beden1

I have about 450 miles on mine so far and still taking it easy. I remember reading in the manual that the break-in period was 1,500 miles. That seems a bit extreme to me when the most miles I previously had was 1,200 miles on an M3. My ZO6 was 1,000 miles if I remember correctly.

AceOfAces

Thanks for the advice +1 on the post! I've been shifting at 2500-3000RPM but since this post been trying it at higher revs. Not only does it sound much better, breath much easier, but I love it even more

wanderingwheelz

Porsche's official break-in period is 2,000 to 4,000 miles. It is suggested that RPMs not exceed 4000 during that initial period. The concern is that the moving parts haven't settled in completely and excessive heat can be detrimental to the engine finding it's own natural "settling in" so to speak.

Palmbeacher

Quite correct on all points. It bears repeating however, that whilst steady-state cruising at 1500rpm is perfectly alright for the 997.2, and as well the 997.1 if the grease seals and grease are intact on the IMS bearing, however if the seals are gone, or you've retrofitted the LN bearing, there needs to be sufficient oil thrown off the cam chains to lubricate the bearing, and the higher the rpms the more oil splash. An OEM bearing needs more lubrication than the LN. I honestly do not know if driving for hours on end at 1500rpm could damage an open IMS bearing, but in theory it could.

Fred R. C4S

Take this at face value and make draw you own conclusions.....

On a Monday In May 1993 I took Euro Delivery of my first 911. At the delivery, after all the papers are signed, the marketing rep who was handling my delivery gave my a very thorough walk around explanation of the car and it's controls. He asked if I had any questions.

I asked what were the break in procedures for the car. He told me:

1. Don't exceed 5000 rpm for the first 500 miles.
2. Go easy on the tires and brakes for the first 100 miles.
3. Vary the road and engine speed. Don't drive at a constant rpm for long periods. This was to allow the proper break in of the ring and pinion in the differential.
4. Enjoy you new Porsche.

I replied that I had a Driving School at the Nurburgring beginning on Thursday and asked if he had any advice. He told me to drive 500 miles before Thursday and I'd be fine.

I arrived at the Ring with just over 500 miles and left 4 days later with nearly 1000. I had the car for 30 days before returning it for shipment to the states. A lot of that time was on the autobahn at speeds over 120 mph.

Of all the cars I've owned in my life, that car burned the least amount of oil. I changed the oil each fall before storing the car for the winter. I logged about 7500 miles between oil changes and never had to add oil totaling a quart in those 7500 miles.

Fast foward to today with my 997 GTS. At about 600 miles, I ran my first of three DEs before storing the car. In 5000 miles I was down about 1 quart.

It doesnt take thousands of miles to seat the rings if you work the engine properly. Put a load on...take the load off. Repeat with increasing loads. Under load the rings are forced hard against the cylinder wall. Quickly removing the load and the rings relax. Repeat as necessary. It's the same thing engine builders will do with a new engine on the dyno.

As for the necessary boilerplate...YMMV.

Quadcammer

man, where have you been. I've been trying to make these points for years and i typically get no support.

Fred R. C4S

Quadcammer,

We are two members of the super secret society of people who actually know something learned thru first hand experience. You can't acquire 30 plus years experience in less than 30 years. If ever we were to meet just give the secret handshake and I'll know you're a member.

crazycarlitos

sorry for confusion. Bz at work yesterday to state my thoughts clearly.

1- i understand Fred R's point: a) most people do not understand what 'lugging' is. b) modern engines are almost impossible to 'lug' under normal driving condition even at low RPM. c) he is only sharing his extensive knowledge based off experience.

i was just saying that although it may be technically acceptable to drive at 1500 rpm, it is not safe or rewarding if u r driving a manual tranny.

2- the example i gave was insufficient. Try this instead.

991 conv: 400 HP @ 7400 rpm & 325 TQ @ 5600 rpm Flat 6
m6 conv: 560 HP @ 6000 rpm & 500 TQ @ 1500 rpm V8 TT

its obvious that M6 max torque is available from incredible 1500 RPM.. while 991's max torque isn't reached until 5600 RPM.

Also, m6 'real' redline would be 6000 rpm since there is no more hp/torque available after that. (actual redline on the gauge is 7200 rpm, i believe)

on the other hand, 991 would not reach the max potential until 7400 rpm.

Its not so much about what's better.. its about how the engines output is set up from the manufacturers. Numbers are self-explanatory, no? BMW wants lotta power from early rpm. they accomplish this with heavy v8 with twinturbo. Porsche prefers to keep the weight down.. and squeezes out max power from smaller displacement and naturally aspirated engine. (911 turbo S with its awesome torque is available for those who prefer early power delivery. 516 ft of torque available from 2100-4250 rpm)

3- its is not an obsession to rev high. (and words like 'high' are subjective) Its just silly to drive our cars at 1500 rpm unless u have a PDK. If u wanna cruise around at such RPM, perhaps u should be driving a Camry instead.

4- Since u are interested in what MY optimal range is:

warm-up: never drive over 4k rpm
street: 3000-4000 rpm; shifting normally around 4-4500 rpm
highway cruising: 2500-3000 rpm
track: 4500-7000 rpm; shifting at 6800 rpm
also, i try to hit redline at least once everytime i drive it. LOL

its ur car and u can drive it any way u prefer..

Rocco07

Other than ensuring proper warm up and avoiding the redline, when to shift depends on your goals for that stretch of road. Sometimes I shift at a lower RPM because I don't want to race from light to light. But sometimes, you got to unleash her and let her run. My mood determines shift points. As you drive the car more, you can anticipate when to shift based on how she's pulling for each situation. I don't stare at the tach when I'm driving. So noise and feel need to be something you get used to and are very aware of.

BTW, I dated a girl who shifted my E46 M3 religiously at 3k RPMs. It drove me nuts because she'd do it at fast acceleration while the car was pulling hard. Not fun.

CORSASCHNELL

I am assuming most 911 drivers buy their cars without a third pedal, I think US averages about 6% for manuals but Porsche must have a higher percentage. I was at my Dealership last month and every single car in the showroom was equipped with an automatic. I asked if they had any manuals, he said a few in the back since the demand is weak.

IMHO, it is a matter of personal preference, the dual-clutch technology is superior in many ways (speed of shifting, eliminating down shift errors, slightly better MPG, faster acceleration, etc.) but there is an element of satisfaction in mastering heel & toe and just shifting in the 911.

beden1

Thanks for the input. I figured I would take it easy for the first 500 miles and then kinda stop thinking so much about it within some reasonable limits for a few hundred more miles. I always thought that a proper break-in was for the benefit of the tires, brakes and the rear end differential more than the engine?

crazycarlitos

most important thing during the break-in period, IMO, is to vary the engine speed for the piston ring to set properly. i.e. try not to drive on hwy at same rpm for long duration.

opinions may vary. LOL

Palmbeacher

I sadly suspect you're correct. The same situation exists at my dealership, which is allegedly the largest one in the US. The GM told me the demand for the manual gearbox is so low that it would not surprise him if it were discontinued completely within the next two model years. That is life. The only reason I bought a Porsche instead of a Ferrari or Aston was the availability of a proper manual. I know myself well, that I would never use a man-u-matic in manual mode, I'd leave it permanently in automatic. Which is why I'd sooner buy a Cinquecento with a proper manual than a Porsche with PDK.

buddy911t

Do you normally stay in 5th for highway driving to keep the revs up; do you just use 6th to save gas?

CORSASCHNELL

I usually skip 5th and go 4th to 6th for steady hwy cruising.