2003 PORSCHE 911 CARRERA Pressure

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

0
SafetyBeltWarningSystem

Anaudio-visualwarningsystemisintercon-
nectedwiththedriver'ssafetybelt.
Everytimetheignitionisturnedon,thegong
willsoundforabout6secondstoreminddriver
andpassengertobuckleup.
Thesafetybeltwarninglightsintheinstrument
panelandon-boardcomputerwillgooffassoon
asthedriverhasbuckled
up.
Inertiareelretractor
The
combinationlap/shoulderbeltwithinertia
reellockingmechanismadjustsautomaticallyto
yoursizeandmovementsaslongasthepullon
thebeltisslow.
Rapiddecelerationduringhardbrakingoracolli-
sionlocksthebelt.Thebeltwillalsolockwhen
youdriveupordownasteephillorinasharp
curve,otherwise,theshoulderbeltwillnotinhibit
yourupperbodymovement.
t>Assumeacomfortablesittingposition.
Theshoulderbeltshouldalwaysrestonyour
upperbody.Theshoulderbeltshouldnever
bewornbehindyourbackorunderyourarm.
t>Tofasten,graspbeltandpullthebeltina
continuousslowmotionacrossyourchest
andlap.
t>Insertbelttongueintobuckleoninboardside
ofseat.Pushdownuntilitsecurelylockswith
anaudibleclick.Pullthebelttocheck.
t>Pullshouldersectiontomakesurebeltfits
snuglyacrossthepelvis.
t>Beltsshouldfitsnuglyacrossthepelvisand
chest.Makesurethereisnoslackinthebelt.
t>Tounfastenbelt,pushinreleasebutton
(arrow)onbuckle.Belttonguewillspringout
ofbuckle.
t>Toreleasealatchedbelt,leanbacktotake
thebodypressureoffthebelt.
t>Tostorelap/shoulderbelt,allowthebeltto
retractasyouguidethelatchtoitsstowed
position.
Pleasenotechapter"Automaticlockingretrac-
tor".
t>t>t>
Controls,Instruments
39

Airbag
Systems

TheAirbagsincombinationwiththesafetybelts
makesupasafetysystemwhichoffersthe
driverandthepassengerthegreatestknown
protectionfrominjuriesincaseofaccident.
Evenifyourvehicleisequippedwithairbags,

thesafetybeltsmustbewornatalltimes,

becausethefrontairbagsystemisonlyactu-
atedbyfrontalcollisionswithanimpactofsuffi-
cientseverity.
Seeshownfigureforrangesofeffectiveness.
44Controls,Instruments
Belowtheactuationthresholdoftheairbagsys-
tem,andduringtypesofcollisionswhichdonot
causetheactuationofthesystem,thesafety
beltsprovidetheprimaryprotectiontotheoccu-
pantswhencorrectlyworn.
Therefore,allpersonswithin
thevehicle
mustalwayswearsafety
belts(inmany
states,statelawrequirestheuseofsafety
belts).Seealsothechapter"SafetyBelts".
Thefrontairbagsarelocatedbehindthepadded
steeringwheelpanelonthedriver'ssideandon
thepassenger'ssideinthedashboard.
Thesideairbags(POSIP-PorscheSideImpact
ProtectionSystem)areinstalledinthedoors
underthedoortrimpanel.
Function
Thefrontairbagsaretriggeredduringafrontal
collisionofsufficientforce.
Intheeventofasideimpactofcorresponding
force,thesideairbagontheimpactsideistrig-
gered.
Theinflationprocessgeneratestheamountof
gasrequiredtofilltheairbagsatthenecessary
pressureinfractionsofasecond.
Airbagsprotectthefaceandupperbody,whilst
simultaneouslydampingthemotionofthedriver
andpassengerintheimpactdirectioninthe
eventofafrontalimpactorsideimpact.
A.Danger!
Toprovide
optimaloccupantprotection,
airbagsmustinflateatveryhighspeed.
Ifyouarenotwearingyoursafetybeltor
aretooclosetotheairbagwhenitsde-
ployed,inflatingairbagscanresultin
seriousinjuryordeath.
t>
Makesuretherearenopeople,animalsor
objectsbetweenthedriverorpassengerand
theareaintowhichtheairbaginflates.
t>Sitbackasfarfromthedashboardorsteer-
ingwheelasispractical,whilestillmaintaining
fullvehiclecontrol.
t>Donotleanagainsttheinsideofthedoors.

