2002 C4S Clutch slipping?

I bought a 2002 C4S recently and plan on taking it to the track like I had done with my Dinan M5(2001). I have been driving the it pretty hard and bought a new toy: www.driftbox.com This unit gives you your 0-60 speed, and all peformance stats, including lap times, etc. (its a great unit and works well). In any event, I couldnt get my 0-60 time under 5.9 seconds. I know I was getting used to the car but, this cant be right. I tried various starts with the car including "popping the clutch" at about 5000rpm....well, when I do this the car basically sits still and burns the clutch!! I bought the car at the Porsche dealer with a 2 year warranty and it only has 23000Km. I was told it had a new clutch installed. Im wondering if: A- has anyone had this experience before? B-could this possibly be a safety mechanism to prevent any "breaking of parts"? C- Is the clutch not strong enough to handle it? D- Whats the best way to get a low 0-60 time in this car? Anyone, I would love to hear any of your experiences. Thanks.

Wow your going to break **** if you keep doing that, popping the clutch at 5000 and its all wheel drive, I think you may need to use that CPO.Ok now to your question the car should be quicker then that. A) No i have never herd of anyone else having had your problem. B) NO C) yes for normal driving , not dropping at 5 k D) Learn to drive your car

You realize that magazines test the 0-60 time using a far more accurate device called a "third wheel" and not some silly device that relies on programming algorithms to estimate speed from an acceleration curve/GPS satellites?

If you look on the website, this is a device with a GPS that is accurate to within .1 of a second...Im not sure where the algorithms came from. Its used for track measurements. Hmmm...Ive had a lot of fast cars including my 475 HP M5 that did the 0-60 in under 5 seconds(measured at the drag strip)....so, I think I may know a little bit about how to drive it. I may be a bit of a moron here and there but, not completely. I am curious as to why the clutch would slip at all? And not just have the car jump all over the place( I also have had a WRX that just jumped around when I dropped the clutch)??? Any other comments?

Recently seeing the clutch plate out of my 996 shocked me. It seems really small and rather delicate looking for a device to transfer 300+ HP repetedly to the transmission and on to the tires. The surface area seems too little and the friction material quite thin. The material connecting the disc to center spline looks fragile as well. I'm no engineer but I'm no stranger to high performance motors and such either. These cars, I'm certain were not made for the abuse of dumping the clutch from a standing start like you would on a '70s muscle car. They are rather designed for a relatively gentle start and when the clutch is fully engaged spin the motor to just below redline and bang the next gear, repete. Too many factors such as tall gearing, traction control, wide tires with grippy compounds and such will cause you to tear the hell out of your clutch and PP in short order if you dump it at high rpm. These are my thoughts only based on my experiences working with high performance vehicles for 30 years.

Hmmm.....great comment...... Im curious about upgrading to a better clutch....GT3? RUF?....Im finding even at high rpm with a powershift into 2nd it slips slightly........ For the track it might be best to upgrade the clutch anyway....Thanks.

Porsches aren't great drag cars. Cheapest way to improve your 0-60 time is to sell the C4S and buy a Z06. While your device does utilize GPS, depending on your location (blocked by buildings/trees) you may not get enough satellites to get an accurate distance reading within 0.1s like the manufacturer's claim. Even the PCM navigation system relies on GPS system + speed signal to try to keep track of the car's location. Your drift box can only rely on satellites and thus I question its accuracy.

I tried various starts with the car including "popping the clutch" at about 5000rpm Who told you to drop the clutch at 5K with AWD? With good tires it's really tough to brake the tires loose in a Porsche C4S, so the next weakest link is the clutch. With that kind of start you are fying your clutch.

Yes, your time should be better. However, those times are achieved after several "frying" attempts. I've tried it a few times, and finally just gave up on it. I have no doubt you know what you are doing. But, the C4S is not a dragster. There is too much weight on the back being planted on those fat rear wheels. Forget about getting upgraded clutch. Not trying to be a wise#@@, but, if you are bent on dragsters, go for another car. When you say "track", I assume you meant drag strip since we are talking about launching the car from a dead stop to get 0-60 times. I would recommend you forget about drag racing the C4S, and instead take it to the a REAL track, a road racing track. This is where the C4S and it's AWD will shine and outperform your Dinan M5 any day of the week. Slap the X73 suspension and R-compounds on the car, and it will outcorner almost anything. I outcornered an Elise and an Exige, two cars known for cornering ability, just this weekend at Watkins Glen.

Great feedback Palting....thanks. The track Im talking about is 9 corner track in Mission BC. I have run the tracks in Seattle and Portland as well. I prefer the one here due to the probability of death at the other two. (max speed in the straight with a slight hump/turn). I guess you're right...its not a dragster. I guess I was used to the M5 that is very, very fast off the start with the rear drive and the traction control turned off. My WRX was pretty good as well, it just hopped all over. Im looking forward to get to the mission track June 19th. Thanks for your insight.

The comment about learning how to drive was meant to say learn how to drive your Porsche...You have done damage to your clutch for sure...its not covered under warranty....the weak link in the Porsche drivetrain, BY DESIGN is the clutch. This is why the rest of the drivetrain is near bulletproof. Porsche wants the clutch to go before anything else. You can fry a Porsche clutch in a weekend, and I have heard of a guy frying 2 clutches in a week. In a BRAND NEW 996. Your car is not meant to go from 0-60..the times you see are from magazines that have the car for a day, dont care about the clutch and do it until they get the best time, and until the clutch goes....if you want a great 0-60 then you can get one, but you WILL replace your clutch....Enjoy the car, but try not to launch too hard, its great once you are in 1st clutch out...then stomp on it....I have 106k on my car...original clutch....dealer says its great...I'll keep going....and I do drive my car hard, just dont try to spin the wheels from the light....

Yes Hootchi it wasn't an insult to you, it was a suggestion for you to learn to drive your Porsche. Replace the clutch and let it be a lesson learned.Could be worse could have been a tranny, or even worse it could have been me

It seems to be alright.....but, its going in next week for a few upgrades....so, I guess we'll see...thanks.