CP

Hi All,

I read a bunch of recent posts discussing the bane of short trips (less than 30 miles):
Conduit to carbon build-up (CEL or not).
Harmful to turbos. Insufficient run for vaporization, deficient turbo warm up and cool down.

Now I'm kind of reluctant to take the RUF out unless I have a decent distance to travel. That bums me out as my commute is 12 miles each way, and most restaurants are only 4-5 miles away. So I don't drive the RUF much.

Am I overly cautious on this issue? Thanks for your education.

CP

Air Kuul TT

I would like to be educated too. Thank CP for asking the question and TIA for the lesson.

graham_mitchell

Even if these short trips do elevate your maintenance costs slightly over what the 'ideal' usage pattern would, there is no point in dwelling on the imperfect world we live in.

Life is short. Enjoy every day with that RUF!

Mike in Chi

More important than a set distance is getting the engine up to operating temperature and running it hard once it's there. And doing that regularly. You don't have to run a marathon to get a good workout.

993 Guy

I think we can all nit pick at the specifics of what we can do to ensure the longevity of life for our 993's. The bottom line is that we have these cars to drive and enjoy them. With that comes wear and tear and we're lucky enough to own "durable" machines. I know of 993's with in excess of 150k miles on them still running strong. These cars have been driven short, long and mid-range distances on and off. They've been in NYC traffic in the heat of summer with the AC crankin'. I can go on and on...

Yes, you can take steps to lower the cost of ownership and maintainance, but if you don't drive the car...the only damage you're doing is to yourself.

rainmn

Not even close to 30 miles for me.
I work from home full time, so I have no commute. Because of this, I tend to take the car out whenever I have any excuse. Half the time, it's to run some sort of an errand, pick up dinner, etc. I'd rather take the 993 out than the family hauler SUV, provided I'm not picking up lumber.
No worries here. I bought it to drive, not to stare at in the garage. If it needs a rebuild a little sooner because of this, so be it. At least when I spend the $$ on it, I can think back and know that I enjoyed it.

solsrch

NO! My commute is only about 11 miles right now but it will jump to 27 or so this summer. I guess I'll be "legal" then. While mine is a bit of a garage queen, my favorite Porsche ad is the one that says "The hours your Porsche spends parked, you don't get those back." I won't drive it the 1-2 mile trips on a regular basis, like to the gym first thing in the morning, unless it is already warmed up. Still, I'm not going to pass up a great 5 mile morning drive to just because it isn't long enough. Heck, my drive to and from last week's autocross, with the driving there, didn't amount to 30 miles total. I still can't wait to go again.

Mark in Baltimore

If I do the occasional street drive with my car, it's often less than 30 miles but the driving is, uh, spirited. I agree with Mike that it's less the number of miles and more how hard you drive.

mrsullivan

there is an interesting philosophical question here... would you rather:

1) ensure the longevity of your RUF by (sounds like) never driving it except for when you have long periods of time to do so on weekend, etc.

2) risk early problems from short trips but enjoy the car every day

i would bet that the $$ involved in 2) would be worth it compared to the pain produced by 1)...

also, given the cost of your RUF, I suspect that you could probably easily afford 2) also should a problem arise...

drive it!

mooty

cp i wouldn't worry too much about it. don't do 2-5 miles drives. otherwise, just drive it. the car warms up very quickly and have fun with it. just change oil often you be fine.

CP

I actually have been taking the RUF to work at least twice a week. I posted the thread as I just read a thread that an M5 had SES lights and a $4k re-built because of carbon build-up, and the root of that case was consistant short trips with llittle warm-up.

I was not aware that the M5 has that issue as well, so just thought I'd tap your collective wisdom here.

We have one of the rainiest winters on record in CA this year. Luckily it should clear by Tuesday. I plan to take the RUF out to N CAL later on in the week. May be a 750 miles jaunt in the country and mountain twisties. can't wait.

CP

DJF1

I will chime in with the others too CP. A 30 mile drive is plenty enough to bring the engine to operating temp, the stop and go traffic is not the best for any engine, but you have some really nice twisties where you live, just go out and drive it! I cant wait to do the same with mine this summer

Ben in Plano, TX

I call BS

I drive my car daily - trip to work is < 10 miles and I achieve warm engine within 5 minutes. Drive the car however you can and enjoy it. Letting it sit in the garage for fear of driving it less than 30 miles is mindless.

PS - I do drive the crap out of it at the track every 6-8 weeks. but I still think the car can take the 'abuse' of short mileage trips.

chris walrod

Proud to say my 993 got a limited workout yesterday at an autox. PCA hosted autox running with a local Vette club. My observation of the event was the vette guys opened their hoods between ~60 second laps to cool-off, where I kept my car running to maintain oil temperature I had a notion to open my trunk hood, just so I could 'fit-in'

mooty

cp, i just drove my for 50 miles on local twisties ;-)

wed i be at TH thrashing it some more. then 4 straight days in mid april at BW.