t>
Alwaysholdthesteeringwheelbytheouter
rim.
Neverrestyourhandsontheairbagpanel.

t>
Nevertransportheavyobjectsonorinfront
ofthepassengerseat.

t>
Alwayskeepthelidofthedoorstoragecom-
partmentclosed.Objectsmustnotprotrude
outofthedoorstoragecompartment.

t>
Giveyourpassengeralloftheinformationin
thischapter.

t>No
changesmustbemadetothewiringor
componentsoftheairbagsystem.

41CD
BrakewarninglightUSA
@BrakewarninglightCanada
Ifthewarninglightsintheinstrumentpaneland
on-boardcomputergoonwhiledriving,the
brakefluidlevelmaybetoolow,or(ifthebrake
pedaltravelhasincreased)oneofthetwobrake
circuitsmayhavefailed.
Agreaterbrakingpressurewillberequired,
stoppingdistanceswillbelongerandthebrak-
ingbehaviorwillchange,particularlyincurves.
Withcorrectlyadjustedbrakes,andacorrectly
workingbrakesystem,thepedaltraveltothe
pointofbrakeactuationshouldbe
1-3/16
in.to

1-9/16
in.or30to40mm.
Wheneverthebrakepedaltravelexceedsthis
distance,havethebrakesystemchecked.
54Controls,Instruments
Brakepedal
/!\Warning!
Riskofanaccident.
Anyobstructionofthebrakepedalcould
increasethestoppingdistance.
I>Alwayscheckthemovementofthebrake
pedalbeforedrivingandmakesurethatitis
notobstructedbyafloormatoranyother
object.
I>Securethefloormattopreventitfromsliding
intopositionsthatcouldinterferewiththe
safeoperationofyourvehicle.
YourPorschedealerwillbegladtoofferyou
floormatsofthecorrectsizeincludingase-
curingpossibility.
Note
Incaseoneofthetwobrakecircuitsfails,in-
creasedpedaltravelisrequiredtobringyour
vehicletoafullstop.
/!\Warning!
Toavoidoverheatingandprematurewear
ofthebrakes:
I>Beforedescendingasteepgrade,reduce
speedandshiftthetransmissionintoalower
gearordrivingpositiontocontrolspeed.
I>Donot"ridethebrakes"byrestingyourfoot
onthepedalwhennotintendingtoapply
brakepressure.
I>Donotholdthepedaldowntoolongortoo
often.
Thiscouldcausethebrakestogethotand
notfunctionproperly.

Brake
booster
Thebrakeboosterassistsbraking
only

whentheengineisrunning.

Whenthecarismovingwhiletheengineisnot
running,orifthebrakeboosterisdefective,
morepressureonthebrakepedalisrequiredto
bringthecartoastop.
Moistureorroadsaltonbrakesaffectsbraking.
Whenthevehicleisdrivenonsaltedroadsfor
extendedperiods,thebrakesshouldbewashed
downthoroughlyaboutevery2weeks.Anauto-
maticcarwashfacilitycannotdothisjob
properly.
Brakeswilldryafterafewcautiousbrakeappli-
cations.

A.Warning!
Drivingthroughwatermayreducethetrac-
tion.
Moistureonbrakesfromroadwater,car
wash,orcoatingofroadsaltmayaffect
brakingefficiency.
t>Cautiously
applybrakes
to
testbrakesafter
beingexposed.
Brakewear
Yourcarhasexcellentbrakes,buttheyarestill
subjecttowear.Therateatwhichtheywear
dependsonhowthebrakesareused.

t>
Havethebrakesysteminspectedattheinter-
valsrecommendedinyourMaintenance
Booklet.

