2003 PORSCHE 911 CARRERA tire 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

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

FuelEconomy
Fueleconomywillvarydependingon
where,whenandhowyoudrive,optional
equipmentinstalled,andthegeneralcondi-
tionofyourcar.
Acartunedtospecificationsandcorrectly
maintained,willhelpyoutoachieveoptimal
fueleconomy.
I>Haveyourvehicletunedtospecifications.
Aircleanershouldbedirtfreetoallowproper
engine"breathing".
Batteryshouldbefullycharged.
Wheelsshouldbeproperlyaligned.
Tiresshouldbeinflatedatcorrectpressure.
I>Alwaysmonitoryourfuelconsumption.
I>Drivesmoothly,avoidabruptchangesin
speedasmuchaspossible.
I>Avoidjackrabbitstartsandsuddenstops.
I>Donotdrivelongerthannecessaryinthe
lowergears.Shiftingintoahighergearearly
withoutluggingtheenginewillhelpsavefuel.
I>Prolonged"warmup"idlingwastesgas.Start
thevehiclejustbeforeyouarereadytodrive.
Accelerateslowlyandsmoothly.
I>Switchofftheengineifstationaryforlonger
periods.
I>Anyadditionalweightcarriedinthevehiclere-
ducesfueleconomy.Alwayskeepcargotoa
minimumandremoveallunnecessaryitems.
I>Organizeyourtripstotakeinseveralerrands
inonetrip.
I>Allelectricalaccessoriescontributetoin-
creasedfuelconsumption.
I>Onlyswitchontheairconditioningwhen
necessary.
I>DonotdrivewiththeRoofTransportSystem
mountedunlessyouneedit.
TheEPAestimatedm.p.g.istobeusedfor
comparisonpurposes,actualmileagemay
bedifferentfromtheestimatedm.p.g.,de-
pendingonyourdrivingspeed,weather
conditionsandtriplength.Youractual
highwaymileagewillprobablybelessthan
theestimatedm.p.g.
I>Pleaseobservealllocalandnationalspeed
limits.
OperatingYourPorscheinother
Countries
GovernmentregulationsintheUnitedStatesand
Canadarequirethatautomobilesmeetspecific
emissionregulationsandsafetystandards.
Therefore,carsbuiltfortheU.S.andCanada
differfromvehiclessoldinothercountries.
IfyouplantotakeyourPorscheoutsidethecon-
tinentallimitsoftheUnitedStatesorCanada,
thereisthepossibilitythat
-unleadedfuelmaynotbeavailable;
-unleadedfuelmayhaveaconsiderablylower
octanerating.Excessiveengineknockand
seriousdamagetobothengineandcatalytic
converterscouldresult;
-servicemaybeinadequateduetolackof
properservicefacilities,toolsordiagnostic
equipment;
-replacementpartsmaynotbeavailableor
verydifficulttoget.
Porsche
cannot
beresponsibleforthe
mechanicaldamagethatcouldresultbe-
causeofinadequatefuel,serviceorparts
availability.
IfyoupurchasedyourPorscheabroadandwant
tobringitbackhome,besuretofindoutabout
shippingandforwardingrequirements,aswell
ascurrentimportandcustomsregulations.
Maintenance,CarCare
175

