RPM's For Performance
 

I'm wondering what would be the RPM range that allows engine to come alive without approaching red line

2002 986 5 spd [ not S]

I just had some pro active work done [ IMS , RMS , Clutch , flywheel ] and would like to
start driving car a bit more vigorously ;) not racing just letting it go occasionally

I have been shifting mostly between 3- 4k rpm's Have gone into 5k and felt more power
1st gear won't need too much higher than 3 k [ thats just my feel for it ]
2-5 would be more flexible rev wise

On track I like to shift around 6200 unless I am winding it out like at Sebring where if I shift up a hear I would have to shift right back, but even then I don't like to go above 6500.

That doesn't answer your question though. Do a few pulls in 3rd and 4th and feel when it comes alive, around 4000+? 4500? As long as you don't shift in such a way the you are below 4000/4500 in the new gear, you should be in the power band and liking the performance :) 6000/6200 has been working for me and is not too hard on the engine. On the street I shift around 3000 :)

In a racing weekend, I shift near/at redline around 400 times (basically every upshift). Probably 10 shifts bounce off of the rev limiter. Then I do this 15 weekends a year; so 6,000 shifts at redline per year for the past two years. And I do this on a completely stock 2.5L engine with original IMS bearing and 97,000 miles.

Of course, this level of use is hard (very hard) on the engine and I expect its life expectancy to be greatly reduced (which is why I have a spare engine in my workshop).

But the point I want to make is that these engines are pretty tough and durable (despite what you might read) and running your engine to redline a few times a month isn't going to hurt anything or reduce its life expectancy.

With that being said and to directly answer your question, the engine will feel most alive from 4,000 to 6,000 rpm without placing any undue stress on the motor.

Tom what is the redline on the 2.5L, is it 6500 or 6800? On the 2.7/3.2 It is 7200 or 7300, which I have hit a few times, then I read something by Jake or Brad Roberts (apologies that I can't remember) that said on the 2.7/3.2 engines to keep to the 2.5 redline for longevity. Plus I am a wuss...

One redline a day, keeps the carbon away!

Does anyone have a stock engine HP/torque chart handy?

Dude, sorry to be insulting but you do know you bought a sports car? Don't drive it like grandpa (no offense, i'm a grandpa myself) but if I never wanted to go above 5k I would drive my wife's SUV.
There's also many threads that talk about IMS failure in cars that never get "driven" so you are not doing your engine any favors. Revving a car is not bad for it, don't slam the clutch and accelerate briskly and you and the car will be smiling.

I cruise at 3k. Non performance driving shift after 4k. With an S anything after 4k there is decent acceleration and engine breaking
If you want to feel the performance take a highway entrance ramp in 2nd to 6k+ then 3rd to 6k+ and you are in triple digits

Lets be real, its not a very powerful car. There is never really a big surge of acceleration.

Rev it to whatever you want (hell, hit fuel cutoff if you feel like it) and is appropriate for the conditions.

From the 2000 Owner's manual:


http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1483538013.jpg

Most importantly, warm the car up to normal operating temperature before driving it hard. The owner's manual says drive it for 5 minutes before revving above 4,200 RPM.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1483539185.jpg

I'd say run it until the temperature gauge has risen to normal operating range and become stable, then have no fear of taking it to 6,000+ and occasionally to the limiter. The engine computer (DME) is designed to prevent the engine from being revved above it's safe range during upshifts and the Tiptronic transmissions will not permit the engine to be put in a condition that will allow an overspeed even in downshifting. The only way that you can exceed the safe operating RPM is to downshift a manual transmission while you are near the maximum range.

For performance driving I keep the car between 4k-6.5k rpm. My redline is 7200. Below 4000 the torque curve drops off pretty quickly and banging the rev limiter offers very little for me in most cases. Exiting a corner at 6k, the excess torque often just gets lost in wheel spin. Wheel spin is slow. :)

2.5L max rpm is 6700. (986 Specs)

Nothing wussy about it - every driver should take good care of the equipment! But you'll find that those last few hundred rpm's make a difference when you're chasing tenths of a second (or ten feet in a race) ...

From a strictly power standpoint, these Dyno charts seem to indicate there is little advantage to shifting beyond 6300 rpm as horsepower and torque are rapidly diminishing beyond that.

Well, if you shift later, you'll end up in the next gear at higher RPM and you'll have more power available. From a performance point of view, you shouldn't shift at peak power, but later.

If you are concerned about damaging the engine with high revs, one issue is balance. You mention "Flywheel" -do you mean DMF or LWFW?
If you mean an aftermarket LWFW then back off before the undamped vibration and natural imbalance spins a bearing. It is all in Search.
If by 'flywheel'you mean DMF, did you check for wear,get theDMF+the clutch balanced ?
When I had my new DMF balanced it required an alarming amount of material removed to balance it perfectly. The clutch pressure plate was O.K. An unbalanced 30+ pound DMF cantilevered out, way beyond the last main bearing is a problem. This too has been discussed (Search)by others much better qualified than me.

The optimal shift point is where the torque delivered to the wheels curve for the current gear crosses the wheel torque curve for the next gear. It is easy to calculate from the gear ratio and torque curves in the owners manual.

I have a '99 base with headers, test pipes, and a Borla exhaust. The front set of cats are gone. I also have a cold air intake system. The rev limiter pings at 6800 rpm.
When I go out for a road trip, or even just around town, I'll wind it up to 6500...often. The engine does not protest. My Porsche mechanic, and my friends with all different models and years of Porsches always say drive it the way F. Porsche intended the car to be driven...with gusto....
I have over a 100k miles on it. It doesn't leak or burn oil, nor any other fluids...either I'm lucky, or everyone is right...I believe maybe for me, both....

One last thing...DO NOT LUG the engine!

tim

That's insulting to SUVs :)

I love getting the Escalade above 5000.

Agree completely on cutting loose. I'm still new to Porsches but I know it has to hold 9 quarts of oil for a reason.

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Not to hijack this thread, I hit redline once in mine and it felt like I hit an ignition rev limiter. Is that what happened or were my valves floating (I hope not)?

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