987.2 2.9L Softronic Tune (2010 Base Boxter)

Intro: For whatever reason I'm always super skeptical of claimed increases. . . I'm jaded by inflated sales claims in all kinds of areas. But I did a lot of research around the forums and word of mouth, figuring that at least I'll get the throttle remap and maybe some noticable extra power which I firmly believe the Base Boxter needs. For comparison I had a 1994 993 C4 cab and a 2005 997.1 C2S. I don't need C2S power (it encouraged me to go way too fast on the street). But I did want 1995 base Carrera power, which was perfect for me for fast street driving on curvy old highways in the northeast. What i got was much more than I conservatively expected. I'm genuinely impressed. . . Installation: I don't go into much detail (unless asked), but the MyGenius device is a pain to set up. Impressions: Engine responsiveness: My Boxter base is much more lively and responsive (not just due to throttle mapping), it definitely pulls better, no a lot better. It is very probably not as strong as an S but maybe a Base "Plus???" Sound: sounds more aggressive (I have stock everything) and The induction sound is definitely louder, which I understand is a byproduct of more aggressive igniton timing. Midrange torque: I have to downshift less to get acceleration, so the shifting discipline I've been developing to get to the power confined to the right side of the tach might atrophy abit, LOL. RPM Increase: I got the option for +200 rpm which seemed de mininus but actually is pretty nice, as I don't have to focus as much on not hitting the limiter. The engine sounds great up there in the range so having it last longer is a win to me. Price: I agonized about the $1k price for over a year, as I don't have unlimited funds and I wasn't sure about the benefit. But you only live one (YOLO) logic prevailed and I'm happy it did. It increased my grins per mile significantly. I don't want to overstate it but it's kinda like a new car. I'm definitely having more fun. It is now the car I hoped for. Feels as lively as the 993 Sport Mode: Ironically, the sport throttle mapping isn't as aggressive as I hoped but it's fine and eliminates the 1/2" tip-in dead zone that made me hate the stock throttle mapping every rev matched shift. Conclusion: What a tune. Unlocks a much more engaging personality to my car. Loving it.

Glowing review....and here I thought I was done spending money......

I'd love to see dyno plots of without/with the tune.. and see how the powerband has changed. I have the Sprint Booster , and the Sport-Chrono retrofit (sport, sport+ and no clock..) I'd love to know how it compares. I have no complaints about not enough power with my 2.9L PDK , but - more is always (usually) better as long as driveability and reliability don't suffer. Certainly adding some RPM is good for more HP (Ducati has a 1000cc engine now with 300+ HP - at 14,000 RPM, the wonders of the Desmo valve system..) I'll have to look, but do you know if Softronic offers that info themselves?

Yeah, probably no objective data. It's definitely stronger, with better sound, weather it's worth it is a personal question

They're showing a 10% gain - that's significant and should be noticeable. Hmmm.. $1k eh? YOLO...

Update after 250 miles: Sound: Engine induction sound is definitely louder. I was missing that from my left ear! My first experience driving a boxter was a 986 base, long, long ago and the induction sound was strong, and really stuck with me, even though the acceleration wasn't great. I was hoping to have that from my 987.2 base but got none of it. This tune solved the problem. Its not as loud as my old 993, but its satisfying. I may do a "desnork" to up the volume a little bit more. even if i dont, its a very fine sound now. Gas mileage: I havnt had a chance to do a highway comparison yet. Right not I've been getting lower mileage around town, but i think thats just me revving to redline alot for fun. Power: subjectively, it still feel the same way. stronger pull, nice extra rpm headroom. Ive done some calcs and (depending on which weight you use) i'm getting around 10.5 lbs/hp , mabye a shade less. Hard to know what the weight is as there are a varying number of reported weights. This is right where i like my power level, about 10lb/hp. Excellence has 2943, and i think the o Honestly its really what i was hoping for in the first place...

Glad to hear you’re enjoying it! I purchased Softronic earlier this year but have been waiting because I also want to do high flow 200 cell headers and an upgraded exhaust . So much money!

Yeah, these "cheap" cars aren't so cheap! I put $5k into broken shifter cables, broken steering rack in the first year Then some upgrades and maintenance. The softronic at 1k is still less than the factory sport chrono option at $1.3k, and that option gets zero extra power. so I think we are way ahead with the ECU tune. I actually, perhaps bizarrely think its a decent value, since it really does elevate the base halfway to an S (power wise, not, of course considering the upgraded brakes and lower ride height, which I honestly dont value alot).

Great write up! Just to be clear, you have Sport Chrono or the factory retrofit Sport/Sport+ and now the Softronic tune on top of that? And obviously a manual transmission?

Hi thanks for the comment! No, I don't have the sport chrono option, the Softronic software allows an "option" of turning on Sport mode permanently for those cars that don't have it. (Of course it doesn't give the car the dash stopwatch) It's been great for rev matching, almost essential I would say because without it I would really have to contort my right ankle excessively to blip the throttle, especially for 2>1 downshifts. If you just want the throttle remap you could get one of the devices that plugs into the throttle wiring to only repap the throttle without the ECU tune benefits.

Thanks for the review. And so you didn't have to do any bolt-ons? No IPD plenum or bigger air intake?

Nope I didn't do any of that expensive stuff! Can't say if they work or not... A friend said his ipd plenum didn't make much difference but perhaps it needed a tune to take advantage of the extra air... Not my area of expertise!