Hurdigurdiman, any one else with three pedal manual experience -

HGM - "Knowing WHEN and HOW to change gear goes a long way in protecting an engine. " Would love to read some specifics. Thanks.

Porsche owner's manuals cover this topic pretty well.

Goes a long way to protecting Engine, Clutch and Gear box and might I add (brakes). You shouldn't have to read specifics. It's plain common sense. 'Know how' being the operative words. Over revving when there is a higher gear available is a common fault. Using a lower gear and engine compression to lower braking pressure becomes common sense. Being in the correct gear for any given situation. Catching the clutch with the engine revs when changing down. You either know or don't know. Two types of driving. Track racing and street driving demand different techniques. Try a few hill climb starts from your hand brake. NOT over sliding or holding the car with the clutch. I am forever changing gears to suit the situation. Try to keep your revs between 2500 & 3000 for street driving or cruising. When changing up no higher than 3500 revs. Bollux to this red lining unless you are on the tracks. You don't have to drive toooo tamely but on the other hand you don't have to drive over aggressively. Trying to save petrol by using a higher gear is a common fault and can **** an engine up over time. Chugalug chugalug lol. nAnyway I have said my peace for now.

If you don't yet know how to drive a manual, this is an expensive car to learn on.

Don't over think things. As you gain experience and get to know your car you will hear and feel when you reach the correct shift points. In time you will find that you rarely need to look at your tachometer. Basics with these cars: These are not 1/4 mile drag racing machines - never attempt to dump the clutch to smoke the tires off the line. Think smooth and slow when changing gears - I learned more about shifting the 996, even after 40 years of driving manuals, during one ride along with a DE instructor in a GT2. All of her inputs were fluid and smooth and she was not "grabbing" gears. As for cruising: you will be able to feel your cars "sweet spot" - when everything is in balance and harmonious - I pay more attention to that then what gear I am in. I often find myself on the interstate in 5th gear. Not sure of your background or if you understand the mechanical theory of how a manual transmission car works - if not, you might want to do a little reading as I find that understanding the theory and knowing how things work goes a long way in learning how to operate them. Now go out and practice - with experience your passenger will wonder if you are driving an automatic.

Silotwo's remark about the sweet spot is spot on. You will be feeling the point at which the car feels most efficient in response to your use of the accelerator. It is also known as riding the cams. The least amount of throttle gets the greatest response. Driving in low a gear causes lugging, and the car needs more accelerator but doesn't get as much response. Practice down shifting at low speeds first, with plenty of time to make the shift (not in bumper to bumper traffic)...and do it when the revs required are modest. Example shifting from 3rd to 2nd at 25 mph...or 4th to 3rd at 40 mph... and 5th to 4th at 50 mph. All of these low rpm shifts will allow you to feel the differences in rpm in different gears and the revs needed to make the changes smoothly will be modest so that any mistakes will be easy on the drive train. Don't try to shift fast...just take your time and feel the shifter moving through the invisible gates. Upshifting is just the reverse. Try it at modes speeds first and get to feel how the engine revs change throughout the gear ranges. Ease up on the gas as you depress the clutch...make the shift and give a little throttle as the clutch comes out. Again, doing everything at modest...even very modest speeds...and on quiet uncrowded roads or giant parking lots...will get you comfortable with the feeling of it all. Your speeds will increase naturally. Enjoy it all...everyday you'll be a little better. One day you'll drop down a gear and it will all feel perfect and magical.

I really appreciate all those who have taken the time to respond sincerely to a simple and straightforward question. I find it fascinating to read the comments of those who want to read into a simple and straightforward question...not directly relevant to my original question, but fascinating nonetheless... And Hurdigurdiman, Thank you for your additional clarifications but I'm left scratching my head with some of your comments. I learned to drive a stick on an older friend's Lamborghini 400GT, some + years ago. One of the most memorable lessons was, "I don't start to give it too much gas until I'm rolling and have let the clutch out completely." Those words and idea have many mechanical implications which I still try to learn from, 100,000's of miles, 100+ cars, and dozens of tracks around the world later. I bought a track prepped 996.2 from a PCA DE instructor; during the test drive he said I tried to shift too fast, going to a short shifter would most likely guarantee a short tranni life and killed synchros... Contrast this with Skippy formula school instructors, some of whom said to just slam the gears in the sequential gearbox; others during the same program suggested a two stage "feel and slip in" approach. The Formula Renault and Lotus Renault F1 instructors were equally divided... Engage and slip around 1000-1500 until rolling and full released or rev to 2000 and slip / release faster? Never engage 1st while moving at all or double clutch at appropriate engine / gear / road speeds? And in my humble experience, an occasional "Italian tuneup" does wonders for smooth running, both of the drive train and suspension (on nice twisties), confirmed by several mechanics who reported they see more problems with "babied" cars than properly but aggressively driven cars. We all know lugging the engine is bad; so is over revving. "Money shifts" are a sure way to break something... but most places in between are decent ground for discussion, I thought. So if you think I was calling you out by quoting you, sorry for the misunderstanding, I wasn't. If you think my basic question isn't worthy of discussion, sorry about that too, but I respectfully disagree. (See above examples; many more can be given...) This is a discussion forum, isn't it? Anyhoo, Despite many decades of driving a few different types of cars from Mitsubishi Colts to GT3RS and yes, Grosjean's back up Lotus-Renault (detuned to 800hp and with the idiot steering wheel, of course) - without stalling once, natch - I still am interested in reading and learning other drivers' opinions, thoughts, and experiences. So again, thanks to all who took the time and effort to share... TM

