Break-In a New Car
 

Is it necessary to break-in a new car? Aren't the engines broken in at the factory before assembly?

If you do break-in, what's the proper way of doing it?

I've never broken in any of my new cars and I have never had a problem.

doing a break in when you buy any car is a good idea....doesnt hurt...lol


just stay under 3000 rpm and fluctuate the speed...do not drive at a constant speed all the time..

do this for 1500 Km or equivalent in miles

Don't forget the tires. Taking a turn to fast, could result in a big surprise!Tires are comprised of many layers of rubber, steel and fabric. Due to these different components, your new tires require a break-in period to ensure that they deliver their normal ride quality and maximum performance. As tires are cured, a release lubricant is applied to prevent them from sticking in their mold. Some of the lubricant stays on the surface of your tires, reducing traction until it is worn away. Five hundred miles of easy acceleration, cornering and braking will allow the mold release lubricant to wear off, allowing the other tire components to begin working together. It is also important to note that your old tires probably had very little tread depth remaining when you felt it was time to replace them. As any autocrosser or racer who has tread rubber shaved off of his tires will tell you, low tread depth tires respond quicker."Don't be surprised if your new tires are a little slower to respond (even if you use the exact same tire as before). Their new, full depth brings with it a little more tread squirm until they wear down.

Not required, but deffinitely reccommended!!!

^^^ why take the chance??...might as well just do it...it's only for 1500Km

I highly recommend every single new owners to break in the car properly. You've just paid 30K+ dollars for the car you've always wanted and you should break in the way highly knowledgeable engineers have suggested.

2009 Nissan 370Z Break in Instructions

http://www.the370z.com/images/370zfo...0in%20370z.PNG

I've heard two things. Break it in nice and slow as mentioned, but also break it in as your going to drive it in the future. Meaning you can go hard on it, the engine is not going to explode or anything. I wouldn't max it out, but I definitely wouldn't be afraid to have some fun.

Hey I have a Chevy Cobalt SS 1st gen and I broke it in hard and it has lots of miles now and runs like butter.

Break in period is overrated. I do believe it takes a little time until the brakes, clutch and tires are optimal, but I don't buy not revving past 4K.

Some actually advise on running the car hard to redline right away as it may yield more power and be healthier for the engine in the long run. Break In Secrets--How To Break In New Motorcycle and Car Engines For More Power

There is also some speculation, that break-in periods still exist to allow the new owner to get accustomed to the car which protects the car company legally.

there are soo many myths about this....... I guess it just comes down to preference..


looks like a case for the Mythbusters.....LOL

I've never exactly followed break-in instructions. I usually pass the rev limit early on and begin driving hard after a few hundred miles.

When compared to others with the same exact car, my car is typically a bit faster than theirs during roll-on runs. No myth in mind.

AGreed. Everyone I ask has a different input about this topic. Want to email Mythbusters about it, nogood? ;)

MAn I tried to do a break in on my new G I got to about 150 km then I was like aaaaaaaaaaa fcuk it. MAn my car is fast lol "7500 rpm what? no infiniti warrenty that was not me I follow the manual for my break in."

Email it to Top Gear instead. :tup:

I think I can guess what method Jeremy Clarkson will use... :icon17:

Damn. That's going to be a hard first 1.200 mls.

EXACTLY

break in = bull ****

Think of it like a child. If you baby him 24/7 and overprotect him, he's either going to grow up as a spoiled little brat or a pansy.

Occasionally he needs some tough love.

Thats why my break in period consists of ripping through the gears almost to redline.
Modern cars are built with very fine tolerances, they don't need to get acclimated to anything. These aren't delicate pianos. Why do you think Ferrari runs each car around the Fiorano test track before they send them out to customers? Or why Nissan dynos each R35 GTR motor before they put it in the car and ship it out.
Babying your car only makes it slower! (note this theory is not and most likely can not be supported by concrete evidence, but I don't give a sh!t)
Cheers :D

Guys, Im going to tell you that this is a neverending thread, there is no answer to this question. Just lock this thread.

Improper break-in = oil burning problem years later.

That might be taking the baby simile a little too far.

Ferrari engines are hand made.

Nissan Dyno's engines just like any other manufacturer to make sure its up to spec, that doesnt mean you have to beat the crap out of it when you get it.

Whats the point of risking it guys? do a few hundred miles under 4000, then the next few hundred gradually going up to redline till you get to 800-1000 miles. That way everyone is satisfied. Beating the crap out of a car to make it faster sounds a little silly to me. Let everything sit GRADUALLY. Neither the sissys nor the drive it like you stole its are right.

Gradual break in period.

All I can say is that when we bought my wife's 06 350z 6mt, we drove it like we stole it right out of the gate. I wanted to see how it stacked up to my M3 during the test-drive.

