Only once had the chance/duty to break in an engine, on a motorcycle (SV650). Stuck to manufacturer specified rev limits, warmed up and cooled down gently. Varied loads a lot and didn‘t shy away from open throttle - up to said rev limits. A year later the mechanic told me he‘d never ridden a stock SV650 that pulled so hard throughout all of the rev range. Seems I did well. Miss the bike.
Yep, similar story to my S2K, turns out it has more to do with quality oil like a Redline or Schaeffer's and less along the lines of a magic break in formula. A quality oil is needed for high RPM break in for trackday cars and such.
It's actually amazing how Goose will just be in the dungeon cooking up some hot gas no one sees coming. Just paving new ground all the time, making car content for the next generation, an absolute legend 🥺
Usually if you get like a 2 year old car the depreciation you save is actually more than the cost of a new engine after it dies at 200-400k miles(depending on the engine). After 10 years you can usually get an engine replaced for 10k or less. But average car ownership is only 8 years even though the average age of a car before becoming unusable is about 12-14 years. Shoot bought my original msrp of 29k top trim subaru legacy at 4 years old for 17k and now have it and it is 12 years old with no issues in sight.
@@Hallowsaw I’m not purely looking for longevity. I can’t stand the thought of someone else abusing the car, even if the damage is minuscule. I’m also considering the physical condition. I plan on taking delivery, immediately polishing the paint, sending it in for ppf, and ceramic coating every surface. I have OCD so this kind of stuff really matters to me, even if it doesn’t make logical or financial sense
I really liked the distinction in this video of tight tolerance exotic engines versus a bulletproof commuter engine. Sometimes people have this engine break-in conversation comparing apples to oranges.
A few years ago, I got a new Fiesta ST. There was an engineer on one of the sites that had a break in guide. Lots of oil changes, and off throttle coasting down hills, varying speed. Run through the gears slowly with in gear coasting to get oil to the top of the cylinder bore. Made sense to me then, will do the same with my WRX if it ever gets here. Timely video, thank you!
One of the best break is procedures I’ve ever heard. I have a 2020 wrx from new. It’s really worth being the first owner of a wrx. I changed my oil at 250, 500, 1000 and 2000, before switching to a 3k mile interval. It’s amazing how much dirt/metal particles were in the oil. After the 1000 mile change it cleared up completely. Im hard on my car and I don’t want oil it it too long so 3k miles works for me.
I also watched some video long ago by an engine builder. He also said that "gear coasting" aka "engine braking" was important for proper seating of the piston rings... especially important on Subies.
Got to speak to a master Ducati tech about this back in the day and I've followed his advice ever since. 1. No high load at low RPM (don't lug the motor) 2. No high RPMs before the oil is up to temp 3. Ride it don't sit it! (Vary the throttle position, shift gears, vary loads and bed in the brakes, etc.)
I've heard that exact same thing from multiple reputable sources. Varying RPM is a big one people forget; Buying a new vehicle and driving it on the freeway home for 3 hours without changing speed.
@@Josh-cw8by- as much as it may sound like a lot of miles, it ain’t, in the grand scheme of engine life. It’ll be fine and isn’t the end of the world. 🤷🏻♂️
All Important. I was told similar info. In addition - For the 1st 200 miles use the vehicle for six times. That is use the car following all your other criteria - but also go to operating temperature then "DEAD COLD" a total of 6 times. (so 6 - approximately 33 mile each sessions - operation temp to full cold) The idea is that cycling the vehicle this way helps with break in. I've broke in a dozen engines this way.
And no idling to get it up to temp, for more modern engines just drive it low load and low RPM slowly. Depends on temperatures around the area you are driving, the oil you are using, usually 30 minutes to get it up to temp to properly heat soak through all the components.
Thanks for making these informative and technical videos with industry expert interviews, they might not be as highly viewed as the hottest new CUV grocery getter, but the engineers and nerds appreciate them. Do you use a specific oil for the track or does it vary car to car? Any plans for another live stream? Thanks for consistently making the best automotive content on RU-vid
Varies car to car and for a not highly modified, street-legal HPDE car. Fresh oil your manufacturer recommends is usually good enough. Some 'racing' oil like Amsoil or redline use different chemical compositions that make it lubricate metal better. We use amsoil in our modified miata racecar with good success on oil analysis. Either way if you're worried about your car, get an oil analysis and that'll tell you 100%.
