Break in period?

[Demi]

I've never owned a that was less than ten years old, let alone one that is brand new. I've heard however, that with new cars a "break in period" of 500 miles is necessary to prolong the life of the engine, and after and oil change you can let er rip. I've even been told not to take the car over 60mph until the break in is through but i find that hard to believe (i would think it would have more to do with rpms if this is even necessary) So, is there any truth to this stuff?

 

[Rotus8]

I've never owned a that was less than ten years old, let alone one that is brand new. I've heard however, that with new cars a "break in period" of 500 miles is necessary to prolong the life of the engine, and after and oil change you can let er rip. I've even been told not to take the car over 60mph until the break in is through but i find that hard to believe (i would think it would have more to do with rpms if this is even necessary) So, is there any truth to this stuff?

There are many schools of thought on breakin. I think you should just not worry to much about it. Be careful about new tires - they tend to be slick for 50 miles. Don't abuse the clutch or brakes for a bit until it settles in - 50 miles should be fine for that too. Don't stay at one RPM for a long period of time. Enjoy the car and don't obsess about it.

 

[clos561]

yea i heard that its better for performance to run the car hard...somethign about piston seals expanding better than running it slower and conservative....my car is in the shop right now for the tranny because i think i messed up second gear...its warrantied because its under the 12k mark but this is my first stick car and i guess i abuse the tranny too much..when it comes out im takin it ez for about 500 miles then stil running more conservative than when i first bought the car...trying to not misshift as much...

 

[Demi]

yea i heard that its better for performance to run the car hard...somethign about piston seals expanding better than running it slower and conservative....my car is in the shop right now for the tranny because i think i messed up second gear...its warrantied because its under the 12k mark but this is my first stick car and i guess i abuse the tranny too much..when it comes out im takin it ez for about 500 miles then stil running more conservative than when i first bought the car...trying to not misshift as much...

WHAT?! I didnt understand a word of that. Tell you what though, your bad ass sig makes up for it.

 

[clos561]

i read some where that its best to run the car hard when its brand new because seals along the pistons make a better seal compared to running it slow and cautious. its been proven on my friends dirtbikes so i would assume it applies to all combustion engine

 

[Demi]

Huh, now i dont know what to think

 

[CTGrey02]

WHAT?! I didnt understand a word of that. Tell you what though, your bad ass sig makes up for it.

that thing gives me motion sickness.

 

[Rotus8]

Huh, now i dont know what to think

In that case, the best thing is to follow the manufaturer's reccomendation. It's in the owner's manual. You really can't go wrong with that.

 

[Demi]

In that case, the best thing is to follow the manufaturer's reccomendation. It's in the owner's manual. You really can't go wrong with that.

True enough. What does it say?

 

[BoostThat3]

True enough. What does it say?

PEDAL TO THE METAL FROM THE GET GO!! (rockon)

 

[Rotus8]

True enough. What does it say?

From the owner's manual:

No special break-in is necessary, but a few
precautions in the first 1,000 km (600
miles) may add to the performance,
economy, and life of your Mazda.
l Don't race the engine.
l Don't maintain one constant speed,
either slow or fast, for a long period of
time.
l Don't drive constantly at full-throttle or
high engine rpm for extended periods
of time.
l Avoid unnecessary hard stops.
l Avoid full-throttle starts.

 

[BoostThat3]

Pfft. I disobey all of those rules. (321fu) Yet I have 43k on my 3

 

[clos561]

run it hard but take it easy on the tranny...make some hard accelerations at least 1 time a day for a few days..i did it on cold engine and then again on warm engine....now i dont even run it hard, one sprint every couple of days

 

[destrux]

Well damn, my car had 435 miles on it when I got it brand new... so really the break in was only a grueling 165 miles. I drove that before I thought to look in the manual for a break in procedure. Google a "hot break in" and read some stuff. It's interesting.

The only thing I really dont get though, is the clutch break in. Every clutch I ever installed said to drive easy for 1000 miles before abusing it. I dont get how a stock clutch doesnt apply to that. Even the OEM replacement clutch I put in my old MX6 had that warning with it. The only clutches I dont break in are puck stlye copper/ceramic discs, because if they slip before they bed-in it just makes them bed-in faster (instead of making them overheat and fry like a slipping stock organic clutch would). Speaking of clutches... I hope ACT or someone comes out with a kevlar or copper/ceramic clutch for the MS3, because I can see myself needing a clutch in the next 30k. I like to slip it a little too much.

 

[Rotus8]

Well damn, my car had 435 miles on it when I got it brand new... so really the break in was only a grueling 165 miles. I drove that before I thought to look in the manual for a break in procedure. Google a "hot break in" and read some stuff. It's interesting.

The only thing I really dont get though, is the clutch break in. Every clutch I ever installed said to drive easy for 1000 miles before abusing it. I dont get how a stock clutch doesnt apply to that. Even the OEM replacement clutch I put in my old MX6 had that warning with it. The only clutches I dont break in are puck stlye copper/ceramic discs, because if they slip before they bed-in it just makes them bed-in faster (instead of making them overheat and fry like a slipping stock organic clutch would). Speaking of clutches... I hope ACT or someone comes out with a kevlar or copper/ceramic clutch for the MS3, because I can see myself needing a clutch in the next 30k. I like to slip it a little too much.

When it comes time for a new clutch, prepare yourself for a nasty surprise. The MS3 has a dual-mass flywheel. It cannot be machined so if you score the flywheel along with using up your clutch (likely), you need a new one to the tune of $1500. Plus you may have some difficulty finding an after-market clutch that mates up with this flywheel. If I were you, I'd be nice to my clutch, or saving a lot of pennies for the new one.

 

[blackMS34me]

When it comes time for a new clutch, prepare yourself for a nasty surprise. The MS3 has a dual-mass flywheel. It cannot be machined so if you score the flywheel along with using up your clutch (likely), you need a new one to the tune of $1500. Plus you may have some difficulty finding an after-market clutch that mates up with this flywheel. If I were you, I'd be nice to my clutch, or saving a lot of pennies for the new one.

I would definitely listen to what the manual says. It's extremely important to make the seal between the piston heads and cylinders as tight as possible. This not only improves the life of the engine but also improves the efficiency. The reason for the break in period is because nothing can be machined exactly "smooth." Around the edges of the piston and cylinder there are extremely small rough edges. If you run it too hard, you risk chipping one of these rough edges off making it less apt to get the maximum seal possible. When you break it in how you're supposed to, you smooth these rough edges down improving the seal.

Now for the proper break in period, this is the shortest break in period i've seen (in the manual) on a new car. 600 miles should be good though because Mazda seems to know their s***. As for the driving, i've heard everything from "gun it from the get go" to "don't take the car about 4000 rpms." I, personally disagree with both of them. I just got my ms3 and have 142 miles left on my break in period (but who's counting?). I would just recommend driving it normal (easy on the gunnin it) for about 600 miles. Don't be too conservative, but try not to be too bashful. I started out the first 100 miles just driving and not going above 4000. Then after that, i'd slowly approach 5000 for every gear (you get goin kinda fast) about every 5-10 minutes of driving. Then right now i'm taking it up to 6000 occasionally every time i drive it. Call me crazy, but i'm 21, i saved my ass off for the car, and i don't want anything to happen to it that i could have prevented. The most important thing is to not drive at the same rpms all the time. Have fun with your new car, as for me, i can't wait to let er loose

 

[Red MS3 n NyC]

Interesting stuff...I'll make sure to go easy but at the same you gotta give her a nice kick in the ass...lol

-B