GIAC-X VS APR chip, What Gives the Edge 2 GIAC?

[YMJ]

wondering what gives GIAC-X the edge over the APR... is it the boost?

because it seems my APR program has the same boost spikes and holds as the GIAC X..

[BoostinonYOU]

To be honest seems like it would be driver ~~ For instance the 2 fastest known 1/4 mile times are mine and gator al's which i believe has the apr software also we both ran 13.0 his was 13.09 mine was 13.0009. so I barely edged him out either way. my runs were done on stock tires, stock clutch, apr software, and forge dv's. All else was stock

[Rapter]

To be honest when I bought mine(APR) we tested both out. First APR and then GIAC back to back. Now I'm not sure if that had any negative effect on it, but the GIAC didn't have the punch that APR did. Even when we put the APR back in it still felt stronger. I went with APR because it's smoother which they say might be easier on the turbos and the APR ecu was loaded.

APR(stock, 93, race and valet)

[YMJ]

To be honest seems like it would be driver ~~ For instance the 2 fastest known 1/4 mile times are mine and gator al's which i believe has the apr software also we both ran 13.0 his was 13.09 mine was 13.0009. so I barely edged him out either way. my runs were done on stock tires, stock clutch, apr software, and forge dv's. All else was stock

not even a catback???

i have the APR chip, and a catback.. i was thinking going GIAC-x would make the car noticeably faster..

ive seen some dyno results , which put the giac-X @ 261 AWHP..

[BoostinonYOU]

its funny my ecu is loaded also, 91 damn crappy ca gas, race, valet, and stock on 91 proggy i ran a 13.35, and that was the fastest I had ran until i dumped 104 in, I was running consistant 13.1's and the last night of the track b4 it closed I was racing my buddy gino who has a homebrew stage 3, caught him sleeping at the light, rocked a 1.7 60ft and 13.0009 he barely edged me out at the end it was by about 4 -5 legnths but he ran a 12.2 @ like 115, I imagine if I had the jhm shift kit complete and a good strong clutch I might of dropped a 12, but thats neither here nor there.

[BoostinonYOU]

not even a catback???

i have the APR chip, and a catback.. i was thinking going GIAC-x would make the car noticeably faster..

ive seen some dyno results , which put the giac-X @ 322AWHP..

Nope no catback, Still dont have an exhaust to this day. The only thing ive added since running that time is a evoms intake which i dont think did anything. And thats full interior as well, just pulled the spare tire, everything else was complete...

[YMJ]

Nope no catback, Still dont have an exhaust to this day. The only thing ive added since running that time is a evoms intake which i dont think did anything. And thats full interior as well, just pulled the spare tire, everything else was complete...

that is sssssomee reeaally good runs than man!!

what's the fastest a GIAC-X has run?

i really care more about pump gas, rather than race gas,

[Matt@JHM]

I've compared my JHM and APR back to back and wow... it felt so slow. But this is their 91 file.

[YMJ]

I've compared my JHM and APR back to back and wow... it felt so flow. But this is their 91 file.

it felt so flow?

what you mean?

[Matt@JHM]

it felt so flow?

what you mean?

Oops, I ment slow.

[AudiSportB5S4]

not even a catback???

i have the APR chip, and a catback.. i was thinking going GIAC-x would make the car noticeably faster..

ive seen some dyno results , which put the giac-X @ 322AWHP..

that had to be a mighty happy dyno.... 322! holy shit. I put down 287whp and 336 torque on a mustang and im 3-.... that had to be a dynojet .

also comparison on Giac X since I had that prior to going 3-, GIAC comes on quickly, builds boost real fast and APR is much smoother. that is the difference of the two

[YMJ]

that had to be a mighty happy dyno.... 322! holy shit. I put down 287whp and 336 torque on a mustang and im 3-.... that had to be a dynojet .

also comparison on Giac X since I had that prior to going 3-, GIAC comes on quickly, builds boost real fast and APR is much smoother. that is the difference of the two

sorry i'll correctthat..

261 AWHP, on a mustang dynometer..

http://forums.audiworld.com/s4/msgs/1185070.phtml

here is the link


from that comparision, it looks likethe GIAC-X is much much better!

