Break In Period

[Modfever]

What's the latest thinking on break-in period? How long (miles), does and don'ts? I find it hard not to tach this car up.

[romerom]

I was told to try to keep it under 4k RPM for the first 1500 miles.

[nKhona]

oops...I've blown past 4K a few times...ok a lot of times. Going to try my best to keep the lead foot light till I hit 1K.

[Yimbie]

I took it to 7k today. >< I was merging on the freeway and a truck was almost right behind me so I had to push it. It was only for like 2-3 seconds though. Other than that, I've kept it under 4k. I don't plan on doing that again.

- Yimbie

[likwidfuzion]

According to the owner's manual, during the first 1200 miles:

Avoid driving for long periods at constant speed, either fast or slow. Do not run the engine over 4,000 rpm.

Do not accelerate at full throttle in any gear.

Avoid quick starts.

Avoid hard braking as much as possible.

[Yimbie]

Umm... I broke the first one, second one, third one (due to first and second ones), but not fourth! I'm still good! lol BTW... does anyone know what brake dust looks like? Does it get on the car AND wheels?

- Yimbie

[romerom]

I have broke the quick start and accelerate at full throttle rules.

My 1st day with it I drove it a little hard a couple times to see what it was capable of really.. since then, I've been doing my best to keep it under 4k rpm. There have been a couple times that I've not been paying as close attention and hit 7? I need to chill... really!

[Skiddles]

<500mi. no wide-open-throttle(wot), vary speed, no hard braking. After 500mi - Drive It Like You Stole it!!

[2shogun]

Umm... I broke the first one, second one, third one (due to first and second ones), but not fourth! I'm still good! lol BTW... does anyone know what brake dust looks like? Does it get on the car AND wheels?

- Yimbie

Brake dust is a grey colour. It looks like a light film on the finish of (usually) the wheels and can also extend along the bottom edge of the body. Like a mud streak. naturally, if you keep the wheels cleaned up it will not have time to travel onto the car body. People keep telling me that if I were a less agressive driver I wouldn't use the brakes so often but the what's the sense of owning a g37 if you can't drive it the way it was meant to be driven.

[Yimbie]

A friend told me that the engines are already broken in at that factory and the break-in period in the manual is only as a safety precaution. So it's still best to follow the break-in period rules but if you make a few mess-ups, it should just be fine.

- Yimbie

[sahiwal007]

what do they mean by Avoid driving for long periods at constant speed, either fast or slow?

[carman63]

what do they mean by Avoid driving for long periods at constant speed, either fast or slow?

I'll take a guess. Vary your speed (and engine RPMs) by driving no more than say, 10 minutes at a given speed/RPM, then increase or decrease a bit.

If you drive in heavy traffic (Washington, DC) this is pretty much 'typical driving'

[D Apocalypse]

I'll take a guess. Vary your speed (and engine RPMs) by driving no more than say, 10 minutes at a given speed/RPM, then increase or decrease a bit.

If you drive in heavy traffic (Washington, DC) this is pretty much 'typical driving'

amen to that! exactly the reason why i settled for auto instead of manual although it would've been nice, semi-auto does its job. i haven't really done a good job of 'breaking in" my car either and already have 600 miles on it. i've already hit pass 7rpm quite a few times already. oh well, after 39 months i'll be getting a new one.

[bigpei]

From what i know a sports car supposed to be driven like one. not that i am saying punch it light to light. during the break-in period for maybe for 1500-2000 mies you want to drive normally not passing 4k rpms but you do want to get it up there once in a while so the pistons can sit right. my friend has had a porsche 911 then an aston martin vantage both cars he did so advised from other owners and techs and they seem to run great. but this is still my side of the story hope it helps a little

[Alvecchio]

This seemed like a good introduction thread for me *wave*

First of all, I'm new to this forum and don't yet have my G but as soon as my Evo is sold i'll be part of the family.

I suppose one shold explain what actually happens during engine break in and why you do it to better understand why the rules of break in are what they are.

First and foremost, the main goal is to "seat" the piston rings against the cylinder walls. To do this your trying to basically work them back and forth almost wiggling them through the film of oil that is normally on them. This is done best at low speeds since higher rpms have a tendency to glide over the film rather than break through it. Also, at higher rpms, you risk "glazing" the ring. This will create a very hard edge that will not seat into the wall of the cylinder. One thing that they don't usually mention but is a very good practice(especially with the manuals) is to do a good amount of engine braking too. Accelerate quickly to 4k then let the engine come down without using the brakes. This puts load on different sides of the ring and gives it a more uniform seat.

If break in is not one properly(a couple times punchin it is no big deal) the rings will not get a chance to seat will not seal combustion in the cylinders as well, thus decreasing compression, horsepower, and fuel economy. This is usually done best in the first 500 miles though many people like to keep break in habbits til 1k-1.5k.

Also, full throttle acceleration dumps a lot of fuel into the cylinders, especially while the engine is just warming up. This can create washdown of the oil on the cylinder walls causing the rings to actually scratch them. Keep throttle to about 75% max an 50% when the engine is still warming up.

The brakes require some break in as well. They call it bedding. What you want to do is make light but long braking at first then slowly increasing brake pedal pressure each time after. If you stomp hard on the breaks before they're properly bedded you can glaze the pads. Same idea as the piston rings, it makes a burnt hard surface that won't grab the rotor as well.

