Frequently Asked Questions

The Porsche 911 (997) and Boxster / Cayman (987), model years roughly 2005–2012, provided the car has the factory Sports Chrono option fitted. If your car has the Sports Chrono stopwatch in the dash pod, ours is a direct plug-and-play replacement using the same wiring harness.

Yes. A 2009 car is a 997.2 (the facelift with LED lights and the black PCM). It’s a direct replacement for the built-in Sports Chrono clock — you just need to set the correct car generation in the settings, as this determines how water temperature is calculated.

Yes, both. All the original functions are kept — the time is read from the car and displayed, and the Sports Chrono stopwatch / lap timer works as before. The car generation is a setting on the device.

Yes. Support for both 997.1 and 997.2 GT3 models was added in firmware v1.0.7, including recalibrating the RPM gauge for the higher 8,500 rpm redline. This has been tested on a customer car.

Yes, and boost pressure is available as a display value on Turbo cars (added in v1.0.7). On non-Turbo models the boost reading will simply show zero.

Yes. The display connects to the original Sports Chrono wiring, and that wiring carries the CANBUS information the display needs. It doesn’t depend on the factory head unit being present, so removing or replacing the PCM doesn’t stop it working.

On Tiptronic and PDK cars, yes — gear is transmitted directly on the CANBUS. On manual cars the gear isn’t available on the bus, but it can be calculated from speed, RPM and rolling radius. That works reliably on a standard car; if the final drive, gear ratios or tyre rolling radius have been changed significantly, the calculated gear will be wrong.

Not currently. It’s the most-requested next project and is a work in progress, but there’s no planned release date yet.

Note that the 991 and 981 use a four-wire connector, whereas the 997 and 987 use five wires — the extra one being a “wake up” line — so the harnesses are not interchangeable.

Yes, but you need to be brave — it’s a significant job. Cars without the Sports Chrono option have no pod, no wiring and a blank dash top, so the retrofit means sourcing the Porsche pod parts, fitting a custom wiring loom spliced in behind the head unit, and cutting an aperture into the dashboard, which is not reversible. It has been done, and done well. See our full retrofit guide for part numbers, wiring pin-outs and step-by-step details.

Five: analogue clock, tachometer with vitals, large temperatures, G-force, and tyre pressures. You change screens by tapping the left or right side of the screen, or using the steering-column stalk.

• Water temperature
• Oil temperature
• Oil pressure
• Battery voltage
• Boost pressure (Turbo models)

Since firmware v1.0.7 you can choose which of these appears in each bar — three bars on the RPM screen (top, middle, bottom) and two on the temperature screen (left and right). The RPM screen shows revs around the outside and can display speed, gear or RPM as numbers in the centre.

Yes. Temperature in °C or °F, pressure in Bar, PSI or mmHg (for both oil and tyre pressures), and speed in MPH or KM/H.

Yes. Firmware v1.0.8 replicated the factory lap timer functionality — the display reports to the car as the factory Sports Chrono unit does, so the lap timer works from the dashboard as standard. When you stop the clock you also get a display of the laps recorded on the Chrono screen itself.

No. The individual parking sensor readings aren’t available on the display CANBUS in the detail that would be needed, so this isn’t something the display can show.

Not from the standard installation. The display reads the display CANBUS, which is what the Sports Chrono clock is attached to, and those engine values aren’t present on it — they’d be on the drive CANBUS.

Support for adding an OBD-II adapter (OBDLink CX) — which brings in AFR / lambda, intake air temperature, boost and fuel trims — is built and working, and is going through final testing now. It releases in Q3 2026 as a free firmware update.

Yes — several customers have done exactly this. You fit a 997.1 oil pressure sensor (Porsche part 996-606-203-03) and run a single wire from it to pin 35 on Connector IV (the 40-pole connector) on the ECU / DME. Once that wire is connected, oil pressure appears on the CANBUS immediately — no coding required.

