wyovino

OP means Original Poster, in this case, you. You said you enjoy the sound - do you have a modified exhaust? If not, get FisterD's (do a search) Best bang for the buck.

Dennis C

OP means "original poster".

Glad you got what you needed.

We may bicker a little bit in here from time to time, but it's all good. And that's a fact!

jasper

I said the variocam *plus* was innovative. Increasing the valve lift at higher rpm was absolutely an innovation.

I never said it did. I said that it allows Porsches to be driven harder with higher performance results than the average car.

Doesn't need to be (IMS comment notwithstanding) I said it *can* be without worrying too much.

Not according to my oil pressure gauge.


Occasionally sure - just not the default mode of operation. Likewise excursions to redline.


Umm yes there is (duh)- higher engine speeds mean higher roadwheel speeds. The benefit of revving past the peak of the power curve is to ensure that you are on the the fat part of the power/torque curve when the next gear is selected. We can certainly argue about whether there is a benefit to driving fast but there's no argument that if you want to go fast as possible you will *clearly* want to run the car to redline .

But if done occasionally then not so much more wear that it should be a concern. Is there even a benefit? I think so.

jasper

Sounds like you've been doing just fine on your own Mark. Keep it up.

Don't mind us - it's just alpha types arguing for the sake of arguing.

JCreasy

I used to be a member of a 968 board. There was a lot of vitriol and argument over there. The board got hacked, and I sold my car. Now, I am here.

I am a lawyer by trade which means I have to argue and nitpick for a living. It also means I enjoy a good spirited debate... Tempered with a sense of humor about some things... I hope we can continue to have that here. Personal attacks should be squelched as well as hyper-sensitive responses...

With that being said... My 2 cents (with no scientific data but logic).

+++

The harder you drive, the more friction you create and the more heat you create and the more (oil) viscous breakdown you create... Correct? (Does that apply to synthetics)?

If a piston weighs a certain amount and has to stop from going in one direction (the exhaust stroke) and change to another (the power stroke)... The faster it is going, you need more energy to stop it and turn it around... Correct?

If your crankshaft is transferring this energy, the more it flexes or wobbles, ever so slightly... Correct?

If your crankshaft is flexing, the geometry of your pistons and rods is changing... Correct?

If you're generating more heat, your piston rings and cylinder walls are also expanding... Correct?

If your piston rings are a different material than your cylinder walls, then they expand and contract at different rates... Correct?

And, if you have any foreign matter in your oil, it will score either the piston ring or cylinder wall or both... Correct?

A horizontally opposed engine keeps the center of gravity low (because it is flat), but also increases some of these forces and concerns because it is easier and requires less effort to change direction on a v angle... Correct?

Porsche has been (and almost certainly still is) built very well... Correct?

Every reciprocating engine has very similar wear concerns (depending on angle of the piston and materials used in construction and quality of construction)... Correct?

Porsche is near the top of this but not perfect... Correct?

They try to build cars to be durable and race worthy and road worthy and affordable... Correct?

+++

So, with all of that in mind, I say to drive "... Polite but Firm." And maintain it.

Meaning, I see no harm in squeezing the car or stretching it out a bit, but I do not subscribe to the "... drive it like you stole it" mentality... Which, by it's very title, implicates you do not care about the life of the car.

I've pulled alongside Vipers and Corvettes and I've always felt Porsche was a different breed of cat. The car will get you where you need to be... Both geographically and performance-wise, but you need understand and appreciate what you've got... A very well-engineered road car with quirks but style.

By analogy, my watch is a 1971 Rolex with a leather band (inherited). Great watch and classy and performs well, but there are others out there that keep better time. I love it (because it is part of me) but no one would pay me what anything for it... Still, it gets me where I need to be, performs very well, and is very classy. Timeless... Like a Porsche.

+++

Drive it, stretch it, enjoy it but don't abuse it. So, I'd stay away from redlines.

My guess is that is what Porsche (the old guy not the company) would have wanted.

All of this assumes daily driver.

JKC

PS 996, 168k on the clock. Daily Driver.

spare tire

Besides rpm on a cold motor, do not ask the motor to give you torque when the motor is cold. Once everything is all warmed up go go go. As you approch a stoplight in forth gear @ 45 mph practice down shifts seamlessly before you hit the brakes. It is much easier to practice toe heeling when you are not using the brake peddle. Rev match to 3rd only now your going along at 44 mph and then 2nd and you are going 41 mph. THen stop at the stop sign or light. You will be a half way to a pro at toe heeling.

