Engine Break In - 500 mi or 1500 mi
- Thread starter V56
- Start date
PrimeTime
Seasoned Member
I did the break in 4 ME to 1500. Healthy engine with balls from factory stock....Oil changes good. drive it like you own it....if the engine is right, no worries. Figure that out. If not GM will.
PrimeTime
Seasoned Member
If tracking, correct?
PrimeTime
Seasoned Member
If only I can get @someone to make my payments? WDUT?
MatthewAMEL
Seasoned Member
1,500 miles for Diff if 'competitive driving'. Interpret that as you will...for me it's track and AutoX, but I can certainly make a case for it if I was going to be doing canyon runs or Tail of the Dragon...someplace where the diff would be doing it's job.
1,500 miles is the 1st change interval if doing 'competitive driving'.
Prior to 1,500 miles, no hard launches, no NLS, no burnouts...it's only the engine redline that is removed at 500mi.
PrimeTime
Seasoned Member
23 M5? @MatthewAMEL... very nice. 5BW is better IMHO. 
bloominguez
Seasoned Member
Reality check as most are unaware that the Engine break-in happens in the first 20 mins of run time. The pistons seat themselves and once it's done it's done. It's everything else in the car that takes more time such as, tires, brakes, clutch, trans, differentials, etc.
The porter who went to fill your gas tank for the first time is the one doing the bulk of engine break-in. So really don't stress.
The porter who went to fill your gas tank for the first time is the one doing the bulk of engine break-in. So really don't stress.
white98ls
Seasoned Member
Approaching 500 miles on mine (woohoo!!!) and am still unsure of when I should change the oil. 500 miles? 1,500 miles? Both? The owner's manual says neither but I plan on keeping this thing for a very long time so wondering what is best.
CaddyTrack
Seasoned Member
Who knows what's best...it's a debate... 5000 miles 1st oil change - I checked it frequently.
SJ - eh? Meetup? DM me.
Throat Yogurt
Seasoned Member
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No idea what's best, and opinions are all over the place. I broke mine in gently for the first 1500 miles, then changed the oil, then let 'er rip. I also plan to keep mine for a long time.
To the OP, what TY said is a conservative approach and a smart play IMO.
This topic has been a heated debate since the dawn of ICE. There are those that swear the best and only break-in procedure is to give it the Italian tune up, much like a brake bed-in procedure. While this may be true of race engines or all engines for that matter, there are 2 reasons this procedure is not applicable to a street car. 1. Most new car engines are broken in before they are on the lot. 2. Warranty claims/ecu data logging; God forbid you don't want to be in a situation where your warranty is in jeopardy on a $17k engine.
As we have seen here on multiple threads that sometimes there is no way to completely avoid catastrophic failure, it can happen regardless of how you maintain or operate the vehicle. Changing the oil early and often is the key to engine longevity. Every engine and situation may vary, only way to truly know how long you can extend oil and fluid intervals is to have Blackstone labs or some other company analyze it on a consistent basis.
FLYARMY
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As long as metal parts rub together at high speed and temperatures, I will change the oil every 5000 miles or 1 year intervals, whichever occurs first. I had my break-in oil done at 1475 miles. I've owned 15 brand new cars in my lifetime and never had any engine problems , other than regular wear/tear like alternators, water pumps, belts and hoses. ** I did replace a 307 Oldsmobile engine on my 1987 Cutlass Supreme that had 135,000 miles and started lightly blowing blue smoke.
dtuna42
New Member
I thought the rules said not to be a jerk to others & not to call people names (paraphrasing), is that not true, am I allowed to jump to conclusions and call people names over a photo I see? I’m also curious where all these tracks are that you can hit 140+, does one even exist?
jvp
Seasoned Member
I'd imagine with a large enough pair of balls and hitting T10 perfectly at SPR Main, 140 down the main straight wouldn't be out of the question either.
Jim2000
Seasoned Member
I agree with you completely. This is a car forum and members should be civil. Spirited discussions are welcome and everyone should be respectful and there is no need for people to use abusive language.
Rob CT4-V
Active Member
FWIW, I think they are broken in when they are first fired after building them. I remember going to Bowling Green the first time and seeing them fire up a 'Vette before it came to the ground and then promptly beating the crap out of it in the little dyno/driving test area. All of them were driven off the line like that.
jvp
Seasoned Member
That's not .. exactly... what happens. The are dyno-driven, but not anywhere NEAR redline. It's done for a quick emissions test. And they aren't "beating the crap" out of them, either.
As I said at the beginning of this thread: the engine doesn't need a break-in. The differential does. Treat it with respect for the first 500+ miles, or you will pay for it later.
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