Should I drive it home?

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by Tommy Z

I wonder if there is a thread about how to prepare to drive a 911 for the first time?

915 gear box is more vague than the incredible bolt action rifle of modern Japanese gearboxes. You will get used to it on the first day. You can learn about rev matching if you've never learned that.

As for handling, unless you drive like a total A-hole on public roads like Magnus or some idiot teenager, you'll be fine. People used to warn about never lifting off the gas in a turn, but that is greatly exaggerated. You couldn't spin the car out on public roads unless you tried, and even then it would be very difficult. Since your wife is driving with you, you won't be doing any idiotic boy racer stupidity. You will probably be shifting at 3000 on public roads, like you would on a commuter car, but try shifting at 5800 where there are no cars around and you can maintain that speed after the shift.

[LIRS6]

Personally, I would heed the advice of dwelle and darrin. Anyone can lose it at any time on any road at any speed if you mishandle a rear engine car, in particular in wet conditions. Take a nice long easy drive with your new (to you) car and your fiancée, and be safe.

One other 'take along' suggestion that I will make - buy a voltmeter with USB's that plugs into your cigarette lighter port so that you have a means to monitor voltage (and charge your phones). If your voltage were to drop abruptly while driving, it could mean that your fan belt has failed, which in turn means that your fan is no longer rotating to cool your engine.

Have fun!

Jason

[Kraftwerk]

One good reason to ship would be to be on the safe-side of the virus which is still going around otherwise: Check ALL the dates on each tire ..make sure they are young enough, bring a small comprehensive tool-kit and just drive! In fact if you don't drive it .. well that is just not the 'Pelican Spirt.... shipping it 'direct to your drive-way' is more Bring-A- Trailer behavior... Keep in mind, even a good PPI can miss things...

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by LIRS6

Personally, I would heed the advice of dwelle and darrin. Anyone can lose it at any time on any road at any speed if you mishandle a rear engine car, in particular in wet conditions. Take a nice long easy drive with your new (to you) car and your fiancée, and be safe.

One other 'take along' suggestion that I will make - buy a voltmeter with USB's that plugs into your cigarette lighter port so that you have a means to monitor voltage (and charge your phones). If your voltage were to drop abruptly while driving, it could mean that your fan belt has failed, which in turn means that your fan is no longer rotating to cool your engine.

Have fun!

Jason

What? In 25 years of driving my 911 I have never had the slightest fear of "loosing it" in the rain or any weather. I have had 18 wheelers decide they wanted my lane right now and I had a millisecond to decide to change lanes or avoid the crunch. I might have been in the right, but dead right does me no good. In over 40 states and Canada and thousands of miles of curvy roads my car is planted. I don't even try to push the limits on public roads.

Yea, the 76 911 Turbo was a handful because of the power that came on in an instant, and so many drivers wanted to impress a passenger.

Drive a 911 like a sane driver sharing the road and there will not be an issue. It is not a car on verge of disaster, ever. Except with gummy autocross tires in the rain, but that is the tires not the car.

[Coastr]

Most 911 oversteer accidents are caused by old tires caused by cars not getting driven enough. Change my mind!

[LIRS6]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

What?

Well maybe not at any speed ....

While you may not have ever had the fear of losing it, my comment was only meant as an advice to the OP - I'm not trying to suggest that it is commonplace in a 911 - just that it can happen, and this is the OP's first ownership of a RE car. Fwiw in 34 years of owning my 911 I have lost the rear end (unintentionally), and in a Formula Ford at the track in the rain (intentionally - to understand the effect of lifting off the gas in a RE while initiating a turn).

Gotta ask you - with 60,000 posts, when do you find time to drive?

Jason

[Tommy Z]

I appreciate everyones tales of caution and bravado re. cautious driving. Let me say this. For the most part I intend to take it easy on the drive home, mostly because I haven't driven a 911 for longer than the average test drive so until I feel confident I understand her, we'll have a bit of a gettin to know you time. That having been said, the soon to be Wifey plotted an awesome route that takes us on the Tripple Nickle in Ohio and down into the hills of West Virginia and into Georgia so I'm certain we will get it figured out by the time we hit the Florida state line.

I originally brought up the subject because everyone on this site refrences letting off of the gas going through a turn and it makes a lot of sense. It's not something you really need to worry about in a non rear engine car so the word of caution I received LIRS6 was appreciated, as was the tone of confidence from GH85carrera.

I don't know much but I know it will be a fun trip! Fingers crossed we make it without mechanical issues that sideline us. I know if we do one of the fabulous posters on this site may have some advice while we're on the road. Or the side of the road?

[jhhaas]

I've bought cars and driven them back for San Luis Obismo (Boxster S), Seattle (E46 M3), Phoenix (993 Targa), Bangor Maine (76 Turbo), Houston (Cayenne Turbo), Baltimore (997S), Charleston SC (my first 911 an 83 SC Cab). I'm sure there's more. The sketchiest one was the 76 Turbo that was not one of my best vetting jobs. It rained the whole way back from Maine and water filled the floor boards. I bought a 996 in Tulsa...a 993 coupe in North Carolina.

Memories.... Best trip was the M3. I took 7 or 10 days to get back. Saw a lot of the country with no set schedule. Don't do it if you have to bust your ass to get back...

BTW, I am in southern Ohio. Sounds like you might be passing near me. Let me know if you need anything.

[Keithg]

Drive it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[icarp]

Originally Posted by Coastr

Most 911 oversteer accidents are caused by old tires caused by cars not getting driven enough. Change my mind!

