Controversial engine break-in procedures...
Evolving Member
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 261
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From: Kelowna, CANADA
Rob I'm quite aware of the benefits of synthetics vs. non, and that they don't allow proper breakin if used too soon, of course you would know this is due to may factors one of which is its just to damn slippery for enough friction to break components in 
. I changed my oil and filter at 700km, and will be doing it again today at just over 4200km with more reg oil. But the next oil change will be syn finally. I've had several new cars over the years and I'm a fein for changing oil like fast as to keep as much of the contaminates out as possible for lengthy life of the engine! My BMW has 260k on it and it runs like a top with regular WOT spurtz.
. I changed my oil and filter at 700km, and will be doing it again today at just over 4200km with more reg oil. But the next oil change will be syn finally. I've had several new cars over the years and I'm a fein for changing oil like fast as to keep as much of the contaminates out as possible for lengthy life of the engine! My BMW has 260k on it and it runs like a top with regular WOT spurtz.
I agree. I know many drag racers that take a new motor, do a quick 20 minute cam break in and then hit the strip. They do a pass 1/2 throttle, then 3/4 once or twice and then flog it. If it held up, its good to go.
I'm pretty amazed that people would rather follow the recommendation of some internet mechanic than the manufacturer. Something to keep in mind, you're not just breaking in the engine with a new car, you are breaking in everything. Do you really think it's a good idea to beat on a transmission straight out of the box? What about the differentials? The brakes? The turbo does actually make a difference. The stress put on the engine by a turbo is substantially higher than in a car where there is a self-imposed limit to the amount of air that can be taken in. You are more than welcome to argue this point with the many 06-07 STI owners that have blown engines because they bagged on the car from the start (full boost, full redline) and experienced serious blowby problems. Moreover the turbo does need to be broken in. You guys are absolutely naive if you think a turbo doesn't experience any friction. There's a reason why most manufacturer's of turbos, engines, transmissions, etc. don't recommend going ***** to the wall right out of the box. The method recommended here is for a motor replacement only, it isn't intended for a new car.
My new differential break in was drive to heat it up, make several sharp turns, stop, cool down. Warm up one more time, sharp turns, cool. Then step on it and see how far you can lay a patch. All parts on a car get broken in as soon as they move. The minute you first start a new engine it is heading for failure.
Most cars already come with miles. What is the trans break in procedure? Since most manufacturers recommend a 25-30k fluid change for transmissions, I assume they are not that vulnerable.
***** to the wall, no. No manufacturer wants to be warrantying anything, so of course they give you a granny break in procedure. The more miles you drive easy, the better for the warranty. Why the arbitrary number of 1000?
Most cars already come with miles. What is the trans break in procedure? Since most manufacturers recommend a 25-30k fluid change for transmissions, I assume they are not that vulnerable.
***** to the wall, no. No manufacturer wants to be warrantying anything, so of course they give you a granny break in procedure. The more miles you drive easy, the better for the warranty. Why the arbitrary number of 1000?
Last edited by dboz; Dec 11, 2008 at 08:34 PM.
I thought I read somewhere that out cars {4G63) were pre-broke-in (not sure though)
I had read into this before and every where there are mixed opinions.
But the one thing I have heard esp from every mechanic that I talk to is not to use synthetic right off the bat.
I had read into this before and every where there are mixed opinions.
But the one thing I have heard esp from every mechanic that I talk to is not to use synthetic right off the bat.
My new differential break in was drive to heat it up, make several sharp turns, stop, cool down. Warm up one more time, sharp turns, cool. Then step on it and see how far you can lay a patch. All parts on a car get broken in as soon as they move. The minute you first start a new engine it is heading for failure.
Most cars already come with miles. What is the trans break in procedure? Since most manufacturers recommend a 25-30k fluid change for transmissions, I assume they are not that vulnerable.
***** to the wall, no. No manufacturer wants to be warrantying anything, so of course they give you a granny break in procedure. The more miles you drive easy, the better for the warranty. Why the arbitrary number of 1000?
Most cars already come with miles. What is the trans break in procedure? Since most manufacturers recommend a 25-30k fluid change for transmissions, I assume they are not that vulnerable.
***** to the wall, no. No manufacturer wants to be warrantying anything, so of course they give you a granny break in procedure. The more miles you drive easy, the better for the warranty. Why the arbitrary number of 1000?
Thread Starter
Evolved Member
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 662
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From: michigan
The article does not suggest to just beat the **** out of a new engine. There's a procedure - it's just that the procedure doesn't include not going over 4k rpm or whatever for the first thousand miles.
Amby, you also act like it's just this one random dude on the internet who does this. There are MANY people (apparently including those that work at ferrari) who back up this method with results.
I can't say with certainty, but I wouldn't doubt that many people that you stated that had problems from supposedly using this method in fact didn't just drive hard - but actually stupid. I personally have known quite a few people like this that thought they were getting the most out of their car by driving it improperly. The article suggests nothing of the sort.
Just keep in mind, it recommends loading up the engine at higher RPMs, not beating it... If you don't know that there is a difference, then you probably don't know how to drive. Am I right?
And in case you didn't know, many n/a race engines put out as much power or more power than similar displacement production turbo engines. Therefore, in order to be making similar power, they must be breathing similar volumes of air. So, no, there isn't a difference. The piston rings are still serving the same function in the same fashion no matter the engine. Unless you can prove to me that piston rings on a turbo work differently than those on an n/a. Can you?
Name me any wear item except for end seals on an oil film bearing turbo.
And again, ***** to the wall is typically associated with retards. These people hammer their cars in the dead of winter before it even warms up.
