Tips for breaking in a brand new engine?

[kennyc]

What would happen if you dont drive it in properly?
Im just driving it normal, easy for a bit then manual mode and thrash it.

Like will it stuff the moter down the track? Not that good with cars and never bought a new car before so not sure.

[WhiteJames]

In my younger days, I’d head out to the speedway and watch the ‘blow-up parties’. Basically involved putting a brick on the accelerator of an old vehicle and leaving it sitting stationary at full rpm. Most blew up between 2min-5min.

With modern day manufacturing methods & close machining tolerances, giving your ride a hard time may not damage the motor excessively, esp. if the motor is receiving plenty of cool airflow to dissipate the heat. Having said that, vehicles that have been thrashed from new & on a regular basis always seem to have motors that feel tired. With the GTI being turbo, have to be careful not to glaze the bores, otherwise as the article states, excessive oil consumption. Similar thing with ECU retune too soon coupled with flogging it - aka piston ring flutter. In in the hands of an average driver, the motor may not completely loosen up untiil 20,000km.

In respect to the turbo FSI – I’d say you’d want to be on boost for majority of the time. The extra compression of the turbo boost, which comes on at 1700rpm for max torque in the MK6 GTI, will help separate the piston rings, forcing them into the bores. When off boost, as the article states, the piston rings are not doing much, just along for the ride.

For those that have to drive on the highway for initial run-in, I initially did two trips from Sydney to Canberra, mostly on the Hume Freeway with revs sitting around 2700rpm @ 110kh. The revs couldn’t be varied on the freeway as much as I’d like, but the freeway was undulating, creating plenty of load on/load off in the motor. 2700rpm seemed like enough turbo boost for an adequate run-in procedure. In less than four weeks, I travelled @ 5,000km with trips to Jindabyne, Bathurst, Newcastle, Caberra and Wollongong. Most drives were touring and it was winter time, so the cool dry air helped, I guess. Didn’t touch sport button or paddles up until just before 5,000km (3.0 – 3.5 weeks after collection). Last trip from Sydney to Brisbane plus day trips (2,500-3,000km) in my old MKV GTI had the GTI not using any oil at all (47,000km odo). Most turbo motors will use more oil than NA vehicles, esp. around town & when worked hard. My neighbours R32 uses no oil compared to the GTI.

I’m in two minds about initially doing a RNP run from Sydney to Wollongong immediately after delivery of the MK6 GTI. A Royal National Park (RNP) would be good to vary the revs and I may use the paddles for this drive this time around, after owning the MKV GTI giving me plenty of practice with the paddles. But RNP is 60kph and 80kph zones. The speed limits may not be high enough to add sufficient load on and off to the motor.

The same trip via the Sydney to Wollongong freeway has speed limits that range from 50kph to 110kph with plenty of peaks & valleys to load & unload the motor, a higher average speed, more varied speed limits along the way, and additional airflow may provide more beneficial for the rings to the mate to the bore.

Also undecided if I’d take it up the Macquarie Pass in the same trip – 20min of nothing but steep ascents with the occasional plateau to give the motor a rest. Wait and see.

Cheers.
WJ

[hooba]

I don't understand your concerns about the speed of the RNP run, as speed and load are two different things. My take is that it would be an ideal trip for a run in, plenty of gear changes across a number of hills. As for the 80km/h limit, you may know something I don't about how heavily this is enforced.

That said, like you said modern manufacturing methods of engines mean that the importance of the run in period ain't what it used to be. People probably worry about it more than they should (how many demonstrators are carefully run in?), and the biggest danger is babying the new engine too much.

[WhiteJames]

Debunking myths: Follow the owners manual?

In respect to the earlier 1st article - Motoman's logic (mototuneusa.com) - about 300 rebuilds & running motorcycles/snowmobiles, someone decided to investigate this with GM, Ford & Honda engineers to see what their opinion was. Bear in mind motor vehicles heating & cooler is not as pronounced as that of a motorbike or snowmobile:

Car & Engine Performance - Technologue Editorial - Motor Trend

Here is another article about running in a aeroplane that takes consideration of cool air and giving the motor some intermittent load occassionally:

Engine Break In - Shell Aviation

Glazing in a nutshell:

Stealth 316 - Engine Break-In

Synthenic oil use & break-in:

Synthetic oil during engine break-in? Here's what the oil manufacturers say... | Roadcarvin Magazine

Old school break-in:

How to "Break-In" Your Newly Rebuilt Engine

My considerations for running in a motor: Load, Revs, Air-Temp & Humidity, Gear Ratios & Speed.

