house” would it be possible for me to come in and have the 991.2 accessport installed if the price was right? And a general question regarding the accessport for the 991.2 – will it have the “race start” feature (is this in essence launch control)?
That -may- be possible as we grow closer to the public release date. Are you local to us here in Austin, Texas? The initial release will include the option for PDK Tuning, I am not sure of which custom features will be available though.
Marshall@COBB
I understand there’s probably no update, but are we talking months, or years before something becomes available?
With some recent (this week) developments, it’s looking like a 1-2 month time frame.
Marshall@COBB
Does this new AP require ECU removal? If so, whats the process?
Hi there! We will have more information on the complete process for installing an Accessport onto 991.2 and 718 vehicles in the near future. I can say that the initial release will require users to send their ECU to COBB to be unlocked.
Marshall@COBB
Hi Marshall,
Having to send the ECU in is disappointing news. The only reason I’ve been waiting this long for the COBB tune is because I thought I was going to be able to plug it like I do on my Macan. Other tuners have already been doing ECU upgrades for a long time… How much longer till you release the tune that we can do ourselves with the AccessPort?
Hi Marshall! It’s disappointing for me also to hear that you have to send in your ECU for a tune. I would have done that long ago with GIAC, but I waited for Cobb. What is your plan in the future with people sending in their ECU – will they get upgraded to the AP when that becomes available? When do you think both of these would happen? I’ve been waiting for a long time, so thank you for the insight!
Hey there! We will be releasing some additional information about the overall process very soon. For now, I should clarify that the Accessport WILL be available for 991.2 and 718 vehicles immediately upon our release. Once the ECU has been bench-flashed here at COBB you will be able to use an Accessport as normal.
Marshall@COBB
Once flashed to stock, theres no way for the dealer to know its been tuned?
Typically that is correct, but we never make any 100% promises regarding flash recognition or dealer response to tuning or modifications.
Adam@COBB
Thanks for your hard work at Cobb. The Cobb University videos are outstanding. We’ve been patiently waiting for a year since the announcement of a 991.2 access port. Can you share some data across the range Carrera, S, GTS for projected performance gains. Fabspeed just published their ECU bench flash numbers and it sounds incredible. •Carrera- +105hp and +135tq •Carrera S – +90hp and +110tq •GTS – +75hp and 80tq
https://www.fabspeed.com/2017-porsche-991-2-carrera-fabspeed-ecu-tune/
Having an Accessport however would be a gamechanger and my personal preference. Can you please share some enticing performance numbers and a hint of a realistic release date for those of us loyal enough to hold on a little longer to resist a GIAC bench flash but Jonesing for some info on the AP. Thanks, ML
Hi Michael,
Marshall has been out of the office. Sorry for the delay.
I don’t have a specific date that I can mention yet, but I can say we are getting really close. We are in the stages of trying to test out the process that customers will go through for the initial install. We’ve designed some new equipment and will need to train some employees on new procedures. Due to the first step involving back-door flashing the ECU, we want to really make sure it gets the white glove treatment and we’ve thoroughly tested it before someone’s shiny new ECU from an expensive 911 is on the line.
Regarding power figures, I can’t give anything specific out there either. We do have a very good idea of what the final maps will make, but until they are actually about to go out, I don’t want to make numbers public in case they change. I can confidently say that the numbers will be comparable to any of the reputable Porsche tuning options available in the market now. With the variances in fuel and dyno’s, its impossible to really know how well they compare unless tested side by side but with the additional features and convenience of the Accessport. The power will definitely be more than enough to make an Accessport by far the best all-around option.
Thanks for your patience. Feel free to check in any time.
Adam@COBB
Hello, is the 991.2 going to have battery drainage issues like the 991.1 with the AP? The 991.2 has a better battery than the old one. Are we going to have to keep a battery charger connected while installing/uninstalling?
Hey there! We will always recommend the use of a battery charger during the install/uninstall process to mitigate any potential issues while flashing.
Marshall@COBB
Will PDK flashing be available at the same time as the AP? It sounds like things are getting close?
Hi,
We are getting pretty close but PDK tuning will not be part of the initial release. We’re not starting from scratch this time though, so once the ECU tuning is released, then we can switch over to PDK again and it shouldn’t take too long.
Adam@COBB
Hi! Now that we’re getting closer to the release of the AP, any word about including a launch control feature for non-sport chrono 991.2’s? Similar to the Race Start Lite feature that was available for pre 17′ models.
“Race Start Lite:
This adds Race Start to Porsche Normal and Sport drive modes for all cars (including vehicles that do not have Sport Chrono). In COBB Sport, COBB Aggressive, and COBB High Torque Aggressive maps Race Start Lite is set at 5500RPM in Normal and Sport drive modes. Race Start in Sport Plus remains at the factory 6500RPM”
Hi,
The main focus is on getting out the main ECU support right now. We definitely plan to (and already are) work on lots of features and PDK options but that’s all still secondary until the base vehicle support is out.
Adam@COBB
Any updates on the availability of a accessport tune for the 991.2 base?
Hey Jordan,
Keep an eye on our social channels over the next couple of weeks as we’re planning to start sharing more information!
Marshall@COBB
Will this work for the 2018 manual?
Some cool features would be a proper launch control in sport plus, as well as ability to do no lift shift.
We’re just putting the finishing touches on 991.2 support for manual or PDK. I don’t know exactly what features will be available right off the bat but we will, of course, work to add additional features as soon as possible once the initial release is out in the wild. Adam@COBB