How hard do you drive your car?
 

So I drive my Boxster about 3 times a week (usually Friday-Sunday) and because I dont drive it all the time, I am usually pushing it pretty hard simply because its a ton of fun. When cruising I am always around the 3500rpm range. On a 13 mile drive to work I am probably averaging 4000rpms between the ups and downs of pushing it and cruising. Like this morning in 13 miles I probably took it up to 6800rpms at least 5 times. Is this too excesive. My thought process is that it is a performance car built for this kind of driving. Am I right?

My next question is shifting. I had a 2003 Honda Accord V6 6speed (pretty quick little car, that surprised a lot of people) that I would beat the hell out of. Slamming gears 1st-4th on a regular basis. When driving my Boxster I ease into the gears as I am pushing the car. Do you guys shift hard through your gears? Espesially 1st-2nd? As in mashing the clutch down slamming it into 2nd and dumping the clutch all in a split second? Its funny how I baby this "sports" car in fear of breaking something compared to driving my Accord into the ground and it was solid as a rock when I sold it at 165,000 miles. Any input is appreciated.

Do NOT speed shift your Porsche, if you do you will likely pay for it, dearly. Abusing the clutch with side stepping / slipping / etc. is also a very bad idea, the flat 6 clutches are relatively small. Taking it up to the higher end of the rev band is a different story, they like that.

No, I don't slam it into the next gear. I drive quickly but smoothly and always - yes ALWAYS, double-clutch or match revs on downshifts and allow the revs to fall enough to match the next gear up in upshifts. This not only saves wear and tear on the transmission, clutch, CV joints, tires, etc., it also keeps the car better balanced. A slight pause on upshifts may cost a fraction of a second over a quater mile, but who cares? This is not a drag racer and, on winding roads where the car excels, if you were to use a stopwatch the difference would be even less than in a standing start quarter mile. Furthermore, the imbalance caused by the heavy engine braking that occurs during unequalized downshifts will unbalance the car on braking and turn-in to the next corner. Not only is it harder on the equipement, it is slower.

IMO good drivers are smooth drivers who can almost become one with their car. Try being sympatico with your car for a change - you will be rewarded by not only better longevity and lower maintenance costs, but also a sense of pride over the increased control that you exercize over the equipment at higher speeds.

Brad

I drive mine much in the way you described. I wind it out through the gears, often kissing the rev limiter, push it hard through corners, but I never launch it hard off the line or bang the shifts.

Drive hard, shift soft.

Using the entire rpm range once the car is warmed up is not particularly "hard" IMO but as the car was designed. Drop-clutch launches and fast-and-furious shifting are well outside it's build design and turn a Porsche into a money pit quickly.

Smooth is fast.

Smooth is fast. Slamming is pointless and harmful to some very expensive equipment.

Once the oil is at operating temp fully use it, never abuse it. Boxsters have a rev limiter
that prevents over reving the engine. It does not prevent mechanical overrevs by downshifting into 2 low of a gear. :eek:

Yes, like the others I drive it hard utilizing the full RPM range to just short of the limiter, but as smoothly as possible.

You will find that once you have mastered the shifting points that smooth is both fast and feels awesome as you gently but firmly get pushed back into your seat.

Saving wear and tear is the upside of being smooth as well.

In every Manual shift car I've owned putting on up to 200K Miles I have never had to replace a clutch and that is due to being smooth on the shifter.

When ever I'm first at a light I always do max performance smooth launches up to the posted limit leaving everyone far behind. (After I have visually checked for the potential red light runners of course)

If you are screeching your tires on shifts then your not being smooth/gentle enough, it takes a bit of practice so don't feel bad if you not there yet after a year.

I daily drive mine and I couldn't call the shift somewhat smooth till after 6 months and another 6 months to get to silky smooth shifts more often than not.

Personally think these cars run better after High RPM drives. Like most here, smooth shifts are the ticket. I'm also all about waiting for the temps to get up. I drive a 13 mile work commute also. I suspect that the oil temp is not up until about 1/2 to 2/3 of that distance. Water temp up in 2-3 miles

Since mine is also relegated to weekend duties, I drive "spiritedly" in the same manner, of course once the motor and oil is at operating temperature.

Driving it slow and not rev'ing it is NO fun... I always bring it up to temp before I push it - Drive it and enjoy it, do the maintenance and if something breaks (deal with it then). What good is it if you cant have fun with it - thats what they're designed for :-)

I did something similar at AutoClub Speedway as I was heel and toeing (and doing it poorly) going into Turn 3 (hard left at about 50mph) after exiting the NASCAR banking at 115mph.

Net result: $3,200 for a new clutch, throw out bearing, clutch fork, flywheel, and pressure plate. It looked like everything had been thrown in a blender in there - I was lucky that none of the debris put a hole in the trans housing.

Drive fast but be nice to the equipment. :)

Driving fast should not equal driving hard. these cars are reliable but they are not durable in general and definitely not without precautions. I drive accordingly as I do not like having my car in the service queue longer than I actually drive it.

Also, how long does it take for your coolant to come up to temp where you are? Double this for the oil warm up and you should not be driving hard in that time span. I would also run the AC if you're going to be driving like that. Let it run a while after you park it as well. Don't just shut it down after going balls out for 10 miles.

I use the entire power band and generally keep it above 3K. I often hit 6.5K and rarely hit the rev limiter. But the clutch on my 99 is so smooth it's unbelievable. I plan to teach my 16 old daughter to drive a clutch in my car because of it. However, if I miss a shift and dump it too soon I always tell myself I screwed that one up. Happens less and less as time goes by, but occasionally I'll over rev a start from standing stop (may hit 3K when it's not required). I never dump the clutch, nor would I do so intentionally as it's just a bad idea all around.

Handling / steering / curves / corners are more fun than fast starts and acceleration. Smooth shifting at higher speeds is where it's at!

1 year later and I'm still averaging 11-13 mpg. Daily driver, to treat myself since no time for golf or fishing much.

Hard enough to have fun but not to the point that I am going to be breaking something because of it. I rebuilt the car for the long run of enjoying it for many years.