Fast-lad

Hi

New to this forum, I picked up my new toy on tuesday morning (STI 330S). Whats the best running in period for this car had 6 miles on the clock when i got it.

How many miles should i go steady for and at what RPM range

Thanks Jamie

Suberman

Hey Jaime,

Nice car by the way!

I've heard of many different theorys to running in a new engine. Some have adviced to run it like you stole it from the start while others have gone with babying it up to about 2-3000 miles.

I personally followed what some engine builders recommend. Which is to progressively build up the use of rpms and boost, and also letting the engine coast down in gear to promote even wearing of the bores.

This is what i'm doing for my Spec C.

0-100km - up to 3000rpm (First oil change. 5W-40 mineral oil)
100-200km - up to 3500rpm
200-300km - up to 4000rpm
300-400km - up to 4500rpm
400-700km - up to 5000rpm
700-1000km - up to 5500rpm
1000-1300km - up to 6000rpm
1300-1600km - up to 6500rpm
1600-1900km - up to 7000rpm
1900-2200km - up to 7500rpm
2200-2500km - up to 8000rpm

When i say up to xxxxrpm, i don't literally rev it up to that range all the way for 300km! Just in case you were wondering.

I've read almost everywhere that it's important to vary the rpms and also to coast down in gear.

Good luck!

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

The 1000 miles as stated in the book and dont exceed the 4000 rpm also as stated in the book, vary the revs when the car is warm, dont sit at constant rpm for too long, fluctuate it. After the 1000miles have an oil change then gradually increase the RPM's over the next 100 miles or so by 500 rpm, do this for every 50-100 miles until run in properly, by 1500 miles your car should be nicely run in

Tony

Splitpin

Read this, it's a far more appropriate running in process for modern close tolerance engines than any of the "time-honoured traditions", Suberman's included:

Break In Secrets--How To Break In New Motorcycle and Car Engines For More Power

Change the oil and filter immediately after following one of the three variations of those instructions and you're done. All that increasing RPM by 500 every hundred kilometres sounds nice and methodical but there's precisely zero science behind it. Your engine will run better if you give it full beans very early on, as explained above.

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Like the guy said, its a controversial method, personally my last new car with just a panel filter, run in the conventional way was pushing 40bhp above its book figure on the standard map think that says most of it, more to it though, on a new car I would do longer distances to run the car in and get the engine hot but follow what the manufacturer put down, amazingly they seem to know what they are talking about as they have to fix the engines that quite happily seem to do 150-200k before being rebuilt, dont think its that bad otherwise

Tony

SunnySideUp

Can I question this?

Mineral Oil??

Surely it should be Semi-Synthetic?

Throwing it in there as I would hate the new owner to put unsuitable oil in such an expensive car!

dazzaturbo

alwas thought it was 1000 miles then a service

Splitpin

It's only "controversial" because it runs contrary to a received wisdom established many decades ago when engines were assembled by hand with much wider (and less consistent) tolerances than would now be the case, and because to most people the topic of "running in their new car" is something they do infrequently and want to do properly, so it becomes a largely emotive issue rather than a technical one.

As above if anyone can come up with a scientific background for a gradual process of the sort provided by Suberman on a modern engine, let's hear it. In most cases I suspect there's little more to it than "it sounds right" and "that's what everyone does".

Depends, you don't know what it'd have been doing had you run it in in the manner outlined above.

I've done it that way on a number of engines and I know others here have used it too. Worth asking around.

Don't know, do you have any legitimate involvement in a thread that doesn't require a resident troll?

Not during the early stages of running mentioned by Suberman, no. Most running in oils are mineral based. Although if I was going to follow the method he's outlined, I'd change it at least a couple of times more prior to reaching the 2000km mark.

SunnySideUp

I read the listing as the mineral oil is used on the first oil change - as that's what it says (so, not the running in oil?)

trio

iTrader: (1)

Very interesting this thread, as i am also running in a new forged engine, the advice given to me by API was to take it easy for the first 1000 miles, no more than 4000rpm and low boost allowing the rpm to rise and fall gently, which completley goes against the grain to what is said in the link on this thread.

Its hard to know what and who to believe regarding running in as everyone has a different method, of course everyone wants there new engine to run perfectly especially when spending thousands on a rebuild or new car, if there is truth in what is mentioned in the link it would be too late for my engine now as im nearing the end of running in.

It was mentioned to me by david at API that they did around 60 miles before i picked up the car with new engine, i would be very interested to know how the engine was treated within these first few miles, i think il be picking davids brains when i go back for the remap.

Thanks Tristan

hatchmania

My new STI was run in, 4000k rpm maximum for the first 1000 miles then in for a service - I put fully synthetic 0w-30 for this service and now, at 2500 miles I am running it pretty much as it will be driven.

Just about to get PPP etc fitted too now it is "run in".

Brian

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Oh! get the 0w30 out and go for a 5w40 fully synth, that 0 rated oil sucks and so does the 30, no scoob should run a 0 (cold) rated oil, EVER!
Actually, just stick with a 10w40 semi synth for the first 5k miles until the car is properly run in, putting a fully synth in too early can do more harm than good.....

Tony

APIDavid

iTrader: (4)

A number of years back we sent a newly built car to a mapper for a run in map to be fitted. It went on a trailer.

3 hours later said mapper called up to say that it was on its way back and had made ' Good Power '.

PANIC !! What do you mean good power?, it's supposed to have had a run in map....

OOOOOP's !!! I've mapped it full up ! " But it only had 6 miles on it before it came to you !! "

Well, It sounds good, no problems, no loss of oil pressure, no overheating, We'll have to wait and see and if its a problem, we'll work it out David.

That car has never missed a beat, we don't see it any more these days, but it behaved perfectly.

It was a newly built forged / steel 2.0 But it only had once round the block - 6 miles - before getting really worked hard.

But of course the engine was built by API........

David

APIDavid

iTrader: (4)

As Tony says Get that 0W30 out now, don't even drive it to the shop to buy the oil, go by bus if you have to.

We recommend nothing lower than 10W40 and no higher than 15W50.

Certainly never 0W of any sort in a Subaru turbo.

I am serious here.

David