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Sport button vs Sport Chrono Pack

Technetium

New member
First off, I am looking for a 718 Cayman. I started off thinking Cayman S, but I am now wondering whether the 2.0 litre car would be more than enough if it had the right options.

Anyway, in common with Joe (‘which Cayman for £17k’ thread) I am trying to get my head around the differences between the Sport button on the centre console (in the basic car) and the "extras” provided by the Sport Chrono Pack (SCP). Porsche says that the former allows selection of two suspension settings and that the "engine dynamics become even more direct” (whatever that means). And that the sports exhaust is automatically activated - if present.

The description for the SCP says that it "enables an even sportier tuning of the chassis, engine and transmission”. It goes on to describe the mode switch on the steering wheel, which has four settings (normal, sport, sport plus and individual) and also three PDK-specific features, one of which is a ‘Sport response’ button in the middle of the mode switch that "primes the engine and transmission for the fastest possible unleashing of power for maximum acceleration”.

So, I would just like to check a couple of my conclusions from this..

If you option the SCP on a manual car there is no Sport response button on the mode switch?

If you option the SCP with either gearbox, you basically get "more of everything” (as Mr Clarkson would say!) compared to the Sport button on a non-SCP car?

The two "big things” for me are throttle response and properly weighted steering (with plenty of feedback). I know that the Cayman is renowned for the latter, but does the SCP option make it even better/more direct? I know you have to try these things for yourself, but at least in theory?

Thanks, Philip
 
Philip,

You raise a very interesting couple of questions on the benefits of the Sport Chrono Package V the Sport button on Manual gearbox 718's.

I have checked my Driver's Manual section relating to SCP, and it clearly states the Sports Response Button is only relevant to PDK 718's. Manual gearbox 718's without the SCP option do not have the steering wheel mode dial fitted. They do however have a Sport button on the central console to activate the following control systems;

1. Sharper throttle response.

2. Auto Stop-Start deactivated.

3. The optional Porsche Sports Exhaust activated.

In essence, the Sport Chrono Package is optimised for PDK 718's. One of the key features of SCP on PDK cars is rapid-fire gear changes with throttle blipping on downshifts, the holding of intermediate gears for a longer duration before upshifting, a launch control feature, and the Sport Response Button. On cars fitted with Dynamic Engine Mounts the mountings tighten to provide a more responsive chassis feel. Finally in addition, pressing the Porsche Stability Management for 2 seconds engages the PSM Sport Mode which further delays the intervention of the electronic stability aids such as ABS, PTV, and traction control. This feature is very useful for track day activities and is not available on 718's without the SPC option.

In summary, SCP brings a lot to the party, especially on a PDK car where a wider range of features are activated. Even on manual cars, SCP is much more than a lap timing clock on the dash.

Whatever engine size you decide upon, I would recommend fitting the SCP option to provide a more enjoyable driving experience.

Brian



 
Agreed on all points. Whatever you do try both a manual and the PDK gearbox options. I'm betting you'll love the PDK with SPC.

 
Philip,

Just to add to Brian's comments, I believe I'm correct in saying that the SCP on a manual car also gives you the throttle blip on downchanges.

Jeff

 
Many thanks Brian, very helpful. I think I am slowly getting to the bottom of it.

I just did a quick 'experiment' on the configurator and discovered that the SCP is a £1271 option on the manual car but a £1574 option on a PDK, reflecting the fact that you get more benefits with the PDK. However, the option on a manual car is only 20% cheaper than for a PDK, so I am now doubting whether this fairly small difference in price properly reflects the respective benefits.

I am not planning to track the car so some of the other benefits of SCP will be lost on me.

I was going to ring my local Porsche dealer (in Nottingham) anyway in the next few days (re: test drives), so I decided to bring that forward to get their take on this 'SCP thing'.

The senior salesman I just spoke to said - very bluntly, but politely - "you simply don't need SCP on a manual car as nearly all the benefits are associated with the PDK gearbox".

This is somewhat at odds with Porsche wanting to charge prospective manual owners £1271 for it, but there you go.

Ask different people, get different opinions I guess.

I asked him specifically about throttle response and 'steering feel' and he said there would be no effect, adding that "the basic car is excellent in those respects anyway".

