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I sold my 997.2 a little while ago; I got scared off by the bore scoring and early PDK issues. I am now looking for a 2017 or 2018 Carrera S cab with an extended warranty. One thing I have noticed is quite a lot of them do not have Sport Chrono. That was considered a "must have" option on the 997.2. Has this changed with the 991.2?
I sold my 997.2 a little while ago; I got scared off by the bore scoring and early PDK issues. I am now looking for a 2017 or 2018 Carrera S cab with an extended warranty. One thing I have noticed is quite a lot of them do not have Sport Chrono. That was considered a "must have" option on the 997.2. Has this changed with the 991.2?
I noticed the same when I was looking, much less sports chrono options out there esp if you are looking from low-high prices. I personally think its a must have, but any .2 even base is pretty damn quick
SC was a "must have" on 997's because both the Sport and Sport+ modes were not available without it. (could be added later with a software upgrade)
On 991's the Sport mode is standard on all models and most drivers don't use Sport+ on the street.
SC includes the following:
Sport+ throttle adjust
Dynamic engine mounts
Analog & digital stopwatch
Performance display in PCM
The carerra t comes standard with “sport chrono light” which is all the features above minus the clock/stopwatch. The clock was an additional option if desired.
For 991.2 I feel that it’s a must have option. With that said, there are plenty of owners without it that have survived without it. To not have this performance option on a 991.2 seems unexpected.
I bought a 991.1 Carrera S, PDK lacking Sport Chrono. At the time, early 2021, you couldn't get a 991.1 PDK with Sport Chrono from a Porsche dealer due to a emissions related issue that prompted PCNA to issue a Stop Sell order to their dealers. I wanted a CPO car with a full 2 year warrbny, only available from a Porsche dealer, prorated CPO could have been obtained from a PP. I went ahead with the deal...It did have two (2) modes, Normal and Sport, with Sport mode,being a nice option , especially coupled with with Sport Exhaust. But eventually I missed the "madness" of Sport Chrono's Sport + I had on an earlier Cayman GTS....6,000 RPM minimum in each gear...great for the track, but around town, not too practical.
Then along came a 2017 991.2 Carrera GTS with Sport Chrono; I traded in the 991.1...I couldn't be happier. In Sport + mode, it revs to 4,000 RPM minimum, which can work on the street when you are feeling sporty. Because the 991.2 is very torqey compared to the 991.1 due to the TT 3.0 TT motor, 4,000 is good enough. Nearly 400 Ft. Lbs of torque from 1,750 all the way to 5,000 RPM.
If I were Porsche late model shopping I would for certain be looking at a minimum, the 991.2 PDK base model, 370 HP and about the same torque as its big brothersm the 991.2 Carrera S and Carera GTS. Simply stated, thse cars simply haul ***, as they used to say. So there you have it.
@Martin S. The 991.1 PDK now operates the same way as 991.2 shifting up at around 4K once the emissions update has been completed. I love it - what Sport mode should have always been. Some members here are still concerned about exactly what the update does, but I have zero concerns and have not noticed any change in (seat of the pants) performance. If the gas is mashed down shifting occurs at red line as before.
I like to Autocross which runs fairly low speeds (<60) but lots of turns, twists, deceleration and acceleration. I run in sports + which sets minimum boost at about 1 psi. I’ve taken pretty experienced instructors with me (and let them run my C2S) who have commented that there is absolutely no turbo lag in that mode. And of course the suspension tightens up for the handling around the cones. I try to miss them.
Sometimes I run in the relaxed “normal” mode which quiets everything down (sometimes after a hyped up Autocross day). The 991.2 can be a very relaxing car when needed. I also like to watch the oil temp go up in normal mode to something like 225 which I think is good for the oil and the engine. Sport and sport plus suppresses oil temperature to about 194. But if at a stop light turning left where there is a double turn lane, I have no qualms in getting in the right of the two even if making a left right after that left. When I do, I switch to sport if not already in that mode and the Carrara is just super sneaky quick.
Finally, if merging to the expressway and I’m in one of those take no bull**** moods, I press the insanity button, the waste gate close and then it’s 20 seconds of crazy. After the first 5 seconds when I’m already doing 90, it’s like, now what to do with the remains 15? I really don’t want to wind up in jail. As for launch control, I’ve done that a few times and it is absolutely nuts but I prefer not to over exert the motor/PDK. But I just find the engineering incredible that the vehicle can even handle that much stress without breaking something.
So the moral of this diatribe? With all that control with one small dial, wait for the Sport Chrono. You won’t be disappointed.