I have a 2009 Base Cayman, manual. Yesterday I pushed it a bit in second gear and took the RPM "up a bit." While doing so it seemed as if the engine simply dropped all its power for a brief moment, until I could up shift.
Is this a limiting factor built in as a safety feature or was there an issue with my engine vis-a-vis the higher RPMs? Note that I am not sure just how high it was. My intent was to take it no where near 7000RPM, and don't think I did unless it got up there really, really quick. Likely I was at about 6000 or so when I felt the cutout.
you hit the rev limiter...no biggie
Where does the rev limiter kick in and does it simply "limit" any further increase in revs or alternatively does it disrupt the power of the engine to the wheels? In my case it felt like the engine had cut out for a moment.
From what I understand the engine management computer simply cuts the fuel gradually near the reline on a car with no Sport Chrono or Sport Chrono off. On a car with Sport Chrono on, it's a hard fuel cutoff at redline.
I've hit the limiter accidentally a few times on the track and leaving a toll booth with 8 lanes trying to merge into one. I was too occupied looking at traffic in the other lanes that when it hit, I thought someone had rear ended me. Very abrupt.
Agree that it is abrupt. It felt exactly as you describe - as it the engine had no fuel.
I was surprised at how quickly the car revved up to the redline.
As Pete says teh rev limiter is simply a fuel cut and it's all done by electronics, and you will not find many if any modern cars without a rev limiter.
The rev limiter can limit rpm it has control over i.e. when accelerating. However it cannot limit rpm that is not directly controlled by the electronics i.e. missing a gear on a downshift in a manual, because the engine speed in that case is dictated by the speed of the wheels and the gear ratio of the gear you are in.
There is certainly no need to be worried about hitting the rev limiter, because that is why it is there...to protect the engine and so you are not doing any damage by hitting it, but you don't want to do it in the middle of an overtake
He said it happened at 6k.. that doesn't sound right to me?
Not to dispute the OP's claim about the 6k limit, I would imagine he noted the rpm at sometime after bouncing off the limit. It's initially unsettling to be accelerating when the car just drops off without warning.
Sure sounds like he hit the rev limiter to me. The only other experience I've had that comes close was when PSM intervened but it doesn't sound like he was pushing it. Unless he lost traction somehow.
I think the rev limiter kicks in at 6800 RPM, higher if you have Sport Crono engaged.
It always surprises me how quickly these cars get to 6K or so in the lower gears... almost too quickly!
I can't keep the gear changes going quickly enough, should have bought a PDK
Better to hit the rev limiter than to over-rev the engine and start banging your valves! Don't make it a habit, however...every trip to the rev limiter is recorded on the car's computer (DME) and available to the dealer to view in case a warranty claim is disputed, etc. In fact, with a Durametric cable and a laptop, a prospective buyer for your car and read it out as well.
Porsche Operation Ranges From Duramteric Diagnostic Tool
My understanding, which comes from following the technical discussons on the threads about softronic flashes and the sport mode software option now for sale, as well as a handful of DE track days this year for first hand "testing", is that on a stock car with sport mde off or no sport mode, the reve limiter is "soft" meaning it reduces power to slow the rate if increase in engine RPM beginning at about 6,800. I experienced this myseelf on the track where I always felt like my car was weak at the very top end on wave by's. I've since remedied that situation. With sport mode on, it's a hard cutoff at redline, which I think is 7200 or 7300, so it revs hard all they way there, and the cutout will seem abrupt.
Hope this helps.
