10 GT3

If you look at the display in the dash, when the engine shuts off there is an "A" symbol that appears. There is a button with the same symbol on the center console. Push it and the auto-start feature is completely disabled all the time. It even stays off if you turn the car off and on. So at least it is completely defeatable. I did scroll through all the computer menu options and did not find any place where you could disable it separately. I suspect the dealers have the ability to permanently disable this function.

MarkG123

Vetman,

Relax, stop being such a tool. According to you I need to remind everyone, family members, friends, whoever to disable the autostart before driving the car, otherwise it's my fault if i don't. As to your comment on a split second engine stutter, jumping out in traffic, this again was my fault for probably cutting someone else off. You were not there, not in the car, not in the State, so it's best to pass on your non-fact comment. On other issues, all engines create more air pollution when first started due to cold/hot transition that does not allow for correct air/fuel ratios. Exhaust cats also require hot exhaust gas to function properly, they don't work at all on start up gas temps. Last, most engine wear occurs at start-up when there is no oil pressure and no film protection, this is well documented. Let's see how long autostart feature lasts, much like well-engineered wheel centerlocks...

the_vetman

Uh, yeah, thanks for the name-calling. Was I too harsh in the last post? Apparently so.

What you said about cold-hot transitions, cold cats, lack of lubrication, and these being well documented are all true. However, they apply to when the car's been sitting for at least a few hours, not stop-start. After 5-20 seconds of shutoff, there's no cold-hot transition, cats are still hot as heck, and cylinders are still well-oiled.

The point is that stop-start works in short bursts, 1 minute at the most in those longest-red lights-ever scenarios. Believe me, I ain't no fan of stop-start either. If they ever get rid of it, I'll be right there with you in celebration. However, I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you. It's already becoming a standard in Europe.

sfo

not the case in the EU.

stop/start reactivated each time car is re started.

in the 4500 miles I drove in my 981S, I never once thought that the stop/start function intervened with driving in town. In fact, it's operation is seamless and extremely efficient.

As soon as you depress the clutch, the engine is started .. there never was any danger of stalling or cutting out.

I turned off stop/start during the 1st 15 minutes of each journey to allow the car to warm properly.

I enjoyed hearing the car start each time too

VGM911

How does it work in automatic transmission cars?

sfo

engine starts as soon as you take your foot off the brake pedal

the_vetman

Oops, I'm sorry - I was indeed talking about PDK and gunning it as soon as the light turns green.

Driving a PDK with stop-start, it can be jerky if you take the foot off of the brake then immediately gun the throttle in an 'enthusiastic' manner. It won't stall - it's just jerky and hesitant for a split second. And speaking of "well documented" mentioned in a prior post, for the record this behavior in PDK stop-start is also well documented in reviews!

sfo

if you're driving in that fashion, you are likely to have Sport or Sport Plus turned, either of which disables stop/start

the_vetman

Good point.

Dr.Bill

I am not sure exactly how the start/stop feature works with Porsche. However, if it's like the system in the Mercedes SLK55, it does not use the starter motor.

With the Mercedes system, the engine management computer takes note of which cylinder is at or just past the top dead center position. As the engine is a DFI engine, that cylinder has it's gas/air mixture compressed and ready to ignite. Once the system detects either movement of the steering wheel or the slightest release of brake pressure (or clutch movement with a manual), it sends a spark to the compressed cylinder, starting the engine. It starts instantly without any hesitation or shudder. No added gas used for the restart and no starter motor used.

I can only hope the Porsche system is as elegant.

In any event, there is a 'disable' button.

the_vetman

For better or worse, Porsche system is different. So is BMW's and Honda or Toyota's (can't remember which). One of the car mags did a brief comparo (what it is, pros, cons) of different start-stop systems in Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, and Japanese brand a few months back. IIRC, their opinion was that Porsche's system was best - though I could be wrong about this.

p.s. Sorry for going further off-topic, but Bill.. did you sell the SLK? Don't see it in your signature anymore!

stevecolletti

So, on a manual, if you just leave the clutch pressed in, start/stop is never activated?

sfo

correct .. easier to just push a button though to turn it off

perfectlap

If the base Boxster had non-electric steering you'd have less a of a problem with the power. The extra power of the S just does a better job of masking the limitations of a car that has been made to go faster by relying less on the driver. The closer a mortal driver can get to a N-ring time, true of any modern Porsche, the "faster it feels" and the more cars they will sell.

Having a roadster with under 300 HP is not disappointing so as long as the feed back is as tight as the suspension. Look at the TC Klein Boxster Spyder, no engine mods, and its lapping quicker than a modified 997 GT3 at LS. 550 Spyder all over again....It wasn't the 15 extra HP over the 300 HP mark that made the difference.

As long as HP, for a car at this weight with reduced understeer, is at least ~250 HP, it loses nothing off braking/out of slow corners. Less power and it goes flat (still workable though, just doesn't "come alive" out of corners) and too much more power and the car is doing enough of the work/covering errors, that its not really a roadster experience anymore. That middle ground is simply a different type of driving experience that is hard to appreciate nowadays since even V6 Honda Accords come with more power than an air-cooled Carrera typically had.

p.s.
eagerly looking forward to an RS 981. IMHO, That S and base have too much **** inside the cabin. "entire Panamera/991 center console" delete option?

or something like on the GP edition Lotus Evora

VGM911

Thank-you!