Gemballa1

Very true, I am members to many forums for my various cars over the years and one thing I can say is common about the "drive it like you stole it" out of the gate is slightly increased horsepower. I have used this method on several cars including my old GT2, 996TT and CLS55 and all three dynoed higher than average compared to other non-modded identical cars. I do know adaptive ECUs are part of this HP increase in some cases but people with far more knowledge than me have explained in detail that this strong out of the gate break-in actually results in a more efficient break-in with better cylinder pressure ect. ect. As I said I am no mechanic (far from it). I am pasting the explanation from my CLS55 board which may not apply to the TT engine entirely but I thought it might be interesting to many.

"Here is my opinion. Piston Rings are held, for the most part, against the cylinder walls by the cylinder pressure created, in part, by the ignition of the A/F mixture, and this cylinder pressure is at it's highest (thus the rings are being pushed against the hone texture the hardest) during accelerating with WOT operation. The hone texture on the cylinder walls, during it's very early life, is at it's sharpest texture therefore promoting (at the highest level during the Motors life) the complete sealing (lapping-in) of the rings with the cylinder walls. As the hone texture is smoothed, by this breaking-in process, the ability of the hone texture to seal with the rings is diminished dramatically. So, aggressive operation of the 55K motor from the beginning will ultimately result in a motor that seals better at the rings and will put out more Hp because of this.

Now, this does not mean that you can run the 55K motor at WOT during the break-in period for extended periods of time (more than 45 sec.) before letting off. If you do, excessive heat will be introduced into the motor due to the relatively high level of friction at the ring to cylinder wall junction. The idea is to make a WOT run for lets say 15 sec. (assuming enough road is available) then cruise for 2 to 3 min. to cool the motor down, and then do another WOT run and a cool down period, and so on. This type of driving behavior is difficult in most area so just general aggressive driving accomplishes this break-in method, because you have to slow down quickly anyway because there is not enough road ahead and traffic gives time for the motor to cool down until the next opportunity comes along for another WOT blast.

Weather you subscribe to this method of break-in or not the 55K motor will run fine in the end, however the 55K motor broken in with this method will run the best.

Also, I change the oil & filter four times during the first 1,000 miles, the first at 100 miles, the second at 200 miles, the third at 600 miles, and the fourth at 1,000 miles. The reason for the filter change is to make sure that, as much as possible, the suspended metallic residue from the break-in process is removed from the motor's oil system and a new filter ensures that the best chance of this happening will occur.

Anyway, this is far more fun than keeping it under some prescribed RPM for a WHOLE 1,000 miles."

Turbofire

My 997 TT is the first boxer engine I have owned that has 4 wheels.

With my other boxer engines (BMW motorcycles) the chief mechanic always told me to ignore the break in and keep RPM varied and high in any gear to seat the rings better.
He said the more aggressive the break in the better the bikes dyno later...
He was right and it should be the same for a boxer 6, ya?

eaglejackson

I'm reminded of the famous story of Eagle Computer CEO Dennis Barnhart. In 1983 during the PC Boom, on the day his company IPO'd, Barnhart celebrated by driving his new Ferrari too exuberantly and died in a crash. The IPO was reversed and the company never recovered.

So, before you nail it for the first time, make sure you're on the straights...

lager99

Get on the road, put it in sport mode, nail the pedal to the floor & let us know if you can shift quick enough...f*** the break-in.

Chris 996

Just curious if the dealership you bought the car from has a used turbo on the lot that has been broken in. If he does ask to test drive the car. That should be enough to hold you over.

gradyex

I agree, my plans exactly (the wait is now 4-5 weeks and the time passes slowly).