6 speed manual and speed levels
 

Hello,
I got a new 2020 BRZ just recently and want to get the right speed for each gear. The car has 600 miles on the odometer now. For easy city driving (still breaking in), I'm doing the following:

gear speed (mph)
------------------------
1 0 to 5
2 5 to 15
3 15 to 25
4 25 to 35
5 35 to 45
6 above 45

Does it sound right? Any input appreciated. Thanks.

Short shifting way too much imo

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There is no "right speed for each gear" really. Just keep her under the 4K rev mark until done the break in. In fact the break in says to vary the speed and revs during that period so you want to stay away from fixed patterns not enforce them. Don't worry about what speed you are doing since it could vary considerably depending on the circumstances.

My opinion:
Don't drive in a gear at less than 1700rpm. That's not great for the engine. I personally try to keep it over 2krpm. At low rpm the flywheel isn't providing enough inertia to keep the engine running smoothly, which means you are gonna get strange forces and vibrations. At the same time you have low oil pressure so that's not good for your bearings.

Until you finish the break-in, don't go over 4krpm or whatever it is the manual says. After break-in, go as high as you want, it will probably be fine unless you money shift.

So basically increase your speeds in each gear by about 5-10mph lower gears, and 10-15mph in higher gears

This is nice and safe advice. You'll also notice that if you do find yourself in low rpms, pressing the gas hard will make the engine vibrate badly. This is called lugging the motor and bad for the bottom end. When in doubt, downshift a gear.

Generally I never apply heavy throttle under 3k. Gently accelerating between ~1700 and 3000 is fine.

Feel and listen to the engine, it will let you know when it isn't happy.

Although many will say "just drive the crap out of it from the start it is good for it" I have always been a follow the break in procedure guy.
I am having a hard time with it this time around though since the car is so much the same as the FRS I sometimes forget it is new! Have to actually pay attention to the revs and not just throw it on cruise for my 45 minutes commute.

i've had 2 brz's. the first i had for 4 months, then someone totaled it by ignoring their stop sign. it was at 3k miles..

on the first, i followed break-in procedure. it was an agonizing thousand miles.

the second, i pretended i did it already. i left the dealer sideways through first, and chirped second just in case.

outside of first gear, i try to not let the revs go below 2000. i generally hover around 3000 the majority of the time though. and it see's redline at least once every time it leaves the garage. it's a mechanical device. and mechanical devices are built to serve a purpose. my cars purpose is to be fun!

ENJOY YOUR NEW CAR!!

Also DON'T REDLINE WHEN THE OIL IS UNDER 170F

Oh easy solution to get through it quickly, just go on a road... trip... Nevermind.

When I got mine I went back to NY for a weekend varying my speed in 6th, probably drove a bunch of people crazy. But it spun off the last few hundred miles pretty quick lol.

I am pretty sure the manual says you should redline daily to preserve the integrity of the motor. I know I do[emoji12]

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yep...below 4k the first 1000 US miles. check your oil level properly and frequently as consumption is more during this period.

Isn't the entire break-in procedure outlined in the owners manual?

FIFY

https://www.ft86club.com/forums/show...74#post3314974

Yes

Hahahaha

That was from track abuse FYI. Ran great till I was pushing to beat a 90s Camaro [emoji1787]. I won... then I lost

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Savage.

The big difference for me is that for driving in our semi-rural neighborhoods, the difference between th 4.1:1 in the FR-S and 4.3:1 in the 86 means I can use 6th gear at 40 mph for gentle cruising instead of 5th gear. On my FR-S. the car would "lug" if I tried to engage 6th below for 40 on any kind of gentle uphill, while on the 86, that speed is ok. Clearly for good acceleration or steep hills, I would be dropping down at least one gear (or more).

The final gear change is indeed noticeable even during "regular" driving. I spend most of my tie on the highway at little over 70 mph and am now running at at least 3K more rpm than before. Be interesting to see what my mileage is like when done break in.

Summary of My Break In...
 

I think many have covered it. Take it easy and make sure to let the engine warm up. And, vary your driving for the first 1000 miles -- i.e., don't take it on the highway for a long drive at a constant speed just to get miles on it.

