Sport Chrono on Tiptronic S cars - gearshift speed and acceleration

Hi, I have been checking 987.1 Cayman S for a while, missed one narrowly about a month ago and am monitoring my local market for the right one. I am set on one with the Sport Chrono option. I know that can be retrofitted but I'd rather find one that has it already, in particular in my market where there is no real premium for it, while it will still cost 1000 to 1500 USD to retrofit it. I can't find any information, in fact I don't think any official one was ever published about the acceleration time of a Sport Chrono Tiptronic S model. Theoretically, the fact that the sport mode makes the gearbox shift faster should provide something a bit more brisk but is it even quantifiable? It would be interesting to measure the 0 to 60mph (or 0 to 100 kph) on a Tiptronic car with sport mode engaged and disengaged to see if there are any gains. In terms of driving, when I test-drove the Tiptronic S with the sport mode on, the manual gear shifting was about as quick and responsive as what you get on ZF boxes like 6HP26. Thank you! PS: don't sell me a manual, our market only (unfortunately) has auto versions.

Just get a 987.2 or 981 with PDK . Not bashing a tip, it’s pretty good for street driving but it’s no PDK .

I don't need a PDK and I don't think it's worth the premium, nor is the DI engine. Then yes, it's probably better to step up to a 981 . I am (most probably) getting a 987.1 Tiptronic S with Sport Chrono , that leads us to that question I was curious about.

OK. The sport-chrono makes no more HP. It will shift your shift RPM to a more aggressive mapping. Will that make the car faster? Unlikely since it's making the same HP and torque. BTW - welcome to Planet-9, the Friendly Porsche Forum for Prospective Owners even from Hong Kong. When you have a car in hand - take time to stop in our new members forum and introduce yourself and your car. Good luck finding what you're looking for!

Thank you, I'll do!

I have an 07 S tip with sport chrono with upgraded paddle shifting and engine software and in no way is the sport chrono useful unless you are tracking the car and need lap times/data like that. it’s an expensive clock on the dash.

Thanks for the feedback. I don't really care about the chrono part indeed (the chronometer itself), but more about the sport button and associated functions (hard vs soft limiter, throttle response, quicker gearshift, less intrusive PSM), which I know can be retrofitted. However, the only reason why I would like to find a factory sport chrono is that in terms of economics I'd be better off finding one with it than retrofitting it as they sell for the exact same price here. When you retrofit, you don't get the chrono part I believe then you had the Sport Chrono Package Plus that had even more useless track oriented functions, which is the one you may have.

I have PASM and Sport Chrono So yes, I would agree that the "sport" button rpm patterns are more aggressive.... that can be mitigated by 1 - using manual mode 2 - softronic software upgrade Or a combination of both for a much better benefit. 2.7 or 3.2/3.4 tiptronic drives like crap compared to pdk . Future proof yourself The tiptronic gearbox may be cheaper today...... the bath you will take on resale if you decide to sell it later..... well, are you a betting man?

I guess overall it's already a bit frustrating to have a factory 0 to 100 kph in an S Tip that is about the same as the 2.7 manual, then of course in driving conditions it's different and the S tip is quick, but I am pretty sure the sport mode gives it this extra bit of life that you need in my environment: twists and hills. I have a 6 speed ZF auto on my daily (QP Sport GT S) than I only drive in sport mode in manual. I guess as long as I get about the same gearshift duration and control I'd be fine. And when I test drove the Tip in sport mode, shifting with the buttons it had a good feel.

I did read about the softronic, and they have quite a good reputation. Resale is market specific, irrelevant here because they are as depreciated as they can be, borderline disposable. PDK is a rational choice but still based on economics in particular markets. I'd rather get a R here than a S PDK, economically speaking it would make much more sense. But if I start getting into R budget locally, I open the door to many other options and/or brands. Which is why I am set on a 987.1 only, and the Tip box is not really a choice, it is what we have in our market where manuals are 1% of the cars sold probably.