I bought a 4age corolla new in 1990. I picked it up from the dealer and once warm flogged the shit out of it constantly hitting the limiter in 123 for around 10klm. Parked it let it cool for 6 hours took it out again and did the same for 20 min. Next morning loaded it up on a motorway at 3-4000 for 30min. 2 friends bought the same vehicle and did a moderate baby break in. End result with all cars running same oil/fuel was mine being 3 car lengths ahead by the end of 3rd on a stupid number of red light comparisons. TL;DR flog the fuck out of that Yammy!
I’ve seen some videos on this and basically found the same idea. The mechanic also said that it’s best to get your first oil change at 500-1000 miles regardless of what the manufacturer said. That’s exactly what I did. Baby it for a few hundred, drive normally for another few hundred, get an oil change in the 500-1000 mile range and you should be good to go.
Wish he would have addressed this more - I’ve read that engine oil from the factory has special additives and changing it too soon is not advised, and I’ve also seen your theory.
I’ve been breaking in bikes, trucks, cars for myself for a long time. I do the same 500-1000 miles first and another 1000 mile second. Never had one piece of equipment or vehicle use oil, that I have owned, and 5k oil changes. Don’t listen to the 10k+ oil changes.
Great video, I hope more people watch this! My father used to be an engine builder as a career back in the mid 70's, he did oil testing for a company called Lubrizol. He's still builds small block V8's from time to time but now that he's getting older he doesn't do it as often ( I have some of his words of wisdom about engine building (and videos) on my channel and I encourage people to listen to him, as people like him are a dying breed some what...). When he used to build V8's back then, they would do what was called the "hemi break-in" and that was to put the car in fourth gear at about 30 miles an hour and put the throttle all the way to the floor to about 110 mph. He told me that they would do that 10 times change the oil and then the engine was broken in and good to go. Of course that was back in the day. I'm a big believer in heat cycles and varying RPM so that you're not lugging the engine and you're not spinning it to the moon either. And then I think it's very important to get oil out as soon as possible to get rid of all the casting flash. I have done this with pretty much all of my new vehicles, dirt bikes, and engines that I've built with my father and everything has always been fine. I've built Japanese engines (Mazda, Honda, Toyota) and domestic V8's as well. And I do the same type of break-in and haven't had any issue. I think the key is heat cycles driving it easy with varying the speed and then dumping the oil as soon as possible. Modern engines are built to very close tolerances and a lot of times I feel like the components break in extra quick And it seems that engines are ready to roll a bit quicker these days. I feel like everyone has a method... I guess this is mine. Thanks again for everything that you do on YT. You guys are an asset to the internet.
Your father was correct. The primary break-in issue is seating the rings properly. To do this you need maximum Mean Effective Pressure in your cylinders, that's what high gear full throttle accomplishes...
Breaking in a new car... an increasingly rare event per capita these days. You guys sure you understand your viewers? Joking aside, great content and very informative. Thank you!
I really respect the idea of doing it right even if you lease the car. People worked very hard to create something you have the privilege of driving. If the car ends up with a new owner later in its life, you will have done something honorable and good for them. Perhaps even saving their family money and headaches.
You basically said everything my 2018 wrx owners manual said to do. Manual states: 1000mi (or 1400mi I forget) vary load, stay out of boost if possible, don’t lug, don’t run at high rpm. Oil temp gauge is legit my favorite feature that it has. It’ll hit 220* on a very hot day just driving normally. Cooling is an issue for this car but I don’t track it so not worried about it too much. Plus I like seeing my oil temp on colder days. Stay out of boost till I start hitting the upper 170*s. Nice to see how slow its temp comes up compared to coolant temps which is much faster. 110k miles now on it and it burns no oil (at a discernible level anyway).
I always did just the way it was explained in this video in all of my cars in the last 30 years. If it was later tuned I halved the oil change interval. I always used premium oils. And in all those years I never had excessive oil consumption to top up the oil, no leaks and no problems. So yes - it works just like you said here.
I've only owned 2 brand new cars, but I also religiously followed common sense break in procedures and had no engine related issues for the life of either. Car makers make most of their stuff user friendly and as idiot proof as possible these days (pre broken in engines for one) but it still doesn't hurt to take care of your expensive shit. I mean a car is most people's second biggest purchase money wise.
@@jbm0866 yes a manufacturers cars will run fine probably even to 100k with no problem even if you don’t break them in at all or even warm them up in cold weather, however I do believe 100k 150k 200k is when those differences will really start to show on a engine that was probably broke in.
