Again, Welcome. Take a look around and enjoy the forum. Now, for your question.
OTS map is just that, Off-The-Shelf. This means that the map is not tailored to your specific car, climate and altitude. This map is general, usually safe, and not meant to uncork the most amount of power or even driveability.
Don't expect a time machine Dalorean from an OTS map.
I ran Cobbs OTS stage 1 map for a week prior to installing Perrin's OTS stage 2 and Cobbs OTS stage 2 about a week or two before Cobb's protune. 3 years on one OTS map or another and wished I had done a better tune sooner.
Cobbs OTS stage 1 map was pretty smooth and responsive. The map felt considerably better than Subaru's stock map. Butt dyno said there was a nice increase in power and driveability. One week later I received my DP and CAI and installed the hard parts and reflashed to Perrin's stage 2.
Perrin's Stage 2 left something to be desired. It was bumpy and boost seemed to come on a bit later than Cobbs stage 1. Power actually felt down. There was a massive stumble around 3-3.5k rpm. I called Perrin and Perrin corrected the problem immediately. They stated they were aware of the stumble and sent me a new map. I installed and the power band was smoother, no stumble smooth. The new map felt better but was still nothing to write home about. The Power band was very short. From about 3.5k to around 4.8k. Before 3.5k there was no power and the car felt very laggy and was very disappointing to drive. After 4.8k the car fell on its nose and ran out of steam very quickly. The low RPM drive was what really pissed me off, as this is where the majority of driving was at. Butt dyno says the more power but in a very narrow rpm range. Fun to drive if you can manage to stick within that range.
Shortly before the protune, I switched to Cobb' stage 2 as I had just about enough of driving a turd. Cobbs map further smoothed the power and brought a bit more in on the low range. The upper range felt a small margin better but still nothing great. The biggest improvement was as I said, the power band in the low range. Overall driveability improved. However, Perrin's map had more power, when it finally came on, but at a much shorter rpm range.
Overall, between the three, Cobbs OTS stage 1 map felt very good. Perrins stage 2 map felt worse than Cobb's stage 1. Cobb's stage 2 felt better than Perrin's stage 2 but only marginally better than Cobb's stage 1.
I wouldn't spend money on Perrin's stage 2. Luckily I got it free with the AP purchase. (a promo they had going on at the time). When it comes to between the two, Cobb wins because of the overall driving experience.
Cobb = smooth and consistent but a bit less power.
Perrin = short, explosive power band but a lot to be desired outside of that range.
Now that I have a protune, by Cobb, (E70), I can say that a protune is the only way to go. They will and can tune for the overall driving experience. Meaning, your casual, low rpm shifts and throttle input will be light years better than any OTS map. Power will be smoother and more consistent. Plus, they can also make the factory turbo pull much better in the upper revs. This car is an absolute pleasure to drive now and I don't feel myself hating buying a turbo 4, anymore.
My opinion is that skip the extra purchase of an OTS map, like Perrins or Crawford. Utilize Cobb's OTS maps and when you are ready, get a protune. Nothing will be better than a custom tailored map for your driving style and your car.
Find a reputable tuner in your area and go the extra expense and forget about farting with OTS maps. OR become a premium or platinum member and have one of our very knowledgeable tuners either do it in person (if your close enough) or have them do an E-tune. FOR FREE. DID I SAY FOR FREE!!!
Ask away if you have more questions!
