2009 PORSCHE BOXSTER gear

Operation, Safety
57
Brake system warning light
You can check the functionality of the brake
system warning light by switching the ignition to
the "On" position and verifying that the warning
light illuminates.
If the warning lights in the instrument panel and on-
board computer go on while driving, the brake flu-
id level may be too low, or (if the brake pedal travel
has increased) one of the two brake circuits may
have failed.
A greater braking pressure will be required, stop-
ping distances will be longer and the braking be-
havior will change, particularly in curves.
With correctly adjusted brakes, and a correctly
working brake system, the pedal travel to the
point of brake actuation should be 1-3/16 in. to
1-9/16 in. or 30 to 40 mm.
Whenever the brake pedal travel exceeds this dis-
tance, have the brake system checked.
Brake pedal
Warning!
Risk of an accident, re sulting in serious per-
sonal injury or death.
Any obstruction of the brake pedal could
increase the stopping distance.
f Always check the movement of the brake pedal
before driving and make sure that it is not ob-
structed by a floor ma t or any other object.
f Secure the floor mat to prevent it from sliding
into positions that could interfere with the safe
operation of your vehicle.
Your Porsche dealer will be glad to offer you nonskid floor mats of the correct size.
Note
In case one of the two brake circuits fails, in-
creased pedal travel is required to bring your
vehicle to a full stop.
Warning!
To avoid overheating and premature wear of
the brakes:
f Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift the tran smission into a lower
gear or driving position to control speed.
f Do not “ride the brakes” by resting your foot on
the pedal when not intending to apply brake
pressure.
f Do not hold the pedal down too long or too
often.
This could cause the brakes to get hot and not function properly.
f Please see the chapter “DRIVE-OFF ASSIS-
TANT” on Page 173.
Brake warning light USA
Brake warning light Canada

60
Operation, Safety
When the ignition is switched on the ABS warning
light will light up while the system is electronically
interrogated and goes o
ut when the engine is
started if the check is not yet complete.
If the ABS warning lamp fails to go out, this indi-
cates that ABS has been deactivated due to a
fault. If the warning lights in the instrument panel
and on-board computer light up while you are driv-
ing, this indicates that a fault has occurred. In both
cases, normal braking, as in vehicles without ABS,
is still retained.
The ABS system should, however, be examined at
an authorized Porsche dealer immediately to pre-
vent the occurrence of further faults.
f If the ABS system becomes inoperative, take
your vehicle to your authorized Porsche dealer
immediately.
Warning!
Risk of an accident, resulting in serious per-
sonal injury or death.
The control unit of the ABS brake system is
set for standard tire size. If non-standard
tires are installed, the control unit may mis-
interpret the speed of th e vehicle, because of
the variant data it rece ives from the sensors
on the axles.
f Use only tire makes and types tested by Porsche.
Clutch Pedal The clutch pedal must be depressed fully
before the starter will engage.
Warning!
Risk of an accident, resulting in serious per-
sonal injury or death.
f Always check the movement of the clutch ped-
al before driving and make sure that it is not
obstructed by a floor mat or any other object.
f Secure the floor mat to prevent it from sliding
into positions that could interfere with the safe
operation of your vehicle.
Your Porsche dealer will be glad to offer you
nonskid floor mats of the correct size.
To avoid damage to the clutch and transmis-
sion:
f Always depress the clutch pedal fully when
changing gears.
f Do not hold the car on a steep grade with the clutch pedal partially depressed.
Should the free travel of the clutch pedal suddenly
become larger, it could me an a malfunction of the
clutch.
f See your Porsche dealer for correction.
Warning light USA
Warning light Canada

