My baby just turned 1 month old on Friday. On Saturday, she turned over the 2K mark.

So, naturally, I took the opportunity to see what it looks like with the tac needle lurking around the high 6 - 7K mark.............gees, that's great!!!

The questions I have :

"How often and for what period of time can I run the engine at 3K, 5K, 6K and higher?"

"Is there any long term harm at all in running the rpms up to 6K+ before shifting?"

Thanks for your help....................

 

Once broken in, all day long!

None whatsoever. Unless I'm in traffic, I routinely run the rpms close to the redline before shifting (and have on my prior 911s).

 

OH, C-Steve...............do you know how happy that makes me feel

 

I hit 7k RPM on the way home from the dealer. If you visit the manufacturer in Germany they will tell you what my service tech said in confidence: "The engines are already broken in - the break-in recommendations are for the driver. So long as the oil is at temp, drive it like you stole it."

 

I can only agree! I always have a hard time hiding my perverse delight when someone talks about breaking in their car associated with sometimes up to 10,000 miles. Cars are made to rev, not to break in! At least not anymore.

But... always allow your engine to warm up, don't slam it when it's cold... for the rest, just enjoy it.
However, a car will reach it's maximum potential after about 15,000 miles, maybe people are confused by that... but breaking in till then assures you your car will NEVER reach anything close to it's potential... you're making it plain lazy.

Same thing goes for oil changes... no, you don't have to do it every 1,000 miles as some people on this board do... unless you get it for free. Every 20,000 miles (or 2 years) is plenty, just keep it full by running the test on the computer.

 

OK.................from what you performance drivers have said, it sounds like I can continually run at 3-4K while cruising and should never be hesitant to run it up to 7K..............man, do I like that idea.

So, mpg on Saturday (before reaching 2K on the odometer was 24) and today mileage is running around 17!! I like the the driving manner to achieve 17 mpg

 

I get about 12 mpg since the day I bought it

 

I've had mine get as low as 8.5 to 9mpg haha

As for running it constantly at 7k rpm I agree with he guys it, wont hurt the engine. The only thing my dealer told me was give the wheels a 100 mile break-in before you start "spirited" driving.

 

Looney ... you may be the 1st and only one to waited the 2,000 miles ... I know I couldn't and even my dealer and service manager told me that BS ... but congrats on having the will power none of the rest of us don't

Heck ... I even had my GT3 on the track just before the 2k mark ...

 

That's true - tires and brakes do have a short "break-in" period.

 

I think I did 7K out of the lot

 

wow is this true for all the cars?
past 5 cars that i drove, i broke in...(4 JDM and 1 porsche)

 

I ran into this on another board a while ago, quite illuminating:

A good friend picked up his 996 a year or so back at the factory (Stuttgart). Because he is a "supplier" in the US automotive industry he was able to get a unique portion of the factory included in his somewhat "personalized" tour. Typically (at the time) the factory tour does not include the engine assembly area which is where all engines are assembled and subjected to what is called the "hot test". He found the whole engine building concept quite interesting (he is President of his company but worked his way up through manufacturing). He speaks fluent German and was allowed to speak freely to the various employees he encountered. Although he wasn't allowed to take pictures he did take extensive notes, which he had copied and sent to me knowing I owned a Boxster and would be interested (mechanical engineer).

The engine builders are apprentices for about 6-8 years before working on engines by themselves. Then, once a qualified "engine builder", when they start the assembly of an engine they work to completion. If an engine is 80% complete at the end of a shift, another mechanic does not finish the assembly; the engine waits until the next time the original builder reports to work and he finishes the assembly. So, basically your engine was assembled by one single person (although an apprentice may help). So if engines built by one builder seem to have a higher than normal intermediate shaft failure rate for instance, an engineer can observe that engine builder and see what he is doing wrong, or correct a process that is perhaps misunderstood. And I suppose a few engine builders find themselves mounting wheels if they really screw up.

The process is done in an area where the builder works on a revolving floor surrounded by parts bins. This ensures that a builder will pass the bins with injectors for instance on multiple occasions, and he draws what he needs for that part of the assembly sequence when he needs the part.

Once an engine is complete it is moved to the "hot test" area where it is hooked up to a test bed with temporary fuel and coolant lines. The engine, contrary to popular belief, is not run at full throttle for 30 minutes. After an engine warm up period, it is alternated by computer control between the maximum torque point on the engine (roughly 4800 RPM he was told) and the maximum horsepower point of the engine (6500 RPM). Of course these vary depending on the engine model. Torque and horsepower are compared against an acceptance criteria for the specific engine. The other purpose of the hot test is to bed the rings to the cylinder walls, which are honed through a Porsche proprietary honing process. The bedding is best accomplished at the maximum torque point since that is when cylinder pressures are typically highest, but the hot test has a two fold purpose, also insuring proper horsepower output, hence the cycling in engine RPM's. This is interesting since virtually any good break-in process states to vary engine speeds which Porsche does from the first revolution.

Aside from the technical side of the tour, he asked about the break-in of his 996, because he was soon headed for the Autobahn, and he was told to vary speeds and keep the RPM's below 4000 for about 1200 km. It was actually recommended he avoid the Autobahn and enjoy Europe's back roads, but that could very well be because of his route, which was to take him ultimately to the Italian Riviera and then back to Germany. Porsche even went to the trouble of providing a suggested route and maps with everything well off the beaten path.

Hopefully this is a slightly better understanding of what the "hot test" is and isn't. I have talked with so many people that seem to think the engine is virtually red-lined for that 30 minute period.

 

I'm pretty sure it's below 3984,6 RPM for 1,223.34337748273848493923737 km
for god's sake, come one!

 

I was in Stuttgart last Summer and took a tour of the Porsche factory. I am no VIP (other than in my own mind, of course) and my tour included a full guided tour of the engine assembly shop, including the testing area. It was very interesting and I highly recommend it. The best part was the interior shop filled with gorgeous leather hides of all colors and being warned by our guide in his most dour tone to not touch them.