Sport Chrono Test Drive
I've just got back from Porsche Centre Bournemouth having had my test of sport chrono.
The car was a standard 997 with manual transmission, 18" wheels and no PASM. This was useful as this car is much closer to the performance of the Boxster "S".
Yes you can tell the sharper throttle response when accelerating through and out of the many roundabouts but I didn't push the car particularly hard through the corners as going agricultural with their Pounds60,000 demonstrator would not put me at the top of their christmas card list.
I have to say, that with normal driving, which means 90% of the time I didn't really notice it that much. The system works by electronically reducing throttle travel, so switching sport "on" or "off" on a steady throttle you feel the system cut in as you are obviously using proportionately more (or less) of the throttle travel. The sales guy was switching the system on or off, and on more than one occasion I had to glance at the dials to see the setting. Which sums it up, really - if you are going to do a lot of track days then I would definitely have this option - with PASM. If your driving is touring and day to day then I actually feel that it is not Pounds507 well spent. In traffic, the more progressive throttle response of the standard car may actually be better. Blasting along the twisties then yes you would probably appreciate the sharper response, but I doubt whether it is worth the price asked. I suspect that even Porsche realise this - why otherwise throw in memory settings for door locks and "follow me home" headlight timing which is totally divorced from the raison d'etre of sport chrono? For me then, I have decided not to have this option. PASM is definitely staying, though. At "only" twice the price of sport chrono it represents much better value, in my opinion.
May be on the 997"S" with its much greater power and PASM the difference would be more beneficial?
The spec for my Boxster "S" is now exactly back to where I started! I also had a chance to sit in a car with standard (i.e. not adaptive) sport seats and found them very, very good and much better than the too tight sports seats of the 986 Boxster. Again spending Pounds1,400 more for the adaptive seats seems vastly excessive, the main advantage being the memory settings. Big Deal. Before you ask, yes I have experienced the adaptive seats!
The car was a standard 997 with manual transmission, 18" wheels and no PASM. This was useful as this car is much closer to the performance of the Boxster "S".
Yes you can tell the sharper throttle response when accelerating through and out of the many roundabouts but I didn't push the car particularly hard through the corners as going agricultural with their Pounds60,000 demonstrator would not put me at the top of their christmas card list.
I have to say, that with normal driving, which means 90% of the time I didn't really notice it that much. The system works by electronically reducing throttle travel, so switching sport "on" or "off" on a steady throttle you feel the system cut in as you are obviously using proportionately more (or less) of the throttle travel. The sales guy was switching the system on or off, and on more than one occasion I had to glance at the dials to see the setting. Which sums it up, really - if you are going to do a lot of track days then I would definitely have this option - with PASM. If your driving is touring and day to day then I actually feel that it is not Pounds507 well spent. In traffic, the more progressive throttle response of the standard car may actually be better. Blasting along the twisties then yes you would probably appreciate the sharper response, but I doubt whether it is worth the price asked. I suspect that even Porsche realise this - why otherwise throw in memory settings for door locks and "follow me home" headlight timing which is totally divorced from the raison d'etre of sport chrono? For me then, I have decided not to have this option. PASM is definitely staying, though. At "only" twice the price of sport chrono it represents much better value, in my opinion.
May be on the 997"S" with its much greater power and PASM the difference would be more beneficial?
The spec for my Boxster "S" is now exactly back to where I started! I also had a chance to sit in a car with standard (i.e. not adaptive) sport seats and found them very, very good and much better than the too tight sports seats of the 986 Boxster. Again spending Pounds1,400 more for the adaptive seats seems vastly excessive, the main advantage being the memory settings. Big Deal. Before you ask, yes I have experienced the adaptive seats!
The problem here in the UK is we are getting like Switzerland with radar traps, Gatso's, Truvelo's, SPECS, "safety" cars etc sprouting up like mushrooms everywhere 
you just don't have much opportunity to extend a car for much of the time. So I will enjoy the sound, the quality, the comfort, handling and the performance without losing my licence, which comes back to my point that I don't see, here in the UK anyway, that sport chrono would justify the expense. But I do take your comments and opinion on board. 
