New Car Break in Period

[buster]

What are your thoughts on new car break in speeds? Most cars today don't need an elaborate break in, but some say don't exceed 55 mph for the first 500-1000 miles or so. My car said this. I might have followed that for the first 200 miles but it was just too hard on the highway considering everyone averages 70 + mph anymore.

Just realized, I posted this in the wrong section.

 

[Patman]

When I bought my 98 Formula new, the very first day I got it I ended up racing against a 5.0 Mustang on the highway and doing 130mph+! A week later with just 700 miles on the odometer I made 16 quarter mile runs.

That car was one of the rare LS1s which had no piston slap or oil consumption. Was it my agressive break in? Perhaps!

 

[harper]

Do what you are comfortable with. I'm not sure if it really matters too much. My high mileage (200k miles) Honda spent the first 2200 miles at 70 mph on a drive out west using cruise control. It now runs fine and has never had any engine issues. Enjoy your new ride!

 

[Bob Woods]

I've always believed, "brake 'em in the way you're going to use 'em."

 

[Steve S]

Increase aggression as the miles increase.

probably better a little hard than easy. Don't forger to do a oil change to get the breakin wear out.

[ December 29, 2003, 11:25 PM: Message edited by: Steve S ]

 

[JohnnyO]

quote:

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Originally posted by Bob Woods:
I've always believed, "brake 'em in the way you're going to use 'em."

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Dittos.

Only thing I do special is the first oil change at half the recommended OCI then again at the recommended OCI. Most trouble-free car I ever owned was an 85 Mustang, 4 cyl/4 spd. My first wife blasted down the PA Turnpike to work and back daily at 80 mph, maybe more, from day one, this with a non-overdrive transmission at God-knows-what rpm. 11 years and 125k later it still ran like a top, oil changed every 3k with plain ol' Valvoline.

[ December 29, 2003, 11:35 PM: Message edited by: JohnnyO ]

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

quote:

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Originally posted by Patman:
When I bought my 98 Formula new, the very first day I got it I ended up racing against a 5.0 Mustang on the highway and doing 130mph+! A week later with just 700 miles on the odometer I made 16 quarter mile runs. !

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Patman, You've just gone against everything I've been telling my wife about our new V6 VUE. LOL It took me 2000 miles to finally WOT the thing. Don't let her see this message thread! LOL ....Mike

 

[Patman]

quote:

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Originally posted by ToyotaNSaturn:

quote:

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Originally posted by Patman:
When I bought my 98 Formula new, the very first day I got it I ended up racing against a 5.0 Mustang on the highway and doing 130mph+! A week later with just 700 miles on the odometer I made 16 quarter mile runs. !

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Patman, You've just gone against everything I've been telling my wife about our new V6 VUE. LOL It took me 2000 miles to finally WOT the thing. Don't let her see this message thread! LOL ....Mike

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Hehe, when I got that car I had this elaborate plan to not go beyond 2500 rpm for the first 100 miles, then not go beyond 3500 for the next 100 miles, and so on. But with just 50 miles on the clock, that Mustang was right there ripe for the pickin, and I had to show him who was boss!

(beat him quite handily too)

Then later that same night I took the car out and showed it off to all my friends, and each one wanted to go for a ride so everytime I took someone out in it, I had to go WOT through all the gears.

I then took it rather easy for the next few days after that, until the following weekend when I took it down the dragstrip.

After having such good luck with that car, I am not so picky about new engine break in anymore, so my next new car I buy will also get driven very hard right from day one.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

quote:

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Originally posted by Patman:
But with just 50 miles on the clock, that Mustang was right there ripe for the pickin, and I had to show him who was boss!

(beat him quite handily too)

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Isn't a great feeling?

My friend had an '89 Firebird SPFI with a 5 speed and dual cats, it beat every Mustang and every 350 Camaro/Firebird. That a was FUN car! People couldn't believe it only had a 305 in it. A K&N filter really helped kililng off the engine's flat spot at high RPMS...went past 4400rpm sooooo smoothly.

quote:

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Then later that same night I took the car out and showed it off to all my friends, and each one wanted to go for a ride so everytime I took someone out in it, I had to go WOT through all the gears.

I then took it rather easy for the next few days after that, until the following weekend when I took it down the dragstrip.

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Did you do all those drag strip runs on the original fill from the factory? Did you change it out soon after?

 

[yannis]

I have read that you can push it but only a few minutes each time and that the worst thing you can do is to sustain high speeds for long periods of time-the engine's performance drop will be non reversable in the future

 

[TC]

Two things appear in play: engine speed and engine load. In keeping with the spirit of your owner's manual, I'd simply tread lightly on the gas pedal for the 500-1,000 miles specified. Going 60 or even 70 mph probably isn't much of an issue if the engine isn't heavily loaded at the same time, such as accellerating or doing 70 mph up a steep grade.

 

[Patman]

quote:

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Originally posted by ToyotaNSaturn:

Did you do all those drag strip runs on the original fill from the factory? Did you change it out soon after?