We can supply the wire and the ECU pin; you’ll need a spade terminal for the sensor end. A customer who completed the installation on a 987.1 Boxster used roughly 1.5 m of wire, routed from the ECU through the left-hand interior trim and into the engine bay via the grommet near the centre console.

Our guide to adding oil pressure to a 987.1 walks through the parts, the DME connection and the wiring run.

Yes. You can set the backlight level independently for lights-on and lights-off, switch between light and dark themes, and choose whether the trigger is headlights only or any lights including sidelights. A popular setup is a light theme at 100% backlight by day, switching to dark at 40% when the full headlights come on.

Yes. You can set thresholds for water and oil temperature — if exceeded, the display switches automatically to the large temperature screen. The same works for tyre pressures dropping below a set value, which switches to the TPMS screen.

No — it’s plug and play, and typically takes under 30 minutes. The pod levers out of the dashboard, the two halves come apart, the module swaps over, and it goes back in. No cutting, no soldering, no wire taps, and it’s fully reversible.

1. Use a plastic trim tool to lever the Sports Chrono pod out of the dashboard — it’s held in by four spring clips.
2. Unplug the loom.
3. Remove the four T10 Torx screws holding the two halves of the pod together.
4. Swap the factory stopwatch for the display module, reassemble, plug in and push the pod back into the dash.

Ignition on, and the time and temperatures appear. Full detail with photos is in our installation guide.

Plastic trim removal tools and a T10 Torx screwdriver. That’s it.

Yes — one covering removal of the pod from the dashboard, and one covering fitting the display into the pod. Both are on our YouTube channel.

We don’t have a fitting network, but the job is straightforward enough that most independent garages will manage it easily. If you have a garage you already use, we’re very happy to talk them through the process directly before they start — just get in touch.

No. There’s a small crescent-moon shaped fillet piece included, which fills the gap at the bottom and ensures the screen sits vertically once installed. It’s completely hidden once the pod is in the dash.

It’s packed outside the bubble wrap, wedged between the bubble wrap and the box, so it’s easy to miss — please check the packaging carefully. We supply both a smooth and a textured version; the textured one tends to look more OEM. If yours is genuinely missing, contact us and we’ll post replacements out straight away.

Yes. Add a PNG file to the micro SD card named SPLASH.PNG and it will be used as the startup splash screen. This can also be done through the app without removing the unit.

Yes, as many as you like. They must be PNG files on the SD card, with names starting C_ and no longer than eight characters — for example C_MYCLK.PNG. The supplied SD card comes preloaded with a set of community-designed clock faces and splash screens to start from, and the app can upload new ones without removing the unit.

Yes, preloaded with clock faces and splash screens.

No. You can power the unit from its USB-C port on the bench, which makes initial setup, image changes and firmware updates far easier than working in the car.

Yes, and it has been done well by several owners — but be clear about what’s involved. Cars without the Sports Chrono option have no pod, no wiring and a blank dash top. The retrofit means sourcing the Porsche pod parts, making up a custom wiring loom spliced in behind the head unit, and cutting an aperture into the dashboard, which is not reversible.

The main pain points are the dash cutting and sourcing the pod, not the electrical side. Before ordering, make sure you can actually obtain and fit the pod itself. Our retrofit guide has the full detail.

Prices are approximate and for guidance only — they change over time and vary by dealer, so check before ordering. Used pods do turn up and are worth hunting for at these prices.

We can make up a five-wire harness for you and include it with your order — just email us once your order is placed so we can add it. You splice it into the equivalent wires behind the PCM, which carry the same CANBUS network, so it isn’t a long run.

The harness colours are:

Note: connectors sold for the 991 / 981 have only four wires and will not work. The 997 and 987 need five, because of the additional wake-up line.

Yes. The device only needs display CANBUS, power, ground and the wake-up signal, and all of these are present in the wiring behind the PCM regardless of which head unit is fitted.

