Hello all!! I am about to be a proud new Mini owner and have a question. I'm sure there are already threads regarding this but couldn't find any. I'm also certain that my MA will cover this. But I'm overly excited. This is my first brand new car and I know I'm supposed to baby it or something for, what, 1500 miles? Is this correct? What is the proper way to break in my new car?

 

Congrats on your order! Unless the process has changed at all, I believe it's 1200 miles. During that time, don't exceed 4500 RPM unless necessary (to not get hit!), and 90 miles per hour or thereabouts... Also, try to vary your RPM as much as possible. After that, you're supposed to very gradually increase the maximum RPM at which you shift.

 

Thousands of answers out there... So here we go....I kept it under 4k for the first 500, and a fresh drink of oil at 1k. Others claim, "Drive it like ya stole it"!

 

I followed the owners manual recommendations. My owners manual said keep it under 100 mph and 4500 rpm for the first 1200 miles. Than gradually increase the rpm. Very the speed as much as possible. I have broken in all 3 Mini's I have owned as the owners manual says and have had no problems. I changed the oil at 2k on all 3 cars as well.

 

Well I like these answers. I thought I had to keep it under 55 for 1500 miles. That was going to drive me nuts!!!

 

Read this and see what you think.
http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

Especially when you get to the admonition: "There's a very small window of opportunity to get the rings to seal really well ... the first 20 miles !!"

 

Not sure that I buy it. Sounds like Internet hype to me. All the examples are for 2 stroke motorcycles not cars. For someone who has experience in 300 motorcycle engines I see no experience with car engines.

How many people change oil at 20 miles.

Yea, I'm not really buying too much of this. It may work for 2 cycle motors but even that has to be suspect.

 

+1

I see no relevance to our motors.

 

It's an interesting read. Some of it makes sense. Does seem geared toward 2-stroke motorcycle engines. I'll have to think about that. Still leaning toward keeping it under 4500rpm. You can load the engine well under that.

 

One thing not mentioned in the owner's manual that I did quite a bit of:

I ran the engine up to 4500 RPM in whatever gear was appropriate, and then let off the gas and coasted with the engine in gear down to the lowest RPM that I was comfortable running under the circumstances. (Usually ~2000 RPM, sometimes lower with no traffic around.) I was under the impression that this would result in pretty high vacuum in the combustion chamber, which should help the rings seat a little bit better. At least in theory.

I have no evidence that it actually did help, but it made me feel better. I suspect a lot of the break-in instructions nowadays are like that: Not a lot of effect, but they help the owner feel better.

I did follow the recommendation about keeping it under 4500 RPM (with one or two exceptions) for 1200 miles and then more gradually introducing higher revs. I celebrated 1500 miles by winding it up to the rev limiter.

 

On modern engines, i.e. aluminum bearings, roller cams, and low tension piston rings, no break-in of the engine is required.

It could be argued that a break-in period is only for the clutch, brakes and tires. However, you can bed in the brakes easily in a day and as little as 10 miles. The tires for all practical purposes, do not need to be broken in. And the clutch can take anything you can throw at it right away, short of a redline dump.

Varying the speed does nothing and hasn't done anything since the early 80's. Low tension piston rings are pre-lapped from the piston ring factory. The valve face and seat are ground at interference angles and will be broken-in with less than 20 minutes of engine operation. Roller lifters require no break-in at all, and neither do aluminum bearings, which all engines have had mandatory since 2000.

 

Aluminum bearings? Wow, I gotta get my automotive brain out of the 80s!

 

It was a government regulation to help stop lead pollution. Old tri-metal bearings contained lead and so every oil change had high levels of lead in the waste oil, and when rebuilding an engine, the old bearings were thrown into the trash. Millions of them ended up in land fills, and well, people used to dump waste oil on weeds or dirt roads to keep the dust down.

 

@nabeshin: very interesting. I actually have been curious as to the necessity of a break-in period on modern engines. Simply for my own peace of mind I'm sure I'll be a bit easier on it for the first thousand or so miles. But I won't feel bad when I feel the need to have. Little fun. Did you do any kind of break-in on your Mini? How has your car been?

 

Break-in is one of the most hotly contested topics on automotive forums. The problem is, EVERY argument lacks a true comparison between the same engine, broken in by 2 different methods, then driven in the exact same manner. People will "sound" like experts and talk about modern engine manufacturing process tolerances are tighter these days, requiring no break in. Others will say their engine uses no oil because they "drove it like they stole it".

Do we listen to random people on the internet, or the manufacturer? I'll defer to the latter until someone presents a solid line of evidence.

 

This point I will respectfully disagree with. Tires need to be driven to induce heat cycles into them and the rubber will eventually harden up a little bit through this process as well as wear off the mold release the tire gained from the manufacturing process.

