2007 PORSCHE BOXSTER Owners Manual

ParkingBrake
Functionoftheparkingbrake
Parkingbrakeforceismechanicallytransferredtotherearwheelsbymeansofcables.
Usetheparkingbrakeonlyafterthevehiclehascometoafullstop.
Settingtheparkingbrake
Pulltheleverallthewayup(seearrow).Withtheignitionon,theparkingbrakewarninglightsintheinstrumentpanelandon-boardcomputerwillcomeoniftheleverisevenslightlyraised.Afirmpullupwardisrequiredtoproperlyengagetheparkingbrake.Ifthebrakeisnotfullyset,thevehiclemayrollwithoutcontrol.
Movetheselectorleverto“P”(Tiptronic)ormovethegearshiftlevertoreverseorfirstgear(Manualtransmission).
Beforeexitingthevehicle,makesurethattheparkingbrakeisfullysetandthevehicleisnotmovingatall.
Danger!
Riskofseriouspersonalinjuryordeath.Apartiallyengagedparkingbrakemayallowthevehicletoroll,causingseriouspersonalinjuryordeathtoanypersoninitspath.
Engagetheparkingbrakefully.
Releasingtheparkingbrake
PulltheleverslightlyupasyoudepressthereleasebuttonA,andthenpushtheleverallthewaydown.
Warninglights
ParkingbrakewarninglightUSA
ParkingbrakewarninglightCanada
Thewarninglightsintheinstrumentpanelandon-boardcomputerwillgooutaftertheparkingbrakeisfullyreleased.Thewarninglightsarenotanindicatorthattheparkingbrakeisfullyset;itisonlyintendedtobeawarningtoreleasetheparkingbrakebeforedrivingthecar.
Caution!
Apartiallyengagedbrakewilloverheattherearbrakes,reducetheireffectivenessandcauseexcessivewear.
Releasetheparkingbrakefully.
Whenparkingyourcar,alwayssettheparkingbrakebypullingallthewayuponthelever.
Movetheselectorleverto“P”(Tiptronic)ormovethegearshiftlevertoreverseorfirstgear(Manualtransmission).
Onhillsalsoturnthefrontwheelstowardsthecurb.
Controls,Instruments63

Brakes
Generalinformation
Makeitahabittochecktheoperationofyourbrakesbeforedriving.
Keepinmindthatthebrakingdistanceincreasesveryrapidlyasthespeedincreases.At60mphor100km/h,forexample,itisnottwicebutfourtimeslongerthan30mphor50km/h.Tiretractionisalsolesseffectivewhentheroadsarewetorslippery.
Therefore,alwaysmaintainasafedistancefromthecarinfrontofyou.
VehicleswithoutPorscheCeramic
CompositeBrake(PCCB)
Eventhoughthebrakediscsconsistofalloyedgreycastiron,theywillunavoidablystarttocorrodeifyourcarisparkedforanextendedperiod.Thebrakeswilltendto“rub”asaresult.Thenature,extentandeffectsofcorrosiondependontheamountoftimethevehiclewasparked,whethergranularorliquidroadsaltwasspreadandwhethergrease-dissolvingagentswereusedincarwashes.Ifthebrakingcomfortisnoticeablyimpaired,werecommendhavingthebrakesystemcheckedbyexpertsatanauthorizedPorschedealer.
Brakesystemfunction
YourPorscheisequippedwithapowerassistedhydraulicdualcircuitbrakesystemwithdiscbrakesatthefrontandrear.Bothcircuitsfunctionindependently.Onebrakecircuitoperatesthefrontandtheotheroperatestherear.
Ifonebrakecircuithasfailed,theotherwillstilloperate.However,youwillnoticeanincreasedpedaltravelwhenyouapplythebrakes.Failureofonebrakecircuitwillcausethestoppingdistancetoincrease.
Warning!
Riskofanaccident,resultinginseriouspersonalinjuryordeath.Intheunlikelyeventofhydraulicfailureofonebrakecircuit:
Pushthebrakepedaldownfirmlyandholditinthatposition.Amechanicallinkageactivatesthesecondcircuit,andyouwillbeabletobringthevehicletoastop.
Afterbringingyourvehicletoacompletestop,avoiddrivingthevehicleandinsteadhaveittowedtothenearestauthorizedPorschedealerforrepair.
BrakewarninglightUSA
BrakewarninglightCanada
Ifthewarninglightsintheinstrumentpanelandon-boardcomputergoonwhiledriving,thebrakefluidlevelmaybetoolow,or(ifthebrakepedaltravelhasincreased)oneofthetwobrakecircuitsmayhavefailed.
Agreaterbrakingpressurewillberequired,stoppingdistanceswillbelongerandthebrakingbehaviorwillchange,particularlyincurves.
Withcorrectlyadjustedbrakes,andacorrectlyworkingbrakesystem,thepedaltraveltothepointofbrakeactuationshouldbe1-3/16"to1-9/16"or30to40mm.Wheneverthebrakepedaltravelexceedsthisdistance,havethebrakesystemchecked.
Brakepedal
Warning!
Riskofanaccident,resultinginseriouspersonalinjuryordeath.Anyobstructionofthebrakepedalcouldincreasethestoppingdistance.
Alwayscheckthemovementofthebrakepedalbeforedrivingandmakesurethatitisnotobstructedbyafloormatoranyotherobject.
64Controls,Instruments