Washing
Thebestmethodofprotectingyourcarfrom
thedamagingeffectsoftheenvironmentisfre-
quentwashingandtheapplicationofapreserv-
ative.Theundersideofyourvehicleshouldalso
bewashedthoroughly,atthelatestwhensaltis
nolongerspreadontheroads.
Thelongersalt,roaddustandindustrialdust,
deadinsects,birddroppingsorsubstancesfrom
trees(resin,pollen)areallowedtoremainonthe
bodywork,themoreseriousistheirharmfulef-
fect.
Newcarsshouldbewashedcarefullywithplenty
ofclearwatertoprotectthenewpaintwork.
Darkpaintfinishesshowupthesmallestofsur-
facedamage(e.g.,scratches)morereadilythan
lightercolors.
Darkcolorsarealsomoresusceptibleto
scratchingbecauseofthecompositionoftheir
pigmentsandrequireparticularlycarefulpaint
care.
[>
Donotwashyourcarinbrightsunlightor
whilethebodyworkisstillhot.
[>Whenwashingbyhand,useabundantwater,
asoftspongeorwashbrush,andPorsche
carshampoo.
[>Beginbysprayingthebodythoroughlywith
watertorinseawayloosedirt.
186Maintenance,CarCare
[>
Afterwashing,rinsethecarwithplentyof
waterandthendrywithachamoisleather.
Donotusethesamechamoisleatherfor
dryingasyouuseforcleaningthewindshield
andwindows.
/!\.Warning!
Moisturewhichgetsontothebrakesduring
acarwashcanreducebrakingefficiencyor
makethebrakespullunevenlywhichcould
increasethedangerofanaccident,causing
seriouspersonalinjuriesordeath.
[>Alwaysapplythebrakesafewtimesafter
washingthecartotestbrakingefficiencyand
drythebrakediscs.
Whendoingthis,takecarenottohamper
otherroadusersbehindyou(trafficconditions
permitting).

Automatic
carwashes
Optionaladd-onpartsorpartswhichproject
beyondthecontoursofthevehiclemaybe
damagedbydesignfeatures(e.g.brushes)of
automaticcarwashes.
Thefollowing
parts
areparticularlysuscep-
tibletodamage:
-Windshieldwipers(alwaysswitchthemoffto
preventthemwipingunintentionallyinintermit-
tentorsensoroperation)
-Externaltelephoneantennas(alwaysunscrew)
-RoofTransportSystem(alwaysremovecom-
pletely)
-Fixedrearspoilerorextendedrearspoiler
-Wheels(thewidertherimandthelowerthe
tireheight,thegreatertheriskofdamage)
-High-glosswheels(topreventthesefromget-
tingscratched,donotcleanwiththewheel-
cleaningbrushesofthecarwash).
[>
Pleaseconsulttheoperatorbeforeusingauto-
maticcarwashes.
[>Washanddrybyhandallpointsnotreached
byacarwash,suchasdoorandlidseamsor
doorsills.
Note
Automaticcarwashesspraywateratodd
anglesandhighpressures,whicharenotseen
innormaldriving.Therefore,watercansome-
timesfinditswayintothepassengerscompart-
mentduringorshortlyafterthecarwash.

Storing
yourPorsche
IfyouintendtostoreyourPorscheforapro-
longedperiod,pleaseconsultyourauthorized
Porschedealer.Thestaffwillbegladtoadvise
youonthemostsuitableandnecessary
methods.
I>Cleanyourvehiclethoroughlyinsideandout-
side.
Cleantheenginecompartment.
Theundercarriageandchassiscomponents
shouldbefreeofdirtandsaltdeposits.
I>Fillupthefueltank.
I>Changetheoilandoilfilter,andruntheen-
gineforseveralminutes.
I>Increasethetirepressureto58psi(4bar).
Itisnotrecommendedtoliftthevehicle,due
tothepossibilityofcorrosiononshockabsor-
berpistonshafts.
Thevehicleshouldbemovedslightly,approxi-
matelyeveryfourweeks,topreventflatspot
onthetires.
Climatecontrol
Theairconditioningsystemshouldbeingood
workingconditionandfullycharged.
Windshield/Headlightwasher
I>Checkandcorrectantifreeze/cleaningsolu-
tionlevelasnecessary.
Electricalsystem
I>Removethebatteryfromthevehicleand
storeitinacooldryplace,notonacement
floor.
Whenthebatteryisdisconnected,the
alarmsystemisdeactivated.
I>Rechargethebatteryevery3months.Ifthe
batteryremainsinthevehiclewiththecables
connected,itisnecessarytocheck,remove
andrechargethebatteryevery2-3weeks.