It was painful, but this was my approach. I stayed under 4000 RPMs for about the first 750 miles. From 750-1000 miles, I occasionally rev'd slightly higher (maybe 4500 RPMs with a couple of blips slightly higher to probably a max of 5000 RPMs). At 1000 miles, I changed the oil (Motul) and started to take the revs higher to 5000 to 6000 RPMs, but not all at once. It seemed to run a bit smoother after the Motul change. As a side note, I found that they overfilled the oil from the factory. And, then I gradually got on it more through to 1250 miles. After that, I just put my foot in it whenever.

I'm at 3000 miles now and it's a beautiful thing. I drive it pretty hard. I checked the oil level yesterday and it was perfect to the fill-level I measured when I changed it at 1000 miles. So far, so good.

I'm not sure if that's the absolute right approach, but that's what I did.

How did you get that particular number?

I use 170F oil temp as my green light to redline as well. Before that though casual acceleration shifting around 3800-4000rpm.

3k?
Do you mean 5% higher rpm or 150rpm higher than before when cruising at 3k now 3150rpm?

With a 4.3fd 6th gear at 40mph is 1800rpm. I would not go below 2k in any gears besides 1-2. And I would not do any acceleration even the slightest bit below 2500+ rpm preferably 3k+ rpm in any gears besides 1-2. But that’s just me.

It’s a combination of getting the oil hot enough to start lubrication well and getting the engine up to an operating temp where the clearances between engine internals are getting in their sweet spot. 165F is probably fine as well, 170F is pretty commonly accepted as a safe oil temp to start romping on it.

Having not driven a 2017+ model, i bet the shorter gears are nice for city driving. I often feel 2nd is too short and 3rd too tall so i end up bouncing between these two gears. Not that i really mind, considering these gearboxes are a lot of fun to shift.

LOL ya I meant 300! Woke up in the middle of the night going "did I say thousand in that post" but site has been down so I couldn't fix it. I am running about 300 (hundred) RPM over what I used to.

They are!

Your entire approach is backwards. You should focus on the right RPM for each gear depending on how hard you want to accelerate, not the speed. Watch the tachometer rather than the speedo, adjusting to keep yourself within a comfortable margin of the legal speed limit.

So are you just spending more time in 3rd and not bouncing between 2-3 as much in urban/suburban driving?

Get there quicker and stay there longer.

There is no right speed for each gear. If you are accelerating hard you shift up at higher speed, if you are not accelerating hard shift up at lower speed. If you intend to accelerate or slowing down to accelerate right after, shift down to rev up the engine to high power above torque dip. In short, you decide the optimal gear based on the driving conditions. For break in and while engine is cold, I keep below 4000 rpm which means no hard acceleration.

Yeah, lugging the motor is bad for the engine. Hard on the bearings and rods. Just easy accelerations up to 4K to 4.5k and you will be fine. And I agree with keeping it above 2k.

To behonest on a car like BRZ ppl in US or england probably wont notices...

But if you set it on km.

first gear at around 2000 is like 11km
2nd gear around 2000 is like 22km
3nd gear around 2000 is like 33km

it kind goes on like that except 6th gear.

I typically do 10 mph per gear. 1st 0-10, 2nd 10-20, 6th 50+. Its completely subjective, I drive like and old fart, some people like winding it up and making a lot of noise. So in my typical day to day, I'm doing mid 30's in fourth at about 2500 rpm

I kind of feel that the car likes to cruise at about 2500 RPMs.

When I'm driving around town(small suburban) the cars seems satisfied with 2nd gear 25 MPH @ 2500 RPM/ 3rd gear 35 MPH @2500 RPMs.

Once you get past the torque dip, it's too much power for around town where there are trees, curbs, pedestrians with small fo-fo dogs...

Yeah, respect the break-in period, then drive by feel. The Tach is your friend, not your mom.

Bill

don't stop till the tires cry!

I find its all very nice and smooth till about 4500, then I kinda have to let her sing, so I avoid that if in traffic. ;)

Not sure how the 2017+ models feel or sound under 2K RPM, but in my '13... oof. Not only does the car shake violently but it also sounds like a bunch of tin siding is vibrating at a low frequency. I imagine that if I drove like that for more than a few seconds springs and bolts would start shooting out from the engine like in a cartoon.

If you're just tooling around commuting saving gas divide or multiply by 10. Like 20 mph, 2nd gear, 60 mph, 6th gear, etc... If you are running from the police just keep under the red line. And remember for any car in the world the TQs and HPs are dead equal at 5252rpms! (So probably generally where the center best power curve is if the motor is allowed to rev that high).

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