Proper RPM range for daily driving?

[coglin]

I am curious what other Porsche owners consider to be the proper RPM range for daily driving of their 911's - namely, what RPM do you cruise at around town and on the freeway, and where do you take the RPMs before shifting? I notice that I typically cruise at around 3000 - 3500 RPM and shift at a bit above 4000 RPM. Does Porsche have a recommendation for this?

Thank you

[janz]

2700 to 4000. Shift between 3500 and 4000. Unless of course I'm doing the spirited drive thing.

[barney911rs]

You don't say what year car or what engine you have, so it's a little vague. You don't want to lug these engines. When accelerating, feel free to take it to near red line once in awhile. The engine needs to operate throughout the entire RPM range. For just cruising around, your RPM looks OK, but downshift before you accelerate hard.

[coglin]

Good point, mine is a '79 911 SC.

Thanks

[wholberg]

I cruise around town at about 3500 rpm. It works out very nicely as 3500 rpm is 25mph in 2nd gear, 45 mph in 3rd gear and 55 mph in 4th gear. I shift at 5000 - 5500. This allows for very responsive driving. I checked the mileage a couple of times for the difference between 3000 and 3500 when cruising in town, and it as 17.8 mpg if I shifted to keep the rpms low at 3000 rpms and shifted at about 3500, and 17.5 cruising at 3500 and shifting at 5000.

My first Porsche was an SC and I followed the same protocol. The car seemed to like it.

[dshepp806]

I stay above 3K RPMs,..paying no attention to gas mileage concerns.

Shifting/RPMs? Well,..that's related to mood.....and applied accordingly.

Never lugging her (that's 4-sure...)

Best,

Doyle

[porschenut]

There aren't any official recommendations on cruising RPM. Drive in any gear you like, but don't lug the engine. There are two things to keep in mind. The SC, like the Carreras that came after, puts out pretty good torque below 3k RPM's, so there's no need to keep the revs way up high like the earlier cars. But you'll want to do it anyway to keep both you and the engine happy.

[Wayne 962]

Depends upon which mood I'm in. On the highway, if I'm trying to conserve gas, I keep the RPMs as low as possible. Around town, I typically shift around 5K or a bit higher. The power band for my engine just starts at 3K.

-Wayne

[timc]

I try to stay between 3 - 4.5K around town, shift 5 - 6K. Don't even consider gas mileage unless I'm on the hwy on a long trip (400+ miles).