I really appreciate all those who have taken the time to respond sincerely to a simple and straightforward question. I find it fascinating to read the comments of those who want to read into a simple and straightforward question... And Hurdigurdiman, Thank you for your additional clarifications but I'm left scratching my head with some of your comments. I learned to drive a stick on an older friend's Lamborghini 400GT, some + years ago. One of the most memorable lessons was, "I don't start to give it too much gas until I'm rolling and have let the clutch out completely." Those words and idea have many mechanical implications which I still try to learn from, 100,000's of miles, 100+ cars, and dozens of tracks around the world later. I bought a track prepped 996.2 from a PCA DE instructor; during the test drive he said I tried to shift too fast, going to a short shifter would most likely guarantee a short tranni life and killed synchros... Contrast this with Skippy formula school instructors, some of whom said to just slam the gears in the sequential gearbox; others during the same program suggested a two stage "feel and slip in" approach. The Formula Renault and Lotus Renault F1 instructors were equally divided... Engage and slip around 1000-1500 until rolling and full released or rev to 2000 and slip / release faster? Never engage 1st while moving at all or double clutch at appropriate engine / gear / road speeds? And in my humble experience, an occasional "Italian tuneup" does wonders for smooth running, both of the drive train and suspension (on nice twisties), confirmed by several mechanics who reported they see more problems with "babied" cars than properly but aggressively driven cars. We all know lugging the engine is bad; so is over revving. "Money shifts" are a sure way to break something... but most places in between are decent ground for discussion, I thought. This is a discussion forum, isn't it? Anyhoo, Despite many decades of driving a few different types of cars from Mitsubishi Colts to GT3RS and yes, Grosjean's back up Lotus-Renault (detuned to 800hp and with the idiot steering wheel, of course) - without stalling once, natch - I still am interested in reading and learning other drivers' opinions, thoughts, and experiences. So again, thanks to all who took the time and effort to share... TM

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"... Basics with these cars: These are not 1/4 mile drag racing machines - never attempt to dump the clutch to smoke the tires off the line." Agreed! "Think smooth and slow when changing gears - I learned more about shifting the 996, even after 40 years of driving manuals, during one ride along with a DE instructor in a GT2. All of her inputs were fluid and smooth and she was not "grabbing" gears." AGREED! Hence my asking the question despite lots of experience...it seems we both agree there is always something to learn, always someone with something to learn from... ... "sweet spot" - when everything is in balance and harmonious - I pay more attention to that then what gear I am in..." Great concept, sweet spot... "Not sure of your background or if you understand the mechanical theory of how a manual transmission car works - if not, you might want to do a little reading as I find that understanding the theory and knowing how things work goes a long way in learning how to operate them. " Agreed. Basic book understanding but some of it still doesn't "click" like slip clutching, flywheel, throwout bearing, etc. "Now go out and practice - with experience your passenger will wonder if you are driving an automatic. " This is the holy grail, of course...I find I am that smooth when driving aggressively ...took a friend's wife out on Angeles Crest Highway in my track prepped 996.2 with single mass lightweight flywheel - she was getting so car sick in my friend's C6 vette who was following behind they had to pull over so she wouldn't throw up. Later, she switched to my car and while keeping up with a group of sport bikes doing some serious canyon carving, she felt totally at ease and actually enjoyed it, wot, braking, double clutching, heel and toeing and all. She said I was smoother than the auto equipped C6...for context, her husband drives a Lotus Elise and they drive the Swiss Alps all the time. Yet I can't seem to get the hang of "flow of traffic" driving without getting the bobblehead effect... "Silotwo's remark about the sweet spot is spot on. You will be feeling the point at which the car feels most efficient in response to your use of the accelerator. It is also known as riding the cams. The least amount of throttle gets the greatest response." Very interesting concept! Great way to think about it. Thanks! " Driving in low a gear causes lugging, and the car needs more accelerator but doesn't get as much response. ... One day you'll drop down a gear and it will all feel perfect and magical." Agreed! Little feels better to a petrolhead driver than a perfectly executed downshift! Thanks!

