Short hops? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

SoCal · 07-18-2005, 10:10 PM

I understand (generally) that short hops are not good for the car, especially while it is being broken in.

What, however, is the minimum amount of time (or minimum distance) the car should be driven before it is stopped and turned off?

Does the rule of thumb change after the first 2,000 miles? Or thereafter?

St. Louis Boxster · 07-19-2005, 05:03 AM

Great question. Since mine is not my daily driver I wonder the same thing. If you only drive the Box once every couple of days, and basically never in the rain, are there any special issues one should consider. When i do take it out it's typically for at least an hour drive, good therapy for me and the Box. During the winter I might not drive it for a couple of weeks at a time, if it's snowy and sloopy out.

wombat7 · 07-19-2005, 05:16 AM

If you are trying to break the car in, the biggest thing you need to do is very the RPMs. That means try to stay away from the highway. If you drive at constant RPMs for a long time things will not seat themselves right and you will end up with problems down the road. As far as short trips go, they aren't necessarily the greatest thing for any car, no matter what the mileage is. Things don't get warmed up like they are supposed to on short trips. Hope that helps...

SoCal · 07-20-2005, 04:09 PM

But still, is there any better guidance re the minimum number of miles or minutes that should be driven per trip? I mean, does a one-mile trip hurt the car?

yellowbox · 07-20-2005, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoCal

But still, is there any better guidance re the minimum number of miles or minutes that should be driven per trip? I mean, does a one-mile trip hurt the car?

no, i don't think so. If you pull out your car to wash it, would you drive around the block for 30 minutes before you come back to your driveway?

Driving short trips in terms of time and distance are fine. Is not like you are turning the engine on, then off, then on, then off...

SD987 · 07-20-2005, 05:06 PM

I don't think the general principals are different for a Boxster, then any other car. If a car is driven for short hops, Porsche assumes that the car doesn't really get a chance to get up to, then operate at normal running temperatures, so I would classify a short hop as one, where the car doesn't get a chance to get the engine warmed and lubed. Although the Boxster is quick to the 175 degree mark, I think we can agree that that mark on the thermostat is a general 'everything is OK, nothing is getting too hot' indicator then it is a proper thermostat. Obviously it's also highly dependent on your climate. Under the above scenario a short hop in February in North Dakota is different than a short hop in San Diego in February.

I would disagree with the previous post regarding engine speeds and the highway. I think Porsche would prefer to see highway usage during break-in, but with varied engine revs, e.g.

3000 RPMs in 5th @75 mph
3800 RPMs in 4th @ 75 mph
4200 RPM in 3rd @ 65 mph
2500 RPMs in 5th @65 mph

That sort of thing.

deliriousga · 07-21-2005, 05:29 AM

I don't think short hops are any worse than long hauls.

The thing that wears the engine most is running it hard before it is warmed up completely. Try to keep it at or under 3K rpm until you are past the 180 degree mark. The oil takes awhile to warm up and it won't flow through the engine as well until it is warm so lubrication is minimal when you first start driving.

Once it's warm, have fun!

wombat7 · 07-21-2005, 05:37 AM

The reason I said try to stay away from the highway is so that you can guarentee the varied engine revs. How many people are going to jump on the highway and leave the car in 3rd gear? Not very many. The biggest thing when breaking in any car is very the engine speed. If you can do that and drive on the highway great, but the temptation to just put it in 5th or 6th and just drive may be too much for some people. If you leave the engine at a certain speed for too long the rings will not seat right and you will have big problems down the road.