[YMJ]

Oops, I ment slow.

the APR seemd so much slower?

im thinking of getting the JHM tune.. with the MBC.. but do i have to send in my ECU? cause i need my car everyday!

[AudiSportB5S4]

no matter what you'll have to, unless you ask them which they may be willing to send you one with a core deposit that you'll get back once they receive yours.

[YMJ]

no matter what you'll have to, unless you ask them which they may be willing to send you one with a core deposit that you'll get back once they receive yours.

how much to buy one??? :S

[Matt@JHM]

the APR seemd so much slower?

im thinking of getting the JHM tune.. with the MBC.. but do i have to send in my ECU? cause i need my car everyday!

He solders an encryption board onto your ECU, and a chip attaches to that board.

So then your set - he can send you program upgrades/updates in the mail and you swap out the chips (of course he has a video with instructions).

[AudiSportB5S4]

well check the classifies maybe you can find someone selling the ECU programmed already. could run from 400-800 with ECU.

[Dr.Duct]

To be honest seems like it would be driver ~~ For instance the 2 fastest known 1/4 mile times are mine and gator al's which i believe has the apr software also we both ran 13.0 his was 13.09 mine was 13.0009. so I barely edged him out either way. my runs were done on stock tires, stock clutch, apr software, and forge dv's. All else was stock

Their is also other factors as far as elevation, race gas, the quality of that race gas, the version of the chip, the temp. the track temp, the track prep, the actual track.. little diffrent adjustment's, dv's, intake mod.. Stupid stuff that people dont factor.. Weight of car, driver.. The list really goes on and on and on..

BUTTTTTt.. To answer the question.. I believe GIAC tends to hold a little more boost, 1-2psi, and it also comes on more rapidly. APR is generally a little smoother, safer program.

[Dr.Duct]

p.s. I have both GIAC and APR Ecu's.. The GIAC feels a little stronger but not real noticable.. and the apr is def. smooth

[Dr.Duct]

p.s. p.s.

Im selling an APR flashed ECU for $275 plus your stocker.. you could always try it out and if you dont like it sell it for more then what your paid..

I need any style ECU. Doesnt matter what kind

[Das General]

Back in the day when I ran GIAC, for the first 3 months, all on stock components (DV's, TBB etc), the car would hit 18psi alllll day long and would eat up other stage 1 S4's.

The car felt sooo much faster and was extremely aggressive. I don't think you can really compare what is better/faster by what 1/4 times people have run. There are too many factors.

[Dr.Duct]

that and i think comparing which one is better... is more of a prefferance as well

[highPSI-S4]

Isn't it also easier to tune the GiacX file vs. the APR? Tuning ability and aggresiveness was he whole reason i bought my GiacX flash.

[McKennaS4]

im so surprised im reading another gic vs apr thread lol... not! =P

[YMJ]

im so surprised im reading another gic vs apr thread lol... not! =P

well not everyone has been here as long as you have!

any input regarding this, GIAC VS APR??

[ms4cd]

There are about a billion threads such as this one on AW.

It's been know that Giac runs more boost than Apr, 18 vs. 15. Also the timing on Giac software is a lot more aggressive. I have logged both on the same car, Giac's CF were a noticeably higher.
If running more boost be prepared to change stock turbos SOONER.

[Das General]

^ Not necessarily. I ran 18psi on my car for a while, pulled my turbos and they were fine and I beat on those turbos.


It's all about proper maintenance. 2psi or 20

[YMJ]

There are about a billion threads such as this one on AW.

It's been know that Giac runs more boost than Apr, 18 vs. 15. Also the timing on Giac software is a lot more aggressive. I have logged both on the same car, Giac's CF were a noticeably higher.
If running more boost be prepared to change stock turbos SOONER.

well my APR , spikes to 18, holds 16-17....

thats what i hear 'more "AGGRESSIVE" from evvveeryyyone...

but what does THAT mean? in terms of speed, HP, 1/4 time.. torque? 2nd gear pulls? 3rd? it has to mean something this "more aggressive".. just higher boost spikes.. so the car jerks more? that type of aggresive?

if one boosts earlier.. but lets off at the end.. yet the other one keeps the same power curve throughout the meaningfull RPM's.. like APR's..

than that program is better..

and one has to be better.. right?

