I read constantly threads about how to break in a MINI. I’ve just finished another on a different forum and I’m ready to scream so this is my own rant about it.

My and only a few others theory on breaking a MINI in is...

Break it in the way you plan to drive it. If you plan to drive it hard, then do it from the start. It helps the valves and pistons seal properly.

If you're going to drive like a woozy, break it in that way.

Where did this magic number of 1200 or 1250 whatever come from? Who came up with this number? Please someone out there give me some kind of reference. Why is it all of a sudden you can press on the accelerator harder at 1201 than you can at 1199. Give me something here in documented proof that today’s engines need to go through a break-in period.

Let's take a look at reality and then you formulate your own opinion about breaking in a new engine. First off, you're not breaking in the MINI as much as just the engine itself. So let’s look at a professional engine for example. Do you think when Ferrari drops a new engine in to Shu’s F1 he has to take it easy for the first 1200 miles? I don’t think his career would be going anywhere if he did.

Even Click and Clack “The Tappet Brothers” have made the same comment many times I’m making now. You drive a car from the start the way you plan to drive it for its life. From mile zero so to speak.

Doug has put 120,000 hard miles on his 02 MCS daily driving along with racing and only came up with his first major problem recently. Clutch BTW, not engine.

My odometer read 8 miles when I picked my MCS almost three years ago and the tach was red-lined out of the dealers lot and has been planted there ever since.

So I ask again. What is this magic number of 1200 miles or whatever have anything to do with the cars performance or life of the engine and who came up with this mystical number? You’re perpetuating a fallacy that an engine needs to be “broken in”. Prove me wrong.

02 MCS - problem free – Driven hard daily and put away wet.

 

...

TJM

 

The number 1200 comes from the manufacturer and while they do not provide scientific details as to why that is best (most folks would not care) I think it safe to assume that they do have some reason behind a breakin period. Of course the difference between 1199 and 1200 is inconsequential.

Shumi's Ferrari engine is not intended to last 100,000 miles or more so of course a proper breakin to maximize engine life is not needed.

I followed the recommended breakin on my stock 2002 MCS and I am a hard aggressive driver. I do not believe I have run across another stock MCS that performed any better than mine just because the owner drove the lights off if it from the begining.

Of course, only time may tell if the breakin procedure helps with engine longevity, but I can't imagine any circumstance in which not following the manufacturers advice would do harm.

my .02

 

I just want to know, what's a woozy?

 

It's yzoow spelled backwards silly!

 

Gee thanks for clearing that up!

Are you and wifey coming to The Dragon this year or do the talk of spiders last year scare you away?

 

why not just follow the break in that mini said to stick to then drive it very hard after that point. its only 1200 miles. you will feel the engine gain more power and fuel economy till you hit around 6000-7000 miles anyway. so the breakin is not completely over at 1200. so i say drive it like mini says until 1000-1200 then let loose if you want to. these engines seem very, VERY durable and reliable. so i really dont think it matters either way. you will certainly damage your engine alot more if you break it in like mini said but dont service it correctly. and vice versa.

 

All I’m asking for is documented proof. Someone show me anywhere in writing that an engine these days must be nursed to a certain mileage. It’s a myth. Prove me wrong.

 

Seems like theres been a whole lot of 'breaking in the mini' threads popping up lately. It made me think about how I "broke in" my MINI. Perhaps it was the excitment of the moment, but I never remember getting the "below 4500 for the first 1250" lecture. Given the fact that I was an idiot and drove off without knowing how to drive a stick or how to shift in general, I definately (more than once) shifted into 3rd instead of 5th when getting up to speed on the highway. I can guarentee that I went WELL over 4500 multiple times. Car was still rock solid. Thats MY break in procedure.

 

i read (from a link somewhere on NAM) about a recomended break-in that is used for motorcycles and recomended for car engines as well. they run the engines hard after warmup for around the first 60mi. then change the oil to conventional oil from the next 1000 or so then back to whatever synthetic you like. the idea is that the petroleum oil helps the rings etc. seat better, among other things. i hope im remembering this right but the link is here somewhere. i didnt read about this until later, and i dont know whos right in the end.

 

You are correct about the motorcycle article. I will try and find it.

