2003 PORSCHE 911 CARRERA ESP

DearOwner,
Wewouldliketothankyouforyourpurchaseof
aPorscheSportscar.
Judgingbythecaryouhavechosen,youarea
motoristofaspecialbreed,andyouareprob-
ablynonovicewhenitcomestoautomobiles.
Rememberhowever,aswithanyvehicle,you
shouldtaketimetofamiliarizeyourselfwithyour
Porscheanditsperformancecharacteristics.Al-
waysdrivewithinyourownuniquecapabilitiesas
adriverandyourlevelofexperiencewithyour
Porsche.Ensurethatanyoneelsedrivingyour
Porschedoesthesame.Topreventorminimize
injury,alwaysuseyoursafetybelts.Nevercon-
sumealcoholordrugsbeforeorduringthe
operationofyourvehicle.
ThisOwner'sManualcontainsahostofuseful
information.Pleasetakethetimetoreadthis
manualbeforeyoudriveyournewPorsche.
Becomefamiliarwiththeoperationofyour
Porschecarformaximumsafetyandoperating
pleasure.ThebetteryouknowyourPorsche,the
morepleasureyouwillexperiencedrivingyour
newcar.
AlwayskeepyourOwner'sManualinthecar,
andgiveittothenewownerifyoueversell
yourPorsche.

2
AseparateMaintenanceBooklet
explains
howyoucankeepyourPorscheintopdriving
conditionbyhavingitservicedregularly.

AseparateWarrantyandCustomerInfor-
mationBooklet
containsdetailedinformation
aboutthewarrantiescoveringyourPorsche.
ForU.S.only:
Ifyoubelievethatyourvehiclehasafaultwhich
couldcauseacrash,injuryordeath,youshould
immediatelyinformtheNationalHighwayTraffic
SafetyAdministration(NHTSA)inadditionto
notifyingPorscheCarsNorthAmerica,Inc.
(PorscheCarsN.A.J.
IfNHTSAreceivessimilarcomplaints,itmay
openaninvestigation,andifitfindsthatasafety
problemexistsinagroupofvehicles,itmay
orderarecallandremedycampaign.However,
NHTSAcannotbecomeinvolvedinindividual
problemsbetweenyouandyourdealer,or
PorscheCarsN.A..
TocontactNHTSA,youmayeithercalltheAuto
SafetyHotlinetolHreeat1~800)-424-9393
(or366-0123inWashington,D.C.area)orwrite
to:NHTSA,U.S.DepartmentofTransportation,
Washington,D.C.20590.Youcanalsoobtain
otherinformationaboutmotorvehiclesafety
fromtheHotline.
Yourcarhasthousandsofpartsandcompo-
nentswhichhavebeendesignedandmanufac-
turedinaccordancewithPorsche'shighstand-
ardsofengineeringqualityandsafety.
Anyalterationofthevehiclemaynegateor
interferewith
thosesafetyfeaturesbuilt
into
thevehicle.
YourPorscheisintendedtobeusedinasafe
mannerobeyingthelocallawsandinthelightof
drivingconditionsfacedbyyou,andinaccord-
ancewiththeinstructionsprovidedinthis
Owner'sManual.

DonotmisuseyourPorschebyignoring
thoselawsanddrivingconditions,orby
ignoringtheinstructionsinthismanual.
Anyalterationormisuseofthevehiclecan
leadtoaccidentsandsevereorfatalper-
sonalinjuries.

Thefittingofracingtires(e.g.slicks)forsport-
ingeventsisnotapprovedbyPorsche.Very
highcorneringspeedscanbeachievedwith
racingtires.However,theresultingtransverse
accelerationvalueswouldjeopardizetheadequ-
atesupplyofoiltotheengine.
Porschethereforewillnotacceptanywarranty
oracceptanyliabilityfordamageoccurringasa
resultofnon-compliancewiththisprovision.

