ScoobyDooMe

I have an STI8 PPP, my dealer has told me to run it in, i.e. under 4000 revs for the first 1000 miles and then oil change and blah blah blah and let it cool down/ run for 1 minute, before switching off.

The funny thing is, I have also got to know the dealer quite well. This is the second car I have bought from him and I have since found out that a best friend of mine is also very pally through his wife (i.e ex-next door neighbours) also knows him very well,

Anyway, since then (over a few beers) he has told me that it was a load of sales pitch and ****e, to make the new owners believe that you have something that is important and special.

I'm curious, has anyone else heard the same contradictory thing!

How many other turbo marques say the same thing, friends of mine with other turbo marques (i never mentioned rallyart) also have the same experience!

Any thoughts?

chris's scooby

My thoughts which i've said b4 is that the dealers demo cars r driven very hard, ie at over 4000 rpm from very early on in their lives.

That said i've always stuck to it as i feel it is best for the car, also giving me time to get used to it!

Oh and u do need to let it cool down for the sake of the turbo, if u don't and it has been driven hard the oil will carbonise on the turbo bearings.

Maybe the beer had got to him!?!

Chris L

Go for a blast in your car and then turn it off straight away. Repeat for a few weeks - see what happens to your oil. Ask yourself is that a good idea?

Anyone who runs a turbo charged car, as Chris says above, would be wise to let it cool down after a hard run to stop the oil cooking.

Running in is a manufacturer thing. Modern engineering tolerances mean that I would suspect that it is less important than perhaps it was years ago. That said though, I'm not an engine designer, so I'm happy to take their advice for the sake of 1000 miles. Don't remember anyone saying it made them feel special because they had to run the car in - more frustation that they couldn't use the performance!

Chris

DJ WATTS

And i supose all the top companys that sell turbo timers are talking ****e also...

That being Blitz, HKS, Greddy etc etc lol

As for running in the car i would still rather be safe than sorry if i had to do the new car run in jobbie!

hugo

There was a thread on here about 6 weeks ago that had a link to an American site detailing proper running in techniques for both bikes and motors. I can't find it again (maybe some of you can). It made for very interesting reading. Basically said that 90% of the important running in was done in the first 20 miles. The guy (an engineer of some sort) gave a schedule of revving of the engine which sounded very scary. Big revs for sustained periods of time in an engine that had done 1 mile or so. Intelligent sounding (I repeat 'sounding') justifications for this, including optimised polishing of the rings against the cylinder sleeves etc etc. Then an oil change at 20 miles and some more graduated revving over the next hundred miles or so, followed by more oil changes (each change with different oil viscosities). After that...blast! Was supposed to make a tremendous difference to both the longevity of the engine and its abilities r.e. power and torque profile for the rest of its life. Made me feel better (slightly!)about buying an STi PPP demo with 1800 miles on it! Would be interesting if anyone could find this again. As I said I've tried and failed.
Hugh.

Johnny WR1

You mean this one, I guess?

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

WR1 Bro

Well put and very true! How boring is 4k rpm!

RoosterRoo

Do people understand that it is not JUST the engine that is running in during this first 1K miles. There is a whole drivetrain, suspension, brake setup that needs bedding in as well. IMHO taking it easy for the first part of the cars life pays off in the future! Suppose it's a Karma thing

Red Man

Guys,

this link was posted a few months ago - it provides a good description of modern turbos, which apppear to have overcome many of the problems in the past.

So whilst I still allow some time prior to turning off the ignition I do not fret too much if I occasionally forget (MY04 STi).

http://www.powerengineering.co.uk/ac...tech.htm#turbo

Suresh

My (MY02) Forester turbo has no cool down warning whatsoever - nothing in the manual nor does it have a sticker to that effect on the door card.

I always let it cool after a full power run of course, but technically Subaru does not recomend or require me to do it and still gives me a 3 year warranty on these parts.

Do they expect Forester owners to drive like Miss Daisy is in the back?

Suresh

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

When getting my car back (Calibra Turbo) after a full rebuild.. love those melted pistons! I had the following running in period:

100 miles 2K revs, oil change
500 miles 2-3K max, oil change
1000 miles, 4k, no full bore (WOT), oil change
1500 miles drive as normal, oil change to the good stuff (Mobil-1)

Oh, and at no time in that period of low revs did the turbo even get a look in!

After looking at the oil as it came out each time, you could see why it WAS changed - it was BLACK even after the first 100 miles.

As to cooling the turbo - all you need to do is be off boost for the last 5 mins of the journey, and if you like run for 30 seconds when you pull up.

allywrx

You will probably find that most salesmen in car dealerships actually know f*ck all about cars at all with regards to engines and mechanical things.
Obviousley there are exceptions but in the dealerships I worked in as a mechanic that was the case.

Running in/ cool down periods should really be the case for most cars IMHO.

Sounds like the guy has a bit of a chip on his shoulder