One thing that would also be a good idea is to change the oil more frequently durning break in. On a motor with 0 miles on it, I'd change it at 20 miles, 500 miles and 1500 just to be safe. Your engine sees the most wear when its breaking in so more metal will find its way into the oil when its new. This isn't absolutely necessary but for people that are anal about break in(myself) its a good idea.

In a nutshell...

Vary engine speedsKeep under 4kEngine brake or coast oftenLight and long braking at firstChange oil after break-in.

Hope this was informative enough that it makes sense now. Enjoy.

[DC G-Man]

I inquired about the break in period to the Mechanic at my Dealership and he said its not a big deal with this car. No Redlining for sure but he said drive it like I would just consider doing the oilchange at the first / soonest interval to get any "shavings" etc. out just in case.

Just hit 3k and it was infor a new oil and filter. The dash interval for oil change came on, they forgot to reset that one. The intervals on the Nav display have been "set by factory" but dont have labels (Reminder 1, Reminder 2, etc. only) for what they are for. Still reading the manual for it but does anyone have a readers digest version on it?

Thanks

[Alvecchio]

I inquired about the break in period to the Mechanic at my Dealership and he said its not a big deal with this car. No Redlining for sure but he said drive it like I would just consider doing the oilchange at the first / soonest interval to get any "shavings" etc. out just in case.

Just hit 3k and it was infor a new oil and filter. The dash interval for oil change came on, they forgot to reset that one. The intervals on the Nav display have been "set by factory" but dont have labels (Reminder 1, Reminder 2, etc. only) for what they are for. Still reading the manual for it but does anyone have a readers digest version on it?

Thanks

Yea I don't know about the mechanic. I'm sorry but the mechanics of engine break in don't cease to exist inside the G37. Technology isn't THAT good. Its probably true that it will still drive without any kind of "problem" but you should still break in any engine like shown above.

[37butters Infiniti G-Spot]

Wouldn't it be a shorter/easyer break-in, if any, since they use a synthetic blend oil from the start, if any? Plus the 48 hour break-in they do at the factory.

[dmkozak]

Wouldn't it be a shorter/easyer break-in, if any, since they use a synthetic blend oil from the start, if any? Plus the 48 hour break-in they do at the factory.

What?? The factory fill is conventional motor oil, not synthetic. In fact, this engine family has, historically, a slight trait of consuming oil. Therefore, many recommend not changing to synthetic until you have enough miles to know if you have a consumption problem. Also, with 3,750 mile change intervals, full synthetic might get a bit expensive.

[TESLAASTRO]

just curious......what is the benefit of a synthetic blend oil vs conventional oil?

[ArEs23x]

That I've been told its easier on the engine and it makes it last longer. They also informed me as well that its better for keeping your car cooler so it preserves more HP.. I use synthetic on my car over regular oil

[Zonk]

I'm not as familiar with auto engines as industrial equipment but on a lot of industrial equipment you break in on mineral oil and only change to synthetic after the break in period. The synthetic oil does not allow the parts to "set" or wear in as quickly.

[ragusg]

I'm new to the sport car scene, I agree it's best to be keep it below 4,ooo RPM's for the first 1K miles. But, it won't hurt to rip it up a bit. These cars are made to be driven hard, the engineers anticipated that when they designed these engines. So have fun and push it, but don't burn it. And if all else fails, there is alsways the extended warentee

[96max2fast]

If it's leased, who cares!!! If you own it, take care of it!!!

[Magellan]

If it's leased, who cares!!! If you own it, take care of it!!!

Don’t you have any empathy for the person who eventually buys that car? Or is it “screw him, that’s not my problem"?

[UNV-IT46]

Not my problem. I didnt g

Don’t you have any empathy for the person who eventually buys that car? Or is it “screw him, that’s not my problem"?

Not my problem. I didnt get my car to worry about who has it next. Thats like the people who buy clear mats to put over their carpet ones. come on who are you protecting them for? the next owner. So you have to look at ****ty plastic mats so the next person can say oh look pretty mats for me. no, its my car i will do with it as i please. granted i take extremely good care of my cars, i broke my car in properly and i change my oil every 3k. but i'm anal...

[Magellan]

I’m glad to hear you take good care of your cars, and I agree with you on the clear mats. But what I was trying to convey is that abusing a leased car is not a nice thing to do. After all, it will eventually be someone else’s problem, and perhaps contribute to higher leasing costs in general after re-sale values go down if more original drivers do this. We don’t live in a vacuum, and in the long run it becomes our problem. It’s a perspective I have that comes with age.

[UNV-IT46]

I’m glad to hear you take good care of your cars, and I agree with you on the clear mats. But what I was trying to convey is that abusing a leased car is not a nice thing to do. After all, it will eventually be someone else’s problem, and perhaps contribute to higher leasing costs in general after re-sale values go down if more original drivers do this. We don’t live in a vacuum, and in the long run it becomes our problem. It’s a perspective I have that comes with age.

I guess if thats the way you see it i cant knock your opinion. But in my eyes i pay for my car therefor i can do whatever i want to it. If i boost the stock block to 600hp or spray it to hell and turn it back in stock when my lease ends so be it.

[schenkp]

I personaly like to drive my cars hard and always have, the breakin period for me last until the moment i drive it off the lot then.... all hell breaks lose...