Break in Period

[JohnFPII]

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

That's why I ordered one. I didn't want one off the lot, and having miles on it by people that were redlining it.

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[rocky5517]

Just logged mile # 1000 this afternoon. Was the longest 1000 miles of my life. Felt like I could have walked them off rather than driving. Took 6 weeks because here in North Jersey we had an early snow, a lot of rain, and tons of deer trying to get laid around dusk and later. Cars must resemble female deer, I guess.
Last year in NJ there were 4500 reports of deer hits, and that's only the ones who filled out police reports and/or filed insurance claims. I'm driving her around in sport mode now ( the car, not the deer) via the toggle switch. What a friggin blast!! In a little while I'll start to experiment with the paddles.

 

[TomcatDriver]

If you are buying a Mustang off the lot that has been there for more than a week, the odds of it having already gone WOT and at least near redline on a test drive is approximately 100%.

 

[Condor1970]

Seems every week a "Break in" thread starts up again. LOL

well, with today's engines not much break in is required. Most will have the rings seated within a the first 100 moles or so. Personally, I like to wait at least 1,000 miles before romping on it though.

 

[Fatguy]

I line locked in the dealers parking lot

Call the cops, i don't give a f*ck

The others assume you bought it. Or was this a test drive. Or - was the dealership even open when you did this?

 

[Fatguy]

Seems every week a "Break in" thread starts up again. LOL

well, with today's engines not much break in is required. Most will have the rings seated within a the first 100 moles or so. Personally, I like to wait at least 1,000 miles before romping on it though.

True but with this V8 if it started life with no tick I would baby it until 1500 miles at least, then change and check the oil. Then count your blessings, say a few Hail Marys, and start to push it a bit.

I always babied the engines like that and my last two V8s (Mustang 5.0 / Corvette LT1) lasted me 18 years and 23 years still running. The “drive it like you stole it” guys never keep cars this long and probably sell it before the warantee expires. That is one way to go if you really love to race your car. But if your keeping it as a DD, you do what I do...


Also, the reason Ford says “avoid high speed” is deliberately cryptic for legal reasons. Read: No top speed runs during the first 1000 - 1500 miles. Now you know. This is a real old-timer thing as we would always try the top speed test early back in the day. Today’s cars go much faster so few try it anymore. Heck, even my V6 will go 157 with the governor disabled (and yes it will proven multiple times and once with gps verification and I’ll add that was at 161mph but single pass) but who in their right mind is trying this nowadays...

 

[Rock&Roll]

My car had 100 miles on when I bought it. I’m sure everybody beat the crap out of it. I took it easy for another 500 miles and then I beat the crap out of it.

 

[Alberto]

I test drove two GTs. The Salesdude said I want you to drive it like you own it. I said, are you sure? I owned a Cobra for 20years. He said yes, do it. That was the end of that conversation. I took it up to nearly red-line on the freeway on ramp in 2nd gear. I'm not gonna lie, it was fun. Then in third gear on the freeway, I gave it what I call my '4barrel test' where I do 60, put it to the floor, and see how long it takes to be doing 80. To my astonishment, I was doing 90 when I looked down! I did this a few more times. Also, got on the brakes and tires pretty hard. Of course, being the first time I drove it, I wasn't as smooth on the clutch as I could have been.

That said, I special ordered mine, lol. One main reason was because I didn't want one that was test driven for even 50miles.

When I picked up my 2019 in mid sept it had 3miles on it. It is not my primary driver, so I really only drive it on the weekends and when its not raining (a bit easier than other places since I live in CA). Its got 950miles on it. I have to admit, it's been an absolute strain at times not to really stomp on it, but I'm doing my best. I've bounced the engine over 6000rpms only a couple of times. Been real easy on the brakes and clutch. I'm about there, finally.

One note- There aren't too many cars I've driven that were this fast, 60 to 90. My neighbor let me drive her ModelS Tesla a couple of times on the freeway. That car was very fast 60-90- like you were shot out of a gun. This GT is equal to that, based on my 4bbl test. My friend had a 300zx twin turbo in the mid 90s. That was also very fast in this range. I haven't driven any Ferrari's or Lambo's, but I'm sure they're quick in this range :-)

One more note- before any of you fine people tell me none of these cars have a 4bbl carburetor, I am quite aware :-) I call it the 4bbl test, because when I was younger 4bbls were the thing. When you did 60 and put it to the floor and the secondary's kicked in, it was an awesome thrill to feel the car pull to 80. I look for that thrill again. The only car that I owned that was impressive thru the 4bbl test was my 1998 must cobra. The 4 valves per cylinder made a huge difference compared to the 1995 5.0 mustGT I owned with was a dog from 60-80.