Operation, Safety
61
Sport ModeA sportier car set-up is obtained when Sport mode
is switched on. Interventions by the Porsche
control systems are intentionally shifted towards
greater agility and driving performance:
– PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Manage-ment) is automatically changed to Sport mode,
resulting in a stiffer suspension setup.
– When Sport mode is active, the PDK transmis- sion switches to a sporty gear-changing map
and shortens the gear shifting times. Gear
changes take place faster, but fuel consump-
tion is also increased.
PSM (Porsche Stability Management) control
gives a sportier road-feel to the vehicle. PSM
interventions take place later than in Normal
mode. The driver can maneuver the vehicle
with greater agility at its performance limits,
without having to dispense with the assistance
of PSM in emergency situations. This helps to
achieve optimal lap times, particularly on race
circuits with a dry road surface.
– The electronic accelerator pedal reacts sooner, and the engine is more responsive to
throttle inputs. When Sport mode is switched
on, this function is ac tivated only after the
driver has floored the accelerator pedal or
released it briefly.
– The rpm limiter characteristic is “harder”, i.e. the engine is immediately throttled when the
performance limits are reached (only in manual selection mode for vehicles with PDK transmis-
sion).
f Please observe the chap ters on PSM, PASM
and PDK.
Switching Sport mode on and offSwitching Sport mode on and off simultaneously
activates and deactivate s the Sport mode in
PA S M .
If PASM Sport mode was activated with the PASM
button, PASM remains active.
After the ignition is switched off, Sport mode is
automatically reset to Normal mode.
SPORT button
f Press SPORT button A in the center console.
When Sport mode is switched on, the light-
emitting diode in the SPORT button is lit.
A sporty gear-changing map is enabled and the
gear shifting times ar e shortened for the PDK
transmission.
A sporty driving style is recognized more quickly
and the gear-changing speeds are adapted to
driving performance.
Deceleration downshifts are commenced earlier.
Downshifts are made during slight decelerations,
even at higher engine speeds.
f Please see the chapter “SPORT MODE
(“SPORT” AND “SPORT PLUS” MODES)” on
Page 176. SPORT PLUS button
(only on vehicles with PDK transmission)
In “Sport Plus” mode, the PDK transmission
changes to a shift program designed for driving
on race circuits. 7th gear is not selected.
The gear-changing performance is enhanced
significantly again compared with “Sport” mode.
f
Please see the chapter “SPORT MODE
(“SPORT” AND “SPORT PLUS” MODES)” on
Page 176.
f Press SPORT PLUS button B in the center
console.
When Sport mode is switched on, the light-
emitting diode in the SP ORT PLUS button is lit.

66
Operation, Safety
PASM makes two running-gea
r setups available to
the driver: “Normal” and “Sport”.
The selection is made vi a a button on the center
console.
In Normal mode the runnin g gear is in a comfort-
able setup.
Sport mode offers very sporty shock absorber
tuning.
The variable suspension system selects the appro-
priate damping level for each wheel according to
the situation and driving conditions.
Example:
If the vehicle is driven in a very sporty manner in
Normal mode, PASM automatically adapts the
shock-absorber behavior to the driving situation
accordingly.
Switching on PASM Sport modef Press PASM button in the center console.
When PASM Sport mode is switched on, the
light-emitting diode in the button is lit up and a
message is shown on the on-board computer.Switching off PASM Sport modefPress PASM button in the center console.
The light-emitting diode in the button goes out
and the on-board computer displays a
message.
After the ignition is switched off, PASM is
automatically reset to Normal mode.
Porsche Active Suspension
Management (PASM)

70
Operation, Safety
Parking Aids Parking assistantWhen the driver backs up, the parking assistant
system indicates the distance between the car
and a large obstacle behind it, by means of signal
tones.
Warning!
Risk of serious personal injury or death.
Parking assistant cannot detect small ob-
jects such as children and pets.
Despite use of the parking assistant system,
the driver is still responsible for taking due
care and assessing obstacles when backing
up.
f Make sure that no persons, especially small
children, animals or obstacles are within the maneuvering area.
The parking assistant syst em is activated auto-
matically when reverse gear is selected and the ig-
nition is on.
Note
Be aware that the parkin g assistant system is
not switched on if the car rolls backward without
reverse gear being engaged.
Ultrasound sensors Sensors
Four ultrasound sensors in the rear bumper meas-
ure the distance to the closest obstacle.
– Range middle sensors around 60 in./150 cm
– Range outer sensors around 24 in./60 cm
Obstacles cannot be detected in the “blind” sen-
sor area (e.g. near the ground). Note
The sensors must always be kept free of dirt, ice
and snow in order to ensure that they are fully
functional.
Caution!
To avoid damaging the sensors:
f Maintain sufficient distance when cleaning with steam-jet units.
Signal tones/function
When reverse gear is selected, the parking
assistant confirms that it is switched on by issuing
a short signal tone .
A detected obstacle is signalled by an intermit-
tent tone . The intervals decrease as the obstacle
is approached.
A continuous tone sounds when the distance
becomes less than one foot. This continuous tone
c a n s t o p i f t h e o b s t a c l e i s a p p ro a c h e d c l o s e r t h a n
one foot.
The radio volume should no t be so loud as to
drown out the signal tones.

