The real reason that you have to select Jaguar or Victor is not because of the differences in chopping frequency (~200 vs ~15000 Hz), but because of the differences in the signal pulse width.
Victors use 1 to 2ms, whereas Jaguars use something about 50% wider. ((I can not recall the exact numbers right now)). This allows the Jaguars to get more precision from this interface.
As a result, using the wrong setting has poor results. Using a victor with jaguar settings usually results in losing low speed control (it goes to +100% or -100% too soon). Using a jaguar with victor settings usually results in losing high speed control (it never gets to +/-100%).
This is probably what saved you in your experiment. Since the IFI system assumes it is talking to a Victor, the Jaguar was interpreting full power as ~70-80%. So, you still got more more power than a 12V system, but not the full 24V power.
If you want to try it with full power, just recalibrate the jaguars as described in page 13 of 33 in the
Getting Started Guide .
The Jaguar's internal fault detection and prevention will
probably prevent the CIM from dying, but I'm not sure. The CIM simply isn't designed for 24V operation. You will know it is protecting its output if it turns off: command it to 0% to reset the protection. Be ready to sacrifice the CIM, and more importantly
BE CAREFUL. You are playing with a fair amount of power.