Securethefloormattopreventitfromslidingintopositionsthatcouldinterferewiththesafeoperationofyourvehicle.YourPorschedealerwillbegladtoofferyounonskidfloormatsofthecorrectsize.
Note
Incaseoneofthetwobrakecircuitsfails,increasedpedaltravelisrequiredtobringyourvehicletoafullstop.
Warning!
Toavoidoverheatingandprematurewearofthebrakes:
Beforedescendingasteepgrade,reducespeedandshiftthetransmissionintoalowergearordrivingpositiontocontrolspeed.
Donot”ridethebrakes”byrestingyourfootonthepedalwhennotintendingtoapplybrakepressure.
Donotholdthepedaldowntoolongortoooften.Thiscouldcausethebrakestogethotandnotfunctionproperly.
Brakebooster
Thebrakeboosterassistsbrakingonlywhentheengineisrunning.
Whenthecarismovingwhiletheengineisnotrunning,orifthebrakeboosterisdefective,morepressureonthebrakepedalisrequiredtobringthecartoastop.Ifthishappens,ABSandPSMwillalsonotoperate.
Moistureorroadsaltonbrakesaffectsbraking.Whenthevehicleisdrivenonsaltedroadsforextendedperiods,thebrakesshouldbewasheddownthoroughlyaboutevery2weeks.Anauto-maticcarwashfacilitycannotdothisjobproperly.Brakeswilldryafterafewcautiousbrakeapplica-tions.
Warning!
Riskofanaccident,resultinginseriouspersonalinjuryordeath.Drivingthroughwatermayreducetraction.Moistureonbrakesfromroadwater,carwash,orcoatingofroadsaltmayaffectbrakingefciency.
Cautiouslyapplybrakestotestbrakesafterbeingexposed.
Brakewear
Yourcarhasexcellentbrakes,buttheyarestillsubjecttowear.Therateatwhichtheyweardependsonhowthebrakesareused.
HavethebrakesysteminspectedattheintervalsrecommendedinyourMaintenanceBooklet.
WarninglightUSA
WarninglightCanada
Ifthewarninglightsintheinstrumentpanelandon-boardcomputerstayonwhentheengineisrunningorcomeonwhiledriving,thebrakepadsareworn,excessively.
Donotcontinuetooperatethevehicle.HaveyourauthorizedPorschedealerinspectorreplacethebrakepads.
Controls,Instruments65

