Im a firm believer in the "breaking it in hard" method. My current 08 xb was done this way and I dumped the factory fill after 2k miles. No oil consumption, Just finished a 10k oci and the oil dipstick stayed exactly the same (and I dont have a light foot).
New car break in
- Thread starter Brent_G
- Start date
- Status
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: Malo83
Originally Posted By: BillyTheKid
Oh just drive it like you stole it. No reason for all the crazy theories on this kind of stuff. I have broke in a lot of cars riding how I want and even a bit hard on them and none of them died. If anything I see most new cars having more electrical issues than any engine issues by far.
X2, always drove my new cars normally, lots of high speed and city stop and go, always changed the oil at the 500 mark, 5K on the factory fill, NEVER
Yeah but what's the best longevity youve ever had from a car? Ever see one from new past the 200k mark?
If not, then it may be a moot point.
Doubt it! my current DD is an 83 Silverado with 213K on the clock that I bought NEW. wifes 2000 Blazer is sitting at 120K bought NEW, neither one has any oil related issues
Originally Posted By: Malo83
Originally Posted By: BillyTheKid
Oh just drive it like you stole it. No reason for all the crazy theories on this kind of stuff. I have broke in a lot of cars riding how I want and even a bit hard on them and none of them died. If anything I see most new cars having more electrical issues than any engine issues by far.
X2, always drove my new cars normally, lots of high speed and city stop and go, always changed the oil at the 500 mark, 5K on the factory fill, NEVER
Yeah but what's the best longevity youve ever had from a car? Ever see one from new past the 200k mark?
If not, then it may be a moot point.
Doubt it! my current DD is an 83 Silverado with 213K on the clock that I bought NEW. wifes 2000 Blazer is sitting at 120K bought NEW, neither one has any oil related issues
Come on with the craziness! Most high end sports cars are broken in already before they hit the dealer and they are broke in hard. To milk a break-in easy, makes no sense. Also, whoever posted about 200k miles on the car, well for one - most people don't even bother keeping a car for 200k anymore, and two - I have not kept one to 200k myself but have two bordering 150k running like a champ, so 200k should be no problem at all if I ended up keeping them...and this was all are drive how you want break-ins.
Last edited:
Do the full OCI on the factory fill oil, it will be fine and is specifically chosen to create the correct amount of wear for the bedding in process
ALWAYS drive gently when the engine is cold
ALWAYS let the engine get to full operating temp before giving it wide throttle openings
When warm drive it normally, give it wide throttle openings now and then but try not to exceed 3/4 throttle/revs
Don't let the engine labour in a gear that is too low
DO NOT RED LINE
You want to bed the rings in which is why you need to give it something to do but the bearing surfaces are really rough (compared to what they are like when bedded in) so you need to treat them with some respect as well.
After you have done a couple of thousand miles then get the engine up to full operating temp and give it a proper rinse out and enjoy the car!
ALWAYS drive gently when the engine is cold
ALWAYS let the engine get to full operating temp before giving it wide throttle openings
When warm drive it normally, give it wide throttle openings now and then but try not to exceed 3/4 throttle/revs
Don't let the engine labour in a gear that is too low
DO NOT RED LINE
You want to bed the rings in which is why you need to give it something to do but the bearing surfaces are really rough (compared to what they are like when bedded in) so you need to treat them with some respect as well.
After you have done a couple of thousand miles then get the engine up to full operating temp and give it a proper rinse out and enjoy the car!
Last edited:
I broke in my Cruze fairly hard. I was gentle on it for the first few miles until it was good and warmed up. Then it got pushed quite a bit. I got it with 7 miles on the odometer, and it's getting great fuel economy with no detectable oil consumption now.
Now all new cars are dyno'ed at the factory and rings are already set at least partially. Why push the the entire drive train to its limits for a small gain if any?
Even if in doubt I wouldn't do more than half throttle when warmed up on open road and decelerate a few times and you are done. If you believe in this process then you must also believe that your oil needs to be changed righ after this procedure.
Personally I have done only a few bursts of 50% rush in third or forth gear and decelerate. That is all. Changed oil at 600 miles first time and then normally.
Even if in doubt I wouldn't do more than half throttle when warmed up on open road and decelerate a few times and you are done. If you believe in this process then you must also believe that your oil needs to be changed righ after this procedure.
Personally I have done only a few bursts of 50% rush in third or forth gear and decelerate. That is all. Changed oil at 600 miles first time and then normally.