The key to long life (engine) is clean oil and smooth driving.

dennis hiip

Top fuel dragsters are built for high RPMs but need to be rebuilt after every run. I stopped taking my car to 6000 rpms and now take it only to 5000 rpms. IMO redline is too much stress but what do I know.

JRW-910

This thread was interesting to read. I'm a new owner and have been conservatively shifting for the most part. I have been using my 996 as a daily driver and have been able to average 24mpg as reported by the OBC. Maybe I'm not having enough fun!

-JRW

Gonzo911

A bit testy today aren't we? And Nitro isn't even posting!

Mark Rindner

Whew! I agree with everything you just said. The laws of physics don't change just because a car is drop dead gorgeous. Your logic is crisp and your conclusions flow from it. And your odometer doesn't lie. Will you be my ticket lawyer?

Mark Rindner

This forum has become part of the allure of my car. It's better than facebook in my opinion. When I bought my high-mile 996, I checked around to try to see if there was any concrete reason NOT to buy it. I got so much varying and opposing input, I just said F___it! I'm going for it. I'm in the car business and know a thing or two about the machinery. We like to say, "Oil is cheap, parts and labor are pricey." I'm a believer in over-maintenance. The guy who had it before me was a mature real estate broker. Didn't appear to be an abusive sort.
Anyway, here I am parsing the finer points of driving with a bunch of alpha-dogs. Thanks for the vote of confidence.

Mark Rindner

I agree. For me, 6000 is the new redline and 5000 works just fine for sprints to 100+.

Hurdigurdiman

Jaster quoted:- and for god sakes don't gear down to slow down.

Neither have I and I don't think it is commonly accepted. I am an advanced ex cop driver and was taught to use my gears up and down the box except in an emergancy situation where you have to hit the brakes hard. ..... Gears are there to be used up and down the box. If they slow the car down to where there is no need to brake.. (which they do on a high compression engine as the 996) then all well and good. It saves my brakes and my right foot. When my revs drop below 2500 I am dropping a gear and it don't matter which gear I am in when I do it. When I get real slow in 2nd I leave it there for a stop but I come down the box as a motor cyclist would. The one I dont use on stopping is the first gear. Do you all find that there is no need to rev during the gear changes coming down the gears. Porsche engineers thought that one out and did it for us. Just another little tit bit why Porsche 911 engines are in the top class of all engines on the street or tracks.

jasper

Well this would be a topic for another thread but think about it....

Gearing down through 4 or 5 gears every time means that your clutch hydraulic cylinder has to go through 4-5 complete travels, the throwout bearing has to go through 4-5 cycles, the clutch diaphragm also, and then there's the friction plate. Clutch parts are expensive and they are buried deep inside the car.

Brake cylinders on the other hand don't travel through a stroke, they just transmit a force. Likewise the master cylinder - in my world I press it once then it stays depressed. Brake pads can be changed in 30 minutes for $50.

Dynamically, using the brakes slows all four wheel and keeps the forces even. In your world you're loading the front when you brake, then loading the rear when the lower gear hits. jerky back and forth - presumably you're not rev matching - unless you're heel and toeing - and it doesn't sound like you're that kind of guy.

About 90% of the cars on the road are automatics. In the vast majority of these situations the car stays in top gear while the driver slows down with the brakes only. If cars were meant to be slowed down with gears then more automatics would gear down appropriately.

Of *course* you select lower gears when necessary to keep the car at the correct revs in traffic or when you're planning to accelerate out of a corner *totally* different story. You select the correct gear for whatever forward motion is going on.

If you're slowing to a stop sign and using the gears to slow the car down then that is ...well just dumb.

Brakes pads are cheap clutches are expensive.


edit: just re-read your post.....as a motorcyclist would??? Are you serious??

The last thing I want to do when I'm riding my bike is pump the clutch lever in and out and risk locking up my rear wheel as I pull up to a stop sign. Do you even ride a motorcycle?

Mickey356

Uhhhh, no. This is wrong on all kinds of levels. I ride a bike and drive a stick, and doing this is bad, bad, bad.

All this talk about heel toeing........ really? You guys heel toe on the way to work? You can't be serious. Track days and DEs, yes, on the street is just silly. If you're driving on the street in a 996 to the point that you need to heel toe you're an idiot, and being reckless.
This thread IS fun!!!