Loved this episode…as an old school car guy, I always follow the break in theory with any new car and do the first oil change at 1k miles, again every 5k there after. Grandfather taught me best even with todays engine tech
Thanks savagegeese for this great video again ! You are the best in your field really ! Car enthusiast myself I bought many new cars for the last 25 years (German cars and now only Japanese: Honda) and I still always do a 500 miles break-in, wait for the engine to get warm before reving it and I change the oil every 5000 miles. An oil change is cheap and an engine is expensive to replace voilà ;) Keep charging ! Best regards from Québec Nic
Since high school (1987) I have had a dream car. That is the BMW M3. The car was amazing and no chance in hell I could get one. Fast forward next week I pick up my 2023 BMW M2. I have never spent this much money on a car. I have owned many new cars. I am driving this car 900+ miles home after delivery. I am a bit stressed about this break in process. Thank you for this video. It is going to be a dream ride home! I am like a 18 year old again and my dream has come true. This video could not have come at a better time for me. I intend to do all the right things to do my best to make this perfect on my huge trip home.
I did the 1500 recommended miles for my 23 BRZ. They recommend 6 or 7 thousand for an oil change. I change it around 3-5 depending on my driving because I live in Arizona, AND I drive it pretty hard. I get free dealer oil changes for a year, and they don’t cap me on how many. So it’s nice I can come in early if I wish.
To break in my 2022 Toyota 2.5 four-cylinder, I didn't brake hard, accelerate hard, use the cruise control, or drive over 55 MPH for the first 600 miles. Then I went on a 600-mile round trip, using my cruise control on and off. I then changed the engine oil at 1290 miles on the odometer and drove it normally. I follow this up with an oil change at 5k miles and every 5k mile increment after.
Great content, thank you!! I purchased my 2012 VW Jetta (2.5 Liter inline 5, naturally aspirated) new & took delivery off the truck (so, no "test rides"). I drove it on a country highway (30 - 75 mph) that passed through many small towns 3-4 times (so 3-4 100 mile trips) during the first 2,000 miles. 11 years & 130,000 miles later & the oil is tan colored after 8,000 miles. Regular oil changes @ 10k miles, per factory recommendations & I never need to add any oil between oil changes.
Cool insights on bearings, I really didn’t think there was much to wear in with respect to those these days. Odd you didn’t mention piston ring seal though. I thought that was more or less the #1 thing the break in was trying to get right.
Cylinder bores are finished far better now than in days of yore, but the lore is still with us. The amount of folded and torn metal on the cylinders walls is far, far less. A number of short WOT applications in the middle of the RPM range when fully warmed up will get the job done.
I was told by an engine designer at a major auto company to drive modestly like your doing your driving test, driving both city and highway for the first 1,000 miles then change the engine oil and again at 3,000 miles. After that you're all good. Now the REAL question... How to maintain a modern automatic transmission and fluid changes?
Perfect timing for this video. I just picked up my 2023 Mazda CX-9 GT today. What you said totally confirms what I was doing coming back home from the dealership. I really appreciate what you said and all the work to make this video. Thanks tons!
I'm with you on 90% of this topic. Except for oil change intervals. Yes oil is far better than 20 years ago. However, direct injection engines are very hard on oil, they always push some fuel past the rings and dilute the oil in the crank case. That thins the oil and causes it to gas off and then be burnt through the PCV. A turbo DI engine is even worse. I wouldn't go past 7500k miles in any DI engine. A turbo Equinox or Honda CRV oil cap smells like a fuel station at 7k miles.
I was thinking the same thing 8-10k miles is absurd and definitely don't try 15k. Ask dealership techs how they get customer cars with dead engines at less than 50-60k miles. I always stick to the 3-5k mile range. I wouldn't think of changing oil early as wasteful but I think of it as "insurance" for your engine. I guarantee if people follow 10k oil changes they are asking for problems down the road if they want to keep the car over 100k.
@@NoahHeadglitch it has always been the world we live in.Back in the 80's owners thought that oil changes are optional.I was asked by many neighbors to check their oil level because the oil warning light came on.When asked about their last oil change they looked confused.I lost count how many times the oil turned into dark slime.
I just purchased a new 2024 Mazda CX50 2.5L Turbo. The manual states this for "Break-In Period": 1: Do not race the engine. 2: Do not maintain one constant speed, either slow or fast, for a long period of time. 3. Do not drive constantly at Full-Throttle or high engine RPM for extended periods of time. 4. Avoid unnecessary hard stops. 5. Avoid full-throttle starts. 6. Do not tow a trailer. So good advice and matches mostly what this video says 👍
Another channel recommends changing oil at 500 and 1000 miles for break in then going to 5000 mile ones as the longer intervals are for life of warranty not the overall longevity and running.
