Ok, I know selecting the Sports chrono as an option is repeatedly discussed and quite frankly I'm still not convinced one way or the other of it's value..

If I were to go and compile statistics I'm guessing its about 80% of the opinions are that it should be in the build.. But then again I'm also surprised at the number enthusiast folks around here that claim to track their car as well. I guess I'm someone who can appreciate a fine sports car but don't intend to ever use it as a race car...

I for one don't plan to ever subject my car to that kind of rigor of a track, at best enjoy a nice ride on some mountain roads occasionally in the mix with my daily driving.....

I can see driving in sport mode most of the time as I like a car with spirit.. But I'm not really sure how often I'd ever use Sport+ mode (with PDK) as I'm really not sure how often if ever I'd be into driving around with redline shifts.. I suppose getting on the freeway occasionally.. Launch control? I suspect I'd probably try it a couple of times and never use it again.

I hear Resale value or resale demand, that's something of a joke.. If I were worried about resale value and considering that way I'd probably buy something used already. And I'll probably keep for 5+ years so and I think by that tends to diminish in concern anyway..

So I've gone back and forth and convinced myself that for $2,900 (on a PDK) my major benefit is an ugly clock on the dash.. (Actually I don't think it looks that bad)..

So given my uses about the only other factor I can see that matters to me potentially is the dynamic engine mounts. And I'm trying to understand what that really gives me from a practical perspective..

I know what DEM are and how they work and what the are supposed to do.. I get that there is a stability factor when driving the car hard in turns and the way the torque interacts with engine movement etc..

But it comes back to how big of a benefit is DEM, to the normal driver that wants to enjoy the car a bit (but not necessarily drives in a mode where a passenger will sh*t their pants)..

I guess I'm trying to understand SC and DEM better for the non Track driver.

 

If you don't track your car the only time you would use sport plus is on very twisty mt. roads whee you have the space and guts to go over twice the speed limit. Even then it can get old fairly quickly.

The only other time I might use it is if I really want to take off from a stop or slow start at full speed. With PDK the car shifts much faster and at a higher rpm that has much more power and will give you a hard jolt at every shift if it is in sport plus. You kind of need to experience it because it is pretty impressive. Launch control was a show all my friends once type of thing.

Near my house the highway is 80 mph and not very crowded. Hitting the go peddle and getting to a 100 on the entrance ramp is real fun. YMMV in So Cal. I am not sure I can tell I have DEM since I have little time with a car with out them.

 

Lol, not sure I'm man enough or skilled enough for the super high speed mountain road. Don't want to do a "Ryan Dunn"...

Yeah what you described with Sport+ and the hard jolt going to need to think about that.. That said, C2S in sport from a start ain't bad.. so I'm going to need to think about it a little more I guess...

Thanks for the inputs.

 

From what you describe your uses would be, the SC is likely superfluous, esp if you're not concerned w/ resale. But if you are at ALL considering doing even one or two DE events on a track, get it.

 

I don't track my car, but I do use SC occasionally and like it. I only use it when I plan to manually shift and it gives faster response times and better down shifting results. The main reason I got SC was for the engine mounts and it is a lot smoother and better around HS corners compared to my 2009 C2S but I'm not sure if the mounts had anything to do with it. All that said, there's no putting it on later so I went with it and have not been disappointed. I didn't get PSE and have regretted it ever since.

ChuckJ

 

I am Admittedly ignorant..... and the details I'm digging into to understand better..

How does SC give faster response times in manual shift? I assume you just mean that the throttle response is mapped more sensitive?

When you say smoother and better around HS turns.. what is the sensation you are referring to? Is it just rear end stability, vibration or just seems to have a better handling characteristics..

I ask because the general consensus is that the 991 is way more balanced in terms of rear end stability anyway (and I think that is without dynamic engine mounts..) So I'm trying to sort out what is just inherent in that regard with an 991 vs 997.. and what is attributable to the engine mounts..

I realize that may not be a question easily answered without trying all combinations of 997's and 991's with and without Dynamic mounts.

If indeed for reasonable (not track) driving, cornering and stability are drastically improved I suppose it might be worth it..

 

You need sport chrono, probably the only must have option. You can skip on just about everything else.

 

Walter Röhrl has said a base C2 with no options is a very capable car.

He has also said that DEM's come into play if one takes sharp transition corners at 90 mph.

The PDK transmission in a non Sport Chrono car is setup for fuel economy.
The PDK transmission in a Sport Chrono car in Sport Plus mode is setup for maximum performance.

If you get PDK, it's highly recommended to get Sport Chrono as it opens up the performance setup which can be mixed and matched with the economy mode options.

In the 7MT car, it is a nice to have but not required.

 

I put mine in manual, but use the buttons to shift. There is considerably more delay time normal mode than SC both up and down. The delay time comes from the time I press the button to the time it completes the action. This may be changed in the new software upgrade I just read about but I haven't had a chance to see if mine already has the upgrade.

In my 997 I could actually feel the engine / transmission moving around on HS corners that were on irregular roads. That has stopped with my 991, but again I'm not sure it is do to new geometry or mounts. The Porsche claim is that it smooths those out. I have been driving Porsches since 1967 (first was '63 356 and have had 15 total including 11 911s). My 997 was the most difficult to modulate around those type corners. The 991 is very simple.

The engine vibration at idle compared to my 997.2 is an order of magnitude smoother. I'm not sure if the mounts are the major factor there or if it's the new injectors.

I drove 911s and Caymans on the track during the road show. There it was clear that the SC equipped cars were more stable and we were only at about 80-90% capability on the corners.

ChuckJ

 

From a first time 911 owner w no track experience I think SC was worth the money. For the price of SC I feel I got a second car. In sport + the car is transformed. I don't have the knowledge or experience to give you much detail but the car is more responsive, taut, more planted. In manual mode I can safely and comfortably have a lot of fun.

 

Thanks for you enthusiasm, but that really doesn't tell me anything to help me understand why..

 

Im getting the true value of sport+ is in the response in manual shifting of the PDk.. (assuming someone like myself who doesn't plan to redline driving through the suburbs very often)....

This is making some sense to me....

 

Again, sport+ in manual PDk mode.. Starting to make sense...

 

What are the other options that you're getting in your 991?

 

Have you driven a car with sport + and compared it to normal and sport modes in both manual and auto pdk on roads that are windy/straight and allow for severe acceleration and deceleration (safety first!)? If not, this is an intellectual exercise that, because you say you don't care about resale value, probably won't get you many answers that help.

That aside, given your description of how you want to use the car none of the sport + functions (launch mode, severe relaxation of stability management, track-based shifting, etc.) are likely of value to you in 99.9% of your driving as a practical matter. Is it nice to know in the back of your mind that you have these capabilities and some day under some circumstance you can use them since you bought them? Maybe. You may know your mind better than any of us.

Lastly, using sport+ in manual mode is as close as you can get to old style shifting and being either a full-out race/track/street driver or hormonally challenged but now much more responsible (perhaps) than you were then kid as you can get short of going full manual. It can be a blast. I like it much better than having to punch a clutch, others don't. Personal preference. All of the above are worth it to a lot of folks. You have all the data (unless you haven't demo'd the car) time to order up.

(With regard to the DEMs, you will never know what they are doing for you unless you demo a car with them vs a car without under the right conditions. I came from a 997.2S and given the changes in the wheel base and the DEMs car to car I can tell a difference in cornering and it is significant. Again, given your stated driving conditions they sound like they will be of no value to you.)