Engage and slip around 1000-1500 until rolling and full released or rev to 2000 and slip / release faster? About the only thing fast with this technique is how fast the clutch will wear out. Really, you can move the car from a stop on level ground with just releasing the clutch smoothly without any throttle at all. The DME will keep the idle speed constant. A bit of throttle to bring the revs up to say 1K and then releasing the throttle concurrent with releasing the clutch smoothly takes advantage of the energy in the flywheel and gets the car moving off smartly with minimal clutch slippage. Once you have the clutch fully released then you can give the engine however much throttle you believe is called for. Rev matching during up shifts preserves the clutch. Downshifting with rev matching combined with downshifting at reasonable RPMs -- IIRC somewhere in the owners manual I believe there is a caution about downshifting above 1500 RPMS but I'm too lazy to run out the car to look -- will also help preserve the clutch. Double clutching is for Steve McQueen wannabes. With these transmissions it is just a path to a quicker release bearing failure.

Thanks for joining in, Macster. Very interesting comments, contradictory to much of my experience, which is exactly why I asked my original question. My experience with big engine and/or big torque cars with factory clutches - E39 M5; Lambos; V8 and V12 Ferraris; 997.2 GT3 RS, etc - it was easy enough to start the car rolling with just the clutch release and no gas. On the 996's and R53 Mini Cooper S', Abarth 500, etc - it's very difficult to get a rolling start with just clutch release, without stalling. Neither 996.1 nor 996.2 DME that I have most experience with will keep revs high enough to avoid stalling, though admittedly neither are factory clutches and have weird clutch engagement relative to my experience with factory clutches. And trying to roll away from a standing start (red light, stop sign) with just clutch and no gas, without stalling, hasn't been possible without the people behind honking. Even keeping revs at 1000-1500 with a bit of gas often results in honking... So what am I missing? Thanks again, appreciate your comments. BTW - factory clutches on my cars last the entire period of my ownership, if I sell it; and 70-100k or more if I keep the car that long. Pps: double clutching and McQueen wannabe comment - if you're trying to keep the engine in the power band, ie end up at 3000 to 4000 in the next selected gear, seconds before going WOT, downshifting - do you really suggest not double clutching? Not arguing, just trying to understand the context...mostly agreed if shifting down to next lower gear from 2000 or lower with zero to a touch of throttle... Maybe I been doing something wrong all these years... "A bit of throttle to bring the revs up to say 1K and then releasing the throttle concurrent with releasing the clutch smoothly takes advantage of the energy in the flywheel and gets the car moving off smartly with minimal clutch slippage" Going to try this right now...thanks! "Engage and slip around 1000-1500 until rolling and full released or rev to 2000 and slip / release faster? About the only thing fast with this technique is how fast the clutch will wear out. Really, you can move the car from a stop on level ground with just releasing the clutch smoothly without any throttle at all. The DME will keep the idle speed constant. A bit of throttle to bring the revs up to say 1K and then releasing the throttle concurrent with releasing the clutch smoothly takes advantage of the energy in the flywheel and gets the car moving off smartly with minimal clutch slippage. Once you have the clutch fully released then you can give the engine however much throttle you believe is called for. Rev matching during up shifts preserves the clutch. Downshifting with rev matching combined with downshifting at reasonable RPMs -- IIRC "somewhere in the owners manual I believe there is a caution about downshifting above 1500 RPMS but I'm too lazy to run out the car to look -- will also help preserve the clutch. Double clutching is for Steve McQueen wannabes. With these transmissions it is just a path to a quicker release bearing failure.

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I don't think you are missing anything. I agree that it seems very impractical to move off from a full stop at idle with Porsche's modern engines and DME controls. While possible (I've done it a time or two), it seems to take so long to start this way it feels like clutch wear is actually much greater than the "normal" way. My experience with my Cayman (3.4L) suggests that a rev speed of 1000 to 1500 is just right. I do this with very light throttle and only when the clutch is fully engaged do I press harder. As with your experience, I have been able to start off with just idle speed in a variety of other cars including my 944S2 and a Toyota pickup (both 4 cyl engines). I too enjoy long clutch life in my vehicles, and in fact I have never had to replace one.