2014 BRZ Limited - Break In Hard...
 

or Soft?

I'm going hard - whose coming?

I did soft every other car…. I bought this one to do what I like… anybody have an opinion or anecdote? I am too tempted and curious to help myself.

I'll let you know how it goes.

For anyone who is feeling me on the hard break in, would like some tips, as I know there is probably some finesse required to do this the right way.

You are going to get an almost 50/50 divide on this one (not to mention that it has been discussed ad nauseam). I'll still give my opinion and say stick with the manufacturers recommendation.

I figured as much… maybe not an exact 50:50, but I do like the opinions. Keeps it rich!

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5618

Huge thread on people arguing thinking they know everything about it all. I went easy on it for the first 1000 miles though

whats a break in?

Still want to hear anyone who has an opinion…. gonna read more but, still won't be enough. Gut call

Easy for the first 500, then drove a track day. Change oil. Done.

I personally for the first 1000 miles kept it below 4k RPM(With the occasional pull to redline every ~100 miles), then proceeded to thrash it on mountain roads as often as possible after that.

Break it in however you're comfortable, just make sure you don't over push the limits before you fully know the car.

It took me about 5k miles before really feeling comfortable pushing it 100% without traction control or stability control.

Just my 2c... many focus on the engine. The sheer number of threads on that covers that topic. Just also take note that other parts of the car needs a break in period too. Clutch, tranny, some tires will still have mold grease...

So far, my plan is gonna keep stability and traction control on --- not gonna red line it (prolly gonna red line it on "accident" but, just one or four times)... will let engine warm up in "gentle mode" and definitely oil change before i hit the 500 mark…. but, otherwise gonna punch it and be aggressive.

...Resist, resist, resist desire to drift….

I thought about this a lot when I first got my car, because it was so hard to keep the rpm's under 4k for a 1000 miles but the way I convinced myself to do it was this: You're going to own this car for a long time, and you're going to put well over a 1000 miles on it, right? Maybe even a 100,000 miles someday. I know it's tempting to go WOT and let the car run free but is going easy on it for 1% of the total miles you're going to put on this car really that bad? You'll have plenty of time to enjoy the car and spin the wheels and all that you want, and if you go easy for the first 1000 miles, I guarantee you won't look back at it someday and say "Damn if only I had driven hard for those first 1000 miles too" but there's a chance that if something goes wrong later down the road, you MIGHT think "Maybe if I had gone easy and did a proper break-in, this wouldn't have happened" even if the problem you run into is completely unrelated to a break in. Do it for your own sanity, and believe me, when the day comes and you hit that 1000 mile mark, the reward is that much sweeter. :burnrubber:

I did soft for 700 and then occasional 4,5,6k until 1000. Hit redline after 1k miles. Oil change at 1300.

This may sound a little obvious but still take it easy as your engine and transmission warms up. Especially since it's getting colder now, I'd be especially careful pushing your car until it's fully warmed up. Other than that, congratulations on the car and enjoy in good health :burnrubber:!

Followed the manufacturer's suggestion here. It didn't take that long to reach the recommended initial break-in miles, so it wasn't a concern. Waiting several weeks > costing headache/more $ down the road is the way I saw it.