Brakepads
Wearonthebrakepadsandbrakediscsdependstoagreatextentonthedrivingstyleandthecondi-tionsofuseandthereforecannotbeexpressedinactualmilesontheroad.
Thehigh-performancebrakesystemisdesignedforoptimalbrakingeffectatallspeedsandtemperatures.Certainspeeds,brakingforcesandambientconditions(suchastemperatureandhumidity)thereforemightcause”brakenoises“.
Newbrakepadsorlinings
Newbrakepadsandbrakediscshavetobe“brokenin”,andthereforeonlyattainoptimalfrictionwhenthecarhascoveredseveralhundredmilesorkm.Theslightlyreducedbrakingabilitymustbecompensatedforbypressingthebrakepedalharder.Thisalsoapplieswheneverthebrakepadsandbrakediscsarereplaced.
66Controls,Instruments

ABSBrakeSystem
(AntilockBrakeSystem)
TheABSsystemrepresentsamajorcontributiontotheenhancementofactivesafetyinyourvehicle.Thissystempreventsthewheelsfromlockinginapanicstoponalmostallroadsurfaces.
WiththeABSsysteminyourvehicle,the
followingareasareenhanced:
Steering,vehicleremainssteerableunderallbrakingforceswhenABSisengaged.
Gooddirectionalcontrol,noswervingcausedbylockingofwheelsunderbrakingconditions.
Shorterstoppingdistance,stoppingdistancesareusuallyreducedbecausecontrolledbrakingismaximized.
Preventionofwheellockup,nobrake-inducedslidingandthusnolocalizedtirewearfromemergencybraking.
ThecrucialadvantageoftheABSsystemoveraconventionalbrakesystemisintheareaofmaintainingdirectionalcontrolandmaneuverabilityofthecarinemergencysituations.
Warning!
Theincreasedcontrolthatisprovidedshouldnotinduceyoutotakegreaterriskswithyoursafety.Thelimitsdictatedbythelawsofphysicscannotbeovercome,evenwithABS.Theriskofaccidentsduetoinappropriatespeedcannotbereduced,evenbytheABS.Thedriverbearstheresponsibilityforalldrivingmaneuvers.
Adaptyourdrivingstyletotheprevailingroadandweatherconditions.
Obeyalltrafficlaws.
Warning!
OthervehiclesnotequippedwiththeABSsystemmaynotbeabletomaintaincontrol,especiallyonwetorpoorroadsurfacesandthusmaybemorelikelytoimpactyoufrombehind.
Tominimizethatrisk,useyourABSsystemtoincreaseyourabilitytomaneuvertoavoiddangeroussituationsandnotmerelytotrytostopintheshortestdistancepossible.
OperationoftheABSsystem
Awheelspeedsensorismountedtoeachofthefourwheels.Ifwheellock-upofeitherofthefrontwheelsortherearwheelsissensedduringbraking,thebrakepressureisadjustedautomaticallyuntilthewheelnolongerslips.
Ifbrakingforcesapproachthewheellock-uppointforallwheels(panicbraking)theABSsystemwillintervenetoprovidearapidrythmicbraking.TheproperoperationofABSisperceivedbythedriverasapulsatingbrakepedalinconjunctionwithaudiblenoiseandperhapssomevibration.
Ifyouexperiencethesesensationswhiledrivingoraroadsurfacewithquestionabletraction,reducevehiclespeedappropriatefortheprevailingroadconditions.
Iffullbrakingshouldbenecessary,pressthebrakepedalallthewaydownthroughouttheentirebrakingprocedure,regardlessofthepulsatingpedal.Donoteaseuponpressureappliedtothepedal.
ThefunctionalreadinessofallthemainelectricalcomponentsoftheABSischeckedbyanelectronicmonitoringsystembothbeforeandwhileyoudrive.
WarninglightUSA
WarninglightCanada
WhentheignitionisswitchedontheABSwarninglightwilllightupwhilethesystemiselectronically
Controls,Instruments67

