Ruining a run in?
Discussion
Hey Guys,
I’ve recently Purchased a new ST fiesta, I have tried to take it easy during the “run in” process but have got carried away about 10-15 times, I.e full throttle up to about 5k revs (never red line). The car has always been warmed up and has now covered 400 miles in total. Do you think this would really be detrimental to the car? I’ve read in some places hard acceleration for short periods of time can actually help the piston rings, so I’m slightly confused.
Cheers
I’ve recently Purchased a new ST fiesta, I have tried to take it easy during the “run in” process but have got carried away about 10-15 times, I.e full throttle up to about 5k revs (never red line). The car has always been warmed up and has now covered 400 miles in total. Do you think this would really be detrimental to the car? I’ve read in some places hard acceleration for short periods of time can actually help the piston rings, so I’m slightly confused.
Cheers
You'll have done it good.
Run in periods have nothing to do with engine protection and everything to do with you not binning your new toy.
The vast majority of running in is done by the factory and the guys loading and unloading it. You need high cylinder pressures to properly seat the rings or they'll glaze and you'll get less power and more blow by for the rest of the engines life.
Whenever I've rebuilt a new engine it's always had cheap oil and given full acceleration and deceleration runs as soon as it's warm, do that for 20 miles change the oil for good quality oil and the job is pretty much a good un.
Run in periods have nothing to do with engine protection and everything to do with you not binning your new toy.
The vast majority of running in is done by the factory and the guys loading and unloading it. You need high cylinder pressures to properly seat the rings or they'll glaze and you'll get less power and more blow by for the rest of the engines life.
Whenever I've rebuilt a new engine it's always had cheap oil and given full acceleration and deceleration runs as soon as it's warm, do that for 20 miles change the oil for good quality oil and the job is pretty much a good un.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
They'll rev the balls off it from factory to transporter, held dockside for a few days, started and more revving from cold, on the boat, off the boat, dockside again, started from cold balls revved, onto another transporter, at the dealer having the tits revved off it at every cold start from valet to pdi to final sale. All nicely run in for the new owner.. I agree with the others saying that what you're doing will certainly not harm it and, if anything, will help it. Gentle but varied running with a few instances of full throttle hard acceleration without reaching max engine speed and without labouring is pretty much textbook running-in technique
It's all largely academic these days, anyway. Modern engines are built to such good tolerances from such good materials and filled with such good oils (never mind the bench runs the engine gets and the test/delivery runs the completed car undergoes) that the difference between totally ignoring running-in and doing it properly is an engine that will 'only' last 150,000 miles instead of 300,000. It's not the 1950s where all the vaguely-sized bits of your new sidevalve engine had to get acquainted while they were haphazardly splashed with monograde mineral oil and if you didn't run it in properly you'd be pouring quarts of oil in the top every week and it would need decoking every month.
It's all largely academic these days, anyway. Modern engines are built to such good tolerances from such good materials and filled with such good oils (never mind the bench runs the engine gets and the test/delivery runs the completed car undergoes) that the difference between totally ignoring running-in and doing it properly is an engine that will 'only' last 150,000 miles instead of 300,000. It's not the 1950s where all the vaguely-sized bits of your new sidevalve engine had to get acquainted while they were haphazardly splashed with monograde mineral oil and if you didn't run it in properly you'd be pouring quarts of oil in the top every week and it would need decoking every month.
A1VDY said:
They'll rev the balls off it from factory to transporter, held dockside for a few days, started and more revving from cold, on the boat, off the boat, dockside again, started from cold balls revved, onto another transporter, at the dealer having the tits revved off it at every cold start from valet to pdi to final sale. All nicely run in for the new owner..
I hear this often mentioned, but is it actually true? I'm sure they don't pamper them, but do they thrash them of the boat or do they just drive them? I've been a Pilot in Southampton, watching new cars getting loaded and unloaded from Car Carriers is interesting to say the least.
Now obviously the company that moves cars have the usual disciplinary no-no's and drivers are expected to treat things carefully, but anything interesting gets a good 'blip' on the throttle, and they are driven briskly, time is money and 3000 cars to move requires and 'expedient' attitude.
They don't go doing burnouts and joy rides, but they most definitely get more abuse from cold than you would dish out on your new M5 or SVR Range Rover.
Interestingly all watches and jewellery are banned, and the overalls they wear have no pockets or zips, rubber button fastening, so no scratched leather.
Now obviously the company that moves cars have the usual disciplinary no-no's and drivers are expected to treat things carefully, but anything interesting gets a good 'blip' on the throttle, and they are driven briskly, time is money and 3000 cars to move requires and 'expedient' attitude.
They don't go doing burnouts and joy rides, but they most definitely get more abuse from cold than you would dish out on your new M5 or SVR Range Rover.
Interestingly all watches and jewellery are banned, and the overalls they wear have no pockets or zips, rubber button fastening, so no scratched leather.
I typically buy new and I always run in hard once warm.
I had a PD130 TDI that used no oil. I had two EA888s that used no oil. My current RS4 uses no oil. My MV Brutale uses no oil.
You get the idea.
Use the torque and the rev range as soon as you can. So many people are frightened of revving an engine but happy to labour the hell out of it for 1000 miles. Get it wound up!
I had a PD130 TDI that used no oil. I had two EA888s that used no oil. My current RS4 uses no oil. My MV Brutale uses no oil.
You get the idea.
Use the torque and the rev range as soon as you can. So many people are frightened of revving an engine but happy to labour the hell out of it for 1000 miles. Get it wound up!
MikeM6 said:
I hear this often mentioned, but is it actually true? I'm sure they don't pamper them, but do they thrash them of the boat or do they just drive them?
Yes. I did it for some extra cash over a couple of quiet periods when I used to live in Hartlepool 15-20yrs ago. Every shuttle run - there was 6 of us - was a race from parking line to the boat or vice verse. Good fun but pleased I was never going to own one of the cars.GeorgeWood said:
In this circumstance my dad works for ford transport and drove it off the boat himself so it definitely wasn’t revved to redline whilst cold! Just see too much literature about 3500 revs so I can’t help but feel guilty taking it up to 5k out of 6.2k revs
Honestly, unless you plan on owning it for 20 years you won't see a difference. Even then, it'll be component failure, rather than a dead engine that consigns it to the scrapyard.GeorgeWood said:
In this circumstance my dad works for ford transport and drove it off the boat himself so it definitely wasn’t revved to redline whilst cold! Just see too much literature about 3500 revs so I can’t help but feel guilty taking it up to 5k out of 6.2k revs
But who drove it from the factory to the holding yard, then again onto the transporter, then dockside before again being loaded onto the boat. It's already likely had several abusive cold starts and a few red lines. Unless you're going to actually drive it off the production line yourself no one can guarantee a new car hasn't been abused before it leaves the dealers showroom.
It hardly matters though as its got 3 years warranty and it'll likely be long gone before anything goes bang later in the cars life..
I'm sure it will be fine:- As has been said above, It's far better that you give it a full range of RPM's and loads (Whilst warm) than just lug everywhere.
I've seen plenty of STs at the local shopping center going from cold start to full minutes of redlining, and (Unfortunately) none of them have exploded whilst I've been there...
I've seen plenty of STs at the local shopping center going from cold start to full minutes of redlining, and (Unfortunately) none of them have exploded whilst I've been there...
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