Donotfastchargethebattery.
I>
Followtheinstructionsinthe"Battery"chap-
ter.
Vehicle
interior
The
interiormustbedry,especiallyinthearea
ofthefloorcarpets.Theuseofdryingagents
(Silica-Gel)isrecommendedinvehicleswith
leatherinteriorandinareaswithhighhumidity.
Therecommendedamountis3fabricbagsof
1.1Ibs.(500grams)eachplacedonthefloor
carpets.
Windows,doors,lidsandroofmustbeclosed.
Theairflapsshouldbeopened.
Maintenance,CarCare
193

Temperature
A,B,C
ThetemperaturegradesareA(thehighest),B
andC,representingthetire'sresistancetothe
generationofheatanditsabilitytodissipate
heatwhentestedundercontrolledconditionson
aspecifiedindoorlaboratorytestwheel.
Sustainedhightemperaturescancausethema-
terialofthetiretodegenerateandreducetire
life,andexcessivetemperaturecanleadtosud-
dentirefailure.
ThegradeCcorrespondstoalevelofperfor-
mancewhichallpassengercartiresmustmeet
undertheFederalMotorVehicleSafetyStandard
No.109.
GradesBandArepresenthigherlevelsofper-
formanceonthelaboratorytestwheelthanthe
minimumrequiredbylaw.
A
Warning!
Thetemperaturegradeforthistireisestab-
lishedforatirethatisproperlyinflatedandnot
overloaded.
Excessivespeed,underinflation,orexcessive
loading,eitherseparatelyorincombination,can
causeheatbuildupandpossibletirefailure.
Tirepressures
A
Warning!
Incorrecttirepressurecausesincreased
tirewearandadverselyaffectsroadhand-
ling.
I>Alwaysuseanaccuratetirepressuregauge
whencheckinginflationpressures.
I>Donotexceedthemaximumtirepressure
listedonthetiresidewall.(Alsoreferto"Tech-
nicaldata").
I>Coldtireinflationpressuremeans:alltires
mustbecold,ambienttemperaturemaximum

68°F
(20°C),whenadjustingtheinflation
pressure.
Avoidsunlightstrikingthetiresbefore
measuringcoldpressures,sincethepress-
ureswouldrisefromtemperatureinfluence.
I>Valvecapsprotectthevalvefromdustand
dirt,andthusfromleakage.
Alwaysscrewcapstightlydown.
Replacemissingcapsimmediately.
I>Forsafetyreasons,don'tusetireinflating
bottles.

Tiretraction

A
Warning!
Whendrivingonwetorslushyroads,a
wedgeofwatermaybuild
up
betweenthe
tiresandtheroad.Thisphenomenonis
knownas"hydroplane"andmaycausepar-
tialorcompletelossoftraction,vehicle
controlorstoppingability.
I>Reducespeedonwetsurfacetopreventthis.

Tirelife

Tirelifedependsonvariousfactors,i.e.,road
surfaces,trafficandweatherconditions,driving
habits,typeoftiresandtirecare.
I>Inspectyourtiresforwearanddamagebe-
foredrivingoff.Ifyounoticeunevenorsub-
stantialwear,wheelsmightneedalignmentor
tiresshouldbebalancedorreplaced.
I>I>I>
PracticalTips,EmergencyService
199

Tire
wear
TheoriginalequipmenttiresonyourPorsche
havebuilt-intirewearindicators.Theyare
moldedintothebottomofthetreadgrooves
andwillappearasapproximately1/2in(12mm)
bandswhenthetiretreaddepthisdownto
1/16ofanin(1.6mm).
Whentheindicatorsappearintwoormoread-
jacentgrooves,itistimetoreplacethetires.
Werecommend,however,thatyoudonotlet
thetiresweardowntothisextent.
Worntirescannotgriptheroadsurfaceproperly
andareevenlesseffectiveonwetroads.
IntheUnitedStates,statelawsmaygovernthe
minimumtreaddepthpermissible.Followall
suchlaws.
200PracticalTips,EmergencyService
/!\Warning!
Drivingonworntirescanresultinlossof
controlofthevehicleandcouldcause
severepersonalinjuries.
~Donotdrivewithworntiresortiresshowing
cutsorbruisesastheymayleadtosudden
deflationandlossofcontrolwhichcould
causeseverepersonalinjury.
~Specializedhighperformancetiresonhigh
performancesportscarsexhibitmorewear
thanthoseonafamilysedan,orevenahigh
performancesedan.
Therefore,itisimportanttocheckyourtire
pressureandconditionatleasteverytwo
weeks.
Ifyounoticethattiresarewearingunevenly,
consultyourPorschedealer.
Unevenwearmaynotalwaysbeduetoim-
properwheelalignment.Itcanbetheresultof
individualdrivinghabitssuchascorneringat
highspeeds.Ifthetirepressureisnotchecked
andadjustedregularly,abnormaltirewearcan
alsooccur.
Tirecare
~Avoiddamagingtiresandwheelrims.
~Ifyoumustdriveoveracurborotherob-
stacle,driveslowlyandatanobtuseangle.
~Checktiresforunevenwearanddamagebe-
foredrivingoff.
~Removeimbeddedmaterial.
~Replacewornordamagedtiresimmediately.
~Keepoil,fuel,brakefluid,etc.awayfrom
tires.
~Replacemissingvalvestemcaps.
~Keeptiresinflatedcorrectly.

