Do you consider going WOT Abusive ?

[toocrazy2yoo]

Diesel P, I'm with you..

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If WOT was good for a engines life span you would think race and high performance engines would last for hundreds of thousands if not millions of miles. They have had more blueprinting and balancing done to them than most people can even imagine yet they only last a very short time. Why? Because they are used at WOT.

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My car runs so smoothly from idle (without lugging, if providing a slow rate of MPH climb), 1-3-5 shifts are routine. As long as I'm not holding up traffic, merging too slowly for the traffic to flow, what's the damm hurry? Meanwhile, Junior-Grade Nascar wannabees are flying around, cutting in and out, shaking their fists like a bunch of psychos in their three hundred horse behomeths killing people in their rage. Who hasn't seen someone deliberately drive WOT as they merge into the left-turn lane only to watch the knuckleheads slam on the brakes? It's stupid. They need to relax, buy a motorcycle, learn to really ride, head for the hills, and get to know what FAST is. Cars, no matter how fast, only scratch the surface for tens of thousands more. Until you get to Dr. Haas-style cars, cars are mostly wuss, no matter the commercials. What fun is that? WOT in a car on a public highway is for the sensory-deprived, and one hopes they do it where there's not too many other victims of their exuberance around to suffer the consequences. Or in the presence of LIDAR with a cop on the box with an itchy trigger finger..

Good Post, Diesel!

 

[AEHaas]

Once again this articles tells the story: Effect of Break-In and Operating Conditions on Piston Ring and Cylinder Bore Wear in SI (Spark-Ignition) Engines, Schneider et al.

Here they run an engine with minimal load at a certain RPM, then run the same engine at the same RPM but under full load (WOT). The wear is much more. The wear is somewhat increased but I would say not excessive if high RPM is used but under low load.

Driving a European superhighway at full speed for the car will cause the highest level of wear as will racing on the track. I often run the engine at full RPM but under essentially no load in my sports cars and do not worry. Of course the oil has to be at full operating temperature.

aehaas

 

[Patman]

Here is one reason why I feel that full throttle can help clean out the carbon, which would make the car run quicker. A couple of weeks ago I went to the dragstrip, and when I arrived I made my first pass almost right away, and it was a 13.28 at 105.6 mph. No wheelspin off the line. I immediately went back up and ran a 13.19 at 106.4, and then did three more in a row all at 13.200 to 13.208 and all at around 106.4 mph. I believe that the first run was slower than the rest because I had not gone full throttle in my car for a few days so it was slightly down on power due to a slight carbon buildup. The LS1 engine is well known for being an engine that easily builds up carbon if you don't drive it hard.

 

[Turk]

WOT is fine on occasion, but remember, make sure your engine & drivetrain is warmed up first !

 

[427Z06]

It's not abusive if done under the proper conditions and in moderation. As AEHass and DieselPower already mentioned, you generally have increased wear as you increase power levels and RPMs. But keep in mind that cold starts, and as the engine ramps up to temperature is generally where the most wear occurs.

 

[obbop]

Didn't seem to harm the 40hp '65 VW Bug any.

But, had to use WOT all the time just to get the dern thing moving.

Two bucks, back in those days, still gave a full weekend's worth of cruising McHenry as I terrorized McHenry Ave.

The BIG block guys laughed. Scorned by females seeking hot rides. Perhaps explains the huddling in the shanty today. Reclusive. Hermit-like.

Dad shoulda' bought a hemi.

 

[toocrazy2yoo]

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The BIG block guys laughed. Scorned by females seeking hot rides. Perhaps explains the huddling in the shanty today. Reclusive. Hermit-like.

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It was the Jock quarterbacks and running backs that did that to ya!

Sorry...

 

[RTexasF]

If it is abusive then I have abused every car I've ever owned! Not a daily ritual but yeah, I honk on it sometimes just for the heck of it.

 

[rjundi]

It never bothered my last 95 Civic which say 4000 RPM as shift point and 6000 RPM+ as needed. It served me 9 years/225,000 miles without a single mechanical failure in the engine/transmission. I sold it because I just got plain sick of it and car was worn out in seats and suspension(OEM).

