Care & Feeding Of A Garage Queen

[rp17]

Originally Posted by fusionist

My Porsche dealer told me most Boxsters and 911s bought from the dealership are not used heavily as daily drivers.

The battery charger is a must!

That is sooo true. Dealeship also recommends that you drive the car OFTEN long enough for it to come up to temp. I've heard in some cases that you could have your warranty denied pending on what fails if its not being driven. What that was, can't remember.

Don't want to beat you low mileage guys up but If I had all those mods Danger has on my car, I would drive the snap crackle and pop out of that car everywhere. Saving all those miles for the next guy?

I tell people all the time, buying a used boxster is different from other cars. They usually sit and are barely driven, lives in a garage, usually never driven in snow, (go figure it snows in germany) and always polished with a diaper. PPI still recommended.

[evo-r]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

The best thing you can do is to make a point of planning one long trip in the car each month. And when you take it out for short trips after about 10 mins of driving shift only above 3k rpm and try to keep it above that mark when driving.

Being a Porsche newbie, and I've seen people writing about shifting past 3k rpm (or drive it like you stole it)... so what's the real reason behind this? to burn off carbon deposite?

[paintboy]

Originally Posted by evo-r

Being a Porsche newbie, and I've seen people writing about shifting past 3k rpm (or drive it like you stole it)... so what's the real reason behind this? to burn off carbon deposite?

Get the oils everywheres.

[southernstar]

No, in a car that uses high octane fuel and has a modern fuel injection system, the old 'Italian tune-up' really isn't required to burn off carbon build-up. The most cited reasons are: to ensure that the oil gets up to operating temperature at which point it is better able to lubricate engine internals; to burn off water that can build up in the oil when the car is stored, or used solely for short drives; oil pressure increases with RPM's and again, this leads to better lubrication of engine internals (again, assuming the car is properly warmed up); the latter is also considered a factor in improving splash lubrication to the IMS bearing in cases where it has been upgraded with a bearing without seals and grease- e.g., the LN ceramic IMS bearing upgrade.

Brad

[fusionist]

This shift over 3k warning always makes me wonder, how in the world could you ever drive a Boxster and not shift over 3k? It seems impossible.

[evo-r]

Thanks for the inputs... I gotta rev higher from now on or press those "-" buttons more often as I noticed the tip upshifts way too early...

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by fusionist

This shift over 3k warning always makes me wonder, how in the world could you ever drive a Boxster and not shift over 3k? It seems impossible.

This is the contradiction of the typical Porsche driver and the Porsche car itself.

Most Porsches never see a track or autocross event. Even the GT3's.

Many are only driven on weekends to get ice cream cones.

A person of high household net worth, who can afford such an expensive car in the first place, is generally cautious in all of their driving habits.
No speeding for the most part, no high RPM shifting. So the engine bears the brunt of the mismatch in driver and car.

It reminds of me of going to SCCA driving events vs. Porsche events:

At the Porsche event the turn out is smaller. They show up wearing "driving shoes' and Porsche Design shirts and hats. The gaps in the time sheets can be as much a second between cars. Mind you these are the people who actually show up to a driving event in the first place. To be fair Ferrari people are much worse.

Then you go to the SCCA event (mostly Japanese and American sports car). These guys haven't shaved in days and probably did not shower that morning, their jeans must have at least one oil stain per pant leg and they are probably hung over. but they drive the wheels off what they can manage to buy. The gaps in the time sheets might be down to tenths of a second down to sixth place. And if its its Autox you'll be lucky to get in six laps because the turn out is so much higher than the Porsche event.

[patssle]

Then you go to the SCCA event (mostly Japanese and American sports car). These guys haven't shaved in days and probably did not shower that morning, their jeans must have at least one oil stain per pant leg and they are probably hung over. but they drive the wheels off what they can manage to buy. The gaps in the time sheets might be down to tenths of a second down to sixth place. And if its its Autox you'll be lucky to get in six laps because the turn out is so much higher than the Porsche event.

The Porsche club of Texas doesn't even do autox anymore because there's not enough interest. I have to do it with the Houston BMW club which is full of BMW, Minis, Miatas, and the random Viper, Porsche, Subaru, Mazda 3, S2000, MR2, and others.

Then there's the SCCA but getting 2 of 3 runs in after an entire day because 150 people show up doesn't sound like fun/ROI.

[Perfectlap]

yeah its bad news all around for track and autocross. Many auto insurance carriers have been sending out 'clarifications' that any track or competitive (which would include Autox) driving events are not covered. Which of course the track day insurance people have seized upon to jack up day rates drastically.

And the autocross fees in this economy can certainly add up. While this is still far and away the most cost effective way to learn the fundamentals of car-tossing, $50 fees might be tough to swallow when that's what it costs to fill your tank for the week. And it is indeed a long day for less than 10 runs. Although I think that compels you to be a more focused driver and teaches you to adjust quickly.

[Taipanic]

Originally Posted by evo-r

Thanks for the inputs... I gotta rev higher from now on or press those "-" buttons more often as I noticed the tip upshifts way too early...

The Tip in Auto Mode is optimized for cruising & economy. Starts in Second, tries to upshift to fifth as soon as possible. I try to mate the bottom of the gas pedal to the floor at least several times during my drives, just to keep it honest!

[Porsche Chick]

Well, I do drive it, but admittedly not enough.

Because I'm not a misanthrope, I generally go out with other people, which means taking the DD. Almost all the time.

I think this is the REAL reason middle-aged people get Porsches; no more school shuttling. Otherwise, it's just too impractical.

[Porsche Chick]

Originally Posted by paintboy

Get the oils everywheres.

This is what I will tell the police officer.

[Porsche Chick]

Originally Posted by patssle

The Porsche club of Texas doesn't even do autox anymore because there's not enough interest. I have to do it with the Houston BMW club which is full of BMW, Minis, Miatas, and the random Viper, Porsche, Subaru, Mazda 3, S2000, MR2, and others.

Then there's the SCCA but getting 2 of 3 runs in after an entire day because 150 people show up doesn't sound like fun/ROI.

Yes, from our PCA chapter, there are almost no participants. And yes, they are the driving shoe and driving glove type. Yuck.

Fine with me, we get more runs in. I am not the fastest, not even close, but I'm pretty sure I enjoy it the most.

[Porsche Chick]

Originally Posted by evo-r

Thanks for the inputs... I gotta rev higher from now on or press those "-" buttons more often as I noticed the tip upshifts way too early...

The PDK is a big improvement over the Tip. The PDK is adaptive, and will shift later if you are driving faster. I tend to get to 60 in third gear. If I accelerate slowly, I can be in 6th gear at 45 mph. Does the tip adjust like that?

Sometimes the PDK will adapt and be a little freaky.Couple of times I've been driving, and I want to start out a little fast, and it will downshift and act like it wants to rocket away. I will actually yell at my car "What the hell are you doing?!" Take my foot off the gas and it calms right down. Bizarre, but only happened twice. So far . . .

[fusionist]

You also need a portable battery. At least for the 986... so if the battery does die you can hook it up to the fuse box and pop the frunk to change the battery.