Yes. Templates for both the outer aperture and the inner section have been produced and can be supplied as a printable A4 PDF. Print borderless so the image fills the sheet, cut out the details around the edge and the centre detail, and they line up with the centre speaker grille, the curve of the dash roll towards the instrument cluster, and the passenger airbag stitching. Contact us and we’ll put you in touch.

Bear in mind the pod covers roughly 1 cm more than the hole itself all the way round.

There’s a full build thread on the Porsche 911 UK forum titled “Retro fitting the 997chrono touchscreen clock is possible. I love the wart! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED”, which documents the whole process. Our own retrofit guide collects the part numbers, pin-outs and steps.

No. Our sensors are Bluetooth and completely standalone — they talk directly to the display. They work whether or not your car has the factory TPMS option, which makes them particularly useful on 997.1 cars that were never specified with it.

Fit the sensors, and once they’re above pressure they start transmitting. You then pair them to the display in the settings. This is considerably easier through the phone app, which is the route we’d recommend.

Yes — live pressure and temperature at all four corners.

The sensors adjust their broadcast rate to what the tyre is doing:

• Pressure steady, above 20 kPa: a broadcast every 3 minutes.
• Pressure changing but by less than 5 kPa: every 5 seconds, 10 packets each time.
• Pressure changing by more than 5 kPa: 10 consecutive bursts of 4 seconds, 100 packets in total.
• Pressure rising from below 20 kPa to above 150 kPa within a minute: continuous transmission for 3 minutes.

There’s also a dedicated “is leaking” state which transmits continuously while a leak is detected. On track, where pressures move as the tyres heat — and certainly in the event of a leak — you’re well into the frequent-transmission range, so a developing puncture should be picked up quickly. The display also needs to catch one of those broadcasts through the metal and electrical noise of the car, so it isn’t instantaneous, but with that many packets it’s fast in practice.

Yes. Set a front and rear pressure threshold and the display switches to the tyre pressure screen if either drops below it.

Yes — up to four wheel profiles, so you can keep summer, winter, track and spare sets configured separately.

Yes, for both iOS and Android — search for “997 Chrono” on the App Store or Google Play.

It connects to the display over Bluetooth and lets you change every setting, choose what appears in each bar, set rev-limit warnings and units, upload splash screens and clock faces, pair TPMS sensors, and update the firmware — all without removing the unit from the car.

Our guide to the phone app covers connecting, changing settings and updating firmware step by step. The app needs firmware v2.0 or later; if your display is still on a v1.x release, do one update over USB first.

Tap the left-hand side of the clock screen.

The important one is the car generation, as this determines how water temperature is calculated. Everything else is optional and down to preference — the full list is in our configuration guide.

Yes. We update the firmware regularly, and updates are free. Anything customers ask for goes on the list — a good number of the features in the product started as an email from an owner.

The simplest route is over the air through the app. Alternatively, register at our firmware portal, and once your account is approved you can generate an API key and download the update tool to flash the device over USB. Step-by-step instructions are in our firmware update guide.

The left-hand port when looking at the screen. The other one won’t work for updates.

Three things to check, in order:

1. Use the left-hand USB-C port when looking at the screen.
2. Check your cable. Many USB-C leads are charge-only and don’t carry data. This is the single most common cause.
3. Confirm the port is being seen. On a Mac, open Terminal and run ls /dev/tty.* before plugging the device in, then again afterwards — a new entry should appear. On Windows, check Device Manager.

A major firmware update writes new partitions and converts the images on the SD card, so allow at least 10 minutes for it to complete and don’t interrupt it. If it still won’t take, contact us — we can look at it, and if necessary reflash or replace the unit under warranty.

It may, slightly. The 12 V to 5 V converter in the module can generate interference, and the 997 and 987 run the central radio antenna down the middle of the windscreen — which is very close to the pod.

The current hardware uses a redesigned PCB with a “quiet” 12 V converter and fully shielded electronics, which resolves this. If you have an earlier unit and are experiencing noticeably worse reception, contact us and we’ll arrange a replacement.