8
@
WarninglightUSA
WarninglightCanada

Ifthelightsintheinstrumentpanelandon-board
computerstayonwhentheengineisrunningor
comeonwhiledriving,thebrakepadsareworn,
excessively.
t>Donotcontinuetooperatethevehicle.
HaveyourauthorizedPorschedealerinspect
orreplacethebrakepads.
Brakepads
Wearonthebrakepadsandbrakediscs
dependstoagreatextentonthedrivingstyle
andtheconditionsofuseandthereforecannot
beexpressedinactualmilesontheroad.
Thehigh-performancebrakesystemisdesigned
foroptimalbrakingeffectatallspeedsandtem-
peratures.
Certainspeeds,brakingforcesandambient
conditions(suchastemperatureandhumidity)
thereforemightcausethebrakestosqueal.

Newbrakepadsorlinings

Newbrakepadshavetobe"brokenin",and
thereforeonlyattainoptimalfrictionwhenthe
carhascoveredseveralhundredmilesorkm.
Theslightlyreducedbrakingabilitymustbe
compensatedforbypressingthebrakepedal
harder.Thisalsoapplieswheneverthebrake
padsandbrakediscsarereplaced.
Controls,Instruments
55

OperationoftheABSsystem
Awheelspeedsensorismountedtoeachofthe
fourwheels.Ifwheellock-upofeitherofthe
frontwheelsortherearwheelsissensedduring
braking,thebrakepressureisadjustedautomat-
icallyuntilthewheelnolongerslips.Thebrake
pressureisregulatedforeachfrontwheelindi-
viduallyandforbothoftherearwheels
together.
Onaroadsurfacewhichisslipperyononlyone
side,therearwheelwhichisbrakingontheslip-
perysurfacedeterminesthebrakepressure
whichwillbeappliedequallytobothrearwheels.
Thisensuresthatdirectionalstabilityismain-
tained.However,ifbrakingforcesapproachthe
wheellock-uppointforallwheels(panicbraking)
theABSsystemwillintervenetoprovidearapid
rythmicbraking.
TheproperoperationofABSisperceivedbythe
driverasapulsatingbrakepedalinconjunction
withaudiblenoiseandperhapssomevibration.
I>Ifyouexperiencethesesensationswhiledriv-
ingoraroadsurfacewithquestionabletrac-
tion,reducevehiclespeedappropriateforthe
prevailingroadconditions.
Thefunctionalreadinessofallthemainelectrical
componentsoftheABSischeckedbyanelec-
tronicmonitoringsystembothbeforeandwhile
youdrive.

8
WarninglightUSA
@
WarninglightCanada

WhentheignitionisswitchedontheABSwarn-
inglightwilllightupwhilethesystemiselec-
tronicallyinterrogatedandgoesoutwhenthe
engineisstartedifthecheckisnotyetcom-
plete.
IftheABSwarninglampfailstogoout,thisindi-
catesthatABShasbeendeactivatedduetoa
fault.Ifthewarninglightsintheinstrumentpanel
andon-boardcomputerlightupwhileyouare
driving,thisindicatesthatafaulthasoccurred.
Inbothcases,normalbraking,asinvehicles
withoutABS,isstillretained.
TheABSsystemshould,however,beexamined
atanauthorizedPorschedealerimmediatelyto
preventtheoccurrenceoffurtherfaults.
I>IftheABSsystembecomesinoperative,take
yourvehicletoyourauthorizedPorsche
dealerimmediately.
/!\Warning!
ThecontrolunitoftheABSbrakesystemis
setforstandardtiresize.Ifnon-standard
tiresareinstalled,thecontrolunitmaymis-
interpretthespeedofthevehicle,because
ofthevariantdataitreceivesfromthesen-
sorsontheaxles.
I>Useonlytiremakesandtypestestedby
Porsche.
Controls,Instruments
57