 

[Condor1970]

True but with this V8 if it started life with no tick I would baby it until 1500 miles at least, then change and check the oil. Then count your blessings, say a few Hail Marys, and start to push it a bit.

I always babied the engines like that and my last two V8s (Mustang 5.0 / Corvette LT1) lasted me 18 years and 23 years still running. The “drive it like you stole it” guys never keep cars this long and probably sell it before the warantee expires. That is one way to go if you really love to race your car. But if your keeping it as a DD, you do what I do...


Also, the reason Ford says “avoid high speed” is deliberately cryptic for legal reasons. Read: No top speed runs during the first 1000 - 1500 miles. Now you know. This is a real old-timer thing as we would always try the top speed test early back in the day. Today’s cars go much faster so few try it anymore. Heck, even my V6 will go 157 with the governor disabled (and yes it will proven multiple times and once with gps verification and I’ll add that was at 161mph but single pass) but who in their right mind is trying this nowadays...

Like I said, my personal belief is to give it a good 1,000, before goosing it much. However, I'm sure it doesn't matter nearly as much as engines from the old days, because every 2018 Mustang on the way out the factory door gets dyno'd up to redline, to ensure its full power rating.

 

[Fatguy]

Here we go again...

You not only break in the motor but the transmission and the rear differential as well as the brakes and steering and like every moving part down to the u-joints. Drive it like you stole it creates all sorts of unusual wear patterns right from the get go on all these parts. Unless you are racing it out of the box I strongly suggest you take it easy on the car. These are mass produced cars with thousands of parts that have to mate properly to ensure a trouble free driving experience. Scoring cylinder walls and crankshaft or camshaft maybe be a design failure or marginal part that fails because the parts are not a perfect fit but may still work if allowed to mate together properly. Clogged up valve bodies and vibrating driveshafts and noisy differentials may also be related or exacerbated by irresponsible driving practices during the first hours of car operation.

You guys do your line lock burnouts with 4 miles on the odometer, then bitch about Ford quality later on. It’s also a two way street...

 

[Condor1970]

Here we go again...

You not only break in the motor but the transmission and the rear differential as well as the brakes and steering and like every moving part down to the u-joints. Drive it like you stole it creates all sorts of unusual wear patterns right from the get go on all these parts. Unless you are racing it out of the box I strongly suggest you take it easy on the car. These are mass produced cars with thousands of parts that have to mate properly to ensure a trouble free driving experience. Scoring cylinder walls and crankshaft or camshaft maybe be a design failure or marginal part that fails because the parts are not a perfect fit but may still work if allowed to mate together properly. Clogged up valve bodies and vibrating driveshafts and noisy differentials may also be related or exacerbated by irresponsible driving practices during the first hours of car operation.

You guys do your line lock burnouts with 4 miles on the odometer, then bitch about Ford quality later on. It’s also a two way street...

When did I ever say anything remotely like that?

 

[Fatguy]

When did I ever say anything remotely like that?

My bad so I took the quote out. But was not fast enough.

 

[Idaho2018GTPremium]

Follow the manual, not sure why this question is necessary to post on the forum. It's plainly stated. Vary the engine speed, don't redline it if you can help it, don't overheat, etc. Basically, drive normally, without flooring it.

 

[ihc95]

However, I'm sure it doesn't matter nearly as much as engines from the old days, because every 2018 Mustang on the way out the factory door gets dyno'd up to redline, to ensure its full power rating.

Proof? I thought only the high end manufacturers put every car on a dyno.

 

[GTFURY]

I'm at 330 miles on my 19GT and I've been pretty much following the manual which is basically the same thing I've done on all the other new cars I've broken in over the years. Gentle driving till the temps come up, then: keep the rev's down below 5k, don't bog the engine, lot's of local driving to vary speeds, as little steady state freeway as possible, and keep it under 60mph. So mostly normal driving mode, then usually on my way home when it's well warmed up I'll put it in sport mode which is where I'll end up always driving it once I hit 1k. I'm in Central Jersey and yeah, between the crazy weather and deer, I think the break in will finish by the Spring which sucks since I daily an older Jeep.

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