Break in Period

[turtleboy]

This is what the owner's manual says. I've been going off that.

I like how it says avoid driving too fast and not giving you an actual speed.

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[Shibby]

I've just been driving normally. Pushing it here and there but not giving full throttle.

450 miles left......

 

[GoBlues38]

I didnt baby it. but I didnt "drive it like I stole it" either.

They key is to vary driving styles.

 

[Strokerswild]

Once up to temp, drive it like you intend to while you own it.

 

[Desmondo]

I test drove 2 EBs before ordering. Once with dealer in car, once without. Both times, I redlined it at least once.

 

[Hack]

I do lots of full and zero throttle to make sure the rings are seated. I vary RPMs like they say so the splash oiling and different wear patterns based on RPMs all occurs early. I avoid long trips at constant RPM. I avoid bouncing off the limiter and keep it below ~6,000 RPMs.

All for those first 1,000 miles. Overkill? Yeah maybe, but there are good reasons for all of it. They wouldn't put anything in the manual if it didn't make a difference.

If you're only keeping it for a few years or if it will spend most of it's time in the garage, maybe don't bother. A drag race motor I wouldn't worry about any break in. It will never get enough miles for that to matter.

 

[Barrel]

You're breaking in the brakes, clutch, and tires too. Don't forget that. I redlined the car multiple times on the way home from the dealer. Car made 390rwhp at about 700 miles. Then I had about 20 dyno pulls. Car ran great all winter.

 

[Chameleon]

Easy first 1000 then drive it like you stole it.

 

[willmkent]

yea, so i have pretty much always driven "spirited" I'm not smashing through gears an redlining the hell out of the car but I certainly will do some fun pulls and whip around a little bit.

The EB does not like this... at least mine doesn't. Maybe i have been a little too rough but my car has gone into limp mode twice and cut boost do to my driving lol

 

[l2frankie]

Redline 1st few gears when I pulled out if the dealer

 

[Drugdealr]

I personally drove it like i stole it from the dealership to my house, then continued doing the same until an hour ago when i got home.

 

[klumpikat]

I redlined it as I was leaving the property of the dealer, does that count (I was maybe at 4k rpms max on the actual lot). I hope my car doesn't blow up now.

Sometimes we have the same goofy thoughts

 

[3450]

I got the car w/ 450 miles, and now have about 750. I'm about to go on a 1100 mile roadtrip for the 4th. I haven't been completely gentle on her, but I also haven't driven like a grandma.

 

[Rogues Gambit]

Once read in Dsport that cars that were babied during a break in period were pigs for oil and stuff, forget what they said afterwards though, think it was just drive

 

[GregP27]

Not reading much that shows much concern for engine metallurgy. You at LEAST need to seat the rings and run-in the bearings. That takes several hundred miles of easy running for a car engine, and probably anywhere from 8 - 15 hours for a WWII V-12 aero engine. For a 2-stroke Motocrosser, you generally start and idle for 5 minutes ... let it cool off completely. Repeat for 10 minutes of idle and cool down. Then ride it around for 5 minutes or until it cleans out when you rev up to peak power, and then go race. That's pretty normal for a competition race bike.

If you don't run easy for several hundred miles, it doesn't mean your rings won't seat. It means your bearings will not last anywhere near as long as they otherwise would ... and leads to much earlier overhaul. You might even see metal when you change your oil the first time. That's about all unless you blow it up, but that's hard to do with electronic rev limiters these days. After seating the rings and running-in the bearings, it's your car, run it like you want to. But, if you OWN it and want it to last, that's different from, "put a down payment on it, run the crap out of it, and then sell it when you aren't have as much fun, but still have the payments."

I just ordered a 2019 GT Premium with PP1 and I'll run it in like I want it to last for 10+ years before overhaul. But it isn't all THAT much trouble to put in a fresh short block in 6 or 7 years if you like to run it hard. The choice belongs to the owner. One way costs more, but that's a personal decision. It's like watching kids do burnouts and then turn around and complain about the high cost of tires!

Cheers.

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