The confusion is not helped by Porsche providing a common description of the SCP (on the configurator) irrespective of whether you have previously selected PDK or manual (even though the price of the option changes) so the description states (apparently incorrectly) that you get the mode switch on the steering wheel even if you select the manual gearbox. Hey ho.

I am now planning to test drive a manual car without SCP (that's all that is currently available locally anyway) and a PDK car with SCP.

Obviously the latter will be a significantly more expensive proposition...

Philip

 
Motorhead said:
Philip,

Just to add to Brian's comments, I believe I'm correct in saying that the SCP on a manual car also gives you the throttle blip on downchanges.

Jeff

Thanks Jeff,

I mistakenly omitted the auto throttle blip with SCP on manual cars. As you say, PDK with SCP really is worth trying before finally deciding on the choice of transmission. I would not go back to a manual gearbox Porsche now.

Philip,

Just a point to consider on your choice of engine for your prospective 718.

At risk of being geeky, the 2.0 4-pot turbo engine does not have the sophisticated variable vane technology on the turbocharger. The 2.0 engine also gives 50 bhp less and 50nm less torque than the 2.5 engine. Believe me when I say, this is a huge difference. Especially if you drive mainly on rural roads where the power and torque advantages of the 2.5 can be frequently deployed. If most of your driving is on dual carriageways or motorways, then the power and torque difference will matter less. The choice is yours to make.

Brian

 
Thanks Brian (and Jeff).

Good and valid points about the "S", especially as I do indeed do most of my driving on rural roads and A roads.

Given a free choice it would be a no-brainer, but it will come down to money in the end.

Boring to some I know, but manual vs PDK is the initial key decision.

If manual, then I could probably just stretch to an S, but PDK + SCP + S might be a bridge too far.

I am still hoping to find a nice ex demo, which would of course give me more flexibility.

Unfortunately I am a bit particular about the 'other' features (ext colour, PASM, PDLS, park assist, seats, wheels) and haven't seen anything that comes close yet.

Philip

 
Hi Philip,

Your decision on buying the 718 was very similar to mine when I looked at this three years ago when the 718 was launched. Obviously it’s a case of driving the cars in the various configurations.

The 718 in not lacking in performance but the S feels much more responsive and the VV turbo delivers a much more linear power and torque delivery and is noticeably quicker especially on country roads. But of course there is a significant price hike.

The manual or PDK choice is very much down to personal choice , initially before I drove the cars I was sure that I wanted a manual- as a more pure driving experience or so I thought. Having driven the manual I found the gearing in first and second gears a bit long, the PDK was a revelation and the changes were so quick. The extra gear also gives more flexibility. The car can be driven in a relaxed fashion in fully automatic mode or driven in a more sporty mode using the paddles or sequential gear change. The Spots Chrono package offers very little with the manual box apart from rev matching and better engine mounts. The SC mode button on the steering wheel makes changing modes very quick and also gives the sport response button. You can also customise some of the settings using the individual mode.

Have fun choosing your car.

Neil

 
Talking about costs Philip, I know Porsche options aren't cheap but at £2k PDK isn't exactly bargain basement..! Plus - in that context - it's as well to bear in mind that a lot depends upon how long you intend to keep the car. If a mechanical fault occurs with the PDK transmission you could be faced with a whopping bill of ~£14k to replace it since - as far as I'm aware - repairs aren't possible, meaning that the whole transaxle has to be replaced. That's OK while the car's under the 3-year factory warranty, but beyond that I'd be inclined to budget for the Porsche Extended Warranty to cover any eventualities: probably ~£1k per year to include the (compulsory) 111 point check and (optional) Porsche Assistance but cheaper if you take out a 2-year Warranty.

Oh! One final - but very important - expense is to make sure that you join the Club..!

Good luck with your quest.

Jeff

 
Dick Dastardly said:
Hi Philip,

Your decision on buying the 718 was very similar to mine when I looked at this three years ago when the 718 was launched. Obviously it’s a case of driving the cars in the various configurations.

The 718 in not lacking in performance but the S feels much more responsive and the VV turbo delivers a much more linear power and torque delivery and is noticeably quicker especially on country roads. But of course there is a significant price hike.

