OCBen

I myself drove a 997S with and without the sports chrono. On the one with the sports chrono I switched it on and drove some, switched it off drove some more, then switched it back on and left it on for the duration of the drive. As a mechanical engineer I was not at all impressed. Sure, the accelerator was more sensitive, but this didn't make the car faster. All it did was create the false illusion that the car had more power in the "ON" position simply because all it took was a touch of the accelerator and the car was pulling away.

It is just my opinion but I think all the years we spent behind the wheel driving a mechanically linked accelerator car has reflexively conditioned us to associate gas pedal depression with acceleration, with power. So much so that when behind the wheel of an electronically controlled accelerator car with software modified throttle mapping we actually have the sensation of more power. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But as I've already stated before I prefer to condition my reflexes to just one acceleration pattern for safety purposes.

Now I know some of you have found it useful for toe & heel driving to not have to depress the accelerator as much in sports chrono mode, which may be a good reason to get it if that's useful for you. But to each his own, right? So I told my sales person, "Nahhh.... don't want it, don't need it."

SoCal Alan

Honestly, there is so much stuff on the dashboard that the chrono is not as noticeable as I thought it would be. And it has grown on me.

Having the option, it's just nice having the ability to turn it on and off. I find myself switching it on all the time. Rarely, but I also will switch off PASM SPORT if the road is bad.

My father-in-law who complains about everything didn't say much about it. He was complaining about the seat belts looking pretty cheap for a $100k car. Most friends I've taken out for rides don't even notice it that much or if they do, it's not something they really care to comment about.

Flying Finn

Gents, trying to understand this correctly.

Is it so that if you don't get that sports chrono, it means there is no option to choose between "sport" and "cruising" (for lack of better word) mode and then the permanent setting is set "cruising"?!

And this setting in a Porsche sports car?

Speed

You don't understand correctly. The 997 S, which comes with PSAM standard, has "sport" and 'normal" settings but they just control the firmness of the suspension. With the Sport Chrono option, the sport setting also remaps the throttle to make it more responsive and also affects the point at which Porsche Stability Management comes into play.

Flying Finn

Thanks,

but in any case the "normal" setting then is the lame one and only if you get the chrono you have the sport mapping etc.?

In my opinion it should be other way around; if you want to have that "fancy spancy" option of dirrefent settings, it should be so that you can have option to have car less sporty & more comfortable if you "need" it, not other way around.

Not trying to bash 997 (I like it!) but after all, we are talking about a sports car and in my opinion "sport" should be prioritized over "comfort" in this kind of vechile.
Why in earth Porsche keeps doing these kind of things, is it really necessary?!

If it was in Cayenne, MB, Lexus etc. I could understand this kind of thing but not in a 911.

Gary R.

Your not far off. What I have been doing is ALWAYS running in Sport mode and turning off the PASM when cruising on highways, rough roads, etc. to give me the standard "softer" ride.

MMD

Would be fun to have it. There's nothing wrong with having a heavily gagetized car. Having the push-button throttle maps to choose from is great. Perhaps it should have been, "what the heck, I'll take it," and the decison would be a no brainer for most guys. Having the useless and huge stopwatch on the dash makes the decision difficult.

OCBen

You're right, so I guess I should have said, "Nahhh.... don't want it, don't need it....especially if the price for getting it is wearing an ugly wart!" Reminds me of pork barrel legislation that requires acceptance of a personally motivated provision in order to pass the entire bill. Maybe Wunderking (or however the CEO's name is spelled) owns stock in the company that makes that stopwatch!

Robbo 66

Pure 'tack'. Said it before, say it again. Some guy posted a little while ago that' all the hot chicks' he regularly picks up 'love' the 'wart'...mmmmm, that kinda made my mind up.

Flying Finn

There certainly is, well not for a car but for a sports car.

All them gadgets add weight and complexity and in a sports car, you don't want weight & complexity.

Boulevard cruisers are different matter but in a sports car, less is more.

MMD

MMD

You definitely make a good point about the complexity. I didn't think about that one. Getting less stuff hoping that less can go wrong in a car with massive number of computers, actuators, sensors and software is a good policy.

The weight thing I never think about. Just driving on the streets and most of my passengers could probably lose some weight anyway.

Le Chef

Interestingly some of the Sport Chrono software stuff is standard on the 612 I drove today, and boy can you tell a difference. The owner also said it was on the 360 and 430.

That stuff doesn't make the car any faster in a straight line, but makes it more fun on twisty roads and the track with stiffer suspension and looser stability control. The owner did not "diss" the electronics but felt they added depth to the car's abilities - you pick and choose according to conditions and mood.

I'm bemused that a Ferrari owner thinks the equivalent of Sports Chrono and PASM is OK, yet Porsche owners think it's "tack".

Why the big difference? Is it just the wart on the dash? Or are the changes in throttle sensitivity, suspension stiffness and stability control intervention not worth it?

MMD

It's the useless, in-your-face stopwatch that bothers me. By contrast Ferrari is an outrageous car, a fabulous car, they can't do anything to overdo it.

997/S is supposed to pay homage to the purposeful efficiency of the original 911. When they start to add unnecesary and mostly stock stuff like 19s, quads, stopwatches and video displays, it starts to weaken the purist appeal and flirts with "poser" mentality. That's my guess.

Le Chef

Ideally Porsche would have put the button(s) on the steering wheel, like Ferrari, and not bothered with the Wart.