cpepper95129

dude, it's a car, don't stress it and it will last longer. simple. I know you want to hear that you can drive it red line all the time, but you will tear up your engine if you do. ask any qualified mechanic.

Mickey356

3 pages of the same thing. I think the OP gets it by now.

Dennis C

Hopefully he does...

Let's go for four pages just in case!

leedav

I'll add another page. The joy is knowing you can, and doing it sparingly. Otherwise you get used to it and need a faster car. Drive like an old lady, but when it's time to pass on a two lane, let it howl. Remember to shift out of 3rd at 111 so you don't hit the limiter

Sue Esponte

My vote is to keep this going as long as we can; maybe even change up our opinions a bit just to keep it interesting.

Quadcammer

Not really. Higher output and efficiency? Compared to what? Not cars like hondas or BMWs (m3 for one). Normal cars like a econobox? Maybe, but not really different than any modern sports sedan or similar.

Variocam is innovative? Honda offered v-tech in 1989 and bmw came out with VANOS in 1992, at the same time as Variocam was introduced in the 968.

Components being made to higher tolerances and balanced with more precision means that they should last longer with no extra effort for the owner. It does not mean the car needs to be driven differently.

Btw, for the 993, porsche permitted up to 6 grams of weight differential between rod/piston assemblies. That is absolutely shameful for a performance engine.

Ok, so with that better engineering (debatable) and build quality, why does it need to be driven harder?


I could be wrong, but my understanding is that these engines reach max oil pressure pretty close to 3000rpm, which is then held to that max with a "blowoff or bypass" somewhere near 75 or 80psi.


What do you base this on? Every modern car I've driven including the 996 could dawdle along at 1700rpm happy as a clam. I'm not suggesting you load it up and go up steep hills at this rpm, but cruising is no issue.

No one is suggesting you only drive below 2000 rpm, but that doesn't mean occasionally cruising at that level is bad, dangerous, or lugging.

What purpose is that? Its a standard street production car, nothing more. Normal can still include some revs and some throttle, but there is absolutely no benefit to the engine in revving the snot out of it.

If you want to drive it hard, thats your business, but higher revs=more wear.

If I only wanted a car for status and looking good, I sure wouldn't have bought a porsche, which approaches BMWs for ubiquity in my area.

Porsches are designed to be driven like any other sports car, which is harder than a normal econobox. That doesn't mean it can't be driven sensibly either.

The OP can do what he wants, its his car, but lets give him at least both sides of this coin.

So since its a fact, you have verifiable, peer reviewed, and properly conducted studies on this then? Please share...I asked the 993 guys for such evidence about a year ago...and well, I'm still waiting. Your anecdotal evidence sadly doesn't amount to much.

Ah yes, the "if you worry at all about gas mileage, a porsche is not for you".

Thats BS.

If I'm taking my 911 to the store to pick up a gallon of milk, why shouldn't I worry about how much gas it uses. Not everyone needs to drive like a 17 year old at all times, and during those times when you are driving normally, I would like the best gas mileage possible. if you complain about gas mileage while tracking the car, then you may need a different hobby, i agree. If you are such a "baller" that you don't care about needlessly wasting gas, just write me a check for $50 every month.

Mickey356

OK, with that ^^^^^ I'm game for keeping this going.

If I had the patience to type that much I couldn't have said it better myself. Thanks, Quadcammer.

roadsession

One way to move this to 4 pages is to debate "WHAT KIND OF OIL SHOULD I USE WHEN I DRIVE MY PORSCHE LIKE THIS"

Sue Esponte

I don't want to speak for Dennis but I think you're missing the point. It's not about being a baller. It's about knowing what you're getting into before you get into it. If you picked up a 911 thinking it would be an economical mode of transportation then you're going to be very surprised...and not in a good way. Whether you drive it like an old fart or Mario Andretti, the 911 isn't going to reward you with Priuslike mileage.

When people complain about things like this it just tells me that they didn't use their head before they made the purchase. It's like complaining that you can't fit a set of golf clubs in the trunk. I'm sensitive to the increasing costs of gas, too, but I also know what I bought when I bought it. Shame on me if I couldn't afford a car that guzzled gas.

-Eric

Dennis C

Quadcammer,

Let's not argue. My response to your post wasn't to start an argument with you, but merely to respond to your statement about my post and others being "BS". You don't have any objective data that show that driving your car like an old lady will make it last longer than a car that's driven hard. You have nothing more in the way of data than I have, so you're in no position to call BS. And I do run my car up to redline when I get the opportunity... so that's not BS either. I never made a claim that this driving style would produce any particular result, so I'm not sure what you really want me to study. People come to boards like this to solicit feedback from actual owners/operators of these cars. I own and drive one every day, and that's the way I drive it. It has worked well for over 108K miles. I don't think I need a study to tell me anything more...

If the ability to fill up my car without worrying about how I will afford it makes me a "baller", then so be it. Most people I know are "ballers"...

Calling something "BS" because you don't agree with it is childish, and confrontational.

Dennis C

The 996 is downright economical compared to most high-performance cars. I tend to average 22 - 24 in mixed driving. I consider that pretty good!

Our Cayenne, on the other hand, is a different story. That beast guzzles gas...

Quadcammer

Eric, thats fine, but if you have a way to drive your porsche so that it gets 15mpg or a way that it gets 20mpg, what is so wrong with driving it the 2nd way. There are plenty of times that I drive my 911 in a non spirited manner, because of a number of reasons, including not being in the mood, wanting to just relax, and yeah, not wanting to burn fuel needlessly. I'm old enough that I don't need or want to cruise at 4000rpm just to hear the exhaust.

Dennis, you are right, I have no more evidence than you do. But then, I'm not stating that things are "facts", because facts require evidentiary support. I'm sure the OP is very interested in your opinions, and mine, so long as everyone agrees they are opinions, sometimes educated, sometimes not, and nothing more.

I can fill up my car without a second thought, but that doesn't mean I drive in ways that waste fuel for no real added benefit (i.e. cruising along at 4000rpm).

Quadcammer

why do you keep track of something you don't care about?

Dennis C

I never said I didn't care about gas mileage!

I now see where our conflict was created. The fact that I was stating is that I drive my car up to redline every day. I wasn't claiming that it is a fact that driving your car up to the redline every day is a good thing for the engine... I don't know that anymore than you do!

Mark Rindner

By the way, what does OP mean? My reason for putting this out there was to try to understand the spread between high-rev, sludge burning driving and relaxed low-rev, spark plug-loading up driving. I'm more concerned with the damage that might be caused by the relaxed, early-shifting style described in the "40-50, 4th gear" scenario. I bought this car to drive it like a well-powered sports car - that also gets me to work and back in a way that is entertaining and often enough, exhilarating. Yeah, I care about gas prices but that was dialed into the eqution when I made the purchase. According to the computer, I'm averaging just under 17 mpg, so maybe I'm a little speed-happy just 4 months in this car. And yeah, I like driving fast and don't get off on the status symbol side of this - maybe just the opposite. I like this car for the beauty, the speed, the control and the sounds...and for being so engaging on the road. As long as I don't have to flog it to keep it oiled and sparked, I'm a happy guy. That's what I learned from this. The guy with the Red Porsche in Jacksonville proves it. The guy in Texas with the Black Porsche proves that I can drive at speed and revs if I chose to and not fear an early grave. I need this car to last for a while but I would have bought a Honda Civic if that was my only need. I'm looking for a balance between driving this car as though it was built to be driven fast - and having the sense to know that stress is stress, no matter what the engine was designed to do. You guys have more than filled in the blanks for me. Thanks again.