[02C4S]

I have seen a lot of threads on this subject in the air cooled forum but haven't seen on in a 996/996 forums.

What is the best RPM for daily driving? I read a lot of people who say that the cars are designed to rev and that 3500 and 4000 RPM is the best shifting RPM. Having never owned a Porsche before, my natural inclination is to shift around 2000 RPMs because that is how I learned to drive a manual transmission.

I know the really old 911s did not do well at low RPMs. When I initially got my car I shifted at around 2000 RPMs because that is just how I drove. Lately I have made an effort to **** closer to 4000 RPMs. It took a bit to get over my instinct to shift and it increases the engine noise, which for me is a bonus, not so much for my wife. I find the car drives amazingly when shifted at higher rpms. At highway speeds, in fifth or sixth gear the car is plenty fast but in fourth gear it is wonderful. It will sit around 3500 RPMs in 4th and cruise at around 70. Since it is right at the bottom of its maximum power curve, it accelerates in and through traffic like a beast. The same is true for driving on the side street. Under 50 mph, it is a much better car in 2nd than it is lugging away in 3rd.

I don't imagine this hurts the engine. Is it better for the engine to keep the revs up? Or is that not really true with the newer models? It isn't bad is it?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.