HOWEVER, I remember it was very clear that you had to drive it hard "out of the box" so to say and I think that the distance was 20 miles. The petroleum oil comment is dead-on. As in "not synthetic". As in "not what your Mini comes with".

I would be interested in how the conversation goes with your MA when you tell him that you want your car delivered with petroleum oil, because you are going to be redlining it all the way home.

Yup here's that link.

 

Here is the link I think you are talking about. Interesting reading!
http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

 

Here Click and Clack discuss this very question as posed by a MINI owner:



Dear Tom and Ray:



I recently purchased a new Mini Cooper S and was surprised to read in the owner's manual that the break-in period for the engine is 1,200 miles. Until I reach 1,200 miles, I am supposed to vary my speed frequently, keep the tachometer under 4,000 rpm and keep the speed under 95 mph. I am not looking for a reason to circumvent the break-in period, but I am really curious as to why the break-in period is so long. What's going on in the engine during this time? -- David

Tom: This is when the gerbils are in training, David. As I'm sure you know, they run around on their wheel, and that's what makes the car go. But until they can build up their leg muscles, they can only do about 4,000 rpm. So give 'em a break, will ya?

Ray: I think the gerbil wheel is what powers my brother's brain. What's happening during break-in is that the piston rings are "seating" to the cylinder walls.

Tom: What does that mean? Well, at the heart of the engine are your pistons. They look like soup cans, and they go up and down inside the cylinders. It's crucial that there is a perfect, tight fit between the outside of the pistons and the inside of the cylinder walls.

Ray: So, the pistons are surrounded by spring-loaded rings, which push out against the walls and keep the seal tight. Otherwise, oil will get past the rings and you'll "burn oil."

Tom: And the theory of "break-in" is this: If the rings and the cylinder walls don't come out of the factory matching up perfectly, the break-in period gives them a chance to conform to each other during relatively "light duty" service (which involves going slowly and varying the speed).

Ray: Why is it 1,200 miles on a Mini, and 600 on a Honda? Because it's not an exact science. I think each manufacturer is making its best guess as to how much time the rings will need. It's probably based on how many people have whined to them in the past about their cars burning oil. They look at their warranty claims and say, "OK, guys, let's jack it up another 200 miles and see if that helps."

Tom: It's interesting to note that some car makers are so confident in their precision manufacturing that they require no break-in period at all. Porsche, for instance, says you can get in a new Porsche and drive it out of the showroom however you want. Ray: Or, maybe certain companies require no break-in period because they've deemed it hopeless. They've decided, "No matter what we say in the book, this jerk is gonna go 100 mph as soon as he hits the freeway entrance, so why waste the ink?"

 

To answer part of your question:

Shumacher's F1 engine is built to much closer tolerances than our mass-produced engines. (Tom and Ray hinted at this when they said, "If the rings and the cylinder walls don't come out of the factory matching up perfectly, the break-in period gives them a chance to conform to each other...")

I don't know how they break-in racing engines in any more, but they used to run petroleum oil in them (as suggested above) and run them on a bench, under a light load and varying the speeds (as suggested by MINI) for a few hours to seat everything. Then change the oil and filter, and put the engine in the car. So maybe the equivalent of a few hundred miles? But remember, this is a "blueprinted" engine. And then any big-budget team would probably tear it down and rebuild it after each race!

 

I just bought and drove home my Mini (MN to CO) this month. I wrestled with the differences of "drive it like you stole it" vs "follow the rules" and opted for the latter.

I spoke with my dad (an old Ford Falcon guy and HUGE motorhead) his response was that this was always a hot topic in his day too and he bought up a good point. The engineers at Mini know a WHOLE lot more about the nuances of the engine they are building and its characteristics than I do, so I gave them the benefit of the doubt.

Can I prove it that nursing the motor is the right approach? No. No one can. Just like trying to prove that standing on its neck from day one will yield better results. There are too many variables to try to control. Maybe if you could have two IDENTICAL Mini motors with the EXACT same tolerances (pretty tough), driven the EXACT same way for the same time, then maybe. But even then I doubt much could be proven.

A good thread. The questions with no correct answers are always the most fun

 

As I await my new MINI and scour these posts like a hawk looking for his next meal (neglecting my family and friends as well), I found this synthetic oil discourse interesting.
http://www.exxonmobil.com/Corporate/...r_050104_1.asp

As was mentioned in an earlier post, engineers generally know their stuff, my electrical engineer wife reminds me of this all too frequently.

