Sport Chrono - what does it actually do?
Rennlist Member
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 1,645
Likes: 264
From: Newport Beach
We've discussed this topic before but most everything that needs to be said technically about the feature has been said.
Like a few others I love the wart on the dash. That's what it's called. That said there are many that hate looking at it. I personally love it and it's the first thing I look for in another 991 when one is coming from the other direction.
At $1,800 it's only about a little over 1% of the total cost of the car and with what you get I feel it's a great option. I don't even care that the "clock" is the most useless feature of the option. If you plan on tracking the car at all and have PDK it's a MUST option. The car drives track sloppy in "sport" compared to SportPlus. To be honest I'd prefer an auto mode that was somewhere between Sport and SportPlus. That would be perfect as I drive almost 100% of the time in Sport and find myself using the paddles often overriding the auto.
Those with PDK and Chrono, manually shift your car over 6k RPM in Sport and then try it in SportPlus and you will see how harder/crisp the shifts are at higher RPMS.
Oh, and the function of the clock is not for timing yourself from 0-60 but lap times at the track. It of course can be used to do that but in a 991TT 2.6 seconds comes rather quickly.
Like a few others I love the wart on the dash. That's what it's called. That said there are many that hate looking at it. I personally love it and it's the first thing I look for in another 991 when one is coming from the other direction.
At $1,800 it's only about a little over 1% of the total cost of the car and with what you get I feel it's a great option. I don't even care that the "clock" is the most useless feature of the option. If you plan on tracking the car at all and have PDK it's a MUST option. The car drives track sloppy in "sport" compared to SportPlus. To be honest I'd prefer an auto mode that was somewhere between Sport and SportPlus. That would be perfect as I drive almost 100% of the time in Sport and find myself using the paddles often overriding the auto.
Those with PDK and Chrono, manually shift your car over 6k RPM in Sport and then try it in SportPlus and you will see how harder/crisp the shifts are at higher RPMS.
Oh, and the function of the clock is not for timing yourself from 0-60 but lap times at the track. It of course can be used to do that but in a 991TT 2.6 seconds comes rather quickly.
Advanced
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 64
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The start line is usually on a straight so all I need to do is to give the stalk a flick everytime I go pass the start line and that gives me the lap times.
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 249
Likes: 5
From: Pacific Northwest
We've discussed this topic before but most everything that needs to be said technically about the feature has been said.
Like a few others I love the wart on the dash. That's what it's called. That said there are many that hate looking at it. I personally love it and it's the first thing I look for in another 991 when one is coming from the other direction.
At $1,800 it's only about a little over 1% of the total cost of the car and with what you get I feel it's a great option. I don't even care that the "clock" is the most useless feature of the option. If you plan on tracking the car at all and have PDK it's a MUST option. The car drives track sloppy in "sport" compared to SportPlus. To be honest I'd prefer an auto mode that was somewhere between Sport and SportPlus. That would be perfect as I drive almost 100% of the time in Sport and find myself using the paddles often overriding the auto.
Those with PDK and Chrono, manually shift your car over 6k RPM in Sport and then try it in SportPlus and you will see how harder/crisp the shifts are at higher RPMS.
Oh, and the function of the clock is not for timing yourself from 0-60 but lap times at the track. It of course can be used to do that but in a 991TT 2.6 seconds comes rather quickly.
Like a few others I love the wart on the dash. That's what it's called. That said there are many that hate looking at it. I personally love it and it's the first thing I look for in another 991 when one is coming from the other direction.
At $1,800 it's only about a little over 1% of the total cost of the car and with what you get I feel it's a great option. I don't even care that the "clock" is the most useless feature of the option. If you plan on tracking the car at all and have PDK it's a MUST option. The car drives track sloppy in "sport" compared to SportPlus. To be honest I'd prefer an auto mode that was somewhere between Sport and SportPlus. That would be perfect as I drive almost 100% of the time in Sport and find myself using the paddles often overriding the auto.
Those with PDK and Chrono, manually shift your car over 6k RPM in Sport and then try it in SportPlus and you will see how harder/crisp the shifts are at higher RPMS.
Oh, and the function of the clock is not for timing yourself from 0-60 but lap times at the track. It of course can be used to do that but in a 991TT 2.6 seconds comes rather quickly.
Porsche AG did itself a disservice by choosing the English name "Sport Chrono" for this package. The word "Chrono" easily confuses many people who don't have the bandwidth to discover all the great performance features of the package (Marcus, you forgot to mention the incredible G-Force meter in the MFD that's very informative).