From tire rack (many articles like these on there):

"Breaking In Your Tires

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Tires are comprised of many layers of rubber, steel and fabric. Due to these different components, your new tires require a break-in period to ensure that they deliver their normal ride quality and maximum performance. As tires are cured, a release lubricant is applied to prevent them from sticking in their mold. Some of the lubricant stays on the surface of your tires, reducing traction until it is worn away. Five hundred miles of easy acceleration, cornering and braking will allow the mold release lubricant to wear off, allowing the other tire components to begin working together. It is also important to note that your old tires probably had very little tread depth remaining when you felt it was time to replace them. As any autocrosser or racer who has tread rubber shaved off of his tires will tell you, low tread depth tires respond more quickly. Don't be surprised if your new tires are a little slower to respond (even if you use the exact same tire as before). Their new, full depth brings with it a little more tread squirm until they wear down.

NOTE: Be careful whenever you explore the capabilities of your new tires. Remember that every tire requires a break-in period of 500 miles for optimum performance."




"Don't forget to break in those new tires.
Monday, May 10, 2010 by Tire Rack Team
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Whether you purchased S2000 tires or Camaro tires, or performance SUV tires—in fact, it doesn't really matter what kind of automobile tires you buy, they'll all need to be broken in before you push the pedal to the metal.

During the manufacturing process, a release lubricant is applied which prevents the tire from sticking to the mold in which it was created. Unfortunately, some of that lubricant remains on the tire upon installation. It reduces traction for a bit, but wears off after use. Going easy on your tires and driving cautiously for the first 500 miles should eliminate this lubricant and allow the other layers of the tire (the rubber, steel and fabric) to work as they should.

Even then, you'll want to go easy on your tires until you feel totally comfortable controlling them. Odds are good that your old tires didn't have much traction, which means your new tires will handle a little differently at first. Even if they are the same make and model.

To read more tire tech articles from Tire Rack, just click here. And if you actually need to purchase some new tires, shop according to vehicle for a customized list of options."



"A question we often get from our customers is, “Do I need to break in my new tires?" The answer is yes! It is highly recommended that you follow a break-in procedure whenever you purchase a new set of tires.

Easy cornering, braking, and acceleration for the first five hundred miles usually works best. Braking in your new tires this way allows the various components (rubber, steel, and fabric) used in the construction of the tire to slowly work together and to perform their duties within the tire to deliver maximum performance and ride quality.

In addition, it allows the lubricants used to release tires from their molds to wear off the surface of the new tire. Until this lubricant wears away, your new tires will have a reduced level of traction, especially in wet conditions.

By following the tire break-in procedure outlined above, you will set your new tires up for the best possible performance and to deliver results to meet your expectations! For more information on tire break-in and other related tire topics, please visit our web site."

 

Perhaps you mis-read. He states, "Although the examples shown here are motorcycle engines, these principles apply to all 4 stroke engines:"

 

I drove it hard from the get go. No dumping the clutch ever.

After about 89,000 miles the flywheel springs have broken, the car has been laid up for a month.

[QUOTE=merlot;3411981Do we listen to random people on the internet, or the manufacturer? I'll defer to the latter until someone presents a solid line of evidence.[/QUOTE]

I go to school to be an automotive mechanic. My engines instructor has been building engines for 40 years and attends regular training and reads the latest engine technical magazines. We built a few engines in class this quarter, and you can slam them right away. Anyway, if this man tells me modern engines need to break-in for the reasons I stated, I'm believing him.

I understand and know this. What I basically meant was that if someone were to putter around all the time, then tire break-in driving is basically normal driving.

 

Gotcha, not everyone knows this and thus I probably over quoted the tire rack.

 

I read that but it matters not to me. He needs to prove it. The statement is mere conjecture on his part. I prefer to follow the manufacturer's instruction. They built the car and have highly trained engineers figuring the best way to break in their product.

Of course you can do what you want and I do what I want. It's worked just fine for the 3 Mini's I have owned, the GTO I own, the 69 Roadrunner and the other 20 or so assorted new cars over the years.

Don't ya just love America!! I do!

Motor On!

 

Initial break in is completed at the factor on a dynometer, so the rings and cam are already to go. The first 20 miles really are the same as the rest of the break in period when you get your Mini. Avoid long periods of sustained RPM and keep it under the limits set in the owner’s manual.

 

This is speculation on my part, but the legal department might have something to do with what the manufacturer lists in the owner's manual with regards to break-in, or any of it, I guess.

 

I've heard, and read all the recommendations for break in of a new or reman Mini motor...but WHY is it recommended to vary the RPM's?

I understand staying under 4500 for a while, and some other things. I never understood the varying of RPM's.

Thanks.

 

 

If the vehicle is a lease you may skip the break-in period if you so wish. I will buy new one