[Phantom]

So with a brand new car this thought crossed my mind. How long of a period is a good break in time b4 really driving it hard. Now occasionally I've let it rip and pinned it getting some nice and health 6000rpms, then shifting while racing this one guy. But I'm just curious for how long should one baby a new car. I'm normally shifting at 3k.

[hardk0re]

It depends on who your talking too....

Generally I wait until i've done the first oil change before abusing my car hard for long periods of time.

For most new cars theres no real break in period, even the focus manual states so... I still like waiting till the first oil change is done and i've got a good synthetic in there.

[Raine]

hardk0re,May 6 2005, 11:13 PM Wrote:It depends on who your talking too....

Generally I wait until i've done the first oil change before abusing my car hard for long periods of time. 

For most new cars theres no real break in period, even the focus manual states so... I still like waiting till the first oil change is done and i've got a good synthetic in there.
[right][snapback]106960[/snapback][/right]

Agreed.

Wait till the first oil change, then pick a synth oil and stick with it.. I've been Mobil since 5,000 km... might switch to royal purple tho... can't decide :P

[Phantom]

I've been told second oil change b4 going synth. right around the 10k mark. something about letting the engine break in or some goodness like that.

[meford4u]

With a new car I would change the oil after the first 500km and then again after the break in period at 5000km.

[ZX3TUNR]

When I bought my focus I didnt let the car see 5000rpm for a while plus the fact I was learning how to drive it plus the other fact I was super nervous about driving still becuase of the accident so I drove super slow for a bit.

[Phantom]

Can't turn down racing some guy tho. specially when it's all rice.

[SLIP STREAM SVT]

^^^ i hope you won, anyways, the reason i think they want you to keep using conventional oil is because it's thicker and it needs to supposedly seep into the gasket and make it expand so that the valve cover gasket will not leak, but if you used synthetic since the begining, than you might have chance of oil coming from your valve cover!

[MAlby7]

I wait until the first 1000km are done then start driving a lil harder!

[ZX3TUNING]

meford4u,May 7 2005, 06:18 AM Wrote:With a new car I would change the oil after the first 500km and then again after the break in period at 5000km.
[right][snapback]107005[/snapback][/right]

i agree
first oil change should be done between 500-1000kms to flush all the assembly lube and junk out of the motor. the next oil change should be done at 5000kms and every 5000kms after that.
after the first 500-1000kms or whenever you get the first oil change you should "break-in" the motor by driving it normally but slightly hard. stay away from long distance cruising at highway speeds, if you do have to drive on the highway for long periods of time durring the break-in period, shift up and down so you are always changing the rpm. constant rpm for long periods of time on a fresh motor will glaze the rings and cylinder walls and will not allow the rings to seat propperly. this can cause serious blow-by and require replacing the motor.

drive the car hard but don't drive the piss out of it. you should be all over the map and not affriad to hit the fuel cut atleast a few times in the break-in period.
other than that, drive like normal and you should be fine!

but whatever you do, don't baby the car either!

good luck and enjoy the new car smell, it goes away fast! :unsure: :(

[Phantom]

ZX3TUNING,May 8 2005, 11:39 AM Wrote:

meford4u,May 7 2005, 06:18 AM Wrote:With a new car I would change the oil after the first 500km and then again after the break in period at 5000km.
[right][snapback]107005[/snapback][/right]

i agree
first oil change should be done between 500-1000kms to flush all the assembly lube and junk out of the motor. the next oil change should be done at 5000kms and every 5000kms after that.
after the first 500-1000kms or whenever you get the first oil change you should "break-in" the motor by driving it normally but slightly hard. stay away from long distance cruising at highway speeds, if you do have to drive on the highway for long periods of time durring the break-in period, shift up and down so you are always changing the rpm. constant rpm for long periods of time on a fresh motor will glaze the rings and cylinder walls and will not allow the rings to seat propperly. this can cause serious blow-by and require replacing the motor.

drive the car hard but don't drive the piss out of it. you should be all over the map and not affriad to hit the fuel cut atleast a few times in the break-in period.
other than that, drive like normal and you should be fine!

but whatever you do, don't baby the car either!

good luck and enjoy the new car smell, it goes away fast! :unsure: :(
[right][snapback]107142[/snapback][/right]

That smell is already gone. And I'm only 650km :(
When do you guys change to full synth? I've heard 5k and 10k

[ZX3TUNING]

to be honest, there is no real reason to change to synthetic fluid on a street car. people tend to convince themself that something is better because they saw it on TV or for whatever other reason.

there are 2 reason to put synth oil in your car, longer intervals between oil changes and extremely stressfull conditions like track racing for longer periods of time where exteme heat can break down normal oils. and by extreme heat you hear about on TV, we are talking well above 220-235°F that normal cars see even at track days or AutoX's!
most high end companys put synth into their cars either to extend the time between oil changes as synth oil does not break down as quickly as normal oil OR because the motors are high stressed highly tuned units and it is a safety/longevity concern.


if you do regular oil changes on your car, every 3000-5000kms, and check your oil on a regular basis then you should NEVER have an oil related issue. NEVER, end of story, period! it's as simple as that, it just is not an issue. synth oil is not magically going to make your car last an extra 100,000kms before an engine rebuild or something like that. how you drive and take care of your car has more of an effect on how long the motor will last than what oil you put into it.

simple fact is oil is oil in a street car.

for the 99.9% of people out there the 2-3x the price of going with synth over normal oil is pointless as they are swapping it out on a regular basis anyways. the idea behind oil changes is to remove the contamination from the oil and keep the engine clean. synth oils do not do this better than normal oils nad vice-versa. swaping to synth oil on a higher mileage engine can actually cause oil leaks out of tired old seals.

also, synthetic blends are pointless.
if you are going to go synth, go full synth like mobil1 or royal purple, they are 2 of the best oils out there.

but you are not going to get any better performance out of a synth oil over a normal oil unless you are tracking the car seriously and on a regular basis.

all that being said, i run Royal Purple in my car and do so because i get it for cheap! :D

take this info for what it's worth, i'm not saying don't use synth, just know and understand WHY you are using it!

if you are going to switch, i suggest around the 10k or 15k marker.

good luck and enjoy the new car! :) !