Originally Posted By: CaspianM
Now all new cars are dyno'ed at the factory and rings are already set at least partially. Why push the the entire drive train to its limits for a small gain if any?
Is this true about all cars? I know some of the higher end sports cars do, but not sure about everything. Either way, I agree about a quick oil change too, but I personally never baby anything when new. I have never seen any negative results.
Now all new cars are dyno'ed at the factory and rings are already set at least partially. Why push the the entire drive train to its limits for a small gain if any?
Is this true about all cars? I know some of the higher end sports cars do, but not sure about everything. Either way, I agree about a quick oil change too, but I personally never baby anything when new. I have never seen any negative results.
The owners manual in my car specifically states that full throttle is beneficial to engine break in.
That's pretty simple to understand.
And no, not all cars are dyno'd or even test driven at manufacture.
That's pretty simple to understand.
And no, not all cars are dyno'd or even test driven at manufacture.
Some even bench run the engine once is assembled let alone dyno run. Yes most if not all do a basic dyno test. It wasn't long ago I read that all imports are required to have a sticker indicating that. Some even track test the entire vehicles. BMW cars all track tested including Mini's among many.
I highly doubt that new engines with close talorence parts need forced wear procedure to obtain final talorences in internal parts.
I highly doubt that new engines with close talorence parts need forced wear procedure to obtain final talorences in internal parts.
Last edited:
Most important thing for the engine is to VARY the RPMs and your actual speed OFTEN for the first 1500 miles or so. Usually it is recommended NOT to rev the engine to the red line either during this period although when you get towards the end of break in I would do a few full throttles to get the revs to the upper range.
Hard break ins are NOT recommended my most major manufacturers, and their engineers know more about your car than some random guy posting here.
It is more kind to your drive train varied speed as well during this period so everything seats well.
Hard break ins are NOT recommended my most major manufacturers, and their engineers know more about your car than some random guy posting here.
It is more kind to your drive train varied speed as well during this period so everything seats well.
Originally Posted By: 91344George
Most important thing for the engine is to VARY the RPMs and your actual speed OFTEN for the first 1500 miles or so. Usually it is recommended NOT to rev the engine to the red line either during this period although when you get towards the end of break in I would do a few full throttles to get the revs to the upper range.
Hard break ins are NOT recommended my most major manufacturers, and their engineers know more about your car than some random guy posting here.
It is more kind to your drive train varied speed as well during this period so everything seats well.
I agree. Varying your rpm during early life is more essential than "drive it like you stole it".
With initial quality has become the bible of all maufacturers to stay competitive I cannot imagine any of them bypass the simple dyno test to avoid trouble early on once the vehicle is sold.
Most important thing for the engine is to VARY the RPMs and your actual speed OFTEN for the first 1500 miles or so. Usually it is recommended NOT to rev the engine to the red line either during this period although when you get towards the end of break in I would do a few full throttles to get the revs to the upper range.
Hard break ins are NOT recommended my most major manufacturers, and their engineers know more about your car than some random guy posting here.
It is more kind to your drive train varied speed as well during this period so everything seats well.
I agree. Varying your rpm during early life is more essential than "drive it like you stole it".
With initial quality has become the bible of all maufacturers to stay competitive I cannot imagine any of them bypass the simple dyno test to avoid trouble early on once the vehicle is sold.
So now that you've stated the "facts", let's see some proof.
It is my belief that most cars are NOT dyno'd or broken in prior to your purchase. They get drive tested, but that's it.
Sure, some of the higher priced cars are more carefully prepared, but your really kidding yourself if you think every car is dyno'd before delivery!
The facts with any modern car are this simple: the rings are seated before you ever drove it. Happens in seconds.
The rotating assembly is either right or not. No amount of babying is going to fix anything nor is it even necessary as all that 'break in' baloney comes from old school manufacturing which simply does not exist anymore.
And why not drive it hard new and thus expose any weaknesses early? I want to know sooner rather than later if my new car has some sort of issue.
It is my belief that most cars are NOT dyno'd or broken in prior to your purchase. They get drive tested, but that's it.
Sure, some of the higher priced cars are more carefully prepared, but your really kidding yourself if you think every car is dyno'd before delivery!
The facts with any modern car are this simple: the rings are seated before you ever drove it. Happens in seconds.
The rotating assembly is either right or not. No amount of babying is going to fix anything nor is it even necessary as all that 'break in' baloney comes from old school manufacturing which simply does not exist anymore.
And why not drive it hard new and thus expose any weaknesses early? I want to know sooner rather than later if my new car has some sort of issue.
- Status
Similar threads