I will bet $1,000 I can have any driver swap ends driving a VW Golf or Honda Civic, front drive and front engine , more easily than a well aligned 911. This is a driver induced outcome . In my 911's, I can apply the brakes midway through a turn at 85-90 mph and have a none event , just slowing the car. I this particular video the driver failed to have his eyes up and looking through the turn , ending up in a reactive state instead of predictive . So we see the outcome of that style of driving .
Porsche 911's get a bad rap on being tail happy, it is always driver input that nets the undesired outcome . We can talk about this more if any one is interested .
Just My Thoughts
Ian

[RedCoupe]

Tommy, I'm really glad that you and your fiance are driving the SC home. It will be a great trip! One tip that will sound really obvious is to make sure that you know the proper way to check the oil. Not just idling, but idling up at normal operating temperature. There is a big difference on the dipstick and the oil level gauge between cool oil and oil at normal temperature and it's easy to overfill the system if you check it when its too cool. And, most of us who have had our 911's for a while like to run with the oil level at the mid point of the stick or lower. You sure don't want the stinky, smoky experience of over filled oil! I did just that when I picked up my 964 in 2004, and I will never forget that stink!

[Keithg]

Drive it!!!!!!!!!!!

[timc]

Originally Posted by Tommy Z

OK! We have a plan and thanks to all of my Pelican Parts brethren for the advice and wisdom. We are driving it home! Flying up from Florida to Toledo on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend and spending the next three days driving her home. The Fiance' will be right next to me and with any luck by the time we get home she will have a better understanding of what this all means.

The car is headed to Tab Tanner's ( same guy who did the PPI )shop, Autobahn Garage in Findlay Ohio tomorrow to get new tires (Michelin PS4's), wiper blades, new turn signal switch, belt and hose check and an investigation of the A/C to see if a recharge of the system might get us a couple of days of minor relief as we drive south. I don't want to do any more as I plan to try and install a Griffiths system when I get better acquainted with the car over the Florida cool season.

I will be armed with a few quarts of oil and a few hand tools, not that I would know what to do with them, and we will hit the road! Going to take a quick detour east to head south to catch Route 555 to enjoy some twistys and then through the hills of West Virginia, Kentucky,Tennessee and finally due south to the Sunshine State.

I'm thinking if we can keep our driving to 6-8 hours or so a day we can make it home on Monday hopefully without incident and with a new appreciation and familiarity for this wonderful air cooled machine. I'll post throughout the trip and thanks again to everyone for all of the great advice and encouragement. I look forward to bombarding you all with lot's of novice questions as I dig into keeping her in tip top shape and making her even better! Until the drive!

I can't imagine you'll be able to limit yourself to 6-8hrs of driving in a new (to you) 911. I still can't when the opportunity arrives...I can never get enough once in it. Good luck and safe trip!

[Tommy Z]

Originally Posted by timc

I can't imagine you'll be able to limit yourself to 6-8hrs of driving in a new (to you) 911. I still can't when the opportunity arrives...I can never get enough once in it. Good luck and safe trip!

Tim,

You may be right. The reasoning is two fold. One, until I have complete confidence that the car has zero issues I am going to take it easier on her. I don't want to push the car more than I have to until I get closer to home. Second, the fiance' who has been so supportive and encouraging does not realize that the big road trip she signed up for in the dead of August will be in a tiny little, loud and smelly car. No A/C will get old after a while. Additionally, we are looking forward to being out on an adventure and we are going to turn the 1,400 mile trip into a mini three day vacation!

[Quasimoto]

Outstanding!

[icarp]

As far as oil on the dipstick , it is a good practice not to have the reading over the half way mark on the gauge or the dipstick at full temp. 205 * and up. if you fill it beyond that mark you will find the car consumes oil , to the half way mark and then stops the unhealthy consumption . ! qt for the whole trip might happen. I consume 1.4 qts in 5000 miles ,1980 sc 3.0
Have a blast on the trip
Ian

[FLORIAN1968]

I drove an old Beetle when I was a teenager. I felt back home right from the start in an SC. Don't do crazy adolescent things and you'll be fine.

[Otter74]

Originally Posted by Tommy Z

Tim,

You may be right. The reasoning is two fold. One, until I have complete confidence that the car has zero issues I am going to take it easier on her. I don't want to push the car more than I have to until I get closer to home. Second, the fiance' who has been so supportive and encouraging does not realize that the big road trip she signed up for in the dead of August will be in a tiny little, loud and smelly car. No A/C will get old after a while. Additionally, we are looking forward to being out on an adventure and we are going to turn the 1,400 mile trip into a mini three day vacation!

If she loves you enough to want to marry you, you'll be fine My sweetheart went with me on a trip to West Virginia in June for a rally. Eight hours over to the start in SW PA, a day and a half of driving while there, and eight hours of interstate back, all in a, as you describe it, tiny little, loud and smelly car with no AC. She famously described it as "two and a half days of misery" but said she'd do it again.

Also, a forty year old car is never going to have zero issues - just zero serious ones if it's well cared for.

[stubble88]

Congrats. Clean bill of health. Drive it.

[GH85Carrera]

Yea, the dipstick on the 911 is different than most any other car. Check the oil only when at full operational temperature, on level ground while the car is idling for at least 60 seconds. You want it right in between the two marks. If it gets a little below the bottom mark and you are not on the track in hard corners don't worry at all, it has lots of oil left to get you home.

The dash oil level gauge can be helpful but you will have to learn to ignore it most of the time. It is only a guide for the level when you are at a stop, at idle. Any other time simply ignore it. You will learn to know from that gauge when to check the dipstick.

Much like the heater, fresh air and AC controls are just different than other cars. I don't know of any factory original cars that car run the fresh air, the heater and AC all at the same time, or one at a time or any combination of the three systems. They are completely independent systems.