PorscheStabilityManagement
(PSM)
PSMisanactivecontrolsystemforstabilizing
thevehicleduringextremedrivingmaneuvers.
/!\.Warning!
Theincreasedcontrolthatisprovided
shouldnotinduceyoutotakegreaterrisks
withyoursafety.Thelimitsdictatedbythe
lawsofphysicscannotbeovercome,even
withPSM.
Theriskofaccidentsduetoinappropriate
speedcannotbereduced,evenbyPSM.
Thedriverbearstheresponsibilityforall
drivingmaneuvers.
[>Adaptyourdrivingstyletotheprevailingroad
andweatherconditions.
[>Obeyalltrafficlaws.
AdvantagesofPSM
-Superiortractionandlane-holdingabilityinall
drivingsituations-evenonroadsurfaces
withvaryingfriction.
-PSMactivelystabilizesthevehicleduringdy-
namicdrivingmanoeuvres(e.g.rapidsteering
movements,duringlanechangesoronalter-
natingcurves).
58Controls,Instruments
-Improvedbrakingstabilityincurvesandon
differentorvaryingroadsurfaces.
Readinessforoperation
ThePSMisengagedautomaticallyeverytime
youstarttheengine.
Function
Sensorsatthewheels,brakes,steeringsystem
andenginecontinuouslymeasure:
-Drivingspeed
-Directionoftravel
-Lateralacceleration
-Rateofturnaboutthevehicle'sverticalaxis
ThePSMusesthesevaluestodeterminethe
directionoftraveldesiredbythedriver.
PSMintervenesandcorrectsthecourseifthe
vehicle'sactualdirectiondeviatesfromthe
desiredcourse(steering-wheelposition).It
brakesindividualwheelsasneeded.Ifnecess-
ary,thePSMadditionallyinfluencestheengine
powerorthegear-changingcharacteristicofthe
Tiptronicinordertostabilizethevehicle.
TheeventsbelowinformthedriverofPSMcon-
troloperationsandwarnhimtoadapthisdriving
styletotheroadconditions:
-Theinformationlightintheinstrumentpanel
lightsup.
-Hydraulicnoisescanbeheard.
-Thevehicledeceleratesandsteering-wheel
forcesarealteredasthePSMcontrolsthe
brakes.
-Reducedenginepower.
-Thebrakepedalpulsatesanditspositionis
changedduringbraking.
However,itispossibleatanytimetoachieve
fullvehicledecelerationbyincreasingthefoot
pressureslightlyonthebrakepedal.

InstrumentPanelUSAModels
Informationaboutindividualindicatorsis
givenonthespecifiedpages.
1Voltmeter,72
2Speedometerwithanaloguedisplay,74
3Speedometerwithdigitaldisplay,74
4Automaticspeedcontrolindicatorlight,72
5Tachometer,75
6Turnsignalindicatorlight,left,75
7Highbeamindicatorlight,75
8On-boardcomputer,82-97
9Turnsignalindicatorlight,right,75
10Lightsensorforinstrumentillumination,73
11Clock,79
12Tiptronicindicator,77
13Coolingsystem
Temperaturegauge,warninglight,76,77
14Fuel
Levelgauge,warninglight,78
15Engineoilpressuregauge,80
Warninglightslindicatorlights
AWasherfluidlevelwarninglight,181
BCheckenginewarninglight,81
CPorscheStabilityManagement(PSM)
Informationlight,59
DPorscheStabilityManagement(PSM)
Warninglight,59
EABSwarninglight,57
FBrakefluidlevel,
Brakedistributionwarninglight,54,174
GParkingbrakewarninglight,53
HBrakepadwearwarninglight,55
IEngineoilpressurewarninglight,80
KBatterywarninglight,72
LSafetybeltwarninglight,39
MAirbagwarninglight,45
NRetractablerearspoilerwarninglight,50
aLuggagecompartmentlid,
Enginecompartmentlid,
Rearlid(Targa)
Warninglight,118,163
PConvertibletopwarninglight,143
QRolloverprotectionsystemwarninglight,46
When
theignitionisswitchedon,thewarn-
inglightslightupforalampcheck.
Note

Warningsthathavebeengivenarestoredinthe
appropriatecontrolunitmemoryandcanbe
readoutatanauthorizedPorschedealer.
Thisinformationcanhelptowarnyouaboutsitu-
ationswhichmaybehazardoustoyouoryour
car.
Controls,Instruments
69