Can't spin tires...TC or clutch problem?

I could use some input on this... I got a '99 996 C2 about a month ago and love the car. One thing I am curious about though... I was familiarizing myself with the car before doing an autocross and was getting some practice with my launches. I must have tried 10 times, but never was able to spin the tires, no matter how quickly I let out the clutch. This held whether or not the TC was on or off. I don't normally "try" to spin the tires, but I found this rather unexpected. I haven't noticed any weird behaviors I'd otherwise associate with the clutch, but after these ~10 successive tries (the last ones I was really dumping the clutch), I did smell a bit of a whiff of what I thought was probably the clutch. I figured it was normal given how I had been pushing it. I am not sure what the TC feels like when engaged, as it has never engaged that I noticed (even during several autocross runs, I had it on). Is this inability to spin the tires under agressive starts normal in this car? I have 18" wheels with Pilot Sports. Air pressure in the rear was a bit lower than factory rec (~38 cold). Thanks for any feedback! Jeff _______________________________ '99 996 C2 Aero '88 944 Turbo S (Silver Rose Ltd. Ed.)

RPM for this behavior? Mileage? Etc. might help are you side stepping the clutch or just letting it out swiftly? as a side note since all the weight is out back it's really tough to spin the wheels unless you really abuse it (5000+ RPM) FOr Auto-x try 3500 rpm and let it out smoothy but fast and you will lauch consistanly... my 2 cents YMMV & YCWNLV (your clutch will not live long)

These cars are not meant to be treated like this. You will quickly learn a 2K lesson, when your clutch starts to go.......

In my experience NO Porsche clutch is strong enough for the engine torque required to break the tires loose on high traction dry pavement. Not to their detriment, that's just not what Porsche's are "about".

Haven't you heard about clear bra?

Thanks for the feedback all. Ok, I am getting the sense that this is completely normal. I think my original post may have given the wrong impression (after re-reading my choice of words). In my judgement, I wasn't abusing it. I was letting the clutch out (not side stepping and letting pop out). This whole effort was a "1-time deal" was simply to try and gauge the behavior of a new vehicle for me. The highest rpm I was using was about 4500-5000 (twice: with and w/o TC). But then again, it is probably more about how quickly the clutch is let out. I do agree with Rob that something around 3500 rpm and a smooth (but deliberate) release of clutch works very well. The reason I brought this up was because in my experience with my prior 944TS (about a 50-50 weight balance), optimal starts were somewhat more challenging, as it required a balance between building boost quickly and avoiding spinning the wheels. If I pushed it too much, the tires would spin (even on dry pavement). I have seen no such behavior in the 996. I was merely curious if this was a quality of the rear-weight bias (new to me), or if I was having mechanical issues with a vehicle that I am still getting to know. It seems that everything is fine. Again, thanks for the feedback! _______________________________ Jeff LaCombe '99 996 C2 Aero '88 944 Turbo S (Silver Rose Ltd. Ed.)

Jim - Which should he clear bra... the clutch assembly or the tires?

How about severe wheel hop you must have experenced that if you have tried to spin the tires. Getting the car off the line is really tricky. That is one thing I like better about Vettes. If you want to drag race you'll need to get up to around 160 mph then they don't have much of a chance.

~320 hp., 0-60 in 4.x sec.........almost impossible to spin the wheels...you've got to admire german engineering. There is no substitute.