I don't think it's going to work.

Later this week, I have to drive 3.5 hours with a large, fancy cake, and I am hoping to take my Boxster. I am wondering if anyone has measured the temperature in the rear trunk of the 987. It got extremely hot in my old 986 3.2, but I haven't noticed it getting as hot in my 987 (base PDK). Has anyone measured the temperature back there in a 987 Boxster after an extended drive? Thanks in advance!

Look at the sides of the rear trunk you should see vent like panels which vent to the outside the car. These are covered on the outside by soft/pliable rubber flaps that prevent entry of outside air into the rear trunk and possibly the cabin.

Here's a pic that shows the vent in part...




You can't see the rubber flaps over the vent from the trunk to the outside all you can really see if the rubber duct that helps carry air from the vent to a low pressure area behind the car under the rear bumper cover (which is obviously removed in this pic).

Sincerely,

MarcW.

I always put my groceries in the front if it's hot out, because it's not right next to the engine.

It definitely stays cooler.

I haven't measured the temperature, but anything in the back trunk is definitley nice and warm. Best place to store a sweatshirt if you expect the temperatures to drop. The sweatshirt comes out nice an warm.

The back trunk in the 987 gets pretty warm and I would not put a cake back there unless you are able to insulate it well. The front should be fine unless it is a very large sheet cake which would probably not fit.

In my experience, both the front and back trunks get kinda warm. I'd put the cake in the pass side footwell, and then direct the a/c to the floor vents to keep the cake cool for those 3 hrs.

I deliver cakes and wedding cakes all the time with my Boxster - for very short trips I will put them in the rear trunk but for longer travel times only the front will do and only if the outside temperature is not too warm. Did not have any problems yet.

... both trunks reach close to the same temperature.
On short trips the front trunk stays cooler because the radiators take longer to transfer their heat.
The engine heats up very quickly and therefore the rear trunk gets warmer sooner.
I agree that the cabin (passenger footwell) would be the best place for your trip.
Happy Boxstering,
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

---

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I did this way back about 8 or 9 years ago in my 2000 S. While I can't find my original data, the conclusion was very clear and concise. The front trunk became way hotter than the rear. Yes I was surprised also.

A description of my test and some caveats are in order. I ran the test using a cheap RadioShack digital thermometer with a max high/low memory tested by switching trunks every few hours on a 6-hour trip from Philly to the Ohio border on a hot, hazy summer day. I can't remember exactly what I was carrying in either trunk, but I do know I had some light luggage somewhere and that I made sure the vents inside the rear trunk were not blocked. Also, I had an upgraded stereo system installed in the front trunk which I assume, runs a bit hotter than the stock Porsche system.

I attribute the temp difference to the vents in the rear trunk and the lack of air circulation in the front. While the stereo in the front added a bit more heat, I feel confident I would have obtained the same result with the Porsche stereo. Oh, I drive very quickly at highway speeds and had the AC on.

On another subject, I found results of a sound pressure test I did with and without my hardtop using a Realistic SPL meter. Yes, I am a real geek. An excerpt below:

Results:

Hard Top: 70db w/smooth asphalt
74-76 db passing over concrete surfaced bridges
Soft Top: 73db w/smooth asphalt
76-78 db passing over concrete surfaced bridges

The above is not so surprising but get this, I did the test again sitting still. Same conditions as above except standing still, in neutral, clutch out, and at 5,000 RPM (I think 70 MPH in 4th gear is around 4,000 RPM):

Hard Top: 70.75 db
Soft Top: 68.25 db !!

Thanx to Rob for keeping up the old archives.

Below is a cut an paste from my old post: and it shows my memory from that test about 5 years ago was not completely accurate although the result was accurate. I thought I flipped the thermometer back and forth over one leg of the trip.

Last week I posted that on a 6 hour trip, the max temperature in my rear trunk was 107.8 degrees. Well on the way home, I put my thermometer in the front trunk and the max temp there was 119.3 degrees.

Ambient temperature was about the same at 94 degrees with sunny/hazy conditions.

Just guessing as to why this is the opposite of what I thought would happen, I suspect it has to do with two things:

1) The rear trunk has air circulation vents (look in the left and right trunk recesses) that work well when moving; and,
2) I have two stereo amps mounted in the front trunk that produce heat as well as the front trunk not having vents. (One amp drives bass speakers in the door and the other drives the dash and rear speakers.)

Addendum to above post: My amps never feel hot to the touch, only very slightly warm.

is being contained/reflected/emitted by the hard top. The top itself might have more resonant energy in the frequencies the spl is reading, too. With the car moving, acoustic energy from the tires might be diffracting around the body and passing through the more sonically transparent soft top.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/08/2011 04:42PM by Laz. (view changes)

why not fill some old milk / water / soda bottles with water and freeze them (leave room for water expansion when freezing)...then you can put them in the trunk (either one) with the cake and keep it cool for the trip. By using the bottles you don't have to worry about leaks.

Years ago I drove from LA back to the SF Bay area (approximately a 6 hr trip) with a plastic bag of lemons freshly picked from my Mom's back yard. When I arrive home, I took the bag out of the back and heard a strange sound...that of sizzling! The juice in some of the lemons had begun to mildly boil!! Honestly!

I used a nice "job perk" insulated travel bag and Ice Paks. The bottle was still fairly cold when I got to my destination, but to do it right, we chilled it in the fridge before opening it. You don't want to have DP just fizzing away!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/08/2011 02:39PM by Laz. (view changes)

I appreciate the replies, but it doesn't sound like there's any way to do it in the Boxster. The cake is big--far too big for the front trunk or the floor in front of a passenger--so the only option would be ice packs. Because of the size and cost of the cake, and because it's been advertised in the local paper, I'd rather not risk it. Somehow, we'll manage the horrors of the family sedan.

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[www.coleporterfestival.org]

And here's the local newspaper coverage (including the cake!):
[kokomotribune.com]