[JD797]

do 0-60 times differ that much from let's say a stage 2+ with GIAC-X and stage2+ with APR??

[highPSI-S4]

do 0-60 times differ that much from let's say a stage 2+ with GIAC-X and stage2+ with APR??

When talking about stage2+ cars there are to many factors, one being mods.
and i wouldn't compare 0-60 times.

[AB18]

I think the Apr V5 93 and Giac X are comparebale. NOT the Apr 91 code, that is weaksauce.

With that being said, i have a Giac X A box for sale i need to move.

I run Apr v5 93 sauce right now, its good stuff. There 100oct file is downright addicting :)

[The_Jerbel]

different fueling maps, boost maps, ignition timing maps. That's what "more aggressive" means.

[YMJ]

different fueling maps, boost maps, ignition timing maps. That's what "more aggressive" means.

but what does that constitute to??? more hp?? better 1/4 times??

[McKennaS4]

there are threads on audiworld that have real life dyno charts of giac-x vs apr, vs many other chips and stock. check them out with some searching on aw as im not sure where or when i read them and im reseaching meth right now becust thats what MY next step is. check out the jhm website also. they have a file to be used with an mbc which allows boost to come on quicker. i read a lil about it and its prob what id go with if i were still stock.

[YMJ]

there are threads on audiworld that have real life dyno charts of giac-x vs apr, vs many other chips and stock. check them out with some searching on aw as im not sure where or when i read them and im reseaching meth right now becust thats what MY next step is. check out the jhm website also. they have a file to be used with an mbc which allows boost to come on quicker. i read a lil about it and its prob what id go with if i were still stock.

thank's bud.. i might go that route..

yeh i checked out the dyno charts..

263 awhp giac x vs 220 apr..makes no sense to methough! seems too little!

[McKennaS4]

dif dynos.... on aw theres a thread with back to back runs same car same dyno etc. the only thing is that there are SO many variables other than just the software... depends on the condition of the car, boost hoses, turbos, spark plugs, hundreds of other little quirks. so id say your question has been answered pretty well by jerbel a few posts up.

[BITRBO]

...Adding onto Jerbel's response, I believe the term "aggressive" is also used to connote the "feeling" of the software. Meaning just what others said: the GIAC boost will come on quicker and stronger than the APR, giving it a more aggressive, rougher feeling. This is not to say that APR will not produce equivalent power, rather in a different manner.

An APR representative once explained to me that this feeling was produced by GIAC by adding boost spikes at certain times, which made the software feel stronger. IDK, he may have been blowing smoke up my ass, but GIAC has been shown to generally produce higher boost, aggressive timing, blah, blah, blah. So take it for what it's worth. But that's not to say that one APR stage I S4 won't produce more hp/tq than another stage I S4 w/ GIAC either... It's all relative, so you MUST compare apples to apples on this one (if you're looking for a Purist's view on the subject).

Personally, I've had APR in my 1.8t GTi and now GIAC in my S4 (I know, I know - they're totally different platforms) and I can tell the GIAC "feels" a little rougher and less comfortable for daily commuting. I often find myself pondering what life is like on the other side of the fence... This is counter intuitive considering that usually V6's are inherently smoother in their power delivery than an I4 (which, btw, is why they are commonly used in luxury and performance/luxury sedans).

So I guess it's all up to what your goals are for the car. One also has to consider turbo life, tunability, and a bunch of other factors. I would def. recommend reading some of the thousands of threads on the subject (here and elsewhere), as there are many other points not mentioned yet which may provide you with more insight.

[YMJ]

i've read most of themm...

to me it seems that APR and GIAC-X are really equal.. just GIAC-X gives stronger boost spikes, making it feel stronger..

but the Dyno chart i looked at put the APR @ 220awhp.. to GIAC-X's @ 262awhp..

which would make the GIAC-X smoke the apr.. personally i think its more equal.. those numbers for the APR seem very wrong..

[AB18]

They are, that Apr car was not running right. And that comparo is old, you need to run Apr V5 93 suace.

[The_Jerbel]

Get the APR if you want to throw the ECU in the car and be done with it.

Get GIAC if you want to do HB or even just an MBC.