 

[XS650]

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Didn't seem to harm the 40hp '65 VW Bug any.

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The early bugs had such poor breathing that by normal standards they weren't at full throttle when their peanut whistle carb was wide open gasping for air. They didn't make enough power for their size to hurt themselves.

I'm not knocking them, it was a clever design approach.

The little things had about the same rev limit as a much bigger stock Ford Flathead V8.

 

[Ray H]

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I don't know about abusive, but constant WOT should shorten the lifespan of the engine and drivetrain a measurable amount. ... IMO, it would be most healthy for the engine to run in the midrange most of the time.

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We're obviously in the minority, here, 12, but I agree with your assessment 1001 per cent.

I do ONE run up to redline after nominal break-in in every new car I purchase. The reason? My dad's longtime mechanic (and personal friend) told my dad that doing so will stretch the connecting rods ever so slightly. He suggested doing a canon-ball run up to redline before a cylinder ridge develops in the bores to prevent breaking the top compression ring against a cylinder ridge in a mature motor later if an emergency required all-out acceleration at some point. Dunno from personal experience whether that's true or urban myth, but I've always figured one all-out run up to redline won't knock off more than two or three miles in the life of an engine.

 

[Ray H]

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A couple of weeks ago I went to the dragstrip, and when I arrived I made my first pass almost right away, and it was a 13.28 at 105.6 mph. No wheelspin off the line. I immediately went back up and ran a 13.19 at 106.4, and then did three more in a row all at 13.200 to 13.208 and all at around 106.4 mph. I believe that the first run was slower than the rest because I had not gone full throttle in my car for a few days so it was slightly down on power due to a slight carbon buildup.

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Or that the first run (though not apparantly causing wheelspin, nevertheless warmed the tread compound sufficiently for stickier traction on subsequent runs.

 

[Patman]

That wouldn't explain the reason why my trap speeds went from 105.6 to 106.4 though. That trap speed increase shows a decent difference in power (about 6 or 7 hp)

 

[427Z06]

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That wouldn't explain the reason why my trap speeds went from 105.6 to 106.4 though. That trap speed increase shows a decent difference in power (about 6 or 7 hp)

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Maybe it takes a run up to 100 mph to properly align the Zaino molecules to minimize aerodynamic drag.

 

[outersquare]

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That wouldn't explain the reason why my trap speeds went from 105.6 to 106.4 though. That trap speed increase shows a decent difference in power (about 6 or 7 hp)

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did it get colder as the day went by?

 

[oilyriser]

carbon could cause pinging, and retard ignition

 

[Patman]

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That wouldn't explain the reason why my trap speeds went from 105.6 to 106.4 though. That trap speed increase shows a decent difference in power (about 6 or 7 hp)

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did it get colder as the day went by?

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Nope, I made all five of my runs all in a row, within the first 30min, so the weather was identical on all of the runs. Coolant temp was also the same on all of the runs too (around 194F, which is where the LS1 makes it's best power)

 

[Patman]

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That wouldn't explain the reason why my trap speeds went from 105.6 to 106.4 though. That trap speed increase shows a decent difference in power (about 6 or 7 hp)

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Maybe it takes a run up to 100 mph to properly align the Zaino molecules to minimize aerodynamic drag.

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I'm no longer a member of the "Zaino cult", I have been using NXT for over a year now (although I did breifly switch back to Zaino but found it didn't make my black paint POP as much as NXT)

So now the only cult I still belong to is the GC cult, although I'm only a half member now since the wife's car no longer runs it.

 

[12glocks]

I don't mind being in the minority Ray.

Take a look at the UAO I posted on my truck and you will see my break in philosphy. It includes WOT.

Back on topic: I do use WOT when I need it, but that is not very often. With the cost of vehicles today I am more interested in prolonging there lifespan than going WOT.

While were at it lets distinguish between WOT and higher RPM driving. WOT places more stress on everything because of the increased load.

It would be intersting to see 2 UOA's from the same vehicle, same oil etc where one the car was WOT'd constantly and on the other, the car was driven gently. I would predict the gently driven UOA would demonstrate less wear.

 

[JavaMan]

What's a WOT?