Operation, Safety
71
Limits of ultrasonic measurement
The parking assistant system cannot detect:
– sound-absorbing obstacles (e.g. powder snow),
– sound-reflecting obstacles (e.g. glass surfac- es, flat painted surfaces)
– and very thin obstacles.
– Other ultrasound sources (e.g. pneumatic brakes of other vehicles, jackhammers) can
interfere with detection of obstacles.
Fault indication
The parking assistant system indicates a fault in
two ways:
– After reverse gear has been selected, the short signal tone is followed by a continuous
tone of the same pitch:
This indicates that sensors are soiled or cov-
ered with ice.
– After reverse gear has been selected, the short signal tone is followed by a continuous
tone with a much lower pitch:
This indicates a general system fault.
Please have the fault remedied at an author-
ized Porsche dealer. A
- Control switch for door mirror adjustment Swivelling down mirror glass as a parking
aidf
Please see the chapter “SEAT MEMORY” on
Page 35.
– When reverse gear is engaged, the mirror glass on the passenger’s side swivels down
slightly to show the curb area. Preconditions
– Vehicle must be equipped with seat memory.
– Set the control switch
A to “passenger’s side”.
– Reverse gear must be engaged.
Returning mirror glass to its original position
f Drive forwards with a speed of over 4 mph
(6 km/h) or
f Set the control switch A to “driver’s side”.

72
Operation, Safety
O - Initial position
1 - Ignition on
2 - Start engine
3 - Ignition offIgnition/Starter Switch with
anti-theft Steering LockThe ignition lock has a total of four ignition lock po-
sitions.
The ignition key rebounds to the initial position
from every ignition lock position.
f For your safety, fasten safety belts.
f Please see the chapter “IMMOBILIZER” on
Page 15. f
Please see the chapter “KEY WITH RADIO RE-
MOTE CONTROL” on Page 16.
Before starting the enginefApply the footbrake.
f Manual transmission:
Fully depress the clutch pedal and put the gear-
shift lever into neutral.
The clutch pedal must be depressed fully
before the starte r will engage.
f In vehicles with PDK transmission:
Move PDK selector lever to position P or N.
f Do not press the accelerator pedal.Switch position 0 Initial position
The ignition key cannot be withdrawn when the
ignition is switched on or when the engine has
been started.
To withdraw the ignition key:
f Stop the vehicle.
f In vehicles with PDK transmission:
Move PDK selector lever to position P.
f Switch ignition off.
f Remove ignition key.
Switch position 1 Ignition on
fTurn ignition key to position 1.
Ignition is switched on.
Note on operation
All electrical equipme nt can be switched on.
f Please see the chapter “WARNINGS ON THE
INSTRUMENT PANEL AND THE ON-BOARD
COMPUTER” on Page 162.

Operation, Safety
75
Starting Procedures fPlease see the chapter “IMMOBILIZER” on
Page 15.
f Please see the chapter “EMISSION CONTROL
SYSTEM” on Page 208.
Warning!
Serious injury or death may result if you are
involved in a collision without having fas-
tened the safety belts.
f Fasten safety belts before driving away. Before starting the engine fApply the footbrake.
f Manual transmission:
Fully depress the clutch pedal and put the gear-
shift lever into neutral.
The clutch pedal must be depressed fully
before the starter will engage.
f In vehicles with PDK transmission:
Move PDK selector lever to position P or N.
Temperature sensors on the engine automatically
provide the correct fuel/air mixture required for
starting.
Therefore, it is not necessary to depress the
accelerator pedal while starting a cold or a
warm engine.
Starting the enginef Turn ignition key to ignition lock position 2.
f As soon as the engine st arts, release the igni-
tion key.
The first operation of the starter is ended automat-
ically when the engine starts.
If the engine does not start, subsequent starter
operations will not be ended automatically.
If the engine fails to start after 10 or 15 seconds
of cranking:
f Wait about 10 seconds before engaging the
starter again.
f When starting the engine, be ready to drive
immediately.
Drive vehicle at moderate speeds and avoid
engine speeds above 4,200 rpm during the
first 5 minutes.
f Do not let the engine idle to warm up.
Danger!
Engine exhaust fumes have many compo-
nents which you can smell. They also contain
carbon monoxide (CO), which is a colorless
and odorless gas.
Carbon monoxide can cause unconscious-
ness and even death if inhaled.
f Never start or let the engine run in an
enclosed, unventilated area.
It is not recommended to sit in your car for prolonged periods with the engine on and the
car not moving.
An unattended vehicle with a running engine
is potentially hazardous.
If warning lights shoul d come on to indicate
improper operation, they would go unno-
ticed.
f Never leave the engine idling unattended.
Danger of fire.
f Do not park or operate the vehicle in areas
where the hot exhaust system may come in
contact with dry grass, brush, fuel spill or oth-
er flammable material.
f If your car catches on fire for any reason, call
the fire department.
Do not endanger your life by attempting to put
out the fire.
Risk of burn injury when standing near or coming
into contact with the exhaust pipe.
The exhaust pipe is hot when the vehicle is running
and remains hot for some time after the vehicle is
turned off.
f To prevent injury, make a point of noting where
your vehicle’s exhaust pipe is, avoid placing
your legs near the exhaust pipe, and closely
supervise children around the vehicle when the
exhaust pipe could be hot.
A hot exhaust pipe can cause serious burns.