Great advice! I purchased a new 2019 VW Arteon 3 months before Covid hit. Needless to say I wasn't putting tons of mile on it for the first 6 months of 2020, 2K miles to be precise. I did short trips around my town at lower mph but purposely took her out on the highway to run her at 60-65mph to heat up the engine thoroughly as well. Changed the oil at 2K miles and she's been stellar since getting 37.8 mpg on road trips.
Goose, thank you for this outstanding presentation. Very timely because we just got a new car and it was kind of fuzzy in the owner's manual about how to break the engine in. Now I know how to drive it in its owner-formative stage.
Best Car channel for years on end. I love your more in-depth videos. What a masterclass of an actual informative video without all the clickbait. I love this channel
Excellent video and great comments in the comment section. I'm buying a new car this week for the first time in almost 18 years (absolutely stunned at the prices, btw) and needed this reminder. The last car I bought new in 2007 was carefully broken in and meticulously maintained by me. It has 288K miles and still running perfectly, no oil burn or leaks. I intend to get the same use out of this new car... fingers crossed. Thanks for the content/info
I've always done gentle break ins & slowly increased speed & loads & allowed casual warm up & cool down cycles & changed oil after 1000 miles. I even ran high phosphorus royal purple break in oil in all 3 of my inverter generators before switching to synthetic. I work my vehicles hard, especially my company vehicles & live in a climate with sub zero temps for 5 months a year.... I've never had any engine failures in any engine I've owned. None blow smoke or burn/leak.... proper break in is as important as regular maintenance...
Great video SG. Valuable to the wealthy enthusiast to the npc consumer! Even many "normal" engines are high performance engines by yesterday's standards. With the added complexity, internal pressures and tighter tolerances, even a seemingly disposable commuter or workhorse type vehicle deserves some thought towards its initial break-in and future maintenance in my opinion.
I researched my new car before I got it and did a break-in routine in the first 200 miles or so, and it has been brilliant ever since (100,000 miles now).
I used to race a Honda RS125, which was a 125 cc 2-stroke single made by HRC. The motor reached its lofty ~37-40 peak hp around 10,500 rpm and had usable power between about 9,500 and 12,000 rpm. The HRC manual recommended changing pistons every 300 miles, which didn’t leave a lot of room for breaking it in 😊
@@Josh-cw8by cross race bikes 4t have roughly the same the requirements. If im not mistaken a co worker had also a 400 or something similar KTM or whatever and it was 50 hrs of runtime on the piston? He pushed it to 80. All by memory but pretty strict req. imho
What I really love about your channel is that you are giving us a way to actually hear from the engineers that have had a hand in designing the cars we drive.
I'm a big believer of proper engine break-in. I particularly like to do a lot of downhill engine braking. I usually don't do the full 1000 miles and change the factory fill at around 500 miles. I'll probably do an oil analysis around 5k-10k miles to check on things.
I'm a mechanical engineer. For heat protection, all the alloys chosen in an engine are made to not be close to the temperature where it would lose its heat treatment. The first 1000 Km break-in is used to make all moving parts fit into one another by making them scrub one against another. Due to the metallic residues and the machining burs that can end up in the oil before the parts have polished each other, it's better to keep the engine at low rev to prevent any cylinder scratching from those residues. That's also why the oil needs to be changed after the first 1000 Km. Back in the days during the American big four reigns, the engine parts tolerance had bigger range tolerance so if a big piston was put in a small cylinder then yes it would take a few thousand miles for the parts to ajust to one another. But thanks to the japanese perfectionism, the manufacturing tolorence got more and more precise at an afordable price making the endless break-in period absolete.
@@ShainAndrews "Doing an engine break-in used to be a standard procedure with new cars. And it’s still the case that you should avoid running the engine at high RPM for the first 1,300 miles. Experts recommend a maximum 3,500 rpm and 90 mph in diesel models and 4,500 rpm and 100 mph in gas models." Literally from BMWs website
In the last year I've purchased 2 new vehicles, I like doing my own maintenance and changed the oil in both at around 1000kms, after looking at the oil filter in both and getting blackstone reports I would absolutely recommend an after breaking oil change l, the amount of metal in the oil and filter was shocking. I can't imagine leaving that for 5-10,000 more kms
Thank you for releasing this video right as my brand new 2023 4Runner has 100 miles on it! No one got to test drive it, I took delivery with 3 miles on the clock. I was planning on keeping it below 4 grand for the first thousand, just for the peace of mind. I'm looking for 300,000 miles out of this powertrain.
@@ConnorPawlowski I highly doubt it. I doubt anyone gets their jollies redlining the most appliance vehicle ever. Even if they did, some idiot dealer employee getting 3 of those in is better than 20 buyers test-driving it and each going for 3 a piece.