The manual or PDK choice is very much down to personal choice , initially before I drove the cars I was sure that I wanted a manual- as a more pure driving experience or so I thought. Having driven the manual I found the gearing in first and second gears a bit long, the PDK was a revelation and the changes were so quick. The extra gear also gives more flexibility. The car can be driven in a relaxed fashion in fully automatic mode or driven in a more sporty mode using the paddles or sequential gear change. The Spots Chrono package offers very little with the manual box apart from rev matching and better engine mounts. The SC mode button on the steering wheel makes changing modes very quick and also gives the sport response button. You can also customise some of the settings using the individual mode.

Have fun choosing your car.

Neil
Thanks Neil, excellent summary. I am getting the feeling that Porsche still include the manual box as a sort of 'concession to tradition', but that the car is really designed to exploit the PDK.

I am wanting to like it, despite my disappointment (to put it mildly) with the DSG offerings from VW/Audi.

 
Motorhead said:
Talking about costs Philip, I know Porsche options aren't cheap but at £2k PDK isn't exactly bargain basement..! Plus - in that context - it's as well to bear in mind that a lot depends upon how long you intend to keep the car. If a mechanical fault occurs with the PDK transmission you could be faced with a whopping bill of ~£14k to replace it since - as far as I'm aware - repairs aren't possible, meaning that the whole transaxle has to be replaced. That's OK while the car's under the 3-year factory warranty, but beyond that I'd be inclined to budget for the Porsche Extended Warranty to cover any eventualities: probably ~£1k per year to include the (compulsory) 111 point check and (optional) Porsche Assistance but cheaper if you take out a 2-year Warranty.

Oh! One final - but very important - expense is to make sure that you join the Club..!

Good luck with your quest.

Jeff
Hi Jeff

No, not cheap but about the same as a DSG/s-tronic upgrade (used to be) on a performance VAG car.

(Incidentally, you can no longer order a Golf R or an Audi TTS with a manual transmission, and the TTRS has of course always been s-tronic only).

Yes, warranty extension will probably be a must if I keep it beyond 3 years, especially if I go the PDK route.

I really think that the warranty should be a lot longer on German cars, but that is another story...

And finally.. hint taken on club membership [:)]

 
Not sure why PDK failure is featuring any more than manual failures. Aside from the poor batch of manuals, neither have any real history of in service failure.

 
Something to consider irrespective of gearbox type is turbo lag especially from a standing start. in the standard 718 I found it to be worse than my previous S3 and was one of the main reasons i went for the 718 S. With SPC in Sport mode the turbo lag pretty much disappears. In comparison the S in normal mode the turbo lag is barely noticeable.

Really worth getting an extended test drive in both variants and with a Porsche pro driver if you can swing it with your local Porsche centre

 
Ralph,

Thankfully the PDK ‘box appears to be reliable so far with few mechanical failures reported over the past 10-years. Most problems seem to have been sorted with a s/w refresh or a minor intervention but if something major occurs the only remedy appears to be a very expensive complete transaxle replacement, regardless of the cause. It’s basically a constant mesh gearbox with a twin clutch pack, so not much different from a manual ‘box except for the servo-electronics and you’d think that some dealership rebuilding should be possible.

Owing to the increasing number of dual-clutch ‘boxes in service you’d have to bet that someone will be offering a repair service in the not too distant future.

Jeff

 
BJ Innes said:
Philip,

I have checked my Driver's Manual section relating to SCP, and it clearly states the Sports Response Button is only relevant to PDK 718's.

Manual gearbox 718's without the SCP option do not have the steering wheel mode dial fitted.

Brian

I initially misread Brian's post above, so my response was incorrect. Manual cars specced with the SCP option do therefore come with the chrono dial on the dash and the mode selector on the steering wheel. I found a couple of manual 718 Cayman S's on-line yesterday and the internal photos clearly confirm this. Sorry if I caused any confusion.

 
Daveotto said:
Something to consider irrespective of gearbox type is turbo lag especially from a standing start. in the standard 718 I found it to be worse than my previous S3 and was one of the main reasons i went for the 718 S. With SPC in Sport mode the turbo lag pretty much disappears. In comparison the S in normal mode the turbo lag is barely noticeable.

