Consequences & experiences with bad break in periods?

[BRZnut]

Originally Posted by Fastbrew

My car got hammered in at least one test drive - me. I didn't know it would be the only SWP on the lot that day .

I am a subscriber to hard break ins. My car is also boosted at 10-12 PSI and has been for 30K miles. It has zero issues. None. Doesn't burn oil. No weirdness in the oil. No loss in compression. Not a single itsy bitsy problem and I am at 62K 10 months in.

So - it's not a big deal. Now - doing drops and shenanigans like that CAN be an issue. But, just properly warming up the car and revving it high and driving it like you would normally? Not an issue IMO.

Nice to read about an engine that is holding up at 62K!

[Kerune]

Originally Posted by dar3d3vil

I just completed the first 1000 miles on the car. Dealer told me to go carefully during break in and avoid red-lining too much. Honestly I just drove it like I always do and always will. noticed a pretty major increase in performance as it neared the 1000 mile mark. Now I've just flashed over the OFT stage 1 so we'll see where things go from there.

Hm, I have read often that of course things will change accordingly after some miles on the car. Sometimes I'm satisfied sometimes the torque is just so low at low gears, I wonder if I'll experience this after a proper break in :p

[Fastbrew]

Originally Posted by kch

holy crap dude why do you drive so much? that's over 200 miles per day every day.

I have taken some long road trips, commute every day, drive the car for recreation and regularly make the trip to Seattle and back (360 miles). Adds up. The good news - the miles have pretty much been fast ones I have regularly paid tribute to the 9500ix gods - not a single ticket.

I suppose the wheels spinning in place could be a factor too

[s0sl0w]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

Everybody always focuses on the wrong thing. It's not hard driving you have to worry about. It's using cruise control during the first 1000 miles.

During break-in, the zinc in the oil is being essentially cooked onto surfaces, bonding with the steel to make the surfaces harder and more resistant to wear. But since the surfaces are still somewhat malleable when you first get the car, there's still some wear. You get continuous overlapping cycles of wear, harden, wear, harden, etc.

The overall goal is for the engine to wear into a configuration that will provide the most power and longevity, then harden that way. The best way to do that is to provide the engine with a range of loads. In particular, under different loads the pistons will push against the walls of the cylinder differently and wear the cylinders into a tapered shape, where they're slightly wider in the middle than on the ends.

However, if you drive the first 1000 miles all on the highway on cruise control, you're not varying the load. You're basically breaking in the engine at one low power setting. The cylinders harden in a more cylindrical shape with no bulge in the middle or tapers on the ends. The engine then never develops the power it should. In extreme cases, you end up with the rings not sealing properly at each end of the stroke, resulting in blow-by.

I wouldn't worry too much about somebody doing donuts in this car before I got it. I would worry about buying one with 5000 miles on it that was broken in on the highway.

So much this.

[BuzzR]

I bought my 2013 Limited almost exactly a year ago. I now have a little over 6K on it. I live in a rural area, and the car had been sitting on the lot for about six months prior to the sale (I'm in pick-up country) - so it had 60 on the odo when I got it (10 of which I put on it.)

I erred on the side of caution and broke it in as the manual said to. I babied it for the first K, and did not touch the cruise control until after it turned 1,000. I accidentally (honest) went over 4,000 revs only a few, brief times, and otherwise broke it in exactly as the manual said to.

I have had NO issues with it. No oil burning or leakage, and over long distances at about 80 in 6th gear, I average 35 mpg. Around town it's about 27.5.

So I am very pleased so far, and we'll see how it goes in the future. But I'm pretty confident that there's nothing wrong with it and it was broken in properly.

[Ninja_Rob]

Good input here. I just picked up my RS 1.0. Everyone opinions has put my mind at ease. I've been driving normal for my break-in period. Can't wait to reach her 1000 miles. Gonna rip her up then. Lol.

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