cladd

with the engine properly warmed up? I know, you are thinking WTF? But really, I'm not a track guy. I have always enjoyed safe spirited road driving with my cars. But I always prided myself on being gentle on my cars. Are you sure that going to 6 or 7K rpms is not going to shorten the life of the engine?

todinlaw

Is it harmful, No the motor is designed to operate and at that peak performance. Do you need to red line it to get your best performance, I don't think so, Your maxiumum torque is well under the red line, that is where I shift mostly, as you are maximizing the pull of the engine and after that you have diminishing returns. I have a GT3 its red line is 8400, but I shift at about 7200. Will it shorten the life of the motor, well every time you start the car it shortens the life of the motor, but I think it is important to frequently drive at or near the limit. I keep the part ware at that lever consistent. that's my 2 cents.

amaist

If you shift at less than redline you will end up rpm too low for maximum acceleration.

You paid for a car with an engine with a 8400 rpm redline. Might as well use it. If there is any motor in the world that can survive such engine speeds and be over 3.0L in displacement the GT3 is it.

If you don't want to flog the car that's ok but don't worry if you like to wind it up. Yes, the motor can eventually wear out but so can anything. And a GT3 motor will survive a lot longer than almost any engine of that type.

SpeedGeek

Higher revs equals more wear. Also, internal stresses are proportional to the square of engine speed. So, yes, in relative terms, redlining an engine is harmful.

HOWEVER, as stated above, the GT3 engine is an amazingly robust and well engineered mechanical marvel. It was not designed to be cuddled, it was designed to be thrashed. The RSR redlines above 9k with a very similar engine. So the street redline of 8400 probably still leaves a substantial margin of safety. My guess is that during development, the GT3 engine is probably tested at redline for hours and hours at a time.

Coochas

While I am not a GT3 owner I do drive a 997.
Bringing the engine near redline is just not going to cause any problems - it's meant to do this - frequently!
As U mentioned, just make sure your oil temp is also near full operating temp (your coolant will run up to 175F in a matter of 5-10 minutes, and your oil temp will get to the 200F mark with about 10 more minutes of driving. While it may not be 'technically' true, I've always believed in having the oil temp at least 175 before heading into higher RPMs. I think this is probably the most important dynamic to consider.
BTW cladd, if you do hit redline, you'll feel the rev limiter kick in about 100 RPM later which 1) feels awful - like you're running out of gas and 2) only slows you down!

GT3 Chuck

only if a wall is in the way

roberga

Chris, if you are not a track guy you will only be able to reach redline in a GT3 in first gear before going above any posted speed limit in the US. 2nd is about 85mph. As far as back road twists 2 or 3rd will do just fine with a greater issue being damage to the body or points to your license.

C.J. Ichiban

I'd be more worried about speeding tickets at redline than the engine wear...I wring the crap out of mine all the time (shift light is there for a reason!) and enjoy every second. the car is under warranty anyways for another few years so don't worry about it dude.