Porsche break in period

[tmak26b]

I know a few people here have Porsche. Can someone tell me if those cars require a special break in period? Is it safe to start tracking the car at 500 miles? I know BMW and Lotus have rev limiter or special arrangement to prevent high revs, what abouit the Porsche? I know nothing about it and need to know this for next week

[rnoonan]

This is a subject of considerable debate on the Porsche forums. The US manuals (at least for the Cayman S) recommend keeping revs under 4200 rpm until you have 2000 miles on the engine. On the other hand, the UK manuals don't mention a break-in period at all. Opinions are pretty evenly split as to whether Porsche engines need a break-in period. It has been noted that Porsche tests each engine before it goes into the car by warming it up to operating temperature and then running it to redline. Others have suggested that the "break-in period" is actually for the driver, not the engine (these cars are fast!). I'd say it's really up to you - how confident are you in Porsche's engineering? How long do you plan to keep the car? Can you afford an engine rebuild if it turns out to be necessary?

-= Rick =-

[rnoonan]

Oh, and as to the rev limiter - yes, it has one that cuts in at redline. (With two different types of limits if you have the Sport Chrono option.) As with all rev limiters, it only works when accelerating; it won't save you if you downshift from 5th to 2nd gear at 80 mph.

-= Rick =-

[tmak26b]

BMW has a computer controlled redline based on mileage and temperature. No turbo on this sucker, just a lot of NA power