Thrashing the vehicle in lower gears revs the motor, but does not neccessary load it up as the lower gears allow the motor to spin up easily. Higher gears, like 4th gear that may be around 1:1 will make the motor work harder per revolution of rear wheel drive. Important not to labour the motor with too high a gear at lower speed limits (60kph). Higher speed limit will allow for higher gears & therefore higher load on the motor, without over-revving with the advantage of more cool air hitting the intercooler/radiator/engine. Similar to riding a bicycle in its lower gears, peddling fast, but not going anywhere is not that difficult on your legs. Labouring the motor would be like being in too high a gear on the bicycle & when trying to ride up a hill - not good either. Staying in a higher gear at faster speeds should ensure the motor relies on torque rather than power, therefore creating higher loads, help forcing out the piston rings - everybody loves a torquey motor. Nobody likes a speeding ticket. RNP and Old Pacific Hwy around Brooklyn Bridge have many deaths, albeit most are motorcycle deaths; these areas are very much patrolled.

Cheers.
WJ

[WhiteJames]

Motor Tune USA article

Interesting points raised in the first link above re: Motor Trend:

1. MotoTune USA claims are unverifiable in that motors may have a power/torque deviation of 2% to 10% from the factory.

2. Microfinished bores, high tension rings, precision build tolerances ... form an excellent seal from the factory; power improvements from break-in may be miniscule.

3. Bench Test - if the first 20 miles is crucial to mating the piston rings to the bore, why wouldn't the factory undertake this job.

Cheers.
WJ

[night_flight]

Brand New Car Care

Hi
I was just wondering for anyone who got their new car, if they were instructed from their dealers how to drive their car within the first few months or 1000km. For instance not to over preform the engine, wait for the engine oil to warm up b4 u drive and so on....or is it just drive as u d do any other day?
Let me know

[Syd118TSI]

Check out this thread for LOTS of information on it.

Breaking in brand new engine

A few conflicting thoughts, but there is a few common points that most will agree on.

[Christopher]

Here you go...

Tips on breaking in a new engine.

[kennyc]

Hi
I was just wondering for anyone who got their new car, if they were instructed from their dealers how to drive their car within the first few months or 1000km. For instance not to over preform the engine, wait for the engine oil to warm up b4 u drive and so on....or is it just drive as u d do any other day?
Let me know

My service department guy and my dealer both said drive it normally or like you stole it.
Im basically driving it normally.

[Maverick]

Hi
I was just wondering for anyone who got their new car, if they were instructed from their dealers how to drive their car within the first few months or 1000km. For instance not to over preform the engine, wait for the engine oil to warm up b4 u drive and so on....or is it just drive as u d do any other day?
Let me know

RTFM would be a good start as it covers this in detail along with all the features of the car and how to use then.

[Guest1306]

RTFM would be a good start as it covers this in detail along with all the features of the car and how to use then.

Diplomatic, I like it....

[night_flight]

My service department guy and my dealer both said drive it normally or like you stole it.
Im basically driving it normally.

thank u so much kennyc....for ppl who posted "RTFM" well thanx for being so "nice" in your responses still waiting for the car tho.... Thanks guys for pointing out the other forum topic .

[JordanNaumov]

Wow i never intended to create such a beast of a thread.

If anyone has just jumped on the ass end of this thread i think it would be extremely beneficial to go through and read every post. Even though there's been a lot of opinions shared i think the most important and fundamental tips keep repeating which for me, make me feel a whole heap more confident for when i get my GTI.

Thanks to everyone that contributed!

[Maverick]

thank u so much kennyc....for ppl who posted "RTFM" well thanx for being so "nice" in your responses still waiting for the car tho.... Thanks guys for pointing out the other forum topic .

Seeing as you can't run the car in why don't you wait for the car, read the numerous threads on this matter and read the manual when it arrives and make up your mind if you're going to follow Volkswagen's instructions or those posted by someone on the internet who thrashes their cars.

[G-rig]

Rtfm......

Agree there are heaps of threads on this.

My last car didn't use any oil and neither has the new one yet. Chances are it will be run in anyway before you get it so not too much to it (but just drive it normally without babying it)..