Care and feeding of my new Boxster S?

[Brucelee]

" I think that running this forum has jaded you a bit and you think that everyone of our engines/cars is a ticking time bomb which is simply not the case."

Certainly, this could be true, we do hear about alot of engine issues here. I am sure that at least some of them are contributed to by "spirited driving." Still, if I were to frequent a Lexus SC400 forum or Chevy V8 forum, I would be hearing more about 300K mile engines and the like, so I guess it depends on what we are comparing to.

It was admitted that racing is very hard on a car and would end in premature death. That statement is suggesting something very clear.

My point though is that there is no data that I have ever seen that would suggest that a key to long lived engines is to hammer them on a regular basis. In fact, the longest live engines on record tend to be run within somewhat narrow RPM ranges and are not subject to extreme acceleration and decelerations forces.

These engines would be in diesels (trains and trucks) and aircraft engines.

This makes sense. Simple physics would dictate as much.


__________________

[Paul]

My concern about your Redline recommendation is that if it is not a Porsche approved oil, it may void the warranty on a new car.

Of course Dr Porsche is dead, I used it as a generic term. BTW I have had dinner with Peter Porsche several times and he autographed the inside of the hood of my Boxster.

Porsches are driven daily in Germany at 6500 rpms in high gear for hours with no ill effects. Porsche has warned US drivers several times to drive their cars harder. If fact one of my owner manuals states that at least once each time the car is driven and after it is warmed up, to floor the car in first gear to at least 5500 rpms.

You said there is no evidence, I gave you evidence and perhaps you called me a liar. I'll stay on the high side and assume that is not true.

Bottom line drive the car the way it was intended to be driven (think Autobahn) and it will last a lot longer than a babied garage queen. If not, at least I'm having FUN!!!

[Brucelee]

As you wish, and I don't think you are a liar.

I would love to hear the Porsche engineer's explantation of why the car is going to last longer if you "floor it once a day" vs. driving in a more moderate fashion.

Using this logic, race cars would last forever.

Alas, they last a very very short time even though they have few miles on them.

Such is life.

[Paul]

Race cars are usually designed for power with little regard to longevity, so they do fail sooner.

Racing our cars usually results in behavior that's different than spirited driving on the street. On the track, many of us miss shifts, grind gear boxes, over rev when down shifting, flat spot tires, and other insults that would not happen on the street.

Trust me if you are not getting arrested while driving your Porsche, you are not driving it hard enough to effect it's longevity.

[Paul]

Hans Peter is a grandson.

[Brucelee]

http://www.unofficialbmw.com/all/engine/all_redline_rpm_vs_reliability.html

This is rather technical but on point on the subject of engine speeds and longevity.

[Paul]

Based on your theory, all cars in Germany should require more repairs than the same model in the US.

Is there anyone from Germany on this board?

Originally Posted by Paul

My concern about your Redline recommendation is that if it is not a Porsche approved oil, it may void the warranty on a new car.

Of course Dr Porsche is dead, I used it as a generic term. BTW I have had dinner with Peter Porsche several times and he autographed the inside of the hood of my Boxster.

Porsches are driven daily in Germany at 6500 rpms in high gear for hours with no ill effects. Porsche has warned US drivers several times to drive their cars harder. If fact one of my owner manuals states that at least once each time the car is driven and after it is warmed up, to floor the car in first gear to at least 5500 rpms.

You said there is no evidence, I gave you evidence and perhaps you called me a liar. I'll stay on the high side and assume that is not true.

Bottom line drive the car the way it was intended to be driven (think Autobahn) and it will last a lot longer than a babied garage queen. If not, at least I'm having FUN!!!

Peter Porsche (say that 10 times fast!) signed your hood...that's pretty cool! Is he a grandson or great-grandson?

I don't think the Autobahn is anything like it may have been in the past. All my friends that trvel there say it's backed-up & congested just like many USA highways. And when they have a crash...it's awful.

[Ronzi]

"I have owned 14 Porsches since 1974 and have floored them every time I have driven them and shifted near redline ... "

Well, let's see ... that boils down to a little over two years per car. I submit that hardly qualifies as "long term useage", on a per-car basis.
I agree you can beat the crap out of just about any car, Porsches included, for two years, and the chickens won't be roosting on YOUR shoulder.

From what I have read, and heard, European-owned and driven Porsches are renowned for being junk-heaps compared to US cars, specifically because of the way they are typically driven and somewhat haphazard maintenance.

Anecdotal data is always interesting, and provides good argument fodder, but in this case I remain unconvinced.

[Paul]

But most of the time I've owned at least 2 and once 4 at the same time!

I bought my 2001 Boxster new more than 5 years and 55,000 miles ago....

[Brucelee]

If you go on Google and simply type in "piston speed engine longevity" you will find tons of different data to suggest that overall, increased engine piston speed kills longevity.

The engineers can verify this quite easily.

I am NOT telling you not to drive your car hard, simply suggesting you not justify it with a "its good for the car" story.

It is not.

Where is Minn Jim when you need him?????????????

[Paul]

No issue with the piston speeds, but most wear is caused by the first 30 seconds after start up, in comparison very little wear occurs after that.

Also I have read oil studies that show that new oil causes more wear in the first 3000 miles, after that wear levels out.

[MNBoxster]

Hi,

"I try to get out, but they pull me back in..."

Nowhere is it written that it's good to intentionally abuse machinery. The harder you use it, the faster you'll use it up!

An engine and drivetrain is a symphony of moving parts. Step up the cadence, and you inevitably shorten it's lifespan. There are only so many cycles that these various parts are designed to achieve, push beyond this threshold, and the machine will breakdown short of the anticipated life cycle...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

[Paul]

Originally Posted by Brucelee

If you go on Google and simply type in "piston speed engine longevity" you will find tons of different data to suggest that overall, increased engine piston speed kills longevity.

The engineers can verify this quite easily.

I am NOT telling you not to drive your car hard, simply suggesting you not justify it with a "its good for the car" story.

It is not.

Where is Minn Jim when you need him?????????????

My point all along is that it is better than leaving it sit, flooring it when cold, and shifting at low rpms. My way works or I am the luckiest Porsche owner of all time.

And I am not driving the car hard, just they way Porsche built the car to be driven. Try it you'll like it, Porsches are not to be worshiped, just driven.

[Brucelee]

"My point all along is that it is better than leaving it sit, flooring it when cold, and shifting at low rpms. My way works or I am the luckiest Porsche owner of all time."

I certainly never suggested that THESE practices were wise. Nor would I worship any car. I was simply taking issue with the "driving it hard is better than driving it moderately" school of thought.

As I said before, drive it like you stole it.if you so choose. Simply don't believe you can cheat the laws of physics. Stress kills engines!

Also, you CAN change your oil too frequently, but 7500 miles is NOT too frequent if one looks at the used engine analysis that are available. Depending on the oil, some are shot by then.

M1 is usually gone by 11-12K. Red Line will usually make it to 15K but then, why risk it with your $15K engine?

[Brucelee]

Thanks for coming out of retirement Jim!