what happens if you rev a new 350z around the redline....and race couple times before it even reched 500 miles????
cause i did... and im pretty scared...

 

IMO, You have nothing to worry about! Most new cars are "test driven" by either sales people and/or prospective buyers before the new buyer takes possesion! I wasn't nice to the one I test drove and when I finally got mine; I took it to the drag strip the next week-end!!! I would change the oil a lot sooner , say after the first 500 miles or so!! I'm not saying a person shouldn't take it easy for the first 1000 or so, I just don't think it's that big of a deal with the engines of today.

 

ehhhh. not recommened but you'll be alright.

 

dont be expecting to hit those high 13s stock

 

Proper engine break-in procedure is a hotly contested topic. Originally, I was of the opinion that one should simply follow the manufacturer's recommendations. However, I started digging around and reading articles written by serious tuners and engine builders. All of them recommended harder engine break-in procedures, but carefully monitored. It basically comes down to making sure the rings are completely sealed. An improper break-in can prevent proper ring wear and sealing, and thus reduce power from the engine.

Basically, what all the articles agreed on was that engine break-in should involve several full-throttle, high-rpm runs up to redline. (But don't hit the rev limiter.) They all agreed you should *always* let your engine fully warm up (including oil temp) before doing so. There was also a general consensus that you should not use synthetic oils until you are done with your break-in. Some of them even used special break-in oil.

A lot of the articles were written by small aircraft engine suppliers on how to properly break in your new airplane engine. I considered these to be very trustworthly, since you don't mess around with reliability when it comes to airplanes. (You absolutely don't want your engine dying in your single-engine aircraft!) They all agreed on the hard break-in procedures. Additionally, they were *very* adamant about keeping an eye on engine and oil temperature and making sure they don't get too hot. If the oil gets too hot it can bake on (I forget the terminology) and cause problems.

I have all these links to all these articles at home, if anyone is interested.

 

nice post! and thanx for the info

 

Here are some links. I can't verify the truth or falsehood of any of these articles. Just offering what I've dug up.

http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm
Break In Secrets--How To Break In New Motorcycle and Car Engines For More Power

http://www.mattituck.com/new/articles/engbrkin.htm
*** Engine Break-In ***

http://www.lycoming.textron.com/main...neBreakIn.html
Hard Facts About Engine Break-In

 

wow, i learned somthing today...

so basically 20 miles of a hard break-in (redline), non-synthetic oil change,----... isnt that what the dealers do?-----then another 200 mile hard brake-in (80% throttle, no redline). then a normal factory brake-in for another 2000 miles or so?

 

Maybe something like that. Just make sure your engine (including oil) is completely warmed up before you drive hard!

 

I think the idea is to get 100% throttle, but not necessarily redline it. You dont need RPMs necessarily to seat the rings but pressure...

X

 

but what if you get your car from the dealer and it already has miles on it, how will you know if the rings were properly set?

 

I guess you dont know if they are. If you are worried, I guess you need to drive it from day 1.

I am by no means an expert on this, but I am an engineer and do not by the break in myth at all. I dont know if a hard break in helps, but I dont believe it can hurt any more than driving hard at 10000 miles.

However, look at Nascar, they dyno the **** out of them then run them hard on a track. No break in. If a break in helped longevity or power, they would do that wouldnt they?

X

 

Yeah, there's no way to know how a car was test driven. The worst part about test drives is that the cars are almost *never* allowed to warm up fully before they are driven. And what do people do when they test drive sports cars like the Z? Rev 'em up!

That's why I bit the bullet and special ordered my car rather than finding one on a lot somewhere. Must... remain... patient. In the end I'll be glad I did, but it's hard to wait. It's like rental cars. I would *never* buy a rental car. Talk about abused.

 

HEHE My first post

I just purchased my DB 04 touring this evening, so excited!

As for the engine brake-in, I've also read articles from GP and motocross bike tuners that have dyno'd bikes with a "hard" break-in and those with the "factory" recomended break-in routine. Most have found engines that underwent the "hard" break-in routines, like those listed above, consistantly had higher output with no loss in durability or longevity. It kinda makes sense. You want to seat the rings on the pistons relatively fast so that scoring of the cylinder wall is kept to a bare minimum (ie no loss of compression). The "hard" break-in routine will accomplish this.

I'm the first driver of my new Z with 13 miles on it, 5 of which are mine from the test drive. I'm doing the "hard" break-in routine with an oil change at 1000 mile followed by a synthetic change at 5000 mile.

 

I like the idea of a medium to hard break-in. Mine had 8 miles on it when I bought it. I'm shifting between 4-5000 rpms. for the first 200 miles, then I'll start to play a little higher. I'll run syntheic oil after the break-in, maybe the second oil change. I'd like to see the video of the assembley line and loading them on the boat.... I'm sure those guy's are careful not to over rev our cars.

 

here's how i broke my engine in.

started pushing it past 4k rpm around 600 miles. progressively increased rpms up to 5.5k rpm thereafter. around 1000 miles started driving close to redline. 1100 miles i redlined racing with a friend.

here's my dyno sheet: maybe this will help you make a decision

 

hmmm...nice numbers inova

how many miles were on the car when you bought it?