ThomasCarreraGTS

the_buch

Interesting and thanks for sharing. Perhaps some of our gurus will weigh in on the technical details, but i like your conclusion.

Cloudspin

Fined

yep, nice one OP

Robocop305

Its time for pedal to the metal. Thanks for the article.

bheit1

According to Hartech, the quickest way to destroy a 9A1 is run it hard on a cold day before it's warmed up. You'd think that would be common sense, but you'd be surprised. Apparently it's especially true with the 9A1 because of the close piston/cylinder tolerance. The piston expands quicker than the cylinder, and before you know it - a seized piston. Every 9A1 with seized pistons they rebuilt happened on a cold day. Just a word of caution. And thanks for the article.

Robocop305

E368

"Note: slow drives at low RPM are an unhealthy diet for this engine."

Then why did they design the PDK to shift into 7th gear at 25 mph? (Exaggerating, but not by much)

Wayne Smith

Actually the programming won't allow 7th below 44 mph, but the 9A1 seems very content in any rpm range.

Definitely though, with the deck design, avoid heavy throttle or above 3000 rpm until the motor is warm. For mine, warm takes 10 miles on a summer day, 15 miles on a California winter day. IMHO, the article got it wrong when it stated that the warm up was quick.

And, again IMHO, the cooling system sucks when it comes to creating a stable operating temperature. My oil temp won't go over 180 on a cool wet winter evening freeway commute (80 mph). That's what I consider to be on the barely low edge of warmed up. So there is no way I'm going above 3000 rpm on those trips. But on a summer mountain pass drive will reach and hold 260. Yeah, that's an 80F swing in "stable" oil temperature control.

Beyond that, which I consider to be poor design (weight savings?), the 9A1 is a formidable example of amazing engineering.

mikemessi

I don't understand why you won't go over 3k RPM if oil temp is 180? I think you are causing more harm by lugging it which causes side load on the cylinder walls. I think anything over 150 and it's ready to rip.

mikemessi

My understanding is during the warmup phase there are large differences in temperature between metals (cylinder head, cylinders, pistons, block). The water temp and cylinder heads heat up quickly giving a large differential between the top end and bottom end of your engine with the piston going back and forth between the 2 as it reciprocates. We arbitrarily use the oil temp as the indicator as to when it is "warmed up" and we all pick a different number defining this. But the most important thing is equilibrium. If you'v been driving for 20 min and oil temp is only hitting 180 your car is still warmed up. There's been enough time no matter what the gauge reads so that the temperature throughout your engine has reached equilibrium.

Doug H

Wayne Smith

180F and 3K rpms are quite random numbers sort of grabbed out of thin air!!! I think just as important during warm up are throttle and engine loads. FWIW, I'm at 111K miles and don't burn a drop of oil between 5K mile changes ... The volume out (once cooled) equals the volume in. No rattles or odd noises. No sooty tail pipes. The car runs as well as it did when I bought it with 35K miles. No problems. That's worth something to me. YMMV.

A few random observations ... 150F is as low as the temp gauge goes. 205F is my average operating oil temp. Just lifting the gauge needle off its lowest point doesn't seem like thermal equilibrium (whatever that means) to me. But it "might" be where the metals reach harmony (you could be right about that being the point to transition your driving style).

The 997.2 doesn't lug (operate in the sub 3K rpm range) the way the 997.1 does. I don't see any reason to compare apples with oranges.

I do agree that for the sake of the cats (and other things) a quick warm-up is better. I always start driving within 15 seconds of starting the motor.

You properly warm a race engine before thrashing it. Why not treat a street car the same way? Define properly warm as you will (see paragraph two above).

While my experience (and all of the above) is anecdotal (and a bit random) at best, the inconvenience of driving ten miles before letting loose is worth it to me. We'll see how that plays out as the miles get added 8)

As you may have (hopefully) gathered the above is my choice. I don't present it as an expert. How anyone treats their car is a personal decision. If 150+ works for you, continue on. This is a group experience after all!!!

ADias

My experience and practice too.

Big Swole

"CONCLUSION Best thing to do is go buy one, start the car and drive. Keep the RPMs under 3k until the engine warms up, which does not take long. Note: slow drives at low RPM are an unhealthy diet for this engine. Burn good fuel and drive hard. That is what this engine needs and loves."


Not sure why Anyone would drive aggressive with ANY car when it's not up to temp yet.....smh.