How does your 996 do in the Southwest?

A fellow who lives just south of Phoenix asked me how 996's do in the summer heat in the Southwest. If you live in the Southwest, what's your experience? (I've never heard of problems & know that Porsche does testing in that area...but it would help to hear from people who actually have to cope with the high temps.)

I'm not from down there, so consider this a bump if nothing else I've found that as long as the car is moving, it can cope with ridiculous ambient temperatures. But if it's sitting idling in traffic, the OE cooling system is definitely challenged. So, if you were looking to use the car for fun, I wouldn't worry at all. If you were going to use it as an urban commuter in that climate, you'd be right to ask someone local how they cope, especially with the Mk. 1 cars. FWIW...

We do a lot of service on 996/7 and Boxsters before the summer. If you keep the radiators clean (a ton of crap gets stuck in between the a/c condensers and radiators) they will run cool. We also add a center radiator to our Spec Boxster and will race them in 100 degree temps without a problem, so that is always an option. Oh and check that both fans are working at both speeds. I wouldn't worry about it.

I don't know about the SW but I have no issues in the hot NYC/NJ summers. Car runs fine even in the worst traffic with the AC on. I keep my radiators clean.

No problem in Miami summers with mine.

Southern summer is a serious test that my 996 has passed so far with flying colors. Cold air conditioning at 100 degrees plus and high humidity.

I live in the extreme south west Car does fantastic with great A/C. The way the A/C turns the fans on some times makes the car run cooler in heavy traffic.

My 2003 C4 (has the third radiator) has no problems in the summer with Tucson stop and go traffic.

We had higher temps at Miller (Utah) with the thinner air, and cooler temps.

No problem in Texas

Had it in Tucson without a problem. The temp does go up in stop and go but not in the red. Same in CA.

I'm temporarily in El Paso and have no issues with the heat. The car keeps it's same cool it did in FL or NC. The only problem I have is the crappy roads , always feels like I have a flat. The El Paso area road system is the worst I've ever seen with their crazy gateway system. Rick 99 996C4 87 944S

Ask the air-cooled guys. 996s work just fine from -30 to 100+.

I live in Phoenix with a BLACK 996 wished it was white to help with inside temps. My car runs just at around 185 degree water temp in Plus 110 degree outside ambient air and air conditioning just barley holds it own especially in stop in go traffic (some intersections can get to 145 degrees F). I run 15/50 engine oil and lets just say if you where to run at speeds above 145 MPH which creates a unnerving experience because of the tire rubber smell in the cab from the HOT asphalt. Now since I am a sissy I drive my car more in the winter when it is around 70 degrees F. PS Sun Screens are a must here.

Interested by all these "no problem here" posts. Maybe I just worry too much about mine. The cooling system in my car is almost entirely new, clean and working as designed. But when the coolant temperature creeps up to, say, 108 C, which it easily can in traffic, I get uncomfortable. Maybe I should just trust the idiot light...

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+1, my AC is super cold - sometimes I need to lower it to prevent condensation on the windshield.

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Mine, too. HVAC is a real strength of these cars.

I hope you mean 108 F. I had two 996's in the Phoenix are and never a problem with the temp getting high.

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No, I mean Celsius. Roughly 226 F. If you only look at the gage on my dash, it always seems to stay well south of the red zone. But if you look at the OBD readout the early cars let you hack into, you can see how quickly it actually rises when the car is sitting still in high ambient temperatures (some dispute the accuracy of this readout, but it seems hard to argue that it's more sensitive than the gage, and I can't believe it's less accurate, even if it doesn't give you the accuracy of outboard diagnostics). Temps above 100 C are not rare at all, and have nothing to do with whether you have an extra rad or the later, better flowing bumper. When the car is in motion, even a plain jane, stock Mk. 1 cools right down very quickly. These cars run hot because of the packaging - it's tight back there - and friction from the higher rpms most of us drive at. I did some preventative maintenance last fall, and one of the things I had installed was a box of fresh coolant hoses. Many of the original ones were really mushy. The cooling systems in these cars live hard lives.

my family has a 2000 c4 cab in scottsdale that I drive all the time no matter how hot it is... Ive never had a problem and the temp has been right where mine is here in seattle. Im a freak about watching stuff like that... I dont think there is any issue. edit.. as long as you watch that needle. :-)

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Yes, trust the idiot light. I was in southern AZ a few years ago in my 02 Boxster. Ambient temps up to 116F. Coolant temperature at 226F for miles. Intake air temperature 135F. As near as I could tell (hear) the engine compartment fan ran non-stop. Hot. (More recently on I-40 across western AZ and eastern CA in my 03 Turbo and ambient temperature 119F and the Turbo didn't exhibit any problems from the heat. Coolant temperature stayed under 200F. The Turbo has a much more efficient cooling system.) Anyhow, the Boxster showed no signs of any problems. (Had fresh (<1000 mile) Mobil 1 0W-40 oil in the engine.) Got back home (mid-west at that time) and talked to my SM at the dealer. The SM checked with factory, and gave the factory the numbers I recorded. Factory replied that as long as the coolant light not on or flashing there is no problem. My Boxster has been driven in some pretty hot climes and sometimes at high speed and high rpms for miles and miles and I've never observed any problems with the heat. The only times the coolant light has come on or flashed is when: 1) I hit some road debris and busted a radiator and lost engine coolant; 2) The coolant tank cap developed a leak and over time allowed considerable water to evaporate and the coolant level in the tank got low. Keep an eye on the coolant level. Keep the radiator ducts clear of trash. You might have to remove the bumper cover and separate the A/C condensor from the radiator to remove the considerable trash that can collect between the two heat exchangers. If you see the coolant level dropping or any signs of coolant leaking, smell any anti-freeze, check the cooling system. There's a leak. If there is a leak the biggest concern is pressure will not be maintained and it is the pressure that prevent the coolant from flashing to steam. If this happens, steam pockets form in the cooling passages and these block further flow of coolant and these areas affected by the steam pockets suffer localized overheating. The coolant temperature may not even rise to scary levels either cause the coolant is of course not absorbing the heat. Sincerely, Macster.

it hated it, So bad it made me move it to the North East