I would think that some subtle problems may be car related, but is showing up when the same map is being used. Like you say about the valve springs being different on MY08 cars, this may only show up after the power has been hiked X percent.
I would say that some other basic checks and maintenance needs to be done before map is investigated, however I suspect cuprak1 being the person he is, has already scoured the net for information and done the checks, which is why he has arrived at checking what the map is doing and asking the questions.