It’s refreshing to hear someone speak intelligently about modern oils and their capabilities. So many people are stuck decades in the past regarding oil quality and its longevity.
Great video. One comment is the 0w oils will actually thin out LESS at elevated temperatures because of the higher viscosity index. The quality of the viscosity index improvers comes in to play, because then those may break down at higher temps, leaving you with a 0 base oil instead of a 5. Consider Mobil 1 racing oils are 0w-30 and 0w-50.
I've always just let the engine warm up (oil, not just coolant temp) before beating on it or revving beyond 4K or so. But when it *is* warmed up, I have no qualms about using all the revs. Engine braking is something I just do all the time anyway. Every car and motorcycle I've owned have been 100% trouble-free engine-wise. One did burn a bit of oil, but that engine (Peugeot EW12J4) was known for consistently drinking oil right out of the factory, like the Alfa Twinspark. I don't think it's complicated, just use the engine under varying loads and don't be afraid to use it.
Such a useful video! What an eye opener. I would always for being safe and comfy with the new car, never pushing it, being kind for the first 700 miles. This is a completely different philosophy and makes sense. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for posting this! I’m just finishing the break in period on my new Tacoma and about to do the first oil change! Glad to know I’ve been doing it right!
@@DB-qm4jx I just did it a few days ago at 1000 miles. Found some small metal shavings in the oil filter housing but that’s normal for break in. My plan is to do it next at 5000 miles, then every 5000 miles after. Toyota says you can do it every 10000 but oil is cheap and I plan on keeping this truck as long as I can.
Thanks for this very informative and useful video. As far as the oil evaporation in 0W20 and 0W16 and other eco oils, I can definitely confirm that they have more of a tendency to evaporate and to be consumed by the engine. With the 9th gen Honda Accord 4 cylinder engine, there was a technical service bulletin for the entire VIN range for the 2013 model year on the issue of excessive oil consumption by the engine. There was a problem with the oil control rings on the pistons. I noticed on my new car that the engine was consuming oil before the first oil change. I used the recommended 0W20 for the first oil change, but the engine kept consuming oil, so after that I went to 5W30, and the rate of consumption dropped significantly. The consumption problem got worse over time, but I documented obsessively how much oil I was adding between oil changes. So at 101,000 miles, even though the car was out of warranty, American Honda agreed to pay half the $5,000 to replace the engine head, including pistons and rings. If it had just been an automatic, I would not have bothered with the engine rebuild, but I love the 9th Gen manual Accords, so it was worth the $2,500 out of pocket for me. But yeah, there was much less consumption with this engine by using 5W30 instead of 0W20.
It’s pretty thin. It is the weight that Honda recommends in Civics and Accords. It improves mpg slightly, I think is the reason they recommend it. But I don’t care for it.
We did more than a few of these m, especially in CR-Vs - baked rings syndrome, as I called it. One of the CR-Vs actually melted the side of piston from the excessive combustion temp. Other than that some burned valves and seats. One more thing, for some reason cars with manual transmission seem to have less engine problems than the automatics. One of ladies after we changed the rings and had the machine shop do the head, comes for 5w-30 oil change every 6k km and this engine has no issues at all. Others, start burning oil after 2-3yrs of use. I would rather like to see Honda switch to 0w-30 since it can take extreme heat better than 5w-20 oils.
Good advice. My son is a mechanic and rebuilds engines. He does advise even with new cars to change the first oil after 500 miles and check for metal sparkles. Highway driving stresses oil less than city. He hates 0w20 recommends 5w20 or 5w30 for Subarus.
I read years ago a dirt bike/ motorcycle engine rebuilder with hundreds of rebuilds suggested majority of all the principles stated in this video. He suggested replacing fluids sooner than 1000 miles. More or less drive 20mi in different loads and rpm ranges, replace all lubricants. Engine, tranny, diff, ect. Then do the same thing at 1000k miles. He did mention one absolute variable for longevity of a motor i took to heart. And that is to never drive a car on high loads or revs until the oil comes up to temp. I haven't had any issues in the 10 years of owning my e30 using that principle. With a block that has over 220k on it. Driving hard or not.
I've owned a lot of cars from a C5 Z06 to a GMC Sierra to Subaru STI to my Current Audi A5 and my break in ethos has always been the same: avoid redline and hard launches for the first 1000 miles I also slightly modulate engine load on the highway and do the first oil change a tad earlier than the manufacture recommends.
