New Car's First Roadtrip Question

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Hello, this is my first post here.

I purchased a 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX TR with 30 miles on it. I pick it up this Friday and I will be going on a one way 375 miles roadtrip.

I told my Subaru technican that I'd be driving on a 375 mile trip at highway speeds and I wanted to know if there was any reason to be concerned about it. He told me there was no engine break in period on these cars.

I'm concerned because I've heard that you should teach the engine to seat the rings (whatever they are) properly by driving at various RPMs the first few hundred miles without going anywhere near redline. But by going on the roadtrip, the engine will see the same RPM for 5 1/2 hours straight. I plan on curising at 65 MPH to keep a nice balance between the RPMs and the traffic.

I'm worried about the longetivy of the car. Is the Subaru tech. correct or should I worry?

Thanks!
 
I am going to be driving on Interstate 64 from St. Louis, MO to Lexington, KY. Illinois is one of the most boring states to drive through; mostly flat and straights then it gets more exciting in Indiana where there are long sweeping curves with plenty of gradual hills.

I didn't think of speeding a little here and there to get the RPMs up and down
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tom slick, I'll take your advice with a leap of faith and just drive it. Thanks.
 
Remember to downshift as needed or when in doubt. On this trip you're not trying to save gas. That doesn't mean speeding necessarily, but I don't see how you'll be able to resist with this car.
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If you're worried get off 64 every once in a while and take the 2 lane road that parallels it. I always figured a trip of 500 or 1000 miles on assorted 2 lane highways was a great way to break in a new engine.
 
Quote: I am going to be driving on Interstate 64 from St. Louis, MO to Lexington, KY. Illinois is one of the most boring states to drive through; mostly flat and straights.


Have you drove through Kansas? Flat-lands of Wyoming? Or, worse, Nebraska
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Brett - I would vary the RPMs a lot during the trip. Always below the red line but up and down a lot. I would set the cruise at 50 MPH and run it up to 75 or 80 MPH and allow it to come back down.
 
Once you get to the rolling terrain, get off of I-64, take the back roads and enjoy yourself!

Not only will the car get a more varied break-in, but you will will have a heck of a lot more fun, especially in a car like that. Sure, it's not ideal ripping-through-the-countryside weather right now, and it'll add some time to your trip, but it will be time very well spent, always remembered and never regretted. In fact, you can come back here and regale us with tales of your adventure.
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Were I in your shoes, I'd be on I-64 only when I had to be, and just to give the car its share of highway miles. Otherwise, winding, hilly, banked, undulating, off-camber, twisty bits here I come!
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I'd try not to over-rev it for the first few hundred miles . . . and drink lots of coffee in Illinois to stay awake, even in daylight.
 
Read your manual's break-in quickly before you set out.

There is a 1000 mile break in period where RPM's should not exceeed 4000 RPM.
 
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I didn't expect a lot of replies but I appreciate it guys!

Yes, it's a really nice sports sedan car. Having AWD in the Winter season is going to be so much fun.

Ramblin' Fever: I haven't driven through these states but Illinois is enough! I've went across Illinois 40+ times in the last five years. It's no fun.

Ugly3, that was kind of my plan -- just go anywhere from 50 to 80 mph in both 4th and 5th gears. There's a scenic route in the middle of Indiana that I have to check out so I'll look it up and see how long the "detour" will take.

I won't go anywhere near redline even though many have told me it's good for the car. It's just not logical IMHO. Unless it's proven by science, I won't do it.

I will defintinely come back here and post an update along with a quick review on the WRX.

Thanks again guys!
 
Wow. I'll never forget this roadtrip! I'm just in love with this car.

All I really did was just driving it in top gear from 50 mph (2,000 rpm) to 105 mph (3,800 rpm) the whole way. I pulled through every rest areas on the way to get down to 20 mph and hit up to 4,500 rpms getting back on the interstate. The trip took a hour longer than usual and I had no problems.

I picked the car up with only 33 miles on it and as of now, it has 497 miles after three days of ownership. This car is everything I'd imagined it to be and beyond them!

Thanks for the input, guys, and I am waiting for it to log 1,500 miles to play a little in loose traction conditions
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You think so? It will have maybe 600 miles by Christmas Day.

I'd rather be hands on with this car from now on. What do I need to change oil and filter on my own? Common sense says I need two ramps, oil catcher pan and the appropriate amount of oil required and a new oil filter purchased at the local Autozone store.

I'm worried about the ramps, are the oil pans designed to drain completely even when it sits at an incline from front to back? And should I switch to synthetic oil right away?

I'll search and see what I come up with...
 
I have an '03 wrx. Congrats on the purchase. Do you go visit clubwrx.net or nasioc.com much? The drain plug sits on the rear of the oil pan so it would actually be beneficial to have the front raised slightly. The wrx is an easy oil change. filter right next to the pan. I remember the first time I tried to change the oil in my wrx, it felt like it was tightned by a gorilla. So have a breaker bar handy or just a long hollow bar over your rachet. Good luck. My name is prspect06 on both clubwrx.net and nasioc.com, so PM me if you have any questions.
 
Hello Prospect,

I am registered at Club WRX under the name of Sixty8 and I just posted a picture there in the newbie boards.

I just started visiting nasioc but their general population is just not my cup of tea.

I'm going to add Cobb transmission mount, shifter bushings, 2 piece short throw shifter kit really soon. Come tax return time, I am getting ACPT's one piece CF driveshaft. I want to stiffen my drivetrain as much as possible without popping open the hood. After that, Cobb's stage 3 engine kit should be ready to go.

I'm looking forward to their big brake kit as well as their sway bars.

I'm turning this thing into an efficient daily driver :big goofy smiley:
 
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