My new 997 (took delivery yesterday) is supposed to be kept under 4200 RPM
according to the owner's manual, for the first 2000 miles.

Yet the salesman, who has owned many 911s, says that driving it too gently
during the break-in period can cause problems. Something about engine seals
needing at least some early stress in order to seat properly--otherwise oil
leaks will be a problem, for example. And also something about a computer
chip analyzing early driving patterns and adjusting timing patterns that may
lead to poor compatibilty and performance when driving habits change after
the break-in period.

Anyway, for a few blocks after driving it off the lot I would bring it to
5000-6000 RPMs briefly while accelerating to maybe 50-60 mph. That's it.
The rest of the 200 miles on the car now have been pretty sedate.

My question: Is there any risk of serious damage with very brief revs above
4200 at this early stage? And on the other hand, is there any disadvantage
in keeping it below 4200 RPM at *ALL* times? Or is the warning about 4200
RPM really about sustained periods or heavy loads?

Congratulations on the new car!

Brief periods of higher RPM will not harm the engine and are really a
positive thing. The factory doesn't want the engine run at higher RPM for
sustained periods. However, once it's warmed up, a few spikes to higher RPM
are just fine.

I don't know what the factory is specing for the first oil change; however,
I'd change the oil and filter after that first 2,000 miles. Even computer
engine milling is going to leave some small irregularities and there just
has to be some metal particles floating around in the oil and filter.

Enjoy!

"gibberdill" <gibberdill@bak.rr.com> wrote in message
news:kwYzg.7417$Ta6.3747@tornado.socal.rr.com...

"Guru" <Guru@nospam.net> wrote in message
news:Nl2Ag.556$1f6.388@newssvr27.news.prodigy.net. ..

I have to agree. The idea is to not keep the engine at a constant RPM for
any length of time, so a few blips above recommendations would probably be
good. So, revving it up a bit is better than breaking it in by going on a
road trip on the Interstate for 2000 miles and never varying the speed.

There are a lot of theories about breaking in a new car. Why not search the
net for a few.

Also, the computer will readjust to your new driving after the break-in
period, so I wouldn't worry about that.