Hey guys I'm new to WRX and have wanted my dream car for years. Just bought brand new 2017 WRX limited 6 days ago. I'm obviously still in the break in period. I'm at about 650 miles. I wanted to know if I'm hurting my engine or creating possible issue down the road. I have for the most part kept it under 4000-4500 rpm. There have been times where I need to get on it and hit 5000 rpm like sometimes when merging on high way. But it's not very long and then when I notice it I shift up quickly and bring the rpm back down. Just wanted to see what you guys thought about it. Any help and advice would be appreciated.
2017 break in CONCERNED!!
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No.
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I'm no expert, but I did sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
I believe the occasional blip past the 4,000 rpm when shifting may occasionally happen and is most likely no big deal . . . it's not like these engines are made out of egg shells (. . . or are they?) I suspect the guy who gets into the brand new WRX and is routinely hammering on the engine and always putting it past 4,000 rpm or to the redline is the guy who may end up with issues down the road.
P.S. I lied. I actually slept in my own bed last night so the above info may be no good.
I believe the occasional blip past the 4,000 rpm when shifting may occasionally happen and is most likely no big deal . . . it's not like these engines are made out of egg shells (. . . or are they?) I suspect the guy who gets into the brand new WRX and is routinely hammering on the engine and always putting it past 4,000 rpm or to the redline is the guy who may end up with issues down the road.
P.S. I lied. I actually slept in my own bed last night so the above info may be no good.
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Without elaborate mechanical analysis, who knows. I would say your fine but don't drive it like you stole it. Keep out of wide open throttle, don't use cruise vary rpm on long trips by shifting between 5th and 6th
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Just drive it. These are not 1970s engines that need special treatment.
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I'm curious - what exactly happened during those times which made you "need to get on it"? Keeping out of WOT and below 4k is way more powerful than my wife's old Geo Metro, yet I was always able to merge in that thing without any trouble.
A new vehicle break-in is for many components in the system, some of which have different requirements. The engine will need some varied revs and back pressure to seat the piston rings correctly before you really push it. My thoughts are that most of this happens within the first 200 miles, and you are not going to hurt the engine by gently exceeding 4k from time to time. The clutch might need a little more attention to avoid glazing and creating too much dust before it's bedded in (I wonder how many of the TOB problems are caused by people not realizing this?). Other oils and coatings are still being burned off, your gearbox is smoothing out, so on and so forth. I'd recommend trying to avoid WOT and much above 4k for the rest of your break in, but also wouldn't worry if you gently hit 5k from time to time. As my mechanic says, "just treat it nicely" during the break-in and play after.
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We crank out about 120 Class 8 Semis every day. They all get started and the drivetrain is immediately loaded via a chassis dyno. The trucks are delivered and put into service pulling 80,000lb trailers the next day. These are 1,000,000 mile trucks with zero break-in. They aren't made of precious metals either.
A somewhat extreme example, but your Subaru will be just fine.
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Different components have different requirements, and maybe some parts on those semis have been broken in on a bench. How much does a clutch or a brake pad cost compared with a WRX? What materials are they made out of? Not saying you are wrong, but I'd be wary of making direct comparisons.
Think of it in terms of first dates - I had to gently ease Katy into a relationship over some weeks, whereas Laura was ready for the thrills on day one. Wait, that example backs you up, Katy was never performed well whereas Laura kept going strong for many years! (I think you get the idea, two different things might have completely different requirements)
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Many people will argue that an occasional blip like that is better than worse. It is hard to say they are right, but impossible to say they are wrong. You haven't hurt it and it is absolutely within the manufacturer's recommendations. I.e. they specifically say that it is fine do do that in an emergency etc.
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We do need to not use cruise control at all during the recommended break in. Reason: Cruise control keeps RPM's fairly constant, and that it not best for proper wear in of the piston rings to the cyclinder walls -- which varying RPM's does do.
Varying RPM's within the recommended range is best for best position ring seating, which in turn is best for most power throughout the life of the motor. It also has two other secondary benefits, e.g., least oil consumption and best fuel mileage.
Varying RPM's within the recommended range is best for best position ring seating, which in turn is best for most power throughout the life of the motor. It also has two other secondary benefits, e.g., least oil consumption and best fuel mileage.
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I'm not aware of any class 8 tractors that use an aluminum gasoline 4 pot. The material and rings are different, and that difference is massive.
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As a Master ASE and BMW technician that turned Mechanical Engineer, I'm well aware of the differences we are discussing.
In short, I strongly feel people are overreacting over "break-in" on these. Nothing bad will come of doing so, but it's not worth getting upset over.
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Then you would be well aware of the massive difference between diesel and gasoline engines and why break in procedure would be entirely different between the two.
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LOL! Many years ago I drove a Cathy who was already broken in and performed well from day one. Unfortunately, she was not mine, I was only borrowing her, and eventually the former owner came back and claimed her. Dang. She was a good ride, that one. Almost more horses than I could handle, and when the turbo kicked in, whew. Thank god for seat belts and Recaros...