Really worth getting an extended test drive in both variants and with a Porsche pro driver if you can swing it with your local Porsche centre

A very valid point Dave.

The 2.0 718 does not have the sophisticated turbo technology that comes as standard on the 718 S and GTS. Turbo lag is practically eliminated in the latter models. It really is worth trying both variants before deciding.

Brian

 
I have tried both a 2.5 & 2.0 to be honest I found the 2.0 to be the sweeter engine yes the 2.5 is a bit fast obviously but for a road car with our roads of today 300 bhp is more than enough combined with PDK SCP the 2.0 in launch control is 0 to 60 in 4.5 secs without launch 4.7 with top speed of just over 170 plenty I would have thought in today's world as said try both you makes your choices you pays your money.

best of luck

 
I have driven both 2.0 and 2.5 but my vote would go to the 2.5, personally I don't like the button which allows so many seconds of outright performance as it seems once pressed it drops out just at the point where it is opportune to go, however, that can be allowed for with practice but I do like the older type of chrono pack operation since once selected it stays in mode. The last time I drove a 718 was at the PEC and it was a 2.0, I must say that it felt wooly compared to a 2.5 which I had borrowed from Sheffield PC some time before. I can vouch for the manual having the throttle blip when in Sport mode from the 981 as I drove several PDK and once got my hands on a manual version 981S but many drive the earlier 987 and S with PDK, which is very robust and while Porsche insist on changing the transmissions at £13K-£14K if they have a relatively minor problem which should be repairable potential owners will feel vulnerable and pressured to take on extended warranty.

I came across a case where they wanted to change an earlier Tiptronic 987.1S transmission which had a problem following the schedule transmission flush and that was corrected by the ZF specialist.

 
Buddy said:
I have driven both 2.0 and 2.5 but my vote would go to the 2.5, personally I don't like the button which allows so many seconds of outright performance as it seems once pressed it drops out just at the point where it is opportune to go, however, that can be allowed for with practice but I do like the older type of chrono pack operation since once selected it stays in mode.
A little confused here. The Sports Chrono operates from the additional knob on the steering wheel on the 718's. It allows rotation to select "Sports", "Sports+" or a "personal setting" selected mode. Once Sports is engaged it engages all of the Sports Chrono functions which include PDK faster shifts, longer gear holds better steering feel and better turbo boost as well as the snaps and crackles from the sports exhaust . Sports+ also allows Launch Control as well as the other functions. By PRESSING the dial/button on the steering wheel you get an additional amount of boost over the "normal" boost for 20 seconds or thereabouts. Personally, I've never had such a tight overtake that I've ever had to engage the additional boost but there again I don't track my car. I find in my 718s that just by flooring the throttle pedal I get more that ample acceleration with the PDK box selecting the correct gear for the overtake.

 
GrahamW said:
Buddy said:
I have driven both 2.0 and 2.5 but my vote would go to the 2.5, personally I don't like the button which allows so many seconds of outright performance as it seems once pressed it drops out just at the point where it is opportune to go, however, that can be allowed for with practice but I do like the older type of chrono pack operation since once selected it stays in mode.
By PRESSING the dial/button on the steering wheel you get an additional amount of boost over the "normal" boost for 20 seconds or thereabouts. Personally, I've never had such a tight overtake that I've ever had to engage the additional boost but there again I don't track my car. I find in my 718s that just by flooring the throttle pedal I get more that ample acceleration with the PDK box selecting the correct gear for the overtake.
I tend you agree with you Graham. I have never had such an "extra boost" button, but can't quite envisage a situation when you would use it (on public roads) - other than perhaps 'playing' on a quiet sweeping road devoid of speed cameras. Surely not when you are preparing to overtake as there should be more than enough acceleration on tap to safely complete all sensible overtaking maneuvers. There is that very rare situation (I'm sure we've all been there!) when you pull out and get level with the car you are overtaking only to realise that the oncoming vehicle is travelling a little bit faster than you thought - but that is surely a time to just floor it rather than start reaching for a button on the steering wheel?

Philip

 

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