Just finish breaking in the car...

Finally see the magic 1000mi on the odometer. Took my lady out for a late night strole. got on the freeway at normal speeds and gun it, before I knew it I was already going 130 with plenty of power left. driving this thing is just so fun. Incredible machine, and I am loving every minute of it. Now I can't wait to drive this thing on the track. Peter

Hope I'm not bursting your bubble, but recommended break-in is 2000 miles for full throttle acceleration or track use!

Until 2000mi you shouldn't exceed 4200rpm. At least if you want to break it in correctly.

Well, at least you took it easy for 1000. The car will keep getting looser through 10,000 or so. It's going to get quicker still.

I believe 50 miles is enough! Come on, 1000, 2000 miles? These are arbitrary numbers, even if they are in the book. How you drive the car for the first miles is more important than a milestone. A car following the rule driven on hard roads at 4200 rpm for the first 2000 miles is not broken in as well as one that is driven easy the first 500, a little harder the next, then let loose.

I was told by the head mechanic at my dealer that the break-in rule was a lark and to just go and drive it and rev it, as long as you do not hit the redline. I had an engine replaced and I was commenting on how I would have to break-in the engine again when he told me the above. What is the truth? Probably somewhere in between?

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by wilam: <strong>I was told by the head mechanic at my dealer that the break-in rule was a lark and to just go and drive it and rev it, as long as you do not hit the redline.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Absolutely! I would add that you need to vary the rpm's as much as possible. That is precisely how you truly break-in an engine assuming you want the rings to seat properly and quickly.

FWIW I asked at the factory last year the guys who were running up the engines about break-in times and what they told me is that by the time you receive your car it is likely already broken in from a mechanical perspective but from a legal perspective Porsche requires a break in period. I suspect what they meant by that was that Porsche, like other car manufacturers don't want to see cars break immediately and that if driven softly for a couple thousand miles they can claim it wasn't defective from the factory it must have gone wrong later and it simply becomes a service issue not a defect issue. AFWIW I've never seen statistical data to prove cars driven harder in the first 2,000 miles last longer or have lest problems than cars babied the first 2,000 miles.

This is what I don't understand... If you drive the car in a city for 500 miles it would take let's say about 1 month to break it in and in manual you can cycle through gears to flex the engine. But if you drive for 5 days on a long journey you can easily put on 1000 mlies but the amount of time on the engine would be a lot less than 500 miles in the city. Does anybody understand what I'm trying to say? Is there a differnce between the actualy amount of time an engine has been running versus the miles it has done with respect to breaking it in? Becasue at the rate i'm going it's going to be anther 3 month before the car hits 1800 Miles.

Yes and no. Here's the rub: at a steady RPM, the pistons settle into a pretty stable pattern - no problem, until you change RPM's - thus moving the crank back and forth, thus changing the angle of the piston. If you've worn in a pattern at a steady RPM then, you've a chance of some blow by. The solution then is to vary the RPM's as much as possible in the first 1000 miles of operation. As far a break in - automakers are also worried @ mold release compounds on tires, brake pads,and belts - thus the "requirement" for many miles of low speed driving. J

wow, this sure turn into an interesting discussion about breaking in a car.. well, I've already broken the 2000 mile rule, and I've been pretty good most of the time on the first 1000 miles( the first 1000 miles is all local driving.) so I am just going to enjoy my new car. Now I have to find a way to drive another 1000 miles before I go to POC's driving school next month. On another note. I switched from a 2001 bmw330 conv. and I've found that although BMW has more of a younger following who are more willing to gather and drive for no reason weather it be major machanical question or just how to take care of my Black paint. Porsche has a much friendlier board and you guys are always willing to help out one another. Thanks for all your input and help. Peter

Peter, I'm glad to hear you're enjoying your Porsche the way it was intended! <img border="0" alt="[cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" /> Another explanation I heard for the break in is the extended amount of seat time allows you to get more familiar with the car before you push it to its limits. As a 1st time Porschefile myself, I found the extra break-in time was helpful and made hitting the magic 2000mi. point that much more enjoyable. Either way, it is doubtful you did any serious damage. Enjoy!

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by Dave P: <strong>Peter, I'm glad to hear you're enjoying your Porsche the way it was intended! <img border="0" alt="[cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" /> Another explanation I heard for the break in is the extended amount of seat time allows you to get more familiar with the car before you push it to its limits. As a 1st time Porschefile myself, I found the extra break-in time was helpful and made hitting the magic 2000mi. point that much more enjoyable. Either way, it is doubtful you did any serious damage. Enjoy! </strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">You know, I heard the same thing. Porsche wanted to ensure that the driver got seat time and familiarized himself with the car. The service tech basically said as much. They went further and said that every Porsche is driven hard for 15-20 miles before it leaves Germany to make sure all tolerences are met. Although, to be honest, I still follow break-in -Lou

There's a decent thread on this subject on Porsche Pete's Boxster board... Here's one of the better replies: <a href="http://www.ppbb.com/scgi-bin/boards/986/main.pl?read=681872" target="_blank">http://www.ppbb.com/scgi-bin/boards/986/main.pl?read=681872</a>

Again, "Break in" is for the entire vehicle. Seems most folks obsess over the oil/motor part of it, but the reasons for break in periods cover many pieces, parts, & systems - especially tires!!! Question for you: did your new Porsche come from the dealer w/shiny tires?? If so, you'd better drive gently - remember, shiny = slippery. Of course, the mold release compounds and tire dressings wear off after a few hundred miles. Same for brake pads, bushings, belts... Just let everything settle out, then drive it & enjoy it! J

I think that artical just talked me into going back to breaking in my car... Damn, that means another 1000 miles of boring driving. thanks a bunch guys. Peter

Really does take 1500-2000 miles for tires to really scrub in anyway (even 6/32" type), another reason car will be faster as you go. Just mind using wide throttle opening on cold oil as a habit, vary the revs for a while longer for the rings. Some time buy 4-5 gallons of race gas to kick the octane up to 93 or so, then you'll see what it really is. In CA on 91 you can really tell the difference.

Where in LA can we get Racing Fuel other then at the track?

There is a 76 Unilocal on the corner of Bundy and Pico (Almost in Santa Monica). I hope I got the cross street right. They sell 100 Octane, it was about $5 a gallon when I last looked.

There is also one off of the 101 FRWY in Agoura. The offramp is Chesebro (sp?) and it is on the South side of the Freeway.

What about a new engine? I received a new enginge for my C2 Cab. The dealer did not tell me to break it in. And the german manual tells you to keep the car below 4000 rpm for 1000 km for breaking in of a new car - that's a different break-in rule than the US one?!? I keep the revs at 2000 when the engine is cold. As soon as its hot, I will rev up to about 5000, but with few to no engine load, i.e. not much throttle.When the engine has been going for half an hour I rev it up in 2nd gear with 10% thottle to redline, hold it for a second or two and proceed with a higher gear and lower rpm. I will keep going like this for the first 1000 km. What's your opinion?