 

i guess he isn't an engineer, but another mechanic, and heck they see all the real world stuff anyway.

 

This is basically a religous discussion, as different people believe different things... :smile:

I agree with driving it as you normally would - to a point - but I would suggest not using the cruise control for the break in period. If you do any cruising, vary the speed - climb it up, coast it down - don't just keep the revs at a constant level.

Also I believe in changing the oil more often when the car is new. Every previous new car I bought I have changed the oil at 500 miles, 1500 miles, 3000 miles, and then every 3000 from there - and all of those cars went well over 100K miles - but none of those were MINIs with synthetic oil.

So on the MINI I changed the oil at 1000, again at 5000, and then every 5000 or so from there. That's way over what MINI reccommends, and usually the oil is fairly clean when I change it. So I don't worry when I go over 5K a little. I'm OK with that...

I've got almost 50K on the car now - I've done all the oil changes myself except for 2 or 3 that were part of the free maintenance plan.

Most people would tell me I'm wasting time and money - perhaps they are right. But too much maintenance is far better than too little...

 

I bought my MC off the lot,it had 12 miles on it,and all the protective plastic covers were still on it.They drive them at the factory,and move them on and off the boat,and onto ground transport,hence that millage count.The dealer did not want me to test my car as it had not gone through dealer prep,clean up,but I insisted it was the colour combo,and options I wanted.They let me take it out.Well 4500rpm was not enough for me to"test" the car.6500rpm proved to me this was the car I wanted.Next day I drove away in my MINI,hit the highway right away,ran it up through the gears,flat out,and have been doing that ever since.
The car has warrenty issues,the engine is not one of them
New car motors do not need to be "broken in"
Prove me and sndwave wrong

 

It suprises me that people believe the only thing that needs to be broken in is the engine. The brakes will need to be, the tires, clutch, and the transmission.

 

I agree,but rpm has nothing to do with brakes,or clutch,as long as you don't hammer it while lauching or shifting,and the tranny is good to go out of the box.
I just had a new tranny installed last week,no break in was recomended,and my clutch,with 45K miles looks almost new.
The tranny was replaced because of seals letting go in extreme cold,had nothing to do with how I drive the car.
You should always go easy on brakes when new,but use'em if ya have to no matter what.
Clutches,brakes,and trannies have their own threads,this is about the myth that new engines need to be broken in

 

I never got the "break in" lecture either, and with one month and 2500 miles I guess it's a little too late.

 

Here is a blip that has some info not mentioned yet.

http://www.stealth316.com/2-breakin.htm

The key to break-in is varying engine load...not driving it back from some other state at a steady RPM...

Why are some 600 miles? Others 1250? Pulled from above article...

"If very-hard rings are used with hard cylinder liners (which are not used in the Mitsubishi 6G72 cast-iron block), the full break-in period may take longer than 500 miles."

For instance my Ducati is 1200...although after 600 the RPM's are to be increased somewhat. Different metals = different break in mileage. Using track cars, or sports cars not designed to last thousands of miles holds no relevance to the discussion.

Hope this helps with the scientific data wanted by the original poster.

 

A few observations:

- If skipping the break-in procedure does cause some kind of damage, you won't know it for a long time so the fact that you're not having any problems doesn't prove anything.

- The people who designed and built the engine know a lot more about it than we do, so if they recommend a break-in period there's probably a reason.

- Some companies (Porsche, apparently) don't feel a break-in period is required for their engines. That's great for them, but it has no bearing on whether a break-in is required on the MINI. That is, unless you transplanted a Porsche engine into your MINI. :smile:

- Other companies (Lexus comes to mind) break their engines in at the factory. I doubt they would do this if it was pointless.

Andy

 

I agree with both of those, and that's why my philosophy is that I'll try to stay within the manufacturers recommendations when it comes to the break-in. But I'm not going to stress over it at all. If I do stay within the recommendations great, if not, oh well. I'd have a hard time believing that a problem I have at 35k, 50k, or even 75k and beyond had anything to do with my failure to follow the break-in.

I would suspect that problems that would develop over the life of my car would be due more to my long term care of the car than over what I did in those first 1200 miles.