European Delivery and the Engine Break In Period
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Well, maybe ?. Remember that 4000 rpm gives a top speed of about 145kph (90mph) for any sustained work but brief spurts above that are acceptable. And with the torque coming on well at 2000 rpm acceleration is excellent.
I haven't been driving much in Europe, but how fast were you thinking of driving?
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Seems to me this boils down to a personal choice: Do you abide by the manufacturers written instructions for running/breaking in a new engine or do you not comply and potentially suffer the consequences of higher oil consumption, maybe somewhat lower compression ratios, etc. I am not sure I understand why the geographical location matters as most people want to enjoy these wonderful machines from day zero no matter where they are.
I am certain all manufacturers requirements for run in are primarily based on statistical data and not a pull it out the butt guess. I strongly suspect they do this by looking very closely at probability and expense of in warranty failures as a function of how the engine is initially operated. I am also sure there are secondary marketing considerations pushing in the other direction as no manufacturer wants to unnecessarily inconvenience the customer.
The dealer that sold me my Boxster told me most Porsche sales are two year leases. This response was prompted when I noticed how many two year old used cars were on the showroom floor. I guess someone that only expects to keep a car for two years and low mileage probably has no overwhelming reason to care about the break in period. I bought my Boxster and intend to enjoy it as a daily driver for more than two years so I reasonably, albeit not 100% perfectly, abided by the 2000 mile max 4000 RPM specified in the manual.
It would not surprise me if one of the car's computer does not have a permanent memory for parameters that could invalidate a warranty claim. Also, interestingly, last April when I took delivery at the Atlanta PEC, they clearly told us there is no break in regimen and "your Boxster is already broken in". The absolutely contradicts the manual and, since it was verbal, means nothing.
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My opinion: biggest part of breaking in is all about seating the rings. The experts on engine building mostly agree that this is critical in the first 50 miles. After that , the cylinder honing / crosshatching is worn smooth. What ever seating the rings have accomplished is job done by then. Another aspect however is metal temper. Think heat cycle in tires , hot and cool of engine cycles can do good things for the internals. My feeling is that can be achieved within a few hundred miles. For me my self imposed break in was 800 miles and from there it was track duty with no concerns. Perhaps the 2000 mile number may have something to do for the first time unfamiliar Porsche driver to help keep him or her out of trouble until familiar with all aspects of performance driving. Again just an opinion , but how many fresh engines won a 24 hour ?
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Absolutely spot on.......I am in the "abide by the manual" camp but opinions do differ.
140 MPH is enough for a solid Autobahn experience, I would say.
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Not sure you need to worry about the engine or gearbox in modern cars, maybe not over-revving for first few hundred but don't recall any manual or personal advice in UK. Main issues are bedding in brakes and to lesser extent tyres, again no more than 500 miles needed. Just common sense really.
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Why Peter, those of us on this forum have at very least uncommon sense hence the Porsches.
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That must have changed since the manual stated keep the GT3/GT3-RS under 7000 rpms for the first 1000 miles.
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Otherworld problems!...
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