pewter82

Just a comment not a question. I have always been very careful driving my 928's ,but since I recieved my GT ,I have been running the car much harder and becoming addicted to the power and sound of the RMB. BUT...in my mind, I feel like this is too good but on the other hand it feels like I'm abusing the car. I know these cars can really stand up to spirited driving but its tough sometimes to justify running a car hard thats so expensive.

jason

91GT India Red/Tan GTS REAR RMB 56k
82 Pewter/Navy auto comp pkg 57k

Randy V

Is that a statement or a question?

Nathan Valles

In my mind Vehicle Abuse consists of poor maintenance, cheap tires, lousy gas, and driving an extreme performance vehicle every day like your grandmother was in the passenger seat. Unless of course she is in the passenger seat, but that's a seperate issue.

Routine maintenance goes up with harder driving, but then these cars were made for the Autobahn and twisty European roads, not 65mph freeways and laser straight country roads.

As far as I am concerned, if the tires don't squeal in the turns, you don't lose traction when accelerating, you don't bounce the engine off the rev limiter, you don't trigger the ABS when braking, and if you don't drive the vehicle in excess of your own skill and abilities, then how can it be classified as abuse?

goliver

These cars were meant to be run hard. With proper maintenance schedule they will deliver loads of smiles and miles. Enjoy the beast.

Regards,

Styln928

Amen brother!

Jim bailey - 928 International

Jason does write .."Just a comment not a question" but somehow deep down inside I have to believe he really , really would like for everyone to suggest that .....The only reason to have that power is to use it !! drive the GT as it was designed to be driven . Anytime you are under 100 mph downshift ...........there that should do it ........ seriously though I doubt that moderately fast smooth driving using full throttle to accelerate is actually abusive . The only additional engine wear probably comes from higher RPM more piston travel per mile . Brakes and rotors only wear when used the more you use them the quicker they wear . Clutches wear each time you engage and disengage . Transmission syncros on each shift . So the more you downshift engine brake etc the shorter the life of these parts .

Nicole

Porsches are designed to do what they can do all day long. The only requirement is regular maintenance and frequent checks of the oil level.

If you want to up the fun, get a set of 17" wheels. It's unbelievable what the car can do with slightly larger than standard wheels.

Normy

"Porsche's are designed to do what they can do all day long"

I don't completely agree with this. These cars are designed to run at high speed on un-restricted European hiways....while new. And piloted by people who know how to handle 3400 pounds of car at 150 mph for long periods.

-In Europe, drivers are required to have better skills; Driving rules are different and far more enforced than in the United States.

But the problem is... there is not a single 928 that is younger than 9 years old. These cars were designed to run wide open from the factory, but the factory didn't actually think 20 years down the road. There was planned obsolescence from the beginning, even with these cars.

-I'm sure a carefully maintained and driven '85 928 could go out on an open-road race in Nevada and maintain 150 mph for a few hours. But how would it run afterwards? That's the question. If it has been maintained, then it will be fine. If it hasn't- you'll find things like broken rings and gaskets blown that weren't there before.

The long and short: These aren't race cars. They are FAR more capable of holding up than corvettes or Ferrari's, but they are still street cars. If you rag on them, they get used up.....

N!

ViribusUnits

The question is, do you replace the tires, change the oil, the brake pads, the timeing belt, etc? And when the time comes, rebuild the engine. With things like cylinder coatings, our blocks stand a decent chance at lasting for forever.

If not, thats abuse.

Remember, this is just a car. Somebody built it years ago. We can rebuild it, if we so chose.

Nicole

Your concerns are valid.

However, there are a quite a large number of 928s in Germany that are driven every day as they were designed, even today, with 200,000kms and more on the odo. The only complaint I gather from the message boards is that in the later engines you really have to watch the oil level, as they use up quite a bit at high rpms. In some cases, one hour on the Autobahn at top speed can get you under minimal - even if you started with max level. This seems to be more an issue on the GTS, and to some degree on the GT. However, that might be because these are driven harder (or rev higher?) - I don't know.

Keeping that in mind you have little else to worry about. If there was an Autobahn from San Francisco to LA, I'd go for it... My car could use an Italian tuneup every now and then.

Pierre Martins

Who's got an owners manual at hand? Dunno where mine is right now. If I remember right there's an opening phrase that states you'll get many miles of enjoyment from driving your 928 hard. Something like that, can't remember the wording exactly, but I liked it when I read it the first time, way, way back...

Cheers,
Pierre.

Normy

"Italian Tune Up"- I like that Nicole! Heh-



N!

PorKen

Nicole,

Have you ever read talk, 'over there', about putting vacuum in the crankcase (for example using an external vacuum pump) to cut down on oil leaking past the rings on the GTSs?

mpesik

Nicole . If I may ask? Where do you get your knowledge from? Mike.

Nicole

I've been wanting a 928 since my teen age. I was 13 when the 928 was introduced, got my first ride in the factory's photo car for the '83 model year (yep, it's pictured in the German brochure for that year), and have collected any article I could get my hands on. I also have the Project 928 book. This "archive" covers most. I also have a few friends working at the factory, who sometimes remember something from the good old days...

And in the seven years I've actually owned (three) 928s, I have done a lot of research on the Internet - here and for a while in Germany (until some chauvinists there repeatedly pi$$ed me off). I have some wonderful friends here who have helped me with some wrenching that I would not dare to attempt by myself - because I don't want to get stuck in my garage with a disassembled car that I can't finish for some reason...

The reason why the 928 caughth my attention was it's breakthrough design with a simple, timeless shape, the first ever fully integrated bumpers, practicality thenks to the hatchback, the interior design with adjustable steering AND instruments as well as fully integrated dash, console and door panels, and many more things that just added up to a car that was way ahead of its time.

However, I know that in Germany I would have never ever owned one. They are cheap to buy there as well, but the cost of ownership is unbelievable - think registration tax, gas ($5/gallon), and very few independent mechanics or OEM parts available. In other words: You almost have to take the car to the dealer and pay through the nose for inferior service (they don't see many 928s these days). I am not capable and not really inclined to do repairs beyond body and interior by myself - unless I have somebody with me who knows what the hell we're doing!