Regularlycheck
yourvehicleforsignsof
damage.
Damagedormissingaerodynamiccompo-
nentssuchasspoilersorundersidepanels
affectthedrivingbehaviorandtherefore
mustbereplacedimmediately.
Yourcarmayhaveallorsomeofthecompo-
nentsdescribedinthismanual.
Shouldyouhavedifficultyunderstandinganyof
theexplanationsoffeaturesorequipment
installedinyourvehicle,contactyourauthorized
Porschedealer.He/Shewillbegladtoassist
you.Alsocheckwithyourdealeronotheravail-
ableoptionsorequipment.
Throughoutthisbooklet,leftisdesignatedas
thedriver'ssideofthevehicle,andrightasthe
passenger'ssideofthevehicle.
Text,illustrationsandspecificationsinthisma-
nualarebasedontheinformationavailableat
thetimeofprinting.
IthasalwaysbeenPorsche'spolicytocontinu-
ouslyimproveitsproducts.Porsche,therefore,
reservestherighttomakechangesindesign
andspecification,andtomakeadditionsor
improvementsinitsproductwithoutincurring
anyobligationtoinstallthemonproducts
previouslymanufactured.
Wewishyoumanymilesofsafeandpleasurable
drivinginyourPorsche.
Important
Foryourownprotectionandlongerservicelife
ofyourcar,pleaseheedalloperating
instructionsandspecialwarnings.Thesespecial
warningsusethesafetyalertsymbol,followed
bythewordsDanger,WarningandCaution.
Thesespecialwarningscontainimportantmes-
sagesregardingyoursafetyand/orthepotential
fordamagetoyourPorsche.Ignoringthem
couldresultinseriousmechanicalfailureoreven
physicalinjury.
DonotalteryourPorsche.Anyalterationcould
createdangerousconditionsordefeatsafety
engineeringfeaturesbuiltintoyourcar.
DonotmisuseyourPorsche.Useitsafely,and
consistentlywiththelaw,accordingtothedriv-
ingconditions,andtheinstructionsinthisma-
nual.
AlterationormisuseofyourPorschecould
causeaccidentsandsevereorfatalpersonal
injuries.
Notetoowners
InCanada,thismanualisalsoavailablein
French.Toobtainacopycontactyourdealeror
writeto:
Noteauxproprietaires
AuCanadaonpeutseprocurerunexemplaire
deceManuelenfranc;aisaupresduconcessio-
naireoudu:
PorscheCarsCanada,Ltd.
AutomobilesPorscheCanada,LTEE

5045
OrbitorDrive
Building#11,Suite302
Mississauga,Ontario
CanadaL4W4Y4
Telephonenumberforcustomerassistance:
1-800-PORSCHE/Option
3
3

FuelQuality
Yourengineisdesignedtoprovideoptimumperformanceandfueleconomyusing
unleadedpremiumfuelwithanoctaneratingof98RON(93CLCorAKI).
Porschethereforerecommendstheuseofthesefuelsinyourvehicle.
Porschealsorecognizesthatthesefuelsmaynotalwaysbeavailable.Beassuredthatyourvehiclewilloperate
properlyonunleadedpremiumfuelswithoctanenumbersofatleast95RON(90CLCorAKI).
sincetheengine's"ElectronicOktaneTMknockcontrol"willadapttheignitiontiming,ifnecessary.
Fuels
containing
alcohol
and
ether
SomeareasoftheU.S.requireoxygenatedfuelsduringcertainportionsoftheyear.
Oxygenatedfuelsarefuelswhichcontainalcohols(suchasmethanolorethanol)orether(suchasMTBE).
Undernormalconditions,theamountofthesecompoundsinthefuelwillnotaffectdriveability.
YoumayuseoxygenatedfuelsinyourPorsche,providedtheoctanerequirementsforyourvehiclearemet.
Werecommend,however,tochangetoadifferentfuelorstationifanyofthefollowingproblemsoccurwithyourvehicle:
-Deteriorationofdriveabilityandperformance.
-Substantiallyreducedfueleconomy.
-Vaporlockandnon-startproblems,especiallyathighaltitudeorathightemperature.
-Enginemalfunctionorstalling.
Fuels
containing
MMT
SomeNorthAmericanfuelscontainanoctaneenhancingadditivecalledmethylcyclopentadienylmanganesetricarbonyl(MMT).
Ifsuchfuelsareused,youremissioncontrolsystemperformancemaybenegativelyaffected.
Thecheckenginewarninglightsonyourinstrumentpanelmayturnon.
Ifthisoccurs,PorscherecommendsyoustopusingfuelscontainingMMT.
4

