April, 2012 Escape Velocity Magazine - Space Coast PCA Home ...

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Tech Column By Jesse Lim, Porsche of Melbourne Hello and welcome back for the latest installment of the Tech Column. In this article we will be touching on the importance and necessity of preventative maintenance. Whether you daily drive your pristine Porsche, or attack the track on the weekends in your dedicated DE or Autocross machine, keeping it properly maintained is vital to the longevity of the components in your vehicle. Neglecting to properly maintain your vehicle can leave you in quite a bind, stranded on the side of the road or possibly costing you thousands of dollars in repairs. Catching problems early on, before parts fail completely or become dangerous, is the name of the game when it comes to preventative maintenance. Take care of your engine Let’s start at the engine – the “heart” of your vehicle. Much like the human heart, if you don’t take care of your engine, you’ll be in for real trouble! As your engine consists of many precisely machined parts assembled at very high tolerances, there must be a barrier of lubrication between these parts. The oil used in your engine acts as this barrier, reducing friction and heat that would otherwise destroy the internal components of an engine. The importance of keeping fresh, clean oil in your engine would seem obvious, but many seem to overlook or forget the fact that if you don’t regularly change your oil, it won’t be able to provide proper lubrication to the vital parts of your engine. In both liquid and air cooled engines, the oil plays an integral role in keeping the engine components cool. The metals, and other materials inside of your engine, can only stand up to so much heat before they become fatigued and/or fail. The oil in your engine also has other duties, some of which include actuating mechanical parts, and pressurizing hydraulic components. If your engine oil is dirty or contaminated, it may not be able to properly perform these tasks, causing the engine to run poorly or in some cases, not at all. There are quite a few other parts of the engine that require regular scheduled maintenance. There are accessory drive belts that wear and dry out/ crack as they age, filters (air and fluid) that become contaminated and clogged over time, fluids that require topping off and sometimes replacement, spark plugs that wear over time and through use, and the list goes on! Rubber! It gets old, dries out, cracks, wears away, nails go right through it, but it’s also the only thing holding your car to the road! 20 volume 6, Issue 1 Tires are profoundly important, no matter the vehicle or the driving situation. It is imperative that your tires are checked regularly for correct pressure, remaining tread, and for damage or punctures. Porsche models 2007 and up, along with some previous models that had the option, are equipped with a Tire Pressure Monitoring system (TPM). This system utilizes a sensor in each of the four tires Tires are important that monitors the pressures and displays them for the driver in the instrument cluster. The TPM system will provide a warning indicator if it sees a tire losing air (warning comes on at -4 lbs), thus allowing the driver to take action before the tire is actually flat and damage is done. TPM is a very convenient system for keeping track of your tire pressures without having to break out the old tire pressure gauge. If your vehicle is not equipped with TPM, it is a very good idea to check your tire pressures monthly and also before any trip or driving event. Most Porsche models will have a sticker on the inside of the gas door, or on the dr iver’s door sill providing the recommended tire pressures. Remaining tread must be monitored on all vehicles; a bald tire is never a good thing. There are some Porsche models that can be difficult to judge the amount of remaining tread. The outside edge of the tire may have sufficient tread, while the inside, which can be very hard to see Inspect your brakes regularly
with the vehicle sitting on the ground, may have very little or no tread remaining at all. The suspension geometry of Porsche sports cars incorporates a considerable amount of negative camber, which is the “l ean” of the top of the wheel in towards the vehicle. This allows the vehicle to perform and handle as designed, but also causes faster wear on the inside edge of the tire especially when the vehicle is driven on the highway. New tires can be a considerable financial investment, so it’s a good idea to have a suspension alignment performed when installing them. Keeping your wheels properly aligned will help your tires last longer and your vehicle will handle as it was intended to as well. Driving your Porsche can be one of the most exhilarating experiences there are! Whether it is a day at the track, a trip through some windingbackroads,orjustanafternooncruise with the top down, your Porsche will always be ready to go. It is imperative, however, that it is ready to stop! Your brakes are one area of your vehicle that you absolutely do not want to let go uninspected. When you push on that brake pedal, you always want to be sure that you’re going to stop. If you drive your vehicle on the track, or in autocrosses, you will be putting your brakes through more stress than the average daily driver. No matter what conditions you drive your Porsche in, always inspect/have your brakes inspected regularly. If you are not comfortable inspecting/ servicing your own vehicle, I encourage you to take it to a qualified facility and have them look it over. We here at Porsche of Melbourne are happy to assist in any way we can to help you keep your Porsche in tip top condition. We are available to answer any questions you may have, so feel free to stop by and let us give your Porsche the treatment it deserves. volume 6, Issue 1 Driving your Porsche can be exhilarating 21
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