Hey guys,
Well, the dream came true. Got me an 06 997 S black/black, 7K miles!!! Essentially unused. And yes, I stole it because of the economy. My first Porsche. Had 3 BMW's, all 540's, two of 'em 6 speeds and they were in their own right, masterpieces. But this 911S is another thing entirely and every second in it is just... well, there are no words just yet. I'm blown away. What an amazing club to belong to.

I have a question about 'how to drive' this car. The previous owner was a Porsche guy, had 4 of them and grew up with them, and told me to 'drive it hard.' Keep the rev's high. (uh, yay!)

I drove my BMW's softer, even though I really got a lot out of them, but I never did 30 mph in first gear, and 50--55 mph in 2nd. I never used first gear to slow down.

My point is--is it Good for the car to rev it high, like, mostly or all of the time? Is that 'how you drive' a Porsche?

Cuz I have barely been in 3rd gear yet!! I mean, I can easily do 60 in 2nd gear... which is insane to me, but I love it!!

On the freeway, I got into 4th... I haven't even begun to open her up yet.

Anyway, just asking. I was told by dealers too that Porsches drive better, and live longer, when you drive them hard.

If this seems like a really obvious question, well, this is my first post!

 

Congrats . The 997S is a beautiful car and with the low miles and positive sentiment about the price it's seems like you scored . First --allow the car to warm up . Never drive the car hard until its warm . The harder one drives the more he can wear out brakes, tires, clutch, axle . It's a machine and even though its built to be driven that does not mean one has to go out of his way to place excess wear .

I have seen Porsches that are 10 years old with 5K pampered miles on them that are just as good as a one year old car .

Final though - Drive the car and enjoy it with your own style and you will cherish it for many years. Best wishes with yoir new car.

 

Congrats on the new purchase. Post some pic's when you have a chance.

 

Congrats!! I just got one a couple of weeks ago. I'm going to wash her now for the first time!!!

 

Congrats on Getting your Dream.. 6-7K RPM's is usally the Sweet Spot.. Once the Oil Temp is in the Mid Range Then "Drop The Hammer"...

 

Congrats and you're right the economy has really made some of these cars a "steal" so enjoy it!

 

Appreciate the feedback!

So... how about if I ask a detailed question.

After the car is warm, is it 'good' to drive up to 30mph in 1st on a regular basis? My old style of driving was to get out of 1st by 15 mph or so, and do most of my city traffic in 2nd...

So my question is, if I never get past 30 mph in traffic, is it 'good Porsche driving' to just stay in 1st, like for half a mile, in 1st the whole time? My instinct is to shift to 2nd. But like I said, Porsche guys are telling me to rev high.

Thanks.

 

Welcome aboard Drew...another fellow M3'er joins the group.

Dave

 

Agree with yrralis1. Porsche's can be driven hard, but it's not in your best interested to change driving habits to uniformly or gratuitously drive it hard. Let it warm up and then use it to it's limits, when you want to and the road and conditions permit.
But gratuitously buzzing the car in 1st, or 2nd, or driving the freeway in 3rd just because you can, isn't prudent. Alternatively, lugging the car all the time is bad as well.
But these are precision devices that will wear and require tuning over time. Enjoy the design brilliance but respect the machinery.

 

Here we go:

Let the oil get to operating temp. Then, do not hesitate to shift at high revs - 4-5k and keep revs in the 3-4k range. You can shift at redline too. I see no point of revving a 1st gear too much, but 2nd-4th sure. On the open road this will be good for the engine. This is what I think the previous owner (as you say a P-car guy) meant. Boxer engines driven soft do not wear as well.

And I agree with others who say that driving 3rd at 60MPH on the freeway just because you can, is silly.
also be careful with your downshifts. You do not want to make a mistake there and blow your engine.

Driving hard is relative, relative to a sleepy 2kRPM on the tach for other cars. It does not mean neck slapping rabbit starts, insane screechy turns at the limit and such, even though the car does that fine, if you know how to drive it, albeit with added suspension, axle wear.

 

That's because their insecurities are playing with your car and money .It sounds more like adult peer pressure /envy to me . They don't sound like they have your best interest at heart .

Go with your gut on this. The car belongs to you. Not them .

 

djs - same happened to me when i moved from my M3 to the C4S - the 996 just really seemed to enjoy driving really hard. you didn't feel like apologizing to it after flogging the engine

 

Once you get used to the car, you'll intuit it's "sweet spot" for regular driving, cruising, and punching it.

Here is my free advice (note that you get what you pay for):

-Always let the engine oil get to 200-225 before going past 4k RPM's.
-Avoid "lugging" the engine, which is going to WOT (wide open throttle, or "pedal to the metal") at under about 3,500 RPM's.
-Avoid hitting the rev-limiter even when driving spiritedly.
-For normal, casual driving, shift when it feels right, for me that's way before 5k RPM's.
-When going on a spirited drive, or at the track, it's fine to shift past 7k RPM's, so long as you don't hit the rev-limiter.
-Drive it hard, and put it away wet. My service rep says the ones that typically have problems are the seldom-driven garage queens.
CATTMAN

 

I went for an awesome drive today--on a twisty called Stunt Road in Los Angeles--uphill and down, all hard twisties--I was doing 50-60 plus on hairpins--yeeha!! This was my first real drive in my 911S. Incredible!!!

I appreciate the feedback very much, and it seems like the advice everyone agrees on is 'let the oil temp warm up.' I would not have known this, and I will always abide now.

I agree, 'intuitively' that what feels right is probably right--and as I own the car, the 'sweet spot' in each gear will come naturally, and they say all Porsches are different...

I'm really happy to be part of this community! Thanks guys!

Okay--now please tell me what 'put it away wet' means!!???

 

I'm embarrassed to ask, but I honestly don't understand this one. What is wrong with an occasional bounce off of the rev limiter? Isn't that why it's there? Does inertia carry the engine too far past the limit even when it kicks in? Is it set too high?
Enquiring minds doncha know.
(oh and sorry for the hijack)
Verde