When we bought my 06 350z 6mt, I broke it in 100% TO THE LETTER!!!!

Hers still runs perfectly and burns zero oil. I never clean out her tailpipes and they are always always clean

Mine burned a quart of oil every 800 miles. I cleaned out my tailpipes every week and the were black inside by the next week. I traded in my piece of crap 06 for an 07 with the HR engine. I totally disregarded break-in on the 07 and it burns no oil. It also runs very strong.

I am sold on break-in = BS

YMMV...

I always do the break in. Usually 1,000 - 1,500 miles just to have piece of mind.

this argument comes up all the time on car forums and you will have people that tell you oh just drive it like you would normally or you'll make it slow or you need to drive the piss out of it to really break it in

that logic might fine on cars if you were the fonz or something back in the 60's

look its 1200 miles just do it the right way the best you can and forget about it

Wow I didn't know everyone had such strong opinions about this subject. The only reason that I never broke-in my vehicles was because I was too impatient just like SHUMBY. I said "awwww F**k it" I wanted to smile when i drive.

heheh ya waiting sucks i like instanc gratification.

well in newer cars when you break a car in your not just braking in the engine your bascially breaking everything else in getting it all to work together getting the suspension set and producing friction.

i mean the VQ is a strong engine im sure it would be ok because honestly they dont expect everyone to follow it anyway or even read the manual but i mean you just bought a 35K car why not take a few days to be easy on the car. it says dont go over 4K i mean its not like if you do it once your screwed..... but its common sense dont redline it dont drop the clutch at high rpms dont floor it from a stop.

pretty simple


i mean i hate to bring up the GTR all the time but one of the guys with this mysterious transmission failure the whole world talks about did like almost 30 launch controls on a car with less than 1K miles on it. i think someone said it was like 600 miles....... i mean what do you expect

Ride it hard and leave it wet.

i would because of all the ^ stated reasons

you did break it in......just misunderstood what break in means

:bowrofl: :bowrofl: :bowrofl: :bowrofl:



I've heard of that too....... maybe we should ask the ppl who dont have oil burning problems with the 03 G Coupes and see what break-in they did.

Are you still talking about cars??? :icon17:

I did break in my 03 350Z as suggested by the manual. My 03 350Z has no issue with the oil burning what so ever... the rear bumper is always clean and the oil level is always full between the oil change.

I thinkl i agree with one of the posts... drive it slowly for a few hunfred and gradually drive it harder and harder and hard! after 500 miles

This is exactly how I broke in my 370Z.

Currently I have 548 miles on the Z. Pre 500 miles I have RELIGIOUSLY maintained 4K rpm and below. On highway, I have switched between 5th and 6th gear every 10 minutes (Nissan recommends you to NOT drive in the same RPM for long time during break in). Now that I'm past 500 miles, I am keeping it under 5000 rpm. I think after 800 miles, I'll keep it under 5500 rpm etc. Just increase 500 RPM every 200 miles you drive ... (btw, this is just me. Nissan recommends below 4K all the way to 1200 miles.)

It takes a lot of patience during break in period. Having a 332 HP VQ engine under the hood and not able to rev it above 4K rpm is probably one of the hardest thing you will ever do. But it'll pay off in the long run. :tup:

I'm still breaking mine in, I have 250 miles so far, and I'm dying to see if this thing "pulls" or has decent torque

Doesn't make a difference. When I downshift, I just make sure to be going sufficiently slow so as not to make the car rev itself above 6000. I break in my car a little different, I vary the RPMs and go different speeds, brake smooth, brake a little harder, etc. But I go to 5000, not 4000. I think that's just a bunch of crap to keep casting debris from going around too much. If I get to 1k miles this July, I'm doing an oil change. If August comes and I still haven't clocked that much, I'm doing an oil change.

Frankly, there's also a break in and bedding period for your tires, clutch, brakes (pad and rotor) and even your e-brake!

I ran in my car very carefully and now at approx 37G km's it runs beautifully. I have driven an mx5 that was driven with no sympathy and it showed it. so i guess break in your car gently.

Exactly, what's the difference between 4K and 7K to the engine?

Nothing...

I believe in breaking it in like I'm going to drive it...

I did take it easier in the turns...for me to get used the car, and also for the tires.

As someone who also has a motorcycle, new tires are SLICK. You have to put at least 25 miles on them before they get stickier. On a bike, you have to be careful on the corners until the wear area for how you ride gets worn in...

Anyhow...

One other thing - my MC has 13K on it now. From day 1 (with 8 on the odometer), I've ridden it like I stole it. It don't burn oil...

Nissan dyno'ing the engine is beating the crap out of it at it's most fragile state.