To those who wrongly think Sport Chrono is just an $1800 clock, don't feel bad. Porsche AG helped you sell it short by misappropriating that name.
By the way, I also look at the center of the dash when I approach a 991 and look for the cowl indicating Sport Chrono. If it's a blank dash, I think "Oh, poor guy thought it was just an $1800 clock".
Last edited by TTCarrera; Aug 6, 2014 at 03:23 PM.
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 249
Likes: 5
From: Pacific Northwest
It's the same clock in all cars, so the price difference magnifies the other features of the package and also magnifies the naming mistake Porsche AG made in not fully understanding the American marketplace.
Only someone stupid would pay $4100 just for a clock in a Turbo, but one would hope that a Turbo buyer would automatically want ALL of the other features in the package and is probably more engaged in knowing what they all are.
Only someone stupid would pay $4100 just for a clock in a Turbo, but one would hope that a Turbo buyer would automatically want ALL of the other features in the package and is probably more engaged in knowing what they all are.
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Instructor
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 249
Likes: 5
From: Pacific Northwest
No. A lot of people DON'T know that it's not a clock. There are dozens of threads on this and other forums with comments about the clock, the "wart", etc.
Did you even read the OP's first sentence in this thread's initial post?:
"I have the Chrono feature and have no freaking clue how to work it or what it actually does."
Did you even read the OP's first sentence in this thread's initial post?:
"I have the Chrono feature and have no freaking clue how to work it or what it actually does."
Rennlist Member
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 553
Likes: 9
From: SoCal
No. A lot of people DON'T know that it's not a clock. There are dozens of threads on this and other forums with comments about the clock, the "wart", etc.
Did you even read the OP's first sentence in this thread's initial post?:
"I have the Chrono feature and have no freaking clue how to work it or what it actually does."
Did you even read the OP's first sentence in this thread's initial post?:
"I have the Chrono feature and have no freaking clue how to work it or what it actually does."
He said Chrono Feature.
Where did he say clock?
He knows its not just a clock.
Its software (mostly) so it is hard to understand the extent of what it provides.
Rennlist Member
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 1,645
Likes: 264
From: Newport Beach
My bad.
Funny a 40 year old using "my bad."
I was just going off of Hinckley's post about the price of the option. He was guessing and I forgot. I looked at mine and it was $2,370. Still close to 1% of price of a heavy optioned S.
No need to argue about the clock. I can see why some don't like the look of the "clock." Hence the nickname Wart. My buddy is a big time head designer that has worked for a few big auto manufacturers/Pasadena Art design center etc. and he's always going on and on about "flow" on the dash and how the design where the doors meet the dash etc. so he's probably right.
I'm a Momentum generation guy that thought the coolest guy in town was the guy driving a new IROC with a massive Autometer tach on the dash. The one with the yellow shift light you can see from a mile away. Lol. That's probably why I like it.
Bottom line is with the chrono feature and PDK the car drives like a scorched dog in SportPlus as opposed to just Sport. I guess I'm really spoiled now because I can't imagine driving a 991 without PSE or Chrono. It's not for everyone.
Porsche should just make it another option to charge for. Check the box for Sport Chrono but "clock" delete. Hell, they could charge us an additional $200 not to give us the clock.
Funny a 40 year old using "my bad."
I was just going off of Hinckley's post about the price of the option. He was guessing and I forgot. I looked at mine and it was $2,370. Still close to 1% of price of a heavy optioned S.
No need to argue about the clock. I can see why some don't like the look of the "clock." Hence the nickname Wart.
My buddy is a big time head designer that has worked for a few big auto manufacturers/Pasadena Art design center etc. and he's always going on and on about "flow" on the dash and how the design where the doors meet the dash etc. so he's probably right.I'm a Momentum generation guy that thought the coolest guy in town was the guy driving a new IROC with a massive Autometer tach on the dash. The one with the yellow shift light you can see from a mile away. Lol. That's probably why I like it.
Bottom line is with the chrono feature and PDK the car drives like a scorched dog in SportPlus as opposed to just Sport. I guess I'm really spoiled now because I can't imagine driving a 991 without PSE or Chrono. It's not for everyone.
Porsche should just make it another option to charge for. Check the box for Sport Chrono but "clock" delete. Hell, they could charge us an additional $200 not to give us the clock.