Exige S running in??

[purdy84]

I know this has no doubt been asked many times before...tryed the search but with no luck..

Im collecting a new Exige S in a week and just wanting to know what the recommended procedure is.

Maximum revs for a number of miles etc?

And in particular will I be fine sitting a 70ish for the 400 mile drive home from the garage??

Any advice appreciated!

Ta

[LivinLaVidaLotus]

400 miles @ 70 is a no no, long periods of constant revs aren't good for running in. Here is what it says in the manual:

For the first 600 miles, use no more than moderate throttle openings (about half of the available accelerator pedal travel) and do not run the engine continuously above 4500 rpm. Occasional short bursts at wider throttle and rpm will be beneficial, as will a constantly changing cruising speed and making full use of the gearbox.

<snip>

After 600 miles have been covered, full throttle and/or maximum rpm may be used for short periods, but not until the 'After Sales' service has been carried out should full vehicle performance be exploited.

[zasker]

Had a similar problem when collecting my czr recently. Had to drive 400 miles mainly on motorway's . Did the first 60 miles on B roads and then just tried to vary the RPM and speed over the last 350 miles. I know this is the Lotus regime for running in and if anything went wrong it would be thier out from the warranty, but it is all a bit vague. What Lotus say and you i.e. "Occasional short bursts at wider throttle and rpm will be beneficial" could be 2 totally different things.

[999]

I had the same problem when I collected mine from Bromsgrove last year. I tried to keep off the motorways and dual-carriageways as much as possible on the 200 mile journey home. IIRC it took me about 6 hours, but I didn't mind one bit ! As others have said, the most important thing is to vary the rpm and don't let the engine labour in any gear. If you have to use motorways, in 6th you can vary the speed between 60 and 90 mph by using 3,000 and 4,500 rpm, so there's plenty of scope to stop the engine sitting at a constant speed.

However you get it home, enjoy it - there's no feeling like driving a brand new car...

[purdy84]

Cheers for the advice guys, looks like its going to be a long drive home.

AA route planner says 9 hours 17 min drive home avoiding motorways!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Skyman]

I'd ask the dealer to deliver.

[purdy84]

Skyman said:

I'd ask the dealer to deliver.

He did say he would deliver, but after bending the deal and getting more stuff thrown in for free, driving lmps etc. He then said he wouldnt be able to, as there was not much margin left.

Dont know how true this is, but it wont cost me to drive down because I have a company car/fuel card and the drive home will get half the running in done I suppose...

[Boggy]

purdy84 said:

Cheers for the advice guys, looks like its going to be a long drive home.

AA route planner says 9 hours 17 min drive home avoiding motorways!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At least you'll have it half way there

Boggy

[redevil]

You won't exceed 4500 rpm at 70 anyway so i would have thought the motorway would be OK. If you vary your speed a little on the motorway i wouldn't have thought you'd have a problem. 9 hours of B roads could be good fun though!

[Phil-CH]

purdy84 said:

Skyman said:

I'd ask the dealer to deliver.

He did say he would deliver, but after bending the deal and getting more stuff thrown in for free, driving lmps etc. He then said he wouldnt be able to, as there was not much margin left.

Dont know how true this is, but it wont cost me to drive down because I have a company car/fuel card and the drive home will get half the running in done I suppose...

Follow what has been said above. There's not much you can do wrong.

Remember though: The engine isn't the only thing that needs running-in - the gearbox is one of them too. Be extra careful when the engine/oil is cold, as it is quite difficult getting into the gears. Don't apply too much force and just take it easy when shifting during the entire running-in procedure. If you do it correctly, the gearbox will be a dream to shift once you can use the car to the fullest - if not, the gearbox may become inaccurate etc.

Also take care to brakes and tyres. Both are new and need time until they produce the best result. Just take it easy and treat it like the car should and you'll be fine.

Cheers Phil

[LivinLaVidaLotus]

Mines still a bit of a sod from cold shifting, especially 1st and 2nd. Once it's wamred up though it's as smooth as you like.