Amby, you also act like it's just this one random dude on the internet who does this. There are MANY people (apparently including those that work at ferrari) who back up this method with results.
I can't say with certainty, but I wouldn't doubt that many people that you stated that had problems from supposedly using this method in fact didn't just drive hard - but actually stupid. I personally have known quite a few people like this that thought they were getting the most out of their car by driving it improperly. The article suggests nothing of the sort.
Just keep in mind, it recommends loading up the engine at higher RPMs, not beating it... If you don't know that there is a difference, then you probably don't know how to drive. Am I right?
And in case you didn't know, many n/a race engines put out as much power or more power than similar displacement production turbo engines. Therefore, in order to be making similar power, they must be breathing similar volumes of air. So, no, there isn't a difference. The piston rings are still serving the same function in the same fashion no matter the engine. Unless you can prove to me that piston rings on a turbo work differently than those on an n/a. Can you?
Name me any wear item except for end seals on an oil film bearing turbo.
And again, ***** to the wall is typically associated with retards. These people hammer their cars in the dead of winter before it even warms up.
Ever hear the saying "Break it in like you're going to drive it"? Well, here's why: 
http://mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm
And while the site is primarily dedicated to motorcycles, it applies to any piston engine. Everyone that I have known that used this method got good results.
http://mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm
And while the site is primarily dedicated to motorcycles, it applies to any piston engine. Everyone that I have known that used this method got good results.
https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...ine-break.html
https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...ak-advise.html
https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...-hp-break.html
https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...good-idea.html
https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...ega-merge.html
and on and on....
Thread Starter
Evolved Member
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 662
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From: michigan
It should be noted that oil the likes of Mobil1, Castrol syntec, etc., are not fully synthetic anyways.
I'm not 100% sure about AmsOil (pretty sure it's full synthetic).
Also, most full synthetics should have minimal exposure to any mineral oil that may have been used in an engine.
For in-depth explanation of this, check out http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html
Actually, you might as well bookmark www.carbibles.com all together.
I'm not 100% sure about AmsOil (pretty sure it's full synthetic).
Also, most full synthetics should have minimal exposure to any mineral oil that may have been used in an engine.
For in-depth explanation of this, check out http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html
Actually, you might as well bookmark www.carbibles.com all together.
The article does not suggest to just beat the **** out of a new engine. There's a procedure - it's just that the procedure doesn't include not going over 4k rpm or whatever for the first thousand miles.
Amby, you also act like it's just this one random dude on the internet who does this. There are MANY people (apparently including those that work at ferrari) who back up this method with results.
I can't say with certainty, but I wouldn't doubt that many people that you stated that had problems from supposedly using this method in fact didn't just drive hard - but actually stupid. I personally have known quite a few people like this that thought they were getting the most out of their car by driving it improperly. The article suggests nothing of the sort.
Just keep in mind, it recommends loading up the engine at higher RPMs, not beating it... If you don't know that there is a difference, then you probably don't know how to drive. Am I right?
And in case you didn't know, many n/a race engines put out as much power or more power than similar displacement production turbo engines. Therefore, in order to be making similar power, they must be breathing similar volumes of air. So, no, there isn't a difference. The piston rings are still serving the same function in the same fashion no matter the engine. Unless you can prove to me that piston rings on a turbo work differently than those on an n/a. Can you?
Name me any wear item except for end seals on an oil film bearing turbo.
And again, ***** to the wall is typically associated with retards. These people hammer their cars in the dead of winter before it even warms up.
Amby, you also act like it's just this one random dude on the internet who does this. There are MANY people (apparently including those that work at ferrari) who back up this method with results.
I can't say with certainty, but I wouldn't doubt that many people that you stated that had problems from supposedly using this method in fact didn't just drive hard - but actually stupid. I personally have known quite a few people like this that thought they were getting the most out of their car by driving it improperly. The article suggests nothing of the sort.
Just keep in mind, it recommends loading up the engine at higher RPMs, not beating it... If you don't know that there is a difference, then you probably don't know how to drive. Am I right?
And in case you didn't know, many n/a race engines put out as much power or more power than similar displacement production turbo engines. Therefore, in order to be making similar power, they must be breathing similar volumes of air. So, no, there isn't a difference. The piston rings are still serving the same function in the same fashion no matter the engine. Unless you can prove to me that piston rings on a turbo work differently than those on an n/a. Can you?
Name me any wear item except for end seals on an oil film bearing turbo.
And again, ***** to the wall is typically associated with retards. These people hammer their cars in the dead of winter before it even warms up.
The problems with the STIs could be directly attributed to their break-in.
Power output is different than engine strain. My friend's Suburban makes more power than my WRX but I guarantee that my engine is put through more stress. As for you statement that the same power means the same amount of air, that's not true at all but I'll bite. You have to factor in how much air is moved per engine cycle and how much pressure that air is under. If you take an 8.0 L V8 making 400 HP and compare it to a 2.0 L Evo making 400 HP, they have very different engine properties. The V8 can make that power at 4000 RPM, the Evo makes it at 8000 RPM. Engine stress goes up exponentially with RPM. The Evo also has higher cylinder pressure because the air is actively forced into it, the V8 only passively takes in air (under engine vacuum).
Thread Starter
Evolved Member
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 662
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From: michigan
ejevo,
While I'm sure it has been discussed countless times on various forums, and even the ones on this site, there are still apparently people who have not heard of these procedures. What if TV never played re-runs?
While I'm sure it has been discussed countless times on various forums, and even the ones on this site, there are still apparently people who have not heard of these procedures. What if TV never played re-runs?
We'd never have to watch the same crappy show over and over again?