Break in, hard or easy

[Ray_mon]

Im confused atm, my dc5 has done about 100km.

I've been taking it rather easy just as the manual says. However i've heard of people saying to break in hard, it will make for a better engine in the future, and plus the k20 motor was built so u can redline it straight from the dealership.

Is this right or should i stay on the safe side and go slow :p

[aaronng]

DC5 Lux, drive it normally.
The k20 that they are referring to is the k20a2.

[Q_ball]

Nice and slow mate,
100km is next to nothing.
Give it at least a couple thousand.

And like Aaron said, ur K20 is different to the DC5R.

[ON XTC]

i thought it was for the first 1000km. mmm... if ur engine is not the k20a2 then yeh better to be on safe side than regret in the end and drive smoothly.

best thing to do is do high way driving. it puts less strain on your engine than if you were doing city driving, even if you drive nice and smoth. you'll also rack up the kms faster yo.

[bungsai]

i thought it would be best to drive the car reasonably heard?

I remember reading an article which said that the common practice of driving slow in order to allow the seals in the engine (pistons etc) seal properly. The article stated however that driving hard within the bedding in period caused the seals to seal 'better'. Apparently after 100k kms, the difference between stock engines, one bedded in hard, the other soft were around 10-15kw.

imho, makes sense to drive the engine hard.

[himura]

hey ya all,

well when i first got my type s my fwend totally trash the hell out of it lol

[Slow96GSR]

Here we go again another never ending thread with everybody's opinion on break in.

Yup and I'll say what I always say... 100 miles nice and easy then slam that throtle to the floor and make her work! Once the rings break in there really isn't much to worry about except the bearings and those break in fast too. Rings break in within the first 20-45 minutes the motor is running, about the time the smoke stops puking out the tail pipes!

[ITRBoI]

usually it's the first 1000km you have take it easy....

[JasonGilholme]

Yup and I'll say what I always say... 100 miles nice and easy then slam that throtle to the floor and make her work! Once the rings break in there really isn't much to worry about except the bearings and those break in fast too. Rings break in within the first 20-45 minutes the motor is running, about the time the smoke stops puking out the tail pipes!

Sounds like common sense to me. :thumbsup:

[vtml]

If all fails, you do have warranty.

[EuroDude]

Drive it slow initially - the piston rings wont seat properly and the car will stay slow
Drive it normally initially - it will stay normal
Thrash it initially - it may cause excess wear and will become slow


Well thats my Theory :p


Here's an interesting Break-In article~
http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

[aaronng]

You're not meant to thrash it. Even mototune says not to trash it. Just 3-4 2nd/3rd gear runs up to 5000, 6000 and then 7000rpm. That's all. After those few minutes, you run your car in GENTLY for the remainder of the 1000km.

[Slow96GSR]

Most cars have 20-45 minutes of running time before you take them home. Off factory floor to truck, off truck to lot, in lot moving and arranging for show, and test drive. Sometimes more if they have to load on to a train, plane, or ship. So once you have the car all the important parts are broken in. I know with all the new cars we have bought we have been rough on all of them right off the truck, we like really new and virgin cars. Drive it the way you want to, listen to no one as all of us might be wrong, and beside, as someone said earlier, there is a warranty!

[preludacris]

i wish somebody actually knew. not just personal theories etc.

maybe ECU man knows. lol. but yeah , the dealers say to take it easy for the first 1000 k's. and when on the freeway, not to keep it at a constant speed, but to fluctuate from 90kmph to 100, back to 90 etc. dunno why...

[aaronng]

You are not meant to keep the engine at a constant RPM during the running in period. Otherwise the engine will not wear in to accomodate the stresses of higher RPM driving.

[BlitZ]

break it in hard..
Ive read like a million and 2 theories with one answer.. break it in hard.. regardless of engine..

break in hard does not mean thrashing it...

do as many 3rd gear pulls to max torque... its most important during the earlier days..

this will allow the rings to cut into the walls, allowing for a stronger seal, hench higher compression in the future..

dont floor it... especially in 1st gear... do as many 3rd gear pulls as possible

************************************************** ****
the rings are cut a certain way.
compression expands the rings..
from factory you piston walls have crosss hatches on them to hold oil on initial start up.. by giving it it will smooth these hatches out.. if u feather it the hatches will never go away and u will blow smoke and run low compression for the rest of your life.

be thankful for the 18year old who thrashed your car around the dealers lot

[himura]

well its too late now isnt it?????

[EuroDude]

yep a few occasional runs in 3rd up a steep hill should do the trick. Get the Torque happening.

The "Take it easy" theory was for pre-1985(?) engines that weren't as precisely manufacturered like todays engines, thanks to advances in factory metal casting, computerized design and engineering, laser precision etc..

[aaronng]

yep a few occasional runs in 3rd up a steep hill should do the trick. Get the Torque happening.

The "Take it easy" theory was for pre-1985(?) engines that weren't as precisely manufacturered like todays engines, thanks to advances in factory metal casting, computerized design and engineering, laser precision etc..

But....... "Take it easy" still applies to the clutch, gearbox, CV joints, hubs, brakes.

[_CiVIC_]

gosh by the time i finished reading this my car passed 1000kms LOL!

[aaronng]

gosh by the time i finished reading this my car passed 1000kms LOL!

So how is life at 7300rpm like?

[xzbit]

Your better off breaking it slow and steddy! This is based on what dealers have told me when I've brought new cars!

[EuroDude]

Don't listen to Car Dealers, they are as bad as Lawyers :p


Avoid driving it like a Grandma, and avoid driving it like a rev-head P-Plater.
Just drive it normally ftw :)

[dc2dc2dc2]

its just like a girl

take it slow and easy at the start
then go at it hardstyle :)

[Q_ball]

You are not meant to keep the engine at a constant RPM during the running in period. Otherwise the engine will not wear in to accomodate the stresses of higher RPM driving.

Yes,
Vary the rev range a bit :)

[egSi]

what does the manual say to do?

[Ray_mon]

I think i should drive it normally and if something goes wrong, i got the warranty to fall back on.

[_CiVIC_]

So how is life at 7300rpm like?

lolllll life is all over the place...

[PaZzMaN-R]

i say hard heheh. sounds like you bought it new, so you have warranty. before you follow this potentialy dumb advice read your warranty very very closely!

enjoy your new toy.

[bennjamin]

that article is written and worded like a ad for
premature ejaculation tablets IT REALLY WORKS.

[Ray_mon]

^ LMAO, i never thought of it that way.

[Lepperfish]

Well my friends gf got a brand new 2001 celica when they came out, i got in it with 52kms on it, straight out of the dealership, that car was under WOT for about 2 hours and It didnt seem to suffer? lol..

[STOCK]

run it in hard, but not red-lining the bitch every gear.

[EuroDude]

Well my friends gf got a brand new 2001 celica when they came out, i got in it with 52kms on it, straight out of the dealership, that car was under WOT for about 2 hours and It didnt seem to suffer? lol..


Not with todays engines. But expect that engine to spit black smoke out at only 150,000km lol