TirePressuresforColdTires
Summertiresandsnowtires
Front17inchwheels:
18inchwheels:
36psi(2.5bar)overpressure
36psi(2.5bar)overpressure
Rear17inchwheels:
18inchwheels:
36psi(2.5bar)overpressure
44psi(3.0bar)overpressure
Sparewheel
911Carrera,Targa
Frontandrear60psi(4.2bar)overpressure
Collapsiblesparewheel
911Carrera4,Carrera4S
Frontandrear36psi(2.5bar)overpressure
ThesetirepressuresarevalidonlyforPorscheapprovedtires.
ForreplacementtiresitisimperativethatyouconsulttheTechnicalDataandTires,Wheels
sectionsofthismanualandfollowtherecommendationscontained
therein.
5

PorscheandtheEnvironment
Environmentalguidelines
Wedevelopandproduceexclusivesportscars
withadvancedenvironmentalandsafetytechnol-
ogyandagreatabilitytofascinate.
Ourenvironmentalpolicyisbasedonthe
followingprinciples:
-Themaximumpossibleuseofenvironmental
andsafetytechnologythatiseconomically
justifiable.
-Economicalusageofenergyand
resources.
-Involvementofourbusinesspartnersandcon-
tractorsinoureffortstoprotecttheenviron-
ment.
-Opendialoguewithallsocialgroups.
6
CaliforniaProposition65Warning.
/!\.Warning!
Engineexhaust,someofitsconstituents,and
certainvehiclecomponentscontainoremit
chemicalsknowntotheStateofCaliforniato
causecancerandbirthdefectsorotherrepro-
ductiveharm.
Inaddition,certainfluidscontainedinvehicles
andcertainproductsofcomponentwearcontain
oremitchemicalsknowntotheStateofCalifor-
niatocausecancerandbirthdefectsorother
reproductiveharm.
Production
ThemanufactureofPorschevehiclesinafac-
toryadjacenttoaresidentialarearequiresmore
thanmerecompliancewithalllawsandregula-
tions.
Whetherinproductionorrepair,Porschealways
reliesonenvironmentallyfriendlytechnology.
Anexampleofthisisthewater-basedpaintused
inourpaintinginstallation.
Water-basepaintsandnewpaintingmethodsre-
ducesolventemissionsby70percent.
Andthewaterusedinthepaintinginstallationis
re-circulated.WastewaterleavesthePorsche
factoryonlyafterbeingappropriatelytreated.
Awaste-managementsystemhasbeenintro-
ducedtoreducetheamountofwastewhilesim-
ultaneouslyincreasingtherecyclingrate.

Inthedriver'sseat...
I>Checkoperationofthehorn.
I>Positionseatforeasyreachoffootpedals
andcontrols.
Toreducethepossibilityofinjuryfromtheair-
bagdeployment,youshouldalwayssitback
asfarfromthesteeringwheelasispractical,
whilestillmaintainingfullvehiclecontrol.
I>Adjusttheinsideandoutsiderearviewmir-
rors.
I>Buckleyoursafetybelts.
I>Checkoperationofthefootandparking
brake.
I>Checkallwarningandindicatorlightswith
ignitiononandenginenotrunning.
I>Startengineandcheckallwarningdisplays
forwarningsymbols.
I>Neverleaveanidlingcarunattended.
I>Lockdoorsfrominside,especiallywithchild-
reninthecartopreventinadvertentopening
ofdoorsfrominsideoroutside.
Drivewithdoorslocked.
Ontheroad...
I>Neverdriveafteryouhaveconsumedalcohol
ordrugs.
I>Alwayshaveyoursafetybeltfastened.
I>Alwaysdrivedefensively.
Expecttheunexpected.
I>Usesignalstoindicateturnsandlane
changes.
I>Turnonheadlightsatduskorwhenthedriv-
ingconditionswarrantit.
I>Alwayskeepasafedistancefromthevehicle
infrontofyou,dependingontraffic,roadand
weatherconditions.
I>Reducespeedatnightandduringinclement
weather.
Drivinginwetweatherrequirescautionand
reducedspeeds,particularlyonroadswith
standingwater,asthehandlingcharac-
teristicsofthevehiclemaybeimpaireddue
tohydroplaningofthetires.
I>Alwaysobservespeedlimitsandobeyroad
signsandtrafficlaws.
I>Whentired,getwellofftheroad,stopand
takearest.Turntheengineoff.Donotsitin
thevehiclewithengineidling.
Seewarningson"EngineExhaust".
I>Whenparked,alwayssettheparkingbrake.
MovetheTiptronicselectorleverto"P"orthe
gearshiftlevertoreverseorfirstgear.
Onhillsalsoturnthefrontwheelstowardthe
curb.
I>Whenemergencyrepairsbecomenecessary,
movethevehiclewellofftheroad.Turnon
theemergencyflasheranduseotherwarning
devicestoalertothermotorists.Donotpark
oroperatethevehicleinareaswherethehot
exhaustsystemmaycomeincontactwithdry
grass,brush,fuelspillorotherflammablema-
terial.
I>Makeitahabittohavetheengineoilchecked
witheveryfuelfilling.
Controls,Instruments
13