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I'd be curious to hear your take on FA20 vs M54 and N55 turbo.
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You are still missing the point. Continue worrying about a problem that doesn't exist.
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Is it probable that every WRX owner at some point went over the 4,000 RPM by a few hundred or even 500 RPM's during the break in without a subsequent negative issue/consequence. No argument there.
However, to imply that all break in rules are to ignored by other forum members without any potential consequences is not prudent, especially based on how "low RPM's diesel motors" are being broken in.
Along with everything single manufacturer in the last few years, Subaru now has the capability of recording our top RPM's (and so much more on our cars' powertrain past performance parameters), and if the OP's or if anyone's vehicle has a motor and powertrain problem, especially if it is an expensive one to repair, and as an OEM can now point to a specific RPM violation of its Owner's Manual, they might deny that warranty claim. And if for example I hit 6,500 RPM twice during my break in period and my motor blew up at 400 miles, rod going through the block, a Subaru dealer is not going to go "wink, wink" and ignore my clear violation of their break in rules just because I bought a Subaru from that dealer, or whatever, and there is a high likelihood that that dealer is not going to replace my motor with a new or even a rebuilt one at no cost to me.
I owned three new 335xi BMW's and I know the rigor to which my motor's past performance, including RPM levels etc. were analyzed each time I brought it back for another N54 high pressure fuel pump failure -- as do you. About the eighth fuel pump failure, the Technician pulled me aside and apologized to me, and showed me an extensive print out of what detailed RPM and mega-tons of other info that had been downloaded from my car its ten hour overnight computer history download, telling me that all that data had already been sent back to BMW Germany for them to further analyze my motor and its problems.
Additionally, just as GM did two years ago, more and more OEM's are no longer allowing major warranty claim approval by a dealer, instead now adding a new position, called a Regional Warranty Approval Supervisor, to first review all but basic (cheap) claims. I even had a $150 claim on my 2015 Z06 initially denied by my dealership. I told them I wanted to appeal they denial, but they told me that their Regional Warranty Approval Supervisor had already been consulted and he too had also denied it. (I appealed the Supervisor's denial, and GM eventually agreed to pay for my warranty claim.)
Point is that OEM's are getting tighter and tighter on approving warranty claims due to "tighter cost management strategies," and telling clubWRX's members to ignore break in Subaru's rules, can and for some members will have consequences.
However, to imply that all break in rules are to ignored by other forum members without any potential consequences is not prudent, especially based on how "low RPM's diesel motors" are being broken in.
Along with everything single manufacturer in the last few years, Subaru now has the capability of recording our top RPM's (and so much more on our cars' powertrain past performance parameters), and if the OP's or if anyone's vehicle has a motor and powertrain problem, especially if it is an expensive one to repair, and as an OEM can now point to a specific RPM violation of its Owner's Manual, they might deny that warranty claim. And if for example I hit 6,500 RPM twice during my break in period and my motor blew up at 400 miles, rod going through the block, a Subaru dealer is not going to go "wink, wink" and ignore my clear violation of their break in rules just because I bought a Subaru from that dealer, or whatever, and there is a high likelihood that that dealer is not going to replace my motor with a new or even a rebuilt one at no cost to me.
I owned three new 335xi BMW's and I know the rigor to which my motor's past performance, including RPM levels etc. were analyzed each time I brought it back for another N54 high pressure fuel pump failure -- as do you. About the eighth fuel pump failure, the Technician pulled me aside and apologized to me, and showed me an extensive print out of what detailed RPM and mega-tons of other info that had been downloaded from my car its ten hour overnight computer history download, telling me that all that data had already been sent back to BMW Germany for them to further analyze my motor and its problems.
Additionally, just as GM did two years ago, more and more OEM's are no longer allowing major warranty claim approval by a dealer, instead now adding a new position, called a Regional Warranty Approval Supervisor, to first review all but basic (cheap) claims. I even had a $150 claim on my 2015 Z06 initially denied by my dealership. I told them I wanted to appeal they denial, but they told me that their Regional Warranty Approval Supervisor had already been consulted and he too had also denied it. (I appealed the Supervisor's denial, and GM eventually agreed to pay for my warranty claim.)
Point is that OEM's are getting tighter and tighter on approving warranty claims due to "tighter cost management strategies," and telling clubWRX's members to ignore break in Subaru's rules, can and for some members will have consequences.
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You can make any claim you like. Seeing as nearly every engine aside from diesels are aluminum block with hypereutectic Pistons the wear in will be similar. This topic has been beaten into the ground and is why my company does wear in on every single part we make so that when they go onto the new vehicle it won't create issues with wear in on anything else.
You made a comparison that is not equal. That would be like assuming your Jeep Wrangler can put down 1000ftlbs from the factory because the i6 Cummins 6.9 can in factory form.
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How do they even store 10 hours of data in a car. The amount of data that would take 10 hours to read at a decent pace would be astronomically large. A traditional harddrive wouldn't do well in a car, and anything solid state would be extremely expensive.
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