Yes. I have always did the first oil change at around 1000 miles. I've never had an unreliable car or motorcycle over the years. I don't do any hard accelerating until the oil actually is warmed up. It can take the oil longer to warm up than the coolant. I've seen a few exotic cars that were pushing out blue smoke when accelerating. That's oil burning. Too often I seen some owners of exotic cars run their cars hard from the first start of the day. I know it's nice hearing the engine is running up to the higher rpm. But they should take it easy until the oil is warmed up.
Looking thru a magnifying glass at my oil filter in my 2021 tacoma after 600 miles there was material. Very very little but enough to be happy to give it a couple of early oil changes
It was a task in patience and restraint breaking in my ‘22 Supra. I gradually changed the “load levels” during the first 2500 miles before wailing on it, and I always try to cruise a bit for cooldown afterwards
Excellent, your car will thank you for it. I hope you keep it long term! I still have the first new car I purchased (2005 Audi A4 1.8TQ (B6)). I did the first oil change after break in, and the car was my daily for 13 years. These days I only drive it for pleasure, and I've always done a "cooldown" after driving it hard through out the car's lifetime. I believe it's helped with longevity.
Cooldown is a part many miss out! I never drive an engine hard for the first 20 minutes or so. I'm sure to drive at a reasonable speed first to get everything up to temperature before I start hammering it. If I have been driving it particularly hard, I will be sure to drive around a good 10 minutes or so "sensibly", to let the temperatures stabilize before shutting down. I tend to drive hard on the highway, so by the time I get to where I'm going it has already had the cooldown period as a result of driving slower through the city.
I live in chicago so weather is all over the place, depending on time of the year and so is my driving, highway local, pure local, pure highway, commute and road trips, and bought my car brand new and plan to keep it for its life, rule of thumb, found a good mechanic, that uses manufacturer suggested oil, used up my free oil changes and change the oil ever 5k miles, after changing it during the first 1-2k. After seeing what came out in my recent oil change, and already at 21k miles, I’m glad I’m sticking with this even though the manufacturer said I’m good for 10k. Rather pay the extra, and not have to think about it with occasionally taking a sample, along with in case life gets busy, and I don’t go exactly at 5k, I have some room, but wouldn’t go more then 1500 miles over 5k especially if I just came out of some mountain road trip driving, just my opinion
As a retired engineer who spent 32 years in a Fortune 500 company in its R, D & E organizations, I have come to this conclusion in regard to engine break-in: it really doesn’t matter how you do it. I say this for the following reasons: 1. I have yet to see a research paper discussing engine break-in and showing actual tests of engines broken in using different procedures and then being torn down for comparison. If anyone knows of such research, please share a reference. So, I take everything I hear, even from auto engineers, as being nothing more than anecdotes. As we used to say at work “In God we trust, all others must bring data.” I have yet to see actual data comparing break-in procedures. 2. I have owned probably 30 engines during my life in cars, trucks, and motorcycles. I have broken them in a number of different ways from babying them, to following manufacturer’s instructions (which can vary a lot) to the “run it like you stole it” approach. I have seen zero difference in engine life, oil consumption, etc. from one technique to the other. I have come to the conclusion that the natural manufacturing variation in engines makes more difference than does the break-in procedure. Given the above, I just drive a new car like I plan to drive the car or ride a new motorcycle the way I plan to ride the motorcycle without worrying about any particular break-in procedure. Until I see actual credible data that suggests a given break-in procedure makes a measurable difference, this will continue to be my procedure. My only exception is that I generally do one early oil change at the 500 - 1,000 mile point just to ensure any residual manufacturing debris or initial wear material is removed. Some manufacturers still recommend this, but most no longer do. Most engines are pretty clean from the factory so this is probably overkill, but it isn’t that expensive to do one additional oil change even if it isn’t truly necessary.
@@BlueInOrangeAgain Not everyone owns only one engine at a time like you. I currently own 4 and have owned 6 at one time in the past. If you own 4-6 at a time over 50 years, that is a long time on each engine, assuming you have sufficient math skills to figure that out.
You are right. A lot of guys will say "I do x, y, and z and I've NEVER had a problem". Well, that's meaningless unless you had a second car on which you did NOT do x, y, and z and it had problems.
My GTR tuner (Will Taylor: Go Turn Stop LLC) told me essentially the same things. He bought one of the first R35’s in the country and has been building, tuning, and maintaining / fixing dozens for all sorts of owners at different power levels. He said he still has not come to any definitive conclusion based on almost 2 decades of working on the same engines that every R35 has.
Funny Ive had mechanics remark that my high milage from new engines are in remarkable condition something they rarely see . Proper inital break in and timely oil changes and filters are the major reason and they agree...that is all the data I need and I am not an engineer .