Breakinhintsforthefirst

2,000
miles/3,000kilometers
Thefollowingtipswillbehelpfulinobtainingopti-
mumperformancefromyournewPorsche.
Despitethemostmodern,high-precisionmanu-
facturingmethods,itcannotbecompletely
avoidedthatthemovingpartshavetowearin
witheachother.Thiswearing-inoccursmainlyin
thefirst2,000miles/3,000km.
Therefore:
t>Preferablytakelongertrips.
t>Avoidfrequentcoldstartswithshort-distance
drivingwheneverpossible.
t>Avoidfullthrottlestartsandabruptstops.
t>Donotexceedmaximumenginespeedof
4,200rpm(revolutionsperminute).
t>Donotrunacoldengineathighrpmeitherin
Neutraloringear.
t>Donotlettheenginelabor,especiallywhen
drivinguphill.Shifttothenextlowergearin
time(usethemostfavorablerpmrange).
t>Neverlugtheengineinhighgearatlow
speeds.Thisruleappliesatalltimes,notjust
duringthebreak-inperiod.
14Controls,Instruments
t>Donotparticipateinmotorracingevents,
sportsdrivingschools,etc.duringthefirst
2,000miles/3,000kilometers.
Theremaybeaslightstiffnessinthesteering,
gear-shiftingorothercontrolsduringthebreak-in
periodwhichwillgraduallydisappear.
Breakinbrakepads
Newbrakepadsanddiscshavetobe"broken
in",andthereforeonlyattainoptimalfriction
whenthecarhascoveredseveralhundredmiles
orkm.
Theslightlyreducedbrakingabilitymustbe
compensatedforbypressingthebrakepedal
harder.Thisalsoapplieswheneverthebrake
padsandbrakediscsarereplaced.
Newtires
Newtiresdonothavemaximumtraction.They
tendtobeslippery.
t>Breakinnewtiresbydrivingatmoderate
speedsduringthefirst60to120miles/lOO
to200km.Longerbrakingdistancesmustbe
anticipated.
Engineoilconsumption
Duringthebreak-inperiodoilconsumptionmay
behigherthannormal.
Asalways,therateofoilconsumptiondepends
onthequalityandviscosityofoil,thespeedat
whichtheengineisoperated,theclimateand
roadconditions,aswellastheamountofdilu-
tionandoxidationofthelubricant.
t>Makeahabitofcheckingengineoilwithevery
fuelfilling,addifnecessary.

1Innerdoorhandle
2Doormirrorcontrol
3Lightswitch
4Ignition/starterswitchwithsteeringlock
5Turnsignal/headlightdimmer,
flasherlever
6ToggleswitchesforTiptronic
7Emergencyflasherswitch
8Horn
9Glovecompartment
10Parkingbrake
11Diagnosticsocket
12Switchforretractablespoiler
13Operatingleverforon-boardcomputer
14Luggagecompartmentlidrelease
15Seatadjustment
16Rearlid(Targa)
17Steering-wheeladjustment
18Enginecompartmentlidrelease
Controls,Instruments
15