interrogatedandgoesoutwhentheengineisstartedifthecheckisnotyetcomplete.IftheABSwarninglampfailstogoout,thisindicatesthatABShasbeendeactivatedduetoafault.Ifthewarninglightsintheinstrumentpanelandon-boardcomputerlightupwhileyouaredriving,thisindicatesthatafaulthasoccurred.Inbothcases,normalbraking,asinvehicleswithoutABS,isstillretained.
TheABSsystemshould,however,beexaminedatanauthorizedPorschedealerimmediatelytopreventtheoccurrenceoffurtherfaults.
IftheABSsystembecomesinoperative,takeyourvehicletoyourauthorizedPorschedealerimmediately.
Warning!
Riskofanaccident,resultinginseriouspersonalinjuryordeath.ThecontrolunitoftheABSbrakesystemissetforstandardtiresize.Ifnon-standardtiresareinstalled,thecontrolunitmaymisinterpretthespeedofthevehicle,becauseofthevariantdataitreceivesfromthesensorsontheaxles.
UseonlytiremakesandtypestestedbyPorsche.
68Controls,Instruments

SportsExhaustSystem
Sportsexhaustsystemfor
vehicleswithoutsportsmode
ThesportsexhaustsystemcanbeswitchedonandoffwhentheignitionisswitchedonusingbuttonA.Whenthesportsexhaustsystemisswitchedon,thelight-emittingdiodeinthebuttonlightsup.
Sportsexhaustsystemforvehicleswith
sportsmode
ThesportexhaustsystemcanbeswitchedonandoffwhentheignitionisonusingtheSPORTbuttonB.
SwitchingonthesportsmodeactuatesthemarkedlysportyPASMshock-absorbertuning.
However,shouldyouwishtohaveamorecom-fortableshockabsorbersetting,butstillusethecharacteristicsofthesportmodeandthesportexhaustsystem,thePASMcanbeswitchedtoNor-malmodeseparately.
TodosopressthePASMbuttonC.Thelight-emittingdiodeinthePASMbuttongoesout.
Pleaseobservethechapter”SPORTMODE”onpage70.
Pleaseobservethechapter”PORSCHEACTIVESUSPENSIONMANAGEMENT(PASM)”onpage74.
Controls,Instruments69

SportMode
Function
Asportiercarset-upisobtainedwhenSportmodeisswitchedon.InterventionsbythePorschecontrolsystemsareintentionallyshiftedtowardsgreateragilityanddrivingperformance.
–PASM(PorscheActiveSuspensionManagement)isautomaticallychangedtoSportmode,resultinginastiffersuspensionsetup.
–TheTiptronicSswitchestoasportygear-changingmapandshortensthegearshiftingperiods.Gearchangestakeplacefaster.
–PSM(PorscheStabilityManagement)controlissporty.PSMinterventionsarelaterthaninNormalmode.Thedrivercanmaneuverthevehiclewithgreateragilityatitsperformancelimits,withouthavingtodispensewiththeassistanceofPSMinemergencysituations.Thishelpstoachieveoptimallaptimes,particularlyonracecircuitswithadryroadsurface.
–Theelectronicacceleratorpedalreactssooner,andtheengineismoreresponsivetothrottleinputs.WhenSportmodeisswitchedon,thisfunctionisactivatedonlyafterthedriverhasbrieflyreleasedtheacceleratorpedal.
–Therpmlimitercharacteristicis“harder”,i.e.theengineisimmediatelythrottledwhentheperformancelimitsarereached.
PleaseobservetheappropriatechaptersPSM,PASMandTiptronicS.
SwitchingSportmodeonandoff
PressSPORTbuttoninthecenterconsole.WhenSportmodeisswitchedon,thelight-emittingdiodeintheSPORTbuttonislit.
WhenSportmodeisswitchedon,thelogoSPORTappearsnexttothedigitalspeedometer.
SwitchingSportmodeonandoffsimultaneouslyactivatesanddeactivatestheSportmodeofthePASM.
IftheSportmodeofthePASMwasactivatedwiththePASMbutton,itwillremainon.
Aftertheignitionisswitchedoff,SportmodeandPASMSportmodeareautomaticallyresettoNormalmode.
70Controls,Instruments