2003 PORSCHE 911 CARRERA tires

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.

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

DearPorscheOwner
Alothasgoneintothemanufactureofyour
Porsche,includingadvancedengineering,rigid
qualitycontrolanddemandinginspections.
Theseengineeringandsafetyfeatureswillbe
enhancedbyyou...
thesafedriver...
whoknowshiscarandallcontrols,
whomaintainsthevehicleproperly,
whousesdrivingskillswiselyandalwaysdrives
withinher/hisowncapabilitiesandthelevelof
familiaritywiththevehicle.
Youwillfindhelpfulhintsinthismanualonhow
toperformmostofthecheckslistedonthe
followingpages.
Ifindoubt,havethesechecksperformedby
yourauthorizedPorschedealer.
12Controls,Instruments
Beforedrivingoff...
Check
thefollowingitemsfirst

I>Turntheengineoffbeforeyouattemptany
checksorrepairsonthevehicle.
I>Besurethetiresareinflatedcorrectly.
Checktiresfordamageandtirewear.
I>Seethatwheelboltsareproperlytightened
andnotlooseormissing.
I>Checkengineoillevel,addifnecessary.
Makeitahabittohaveengineoilchecked
witheveryfuelfilling.
I>Checkallfluidlevelssuchaswindshield
washerandbrakefluidlevels.
I>Besurethevehiclebatteryiswellcharged
andcrankstheengineproperly.
I>Checkalldoorsandlidsforproperoperation
andlatchthemproperly.
I>Checkandifnecessaryreplacewornor
crackedwiperblades.
I>Seethatallwindowsareclearandunob-
structed.
I>Checkairintakeslotsandareabetweenlug-
gagecompartmentlidandwindshieldarefree
ofsnowandice,sotheheaterandthewind-
shieldwipersworkproperly.
I>Ifachildwillberidinginthevehicle,check
childseaVchildseatrestraintsystemtoen-
surethatrestraintsareproperlyadjusted.
I>Checkallexteriorandinteriorlightsforoper-
ationandthatthelensesareclean.
I>Checktheheadlightsforproperaim,andif
necessary,havethemadjusted.
I>Checkunderthevehicleforleaks.
I>Besureallluggageisstowedsecurely.
Emergencyequipment
Itisgoodpracticetocarryemergencyequip-
mentinyourvehicle.
Someoftheitemsyoushouldhaveare:
windowscraper,snowbrush,containerorbag
ofsandorsalt,emergencylight,smallshovel,
first-aid
kit,etc.

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.

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

Note

Thelidcannotbeopenedfromtheinsideifthe
batteryisdisconnectedorempty.

Safetyreasonsthereforerequirethatyou
unscrewthelatchstrikerofthelidlockif
youplantoputthevehicleoutofoperation
foranextendedperiod.

PleaseconsultyourauthorizedPorschedealer.
Theywilladviseyouaboutthenecessarymeas-
ures.

Note
I>
Whenloadingtheluggagecompartment,
makesurethatitemsofluggageorotherob-
jectscannotbecomecaughtonhandleA.
Thiscouldcausetheluggagecompartmentto
openunintentionally.

4!!J
SportsExhaustSystem
Thesportsexhaustsystemcanbeswitchedoff
oronwhentheignitionisswitchedon.
Iftherockerswitchisnotoperated,thesports
exhaustsystemwillbeonwhentheengineis
started.
Dependingonthevehicleequipment,therocker
switchmaybeinstalledinthecentreconsoleor
inthecentretunnelbehindtheashtray.

Switchingoff
I>
Presstherocker-switchsymbol.
Indicatorlightcomeson.

Switchingon
I>
Presstherocker-switchsymbolagain.
Indicatorlightgoesout.
PorscheCommunication
Management(PCM)

I>
Refertotheseparateoperatinginstructions
beforeputtingthePCMintooperation.
Whenputintooperationforthefirsttime,a
distanceofapprox.31miles(50km)mustbe
driveninorderforthenavigationsystemto
completetheprocessoffinecalibration.
Thesameapplieswhenthetiresarechanged
(e.g.summer/snowtires)ornewtiresfitted.
Fulllocationaccuracyisnotyetachievedduring
thefine-calibrationprocess.
Ifthevehiclehasbeentransported(e.g.ferry,
cartrain),thesystemmaytakeafewminutes
afterbeingswitchedonbeforeitdeterminesthe
currentlocation.
Serioustireslip(e.g.spinningwheelsonsnow)
mayresultintemporarilyinaccuratenavigation.
Whenthebatteryhasbeendisconnected,itmay
takeupto15minutesbeforethenavigation
systembecomesoperationalagain.
Controls,Instruments
123

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