Tiredamage,puncture

I>Checktiresforimbeddedmaterial,cuts,punc-
tures,cracksandbulges(sidewall)before
drivingoff.
Incaseoftiredamage,whereitisuncertain
whetherthereisabreakintheplywithallits
consequencesortiredamagecausedbyther-
malormechanicaloverloadingduetolossof
pressureoranyotherpriordamage,werecom-
mendthatthetirebereplacedforsafetyrea-
sons.
Ifonefaultytireisreplaceditshouldbenoted
thatthedifferenceintreaddepthononeaxle
mustnotexceed30%.
Handlinginconsistenciesmayresult.
I>Performavisualinspectionifnecessary.

Tirereplacements

Ifindoubt,contactyourPorschedealeror
PorscheImporterofyourcountry.
Useonlytiremakesandtypestestedby
Porsche.

IfyoudonotuseaPorscherecommended
replacementtire,makesurethatyoupur-
chaseyournewtiresfromareputabletire
dealerandthatthedealercomplieswithall
manufacturerswarningsforthosetires.
Onlytireswiththesamemakeandwiththe
samespecificationcode(e.g."NO","Nl"...)
canbemounted.
Beforemountingnewtires,checkwithyour
Porschedealeraboutthecurrentrelease
status.
Usetireswith"ZR"qualitystandards.
There
arecurrentlynostandardsconcerningtire
strengthatspeedsabove150mph
(240
kmjhJ.
Tiresshouldbereplacednolessthanononeaxleat
thetime.
Onlytiresofthesamemakeandtypemustbeused.
Mixedtiresarenotpermissible.
Initially,newtiresdonothavetheirfulltraction.
Youshouldthereforedriveatmoderatespeeds
duringthefirst
60-120
miles(100-200kmJ.
Ifnewtiresareinstalledonlyononeaxle,ano-
ticeablechangeinhandlingoccursduetothe
differenttreaddepthoftheothertires.
Thishappensespeciallyifonlyreartiresarere-
placed.However,thisconditiondisappearsas
thenewtiresarebrokenin.
I>Pleaseadjustyourdrivingstyleaccordingly.
Installationofnewtiresshouldonlybedoneby
aqualifiedtiretechnician.

Valves

Rubbervalvestemsmustbereplacedevery
timeatireisreplaced.
Forsteelvalves,theinstallationandreplacement
instructionsmustbeobserved.
UseonlygenuinePorschesteelvalves.

Parkingatthecurb
A
Warning!
Hardimpactsagainstcurbs(ortraffic
islands)aredangerousandmaycausehid-
dentiredamagewhichisnotnoticeable
untillater.Suchdamagecanresultinacci-
dentsathighspeedscausingsevereper-
sonalinjury.
Dependingontheforceofimpact,theedge
oftherimcanalso
bedamaged.
I>Ifyouareindoubt,havethewheelchecked
byanexpert,particularlyifyoususpectdam-
ageontheinside.
I>Ifyoumustdriveoveracurborotherob-
stacle,driveslowlyandatanobtuseangle.
Exercisecarewhenparkingalongcurbs.
PracticalTips,EmergencyService
201