Let’s take a step back and talk about what you really want to do with the car. That can help guide you. I can give you my perspective. I wanted to get an auto because my wife and daughters can’t drive stick and I was not about to train them on a Porsche . My brother in law has a 997.1 tip and it’s a fun around town car and for spirited runs in the mountains, but the tip lacks that race car feel of the PDK . So PDK is was so then it was 987.2 or 981 . Well this was easy my wife looked at both and the interior of the 981 is so much better. So decision was easy. I then chose the base because I wanted to whine the thing out on roads at a reasonable speed and the sound of the 2.7l. A tune and soul longtube headers have just made this thing an absolute joy on backroads. Yes I am biased towards the 981 . Price factored in as well so I took a small loan to cover the higher price. A 987.1 tip I could have bought outright but it just did not fit my desires. If it was more a track car it would have been an S a probably a manual, but PDK would have been close. Hope you find what you want. In some ways the hunt is more fun. Goodluck.

Ahahah, true! It's quite fun to hunt. The one I missed I take it as it wasn't meant to be... It was white, not my favorite color, although my daily is white, but beggars are not choosers, so sometimes when you don't buy new you work with opportunities on hand. Design wise, the 981 is my favorite of them all. As a bit of a background info, I am not really a "Porsche guy", don't hate me for that. I was never into 911s, I never liked the way they looked, although since I rode in my friends GT3 touring pack about 4 years ago, I have to say I like them more He's one of the guys I used to race with, as "gentlemen drivers" to politely say amateurs. And to be fair from the 992 the 911s finally started to look great (I will be flamed for that comment I know, but we're in the Cayman/Boxster sub-forum, right?). I almost always had 4 seater coupes, so the Cayman, although I thought it was the only one I may want because the engine was at the right spot, wasn't fitting the bill. I recently and finally realized that I maybe could add a 2 seater because I have my 5 seater and I may one day replace it for a 4 but I still have room for a 2. Let's say that as a Petrolhead, whatever happens I should never say never and it's time for me to own a Porsche, still true to my idea that a 911 is not for me. So I have a bit of that Porsche itch, and I don't want to die stupid. This said I'd love a 914-6! Since the 987.1 are not a strain financially here, it's like a risk free purchase (I don't even care about bore scoring and that's easily ruled out). I like my spirited driving, there is only one short highway (the one to the airport) that has a 110 kph speed limit, so enjoying getting a mid engine car fast in tight corners and over hills with a seaview is what I am left with. This is also why, even though I feel the S is underpowered, I don't really care. I tried a 987.1 2.7 and it's a no go for me, I will be frustrated. Way to slow and I am too old to spend my time at the rev limiter, I need some torque as well. I know this is not true for the 981, it's probably faster than the 987 S The Cayman 987.1 S is still light and it will be used to go to work, and do groceries and to take a share of some of the mileage I put on my other car that I decided to keep forever. I am lucky enough to have GTs that are 400+ and 500+ HP, but as a driver I will also be fine with a light nimble car that isn't a super car and that still is analog. For example, a F430 is a bit overwhelming for the road... A Cayman 987 has usable power, I wouldn't mind 400 HP to be in between but it is what it is. Tiptronic, I don't hate them. I hate old school auto boxes from the 90s with 4 speed and a crazy slow gearshift and no manual control. Auto boxes from the Cayman generation are modern enough for me. I wouldn't get a manual here anyways as we still have hyper urban environment as well and an auto is a good option if it has an efficient manual mode. I hope this give some insights on why I am quite set on a 987.1 Tiptonic S with Sport Chrono. I am targeting something in between 60 and 85000 km. I won't mod it, I just want to make sure the one I find comes with 19 inches and I may consider a TCU tune as a back up if I really don't find what I want but we'll see. And of course it will go to my exhaust shop to get the secondary cats removed. As for the rest, I'll keep it tidy.

Just make sure you get a PPI, for any Pcar you buy. It will save you lots of money. Good luck.