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I did the first oil change on that car at 415 miles actually, and believe it or not, on that interval I went with Valvoline All Climate 5w30! So I made all those dragstrip runs on Valvoline. The UOA would've been interesting to see! (I didn't do them back then though)

I switched it to Mobil 1 5w30 at 1410 miles, and that's what I ran for the entire time I owned the car (I owned it until Nov 2000, and put a total of 27,000 miles on it).

 

[Hasbeen]

I`ve built about a dozen engines in my lifetime, and broke them in in about 30 minutes! Run it easy, my azz! If the engine is built right it`s not going to come apart! I go through the initial cam break in and timing adjustment, check for leaks, 30 minutes on a good racing oil with lots of ZDDP! Then I change it to a sraight 30 weight cheap oil, and change the filter! I then take it out, warm it up and then do about 20 runs in a lower gear, 2000 RPM`s to 5000 RPM`s, Wide open throtle! up and down, up and down! Then I bring it back to the shop and change the oil and filter to what ever I`m going to run in it! Done deal, Engines always run great and do not use oil! Never lost an engine!


Hasbeen

 

[MRC01]

As you can see you get lots of different opinions on this one.

If everything from babying it to hot rodding it all seems to work, then the truth is that it really doesn't matter how you drive during breakin.

However, I have ruined a couple of R/C model airplane engines by running them hard during breakin. They were permanently destroyed -- lost compression and died a very early death. Car engines are more robust, but the basic facts of metallurgy and physics don't change. All parts need a few heat cycles and easy running before they reach full strength and optimal surface mating. So based on that experience I take it easy on a new engine for the first few hundred miles.

 

[TC]

Buster: After reading through the above, it would appear you've got two choices here:

1. Go by what the engineers who designed and built your new engine -- then ran a few dozen of them into the ground for failure analysis -- have to say on breaking it in.

Or...

2. Go by what's suggested on an internet message board. Guess I'll diplomatically leave it at that.

 

[XS650]

quote:

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Originally posted by TC:
Buster: After reading through the above, it would appear you've got two choices here:

1. Go by what the engineers who designed and built your new engine -- then ran a few dozen of them into the ground for failure analysis -- have to say on breaking it in.

Or...

2. Go by what's suggested on an internet message board. Guess I'll diplomatically leave it at that.

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You seem to be assuming that the break-in instructions we get from the factory are actually what the engineers who designed the engines think is the best way to break in an engine. A very faulty assumption.

The break-in instructions are greatly dumbed down for people who aren't capable of following an intelligent short break-in procedure.

You won't hurt an engine following the factory recomendations, but that by no means indicates that the factory method is the best way to break in an engine.

Why do so many people assume that everything that comes out of the factory is the best possible solution

What comes out of the factory is a big bag of compromises. If you have a clue what you are doing, it is often possible to improve on what the factory did or recommended

 

[MRC01]

quote:

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Originally posted by XS650:
What comes out of the factory is a big bag of compromises. If you have a clue what you are doing, it is often possible to improve on what the factory did or recommended

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While the factory isn't always right, they usually are so the burden of proof is on anyone whose advice runs counter.

IME, having ruined 2 engines following the "mototune" breakin, the evidence for breakin runs in support of factory recommended procedures, not against it [though admittedly they weren't car engines].

But I also look at it from a risk / benefit perspective. The potential benefit of "mototune" style breakin is slightly higher power and efficiency. The risk is damaging the engine and voiding the warranty. Everyone knows the risks & benefits and decides for himself.

 

[buster]

Here is my point , as I wasn't specific enough.

Do you think that initial break ins are crucial to how well the engine will wear in and last. For instance, if you took two cars from the factory and one was broken in mildly, not exceeding say 60mph or not driven hard, vs one that was driven like a rocket from the get go, would there be a longevity difference?

Look at Al's Nissan vs the recent UOA of the same Nissan, one shows very low wear while the other is high. Could this be from breakin patterns that were established when the car was new?

 

[TC]

I've heard enough evidence that at least some engines can indeed suffer, or at least experience a shorter life, if abused when brand new. Other designs backtalk their owners in car-speak to the effect of, "What? Street race me every day only a week after you bought me? That's all you got, punk?!!" The problem is, you don't know which scenario will apply to your engine. The phrase, "When in doubt, follow directions" keeps coming to mind. Some manuals will advise to vary engines speeds during break-in, others will stress not loading the engine with an aggressive right foot, and still others will simply say keep engine and car speeds low, below XX mph. Unless I know precisely why the engineers published that specific advice for that particular engine, I see no need to doubt them.

 

[MRC01]

quote:

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Originally posted by buster:
[QBDo you think that initial break ins are crucial to how well the engine will wear in and last.[/QB]

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Nope. IMO, I don't think breakin technique matters much for modern car engines.

I've read too many reports from people who break it in like their grandma and others who hot dog it right off the showroom floor. Yet despite these widely varying techniques, everyone seems to be happy with the engine after breakin.

That said, I follow the factory guidelines, since absent any compelling evidence otherwise, it seems the wisest thing to do and makes me feel better.