Why cant Porsche...

[JNadal]

Offer an aircooled engine as an option!
Am I the only person who sees this as making sense? Yeah the watercooled are cheaper, but porsche would get alot more buyers if the aircooled engine was some special order or optional engine.
They're trying to go back to the old 911 looks so why no the motor? They lost a lot of repeat new car buyers because of what they called "progress"

Imagine as an option: a 4.0 liter twinplug aircooled flat six. They could even incorporate alot of newer technology so instead of the dual distributors, they could just a have twin coil packs directly on the motor. Maybe even a quad cam setup (or not). 5valves per cylinder. Knife edged crank. And a high rev range.

IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK??????

[project935]

Tooling costs and emissions certification would kill that dream quick.

It would be cool though ...

[Rick Lee]

I believe it's due to California's noise/smog specs. for new cars. The US is Porsche's biggest market and CA is the biggest subset thereof. They can't go making different cars for every state. Sports cars in this country would be vastly different if not for CA's envir. laws.

[thrown_hammer]

You forget that the bean counters are driving the ship now.

[JNadal]

If the aircooled motor was available, many purists would start to buy new cars again.

[RickM]

Originally posted by Richard LeSchander
I believe it's due to California's noise/smog specs. for new cars. The US is Porsche's biggest market and CA is the biggest subset thereof. They can't go making different cars for every state. Sports cars in this country would be vastly different if not for CA's envir. laws.

But they have and do make a different car for CA. At least when it comes to the engine and it's emission systems.

[ken_xman]

If they made air cooled motors again. The bottom would fall out of our car prices. I rather they keep the course.

[Wil Ferch]

Many factors:
- noise ( Switzerland, Europe, elsewhere)
- heat ( modern heating system, less variable with engine speed)
- performance ( water cooled allows 4 valve heads...required both technically and from a "marketing" standpoint)
- performance/emissions balance
- specific hp ( hp vs engine size) can be better/easier managed.

In "today's" world...yes...unfortunately..it *would* be too much to ask.

---Wil

[turbo6bar]

Originally posted by ken_xman
If they made air cooled motors again. The bottom would fall out of our car prices. I rather they keep the course.

SCs and Carreras are $10-20k. Is there any bottom left to fall?

[Rick Lee]

Rick, I think all new US-spec Porsches conform to CA law. They mentioned this when I was at the factory and we happened to see them assemble an engine with a special tag on it, stating it was US-bound.

[JNadal]

Even if they resurrected the 993 engine with just the direct coil ignition and maybe a higher CR it would still be nicer than the 996 engine

[RickM]

Originally posted by Richard LeSchander
Rick, I think all new US-spec Porsches conform to CA law. They mentioned this when I was at the factory and we happened to see them assemble an engine with a special tag on it, stating it was US-bound.

Richard, I'm sure you're right....I carried away trying to make a point. Im curious as to when they started with a 50 state car.

Also, I wonder where all that old tooling goes. In the Porsche basement?

I'd imagine much of the design and construction is computer managed now. Probably with fast prototyping and reusable, CNC run and "disposable" dies/molds/tooling.

Was that your observation when visiting the factory?

[Rick Lee]

No, engines were totally assembled by hand, though they sure had cool tools. I just think they have different compression ratios, cam timing and exhaust for US cars. All the parts bins are marked for which country they can go to.

[RickM]

I'm curious about the design and manufacturing of the parts, not the assembly. Did you see any part of that operation?

[RallyJon]

twinplug ... 5 valves per cylinder.

Now that I'd like to see!

[MichiganMat]

emissions.
Aircooled heads/cylinders have a hard time keeping a constant temperature. Widely fluxuating head/cylinder temps are how NOx and a few other nasty gasses are formed. (Atleast thats what I've been told) Add that fact to the fact that a larger percentage of Porsches are sold in smog-regulated CA and the idea fizzles.

Wah, wah, waahhhhhhh.

[JNadal]

Why does California have to crap on everyone's parade? I live in smog police free Virginia and California still has to affect me!

On average, whats the highest octane gas available in California?(at a regular gas station , not Sunoco) Here its 93.

[nullh2o]

I think the 996 engine costs Porsche a fraction of what the 993 engine used to cost them- something like 1/3. An aircooled optioned Porsche would likely cost ALOT more & perform less
Don't think too many enthusiasts would get excited by that.

[nullh2o]

Not sure if I fully buy the emissions argument however. In CA my SC runs cleaner than the average car on the road (SMOG test results). The average car in CA is 6 years old & water-cooled.

[82SC]

that is the most impractical idea I've heard

as much as I'd like to see a return of an aircooled engine having a aircooled/h20 dual engine option is ridiculous

just the plumbing and electronic differences are impossible...plus I don't think many of us are not buying porsches just cuz the engine has some h2o in it...it is $$ and the fact that porsche cars in general have lost their endearing character

MJ