Hello. Please be gentle!!

[Nobbynumbnut]

OK guys..here goes nothing.

Having never owned a performance car before. Should I try and drive it whilst keeping the RPM's down in an attempt to promote engine longevity? Ever mindful of the much discussed IMS issue. I really stretched myself budget wise to buy the Porker and do not want to have to spend a fortune in repairs. I do want to enjoy the car but having only ever driven family type cars till now. I am not sure what constitutes engine abuse! Is it really OK to wait until 3000 RPM until changing gear?

When I drive the car as I do (like an old lady) I find that changing gear can be somewhat "clunky". I must admit that, on the odd occasion that I have let the engine rev a bit higher that this problem disappears. Do you think that that I am driving the car wrong?

Also, after I have driven the car for a while I have noticed that I get a harsh sounding "knock" from the passengers side rear ( remember that the passengers sit on the wrong side of the car over here) when going over rough roads or sleeping policemen.

Mark T
Sorry fella, I do not have an owners manual ( apparently these always go missing due to the lack of a glove compartment in early models and they get lost in the house) don't flame me please. I don't think that I handle the pressure of new Porsche ownership, not knowing what I'm doing coupled with a grilling from you mate.

Ghost,
Thanks mate. Much obliged. Will PM you if you don't mind.

I need to figure out how to upload pics from an I Pad


Cheers guys

Bob

[The Radium King]

i never shift below 4000 and on the track push it right to the limiter. car shifts easier that way (easier than when rattling around between 2000 and 3000 rpm) and porsche designed these engines to rev. folks say that NOT reving the engine can promote ims failure, as once the seal has failed on the bearing and washed all the grease out, the only thing keeping it lubed is lots of oil sloshing around at high rpm (tiptronics, which don't rev as high, are said to have a higher ims failure rate). also, any gas, etc. that may be in the oil which is detremental to bearing seals will get burnt off in a high rpm romp.

i say giver ********************!

[Spinnaker]

Originally Posted by Nobbynumbnut

Is it really OK to wait until 3000 RPM until changing gear?
When I drive the car as I do (like an old lady) I find that changing gear can be somewhat "clunky". I must admit that, on the odd occasion that I have let the engine rev a bit higher that this problem disappears. Do you think that that I am driving the car wrong?

Bob

Yes, I think you are driving it wrong.
You bought a Porsche, not a Austin. Drive it like it was meant to be, like a race car.
Around town and in traffic, you may have to shift at 3000. When you are out on the open road, on occasion, let the engine windup to 6000 before you shift. Let the sound of the engine intoxicate you. You will experience a phenomenon that we on the forum call the "Perma-grin". You will still be well below the red line for the engine.
You can harm an engine by not letting it rev up into its power band. Lugging and carbon build up come to mind. When I used to work on engines a lot, I could always tell when on car was driven like an "old lady". The combustion chambers and valves would always be crudded up with carbon deposits and the top half of the rod bearings would show excessive wear from lugging. A engine needs to get exercise at higher RPM's to blow out the deposits that build up from driving around town at low speeds. I blow out the carbon every chance I get.
When you have the suspension checked for the "clunk" noise, make sure the front engine mount is examined also.

While "the beer is on me" sounds interesting, I prefer mine in a glass or straight from the bottle.