I make sure I adhere to a motto "A Redline a Day keeps mechanic away" .

I have to admit in 50 years of motoring, I have never 'red lined' an engine. I don't drive slowly, but I bear in mind that the more times a piston goes up and down in a bore the shorter the engine will last.

Boring, I know.

Tony :think:

tony, aand yopu absolutely right. However, how long are you planning on keeping the car and what is more important for how long are the cars DESIGNED to last. There's plenty of talk, and actually I read about a court case, about manufacturesr (not of cars only) deliberately desing their products to only last a certain amount of time to make sure either repairs are needed or a new product to keep the business going. Things are not made the way they were 50 years ago, to last forever. The best kit I have is the oldest

vRS is a sporty car and one of the inherent things in it's DNA is the ability to pull all the way to redline. I am not advocating to change each gear at redline either. Everything in moderation as they say. It's like with your body, it is the healtiest when you push it hard from time to time but will get ruined very quickly if run at its limit at all times.

It is also recognised by the industry, especially with particle filtre diesels. I know a case first hand where person was driving a brand new car in a very gentle way (diesel with the filter) and car failed - it got bunged up so much it simply stopped working. Lawyers got involved when my friend got really annoyed by the dealr telling him that he did not drive his car correctly as it needs the loud pedall depressed more than 1/3 of its travel from time to time . As the law stands at the moement he got a new car.

I wrote about it as it is a good example why "blowing the cobwebbs off" from time to time is a good idea.

I know we talked about it before Tony and you do not agree with my "running in method"

As promised, little update after first trip to mainland UK from where I live.

My vRS usually trundles around at no more than 40mph due to my location, now uses around 100ml every 100 miles.

On Thursday, I washed, polished,hoovered, fueled up, checked coolant level, topped up washer liquid and most importantly added another 500ml of oil to get the level to EXACTLY the top of the hatched area on the dipstick ready for my mainland trip yesterday.

I covered 153 miles yesterday from start to finish and have just tentatively checked the oil level, well, it's dropped, but only about 2mm maximum, yay!!!!!

I wish I could do more driving of this style to confirm whether there is anything that confirms my own little theory that part of the issues of this car using oil is due to the nature it is used.

Any thoughts?

I have a CAVE vRS with no oil issues. Only added oil twice in over 2 years now. Car gets a gentle life throughout the week with SWMBO pootling around in it at normal speeds on her commute to work. Weekends different story with "cobwebs blown out" once I get my hands on it. If she complains I simply explain that the series of full throttle blasts to near the red-line are "essential maintenance procedure"...... Lol.

I suspect this mix of gentle use and sweaty workout keeps the car healthy and the oil issues at bay, not sure if this applies to the newer CTHE variant

As promised, little update after first trip to mainland UK from where I live.

My vRS usually trundles around at no more than 40mph due to my location, now uses around 100ml every 100 miles.

On Thursday, I washed, polished,hoovered, fueled up, checked coolant level, topped up washer liquid and most importantly added another 500ml of oil to get the level to EXACTLY the top of the hatched area on the dipstick ready for my mainland trip yesterday.

I covered 153 miles yesterday from start to finish and have just tentatively checked the oil level, well, it's dropped, but only about 2mm maximum, yay!!!!!

I wish I could do more driving of this style to confirm whether there is anything that confirms my own little theory that part of the issues of this car using oil is due to the nature it is used.

Any thoughts?

I think you're on the right track, to be honest. During the summer, in 800km my CAVE engine used 1/2 L over 3 weeks of about half to-and-from work traffic (30kph average); half freeway speed (60kph). It has since used approx 200ml in the last 1800km with 2x 200-ish km trips at constant 80-100kph speed during that period; the rest as above.

The other, perhaps even more important, factor in that high use period was the heat, 15 days of the 21 were 30+ Celsius, with 4 over 40 Celsius. The car was definitely heat-soaked a lot during that time, forcing me to work it a bit harder.

Over the first 7000 km the car used 2L all up, and just the 200ml in the next 1800, as mentioned. Hopefully, it's on the improve for good.

Edited 30 March, 201313 yr by OzFabia

Any more thoughts? Jabo I'm looking at you .

I pick the new motor up on Friday (fingers crossed) and still havn't decided how I am going to run it in. The other slight stitch up is I live on quite a steep hill so maintaining revs below 3500 will be quite difficult. I think I will probably drive as normal, allowing for the brakes, tyres etc to bed in then I will drive in my normal way (daily commute with the odd hack!).

Any more thoughts? Jabo I'm looking at you .

I pick the new motor up on Friday (fingers crossed) and still havn't decided how I am going to run it in. The other slight stitch up is I live on quite a steep hill so maintaining revs below 3500 will be quite difficult. I think I will probably drive as normal, allowing for the brakes, tyres etc to bed in then I will drive in my normal way (daily commute with the odd hack!).

#

I pick mine up tomorow, and will be taking it to "how fast" in 3 weeks lol..... :sun:

Modern oils are so good at what they do in protecting the engine, I don't think that they help the surfaces bed in. Drive it as normal and briefly stretch its legs once the oil has properly warmed up.

I run a car with an engine that has a reputation for getting through the oil, what it uses is quite acceptable and it started out life as a rental car.

Modern oils are so good at what they do in protecting the engine, I don't think that they help the surfaces bed in. Drive it as normal and briefly stretch its legs once the oil has properly warmed up.

I run a car with an engine that has a reputation for getting through the oil, what it uses is quite acceptable and it started out life as a rental car.

Totally agree , modern synthetics arent the best for letting surfaces bed in

I let mine warm up and was never afraid to spank it from new

I use this method

http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

Any more thoughts? Jabo I'm looking at you .