Followed this advice for breaking in my new Tesla. I'm currently getting 2,000 miles per charge and there's absolutely no vibration coming from the battery's crankshaft. Thanks, SG!
I did an engine break in with my 23 Ford Bronco with the 2.7. I took it in to get the oil changed. The lady looked at me like “you’re wasting your free oil change at 1100 miles when the oil lasts for about 6000” “I told her I was doing an engine break in on it. She looked at me confused
You put together the best information for this topic, especially when I heard silicon from RTV causing the aeration. I was working with other colleagues at GMPT doing about 3 month long study found strong correlation between silicon and aeration on small block V8 engine， and found synthetic oil is more forgiving the influence from the silicon. As result, that engine’s factory fill oil was changed from mineral to synthetic oil to avoid valve ticking noise resulted from the aeration.
This is literally the best break-in video I've seen and I regret not finding it as my first one! I JUST got a new car last week, a beautiful 2024 Prius named Nyla We're just under 375 miles and I've tried really hard to vary the speeds between 40-60mph every 5-10 seconds because I live in a major Highway area - there's not as much 35mph driving here? Now I'm super worried that putting her mostly at those higher speeds above 45mph has cut down on the life of my car!
Varying load is what I do with all my cars break ins. Same now with my new FL5 Type-R, except that for the winter at 1000 miles I switched to 0W30 Amsoil Signature oil, and now at 4000 miles after the winter will be using 5W30 Amsoil Signature oil. The car is moving from PA to FL soon, so will stay on 5W30 from now on. There's definitely a difference between 0W20 and 5W20, or 0W30 and 5W30. The NOAK for the 0 weight oils is over 8%, while for the 5 weights its at or below 5%.
The only thing that should be happening during break in, is the rings seating to the cylinder walls. There is a very short window of time for this to happen before all the peaks and valleys are knocked down on the cross hatch of the cylinder. During this time you will achieve the best results by applying increasing amounts of load and RPM followed by periods of engine breaking. Load in cylinder forces the rings outward into the cylinder walls and beds them into the crosshatch, the engine breaking helps clear the microscopic engine particles. 90% of this brake in window is achieved within the first 50 miles. If you do not put enough load on the engine during this period you could end up glazing the cylinder walls and not making as much compression as you could have, resulting in less power and lower fuel economy. The differences in break in procedure probably would not result in a difference that the average person could detect but it is measurable. This will work whether you have a grocery getter or a race car.
It was years ago, so finding the resource is likely a no-go, but I remember I found a blog post once from an ex-NASCAR tech, talking about exactly this. Their investigations found that the only "break-in" for engines was the first start, until oil pressure built. The claim was that >90% of the particulate contamination (not from combustion elements) occurred during the first 10 seconds after the engine was first started. Their official position was to run whatever lubricant you were going to run for the life of the machine, first start let pressure build, shut it off and drain it. Refill the engine, run it in the expected environment (ie drive the machine the way you are always going to drive), and change the oil around some hours (which I did some math at the time and came to the conclusion that ~500miles for the "first" oil change was about right). After that, use it, drive it, do the oil/filter at standard intervals. Good to see a video on this platform with some facts and research. I would like to see one about "bedding" in brakes. I've got me an anecdote (same NASCAR tech) about those too.
I've rebuilt several engines. It wouldn't kill you to change the oil and filter after 500 miles. The rest of the advice sounds like what the rebuild manuals said and makes perfect sense.
"It wouldn't kill you..." But is it necessary? I've purchased new cars from various manufacturers and held onto them for 15, 16, 23 and 25 years. I followed the manufacturer's oil change schedule and never had an oil related failure. In my experience those who push the opinion that the first oil change should occur around 500 miles are purveyors of snake oil and should be summarily ignored.
I like to change the oil and filter after the 1st week. And, cut open the filter. You would be surprised how much junk like metal shavings are inside brand new engines, even high-performance ones.
Where I live in West Virginia is the perfect break in area. I’ve owned dozens of cars of all brands and have never had a oil burner. Going up the mountains with moderate pedal getting 8 mpg and coasting the same amount down the other side with no throttle get 80 mpg. Plus varying engine speeds is no problem as no road around me is straight enough to stay at any rpm for long.
I bought a new Corolla and did an oil change at 1000 miles, just to be safe. Toyota says it can wait untill 10k, which seems kinda crazy to me. I could easily be wrong, but the early oil change was good for my peace of mind.
The Car Care Nut channel recently did a full engine swap on a Camry because the owner thought the 10k recommended by Toyota was enough. He recommends 5k.
