ok, i've restrained myself to the point that i am having trouble convincing myself it is ok to push the car.

after driving over a month with no WOT and nothing above 4500, i'm about to pass 1250 miles and feel strange flooring it and red lining it all of a sudden. from past posts i've read, this seems to be what everyone does.

is there anyone that slowly increases the rpms over a period of time after break in ( i think the manual mentions this), or am i the only rule-following nerd?

 

You did good, now its time...LET HER RIP!

 

The 2004 manual says "engine and road speeds can be gradually increased." I don't think its a good idea to go from "Little Old Lady" to "Joe Street Racer" all of a sudden just because your odo passed 1250.

The idea is that when you first start driving the car, you're "polishing" or "mating" or "seating" the parts with one another - the rings, pistons, and cylinders, the valves and valve seats, the bearings and journals, etc. It's not just about friction, but it's also about heat. If spend 1250 miles driving like a little old lady, you'll get the pieces seated pretty well, but then if you all of a sudden go to joe street racer, the pistons are all of a sudden going to get a lot hotter than the rings or the cylinders. They're going to expand real fast and suddenly you're going to get a lot of wear.

If you gradually drive the car harder and harder, the engine continues to polish/mate/seat under more and more stressful conditions. At least that's how I understand it.

FWIW - my first new car was a 1967 Triumph Spitfire. I broke it in as described above. "Little Old Lady" to "Joe Street Racer" in tiny little baby steps over the first 1000 miles. I got teased a lot by my high school buddies, but when the break-in was over, it was the only Spitfire I've ever seen that would chirp the tires going into third! (Yep, you read that right - scratch in third, from 1100cc's!) Maybe I was just lucky - maybe I got a "reverse lemon" - but I like to think my careful, gradual break-in had at least something to do with it.

 

Excellent job! Now you want to drain the oil and replace the filter with the oil warm. Pour in some Redline or Royal Purple synthetic and change it every 5,000 miles. You should get 150,000-200,000 troublefree miles out of your 1.6 Tritec!!!!

 

Well, for the most part I followed the brake in rules but didn't always stay below 4500 rpms. After 600 miles I would rev up to 5000 rpm, at 900 miles it was 5500 rpm. Come 1250 it went straight to redline. I did vary the speed and rpm's but also used the cruise control. I don't beat on my car too much but I did brake it in similar to what I knew it'll be driven like. Everybody has their opinion as to what works best, stick close to what the owners manual suggest and add your own little flavor for best results is my take. Good luck with your car, I hope it turns out to be a good one. Now go get a reduction pulley and cold air intake. Smile and grinn, you are driving a mini.
:smile:

By the way, my car felt broken in at about 8500 miles.
Hope that helps.

 

yeah... how bad is it really if you, er, accidentally go over 4500 say, a few times a day? I've only had the car a few days, but it's about a trillion times more powerful and responsive than my previous car so i am really trying to be good about it but seem to hit 4500-5000 a few times a drive, just for a second until i realize what i'm doing. she keeps getting ahead of me! :smile:

is this major or should it be ok providing i'm not driving like a maniac... yet?

 

How to break-in your MINI:
1) "accidentally" floor it leaving the dealership
2) go over 90 MPH on the way home
3) "accidentally" hit the rev-limiter as you pull into your subdivision
4) change your oil
5) "drive it like you stole it" from then on

 

Minibrute and Speltzer are right ...
Change your oikl and filter and in another 400 miles or so ...get a 17% pulley and a CAI and REALLY Motor!

allan

ps Dont got over 4500 too many times-- it is not toomajor after 300 or so... but i wouldnt do it again...
pps Short shift kit wouldnt hurt