Only in one specific case: if your GPS antenna is mounted on top of a PCCM+ or other replacement head unit, the module will block the signal and prevent a lock. Relocate the antenna — under the A-pillar trim works well.

A few things help:

• Keep the screen protector on. It’s an anti-glare film, not a shipping protector, and without it reflections make the screen very difficult to read in sunlight. If you’ve removed yours, contact us for a replacement.
• Fit the sun visor. This is a version of the fillet piece with an integrated visor that stops direct sun falling on the screen without blocking your sightline. Owners who’ve fitted it report a substantial improvement with the roof down.

We have investigated brighter panels, but a display this size can’t be customised at the volumes involved without roughly tripling the cost.

Clean the screen thoroughly first and make sure your hands are clean, so there’s no dust or fingerprints underneath. A very fine mist of water on the screen lets you slide the protector into position before working out any air pockets. The protector sits centrally and outside the edge of the screen, not at the edge of the glass — so don’t line it up with the glass edge.

It’s fitted differently. The sun visor goes in first, while the Sports Chrono unit is apart — then the clock, then the lower bracket. It’s a little fiddly but goes together fine in that order.

This was a genuine bug, now fixed — the same section of CANBUS data carries both the sport mode state and the wiper state, which caused the display to flip repeatedly between the sport-mode screen and the clock. Update to the current firmware.

This happens if settings are written at the same moment the animations are running. Correct the settings and restart the device and it should stay stable. If it persists after a restart, get in touch.

The short pin goes at the top, into the outer housing. If you have a carbon-fibre pod rather than the standard leather-covered one, the fillet may sit slightly proud — contact us and we can supply a thinner or smooth version.

Yes. Import duties and taxes may be payable on arrival, and these are the customer’s responsibility.

Shipping is free to UK addresses. Overseas orders are charged at a flat rate: £30 to the USA and £20 to the rest of the world.

Accessories ordered on their own ship at a lower rate — the sun visor is £1.55 in the UK, £3.70 to Europe and £4.30 elsewhere. Order it alongside the display and it ships with your order at no extra cost.

Import duties and taxes may be payable on arrival, and these are the customer’s responsibility.

No. VAT applies to UK orders only. Enter your delivery address at checkout and the VAT will be removed automatically. If you’re still seeing VAT applied, check that the country and any state or region field are set correctly.

This is almost always down to the country or state field. Make sure the country is set correctly and any required state or region is selected, then try again.

If you’re using Apple Pay or another express checkout method, add your address first before selecting the payment method — the quick-pay routes can fail if the address isn’t set. If it still won’t go through, email us with a screenshot and we’ll sort it out.

Get in touch. We’ve had occasional issues where a plugin update broke part of the checkout flow, and we’d rather fix it than have you keep retrying. We can always take the order manually.

We’d rather you ordered on the website. The payment processor handles all card and security details, which is considerably safer than us handling them. We’re always happy to talk anything through by phone first, though.

Order the display on the website as normal, then drop us an email with your order number and we’ll include the harness in the package.

90-day no-quibble returns and a one-year warranty. Full details are on our returns and warranty page.

Contact us first and we’ll arrange it. In most cases we’ll send a replacement out rather than have you wait — we don’t want anyone sitting without a display.

If you need to send a unit back from outside the UK, get in touch and we’ll sort out the details between us.

It’s designed and built in the UK by a 997.1 owner. It started with off-the-shelf components and custom wiring looms and has moved to a bespoke PCB — the CANBUS decoding, interface and firmware are all developed in house. The design goal from the outset was that it should be genuinely plug and play.

No. 997 Chrono is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Porsche AG or any of its subsidiaries. All trademarks and brand names are the property of their respective owners. See our product disclaimer.

Please do — get in touch. Firmware is updated regularly and a good proportion of what’s in the product now — configurable bars, oil pressure on the 987.1, GT3 support, the lap timer, Bluetooth TPMS — came directly from customer suggestions.

Yes. The installation is fully reversible and uses the original wiring harness, so the factory unit goes back in exactly as it came out. Keep it in a drawer.