@@nikodominiko I think the problem is that a large portion of drivers actually fall into "severe driving conditions" which require more frequent oil changes according to the manual, but people think that since they don't go to the track that they automatically don't fall into that category.
@@panzer_TZ I completely trust the car nut channel. My dad was a mechanic all of his life and he said the oil is the blood running through your car. If you make lots of little short stop and starts of your vehicle there is such a thing as condensation. Yes it’s always good to change your oil sooner than later. 10,000 miles is way too long if you want to have longevity of your vehicle. there has been many videos where people have made multiple short trips and have taken their vehicle to 10,000 miles between oil changes and it looks like there is chocolate milk in there oil. Yes that is condensation build up. Do yourself a favor and just change your oil every 5000 miles. Yes oils have evolved, but there is always condensation to be concerned with.
if memory serves right... in Honda motorcycle manuals, there is a section for breaking the engine in for my CB600FA, it was : - let the engine sit for 20 secs after turning the engine on and right before shutting it off - make sure you vary engine speeds - make sure to shift smoothly but often - stay under 5000rpm for the first 500kms - increase rev range by 1000rpm every 100kms after that - do one full throttle all the way to the red zone run once before turning the bike in for its first 1000km oil change I did exactly that and I have to say... the engine was the smoothest I'd ever had the joy to listen to 😀
I bought a new 2021 Rav4 (gas) a couple of years ago. I went to the extreme to break in that 4cly engine. I Followed the break-in steps and changed the oil at 1200miles, then 4200miles and now every 4000miles. That engine today, is quiet, smooth and really pulls hard for a 4cyl (no turbo). Never go the 10k miles recommended by manufacturers. 5K max oil changes, if you plan to keep the car. I've worked on cars as a hobby for 50 years, never had an engine failure of any kind. (30+ cars by many different manufacturers). Oil changes are the key to a healthy engine.
As someone on a list for a GRC, first and probably only ever new car I may own, I really appreciate this video, Mark! The more I looked into this on forums, the less clear the answer became to me. So many different opinions, but very little to back them up. Thank you for making this! Love your content!
I've been watching engine teardown videos. Turns out oil is important. I have been spending the extra money and time to change it out every 5k even if it's too soon
Outstanding video that should be helpful for a lot of people out there that had this on their minds over the many years and new car experiences. Thank you very much. And to the commenter Vuk, there is a part of me where I was thinking the same thing. I am picking up my 2023 Golf R sometime in May/June, and will be driving it about 645 miles back home. I would try and vary the rpm loads and speed as much as I can tolerate on the 10 hour journey, but if I were to really pay attention to this break in process, could probably benefit in making it a two day journey back home.
Most owner's manuals have self conflicting guideline when it comes to break-in period. They'll say there is no special procedure. Then they'll list a bunch of items that are recommended to follow. Also, when you buy a new car from the dealership, there's a good chance that the engine has already been wrung out by idiot salesmen and/or customers during test drives.
That is why I ordered my vehicle as an "in-transit" unit, so it is already spoken for. In theory it should hit the dealer lot with 0 miles and shouldn't be driven until I pick it up. We'll see.
When I bought my S2000, I asked the previous owner if it burned oil - He said no (and I didn't believe him). All these years later, I discovered that it was a dealer demonstrator vehicle. I suspect it was thrashed at the beginning of its life and achieved a good ring seal!
I know someone who thrashed a Toyota Starlet P9 on Autobahn daily almost from the first day, and people remarked that it sounds and behaves like a racing engine.
To say these don't have tight tolerances is WRONG! I worked for 18 years in metrological labs that actually test these parts against their specs. I repaired the equipment that measured these parts. I worked for nearly any automotive manufacturer you could think of. Many of the tolerances on these are measured in microns (.001mm or .000039"). Many manufactures check every cam and crank that comes off the line now. When you get to surface finish your looking at a thousandth of that (.000001mm)! This is getting down to the electron microscope level. Everyone says, so it's like measuring a piece of hair? I always would say, "I wish!" A micron is about 1/20th the width of a piece of hair. However, the engines are designed to meet the tolerances going out the door. But make no mistake. ALL these engines are extremely tight. This is why they run hundreds of thousands of miles.
Two months ago I bought a 2023 Corolla SE with 8 miles on the clock The manual said drive it "gently" for 681 miles. I made sure to vary my speed, didn't lug the engine, didn't use cruise control or go over 65mph. Once I hit 700 miles I started being a bit more aggressive but still careful. I'm now at 1,700 miles and the car runs great.
