I'm an engineer the glass in Porsche sports cars is apparently slightly softer, deliberately so, thus it marks and pits very easily - Porsche consider them a consumable - I kid you not.

 

Nothing new. Not 991 specific. This issue goes back to my 993 ownership. Go attend PCA Concours, you'll see this on old 911, 964 and 930 too.

I don't tailgate. Avoid trucks, avoid trucks without mud flaps, and void anyone who can't drive between the yellow and white lines (since that's where are the debris lives). My windshields have held up very well. Not perfect. Certainly not pitted. Never had one replaced.

 

All makes sense to me.

 

Ironic, as I just had the windshield replaced on my old 911... It was pitted, scratched by a wiper arm when the wiper blade flew off, and delaminating on a 2" band all around... The new glass looks magical, it's like a new car now ;-) anyway just to let you know, the old cars chipped and cracked the glass too!!! Even my old 356A did it.

As for "it's how you drive", I'm sure you can follow a gravel truck too close, but sometimes it just happens... I once had a stretch of 8 windshield repairs in 4 months on a GTI and Cayman S when driving I4 in FL (construction, trucks dropping rocks which then got rethrown by cars, nothing you could do when it came at you from another lane, sometimes you could see it in slomo, coming right between your eyes). $hit happens.

 

I've had 6 Audis and never had an issue with 80% highway driving . 2 small chips in 991.2...was a big stone.

 

I recently purchased a newer 991.1 with 12k mi. The car was from down south and I was shocked at how many chips / pit marks were in the glass when I got it. Oddly enough I've owned several older gen 911's and have never experienced it to this degree .

Replacement windshields are a nightmare for me so I had the Bray clear film installed to help mitigate ( as well as a full Xpel front wrap), the clear film has it's own challenges but even though it's been on a mere 600 mi I can already confirm it has saved the windshield from at least a few additional chips.

I was wondering if it's a combination of soft glass and the shape / angle that somehow contributes.....

There doesn't seem to be much that can be done here / reducing tailgating / not following trucks does help but it's by no means going to stop it completely....

 

650 miles on my car, there are a few tiny pits. I don't tailgate, I try and leave 5-6 car lengths between me and other cars but on a 6 lane freeway in Southern Ca with 5 billion cars and truck there is nothing you can do to prevent chips other than not drive the car or wrap the entire car and all glass in PPF. I mean driving on the freeway, you are surrounded by cars and trucks kicking crap up on your car even if you try to avoid them there is always a car or truck on the side of you, rocks kick up from the side too, it's impossible to have all cars 5 lengths ahead of you and no cars on the side of you or passing you. It's just a reality of driving in a big crowded metropolitan area.

 

I do agree that windshields should be considered a wear item to some degree , however , fixing it in a near permanent way to the body with adhesive sealant would suggest otherwise....

I have never understood why windshields couldn't be more easily replaced. There has to be a better solution than hacking out the old one with razors and wire!

 

ANY highway driving will cause windshield (and bumper and mirrors) pitting . 80% of my driving is on hwys and all my cars end up pitted. I wrapped bumper and hood on my 991.2 and noticed a chip in bumper yesterday........................

 

materials have changed over the years. windshields are now stressed portions of the chassis, as well as different standards of impact behavior (for occupants).

My understanding is that this is how it is going to be on all cars. My cars in 80s and 90s had glass that took 3-4 years to attain "road rash". Now, I get my first rash on the way home from the delivery of the car! LOL! On 35 MPH back-roads.

Definitely a good idea to try clearplex.

 

 

Windshield glass hardness runs about 6 to 6.5 Mohs, where side window glass runs about 7. This is not Porsche specific. Time to move on to another topic.

 

If so, then that glass is at the highest end of the range ("ordinary" glass is about 5.5).

But in any case, the HARDNESS really does not matter, since in the real world, most of the sand and pebbles found on the road are made from or contain quartz. And quartz is 7, and will scratch just about any glass ever made.

 

The glass does chip and scar easily and same thing happens on our BMWs!

I’m no engineer and drive relatively aggressively but try to keep a decent distance from cars in front of me.

German glass is ****, like their diesels!

#GlassGate!!!

 

I had the same issue with my M cars. It does make sense that a 911 being low will get hit more frequently, and yes I do drive more aggressive. My 15 w 5k miles on it is covered in dimples, it does suck. I'm trying to figure out how to get a new windshield

If you are high up in an SUV then it would make sense you should get less % road debris hitting you. If you're low in a 911 more susceptible to rocks etc hitting you.