I pick the new motor up on Friday (fingers crossed) and still havn't decided how I am going to run it in. The other slight stitch up is I live on quite a steep hill so maintaining revs below 3500 will be quite difficult. I think I will probably drive as normal, allowing for the brakes, tyres etc to bed in then I will drive in my normal way (daily commute with the odd hack!).

OK, here's tha theory.

The most important thing initially is to bed the rings in achieving the best possible bores seal.

To do that you need to push the rings against the bores as hard as possible.

While doing so few things HAVE to be avoided, glazing of bores and overheating of rings and bores.

The only way of pushing the rings against the bores hard is to drive in such a way as to achieve the max pressure in the cylinder. This happens under 100% load i.e. 100% throttle opening. In 1.4 twinchargers the highest pressures in the cylinders occure at about 2,5k rpm where boost reaches 2,7-2,8 bar. High pressure gasses exert pressure on the rings from above and towards bore wall along perpendicular vector i.e. high pressure gas is between piston grove vertical face and the ring pushin it towrds the bore.

To avoid galzing motor must not run at idle any longer than it is absolutely necessary. If you stuck in trafick, switch it off or put in N and slightly rev the motor every few seconds without going over 3.5k rpm

To avoid overheating you need to keep the revs low but road speed high enough to provide enough air flow i.e. NSL driving is all you need.

Hence driving high gears and low engine rpm at full throttle. Don't worry about the hill, at 2.5k revs it has max torque and will pull you in any gear really, depending on the speed you choose. It wont be too happy in 7 at 30 mph . But you have paddles to change up and down as required.

I was apprehensive at first but it turned out to be very easy - like driving a diesel .

Race tuners swear by it and claim (I write claim as I've not seen it with my very own peepers) that well run in engine gains 10% in powwaahh department compared to not well run in motor. The above method I got "confirmed" from many sources, including books widely acclaimed as tuning bibles. So not only google warrior stuff .

Rings bedding is is absolutely crucial for the first 50 miles and from the moment you turn the ignition.

It is not to say that if you do not do it your motor will be crap or something. It will just not be as good as it could have been had you done the running in .

You do that for 300-500 miles.

Then start getting your revs up when oil is at full working temp. This phase is meant to releieve block casting thermal stresses. It is simple, get car to working temp, drive it at max loads possible for the conditions so the oil gets over 100C and then let it cool down on overrun until oil gets below 90C. Best would be to then switch it off and let it cool down to ext temps but this is not always possible. So after it gets below 90C then heat it up again.

I picked up my car on Saturday and I drove it like the above description back home where I unloaded kiddos and then went for 2hrs bedding in drive. I burned 3/4 of the tank in that time. I cannot remeber the miles I clocked but it was around 150 or so. Then I was doing the above during normal everyday commuting. Key is to leave large gap to the car in front of you and you will be fine. Driving this way is not smooth and constant but since you are not using brakes it is not jerky an annoying.

Many do not agree with the above saying that if it was necessary it would be in cars manual. It is not necessary but beneficial, a lare difference.

When rings are well bedded oil doesn't have to "work" so hard and rings blow by is reduced. Pots pressure retention is much better as well giving more power and better fuel consumption.

Totally agree , modern synthetics arent the best for letting surfaces bed in

I let mine warm up and was never afraid to spank it from new

I use this method

http://www.mototuneu..._in_secrets.htm

As per the link, well explained

However you chose to run in your new engine its in a new car.

So the tyres could do with a few hundred miles to run in and scrub off.

The Brake Pads and Discs could do with a few hundred miles to run in and wear in.

Hand brake cable is tight and there is a coating on discs and pads, so brakes can get hot.

The Bearings in your hubs, the suspension,springs, dampers, bushes, to wear in and soften off etc.

Sympathetic start in life to almost all mechanical objects can pay off in the long run.

And while running a new car, you are checking all is well, listen and feel how all is, tight.

that gives the engine a chance to get an easier life.

Check your own wheel nut tightness & check and set the tyre pressures and set the TPMS when you collect the car, before starting to run it in..

Enjoy the new car.

george

Thanks Jabo. Will try and give it a go. How long to you advise being on full throttle for in the higher gears? Just until it hits 2.5 - 3.5k revs?

The car is an automatic of you want it to be, on easy throttle its changing gear at around 2000 rpm in 'D', and on harder acceleration in 'D' at 3500-4000 rpm.

The engine will run in just fine.

You have one already, why not just drive the way you normally do when in it

george

The way I was doing it, when traffic and road layout allowed, was to be say in fifth (or 6th as any lower wes getting too high revs - however at lower speed limits 4th can be used) at just below 30 mph in manual and press the accelerator fully without switching the kick down switch until it got to 60mph or 70 mph. Then let off and let it slow down on overrun. I was dropping cogs as well so the revs stayed near 3.0-3,5k on overrun. On acceleration I was not exceeding 2,5k rpm. So yo ustay on full throttle untill you hit 2,5k rpm or speed limit in force if you are law abiding citizen .

I did my my initial running in on dual carriageways. As I said, it was easier than I expected really. I also predominantly did stay within speed limits.

@Richf

That link has some "half truths" in there as well. Something about porting where smaller ports give 7% power increase - only low rev range, top end will simply suffocate the engine. You are usually better off advancing cams with good lobes separation with well flowing ports and large valves than restricting flow by making them smaller...

Then Mineral Oils use for running in - most oil pros would not agree realy... Synthetics have much higher shear resistance and can "hold" additives better than Minerals. I am not entirely sure if Minerals can have "high Pressure ant shear " additives blended in - the stuff which protects the journals at high loads when base oil disappears under extreme pressure. They have also much higher temp degradation thresholds compared to synthetics.