Opening it Up
Posted: Sun Sep 03, 2006 9:18 pm
As those of you who know me will know, I collect my new car (the one below) in October. This will be the third and probably final new car I buy. So it has got me to thinking about when to open it up, how long to bed it in for and how to maintain peak performance.
My previous car I treated with respect for about 20 miles, and did then frequently open it up when warm to get the oil circualted and engine parts bedded. Suffice to say there have never been any flat spots, and it performs far better than average of a similar spec car. It was taken on a dyno and measured at 10 BHP over the manafacturers statistic, despite the car never being modified. And there is an argument for high power at the start. A colleaugue states that a well known magazine did a test with 2 bikes, both 1 mile on the clock. One was ragged, one was treated like a baby. The ragged engine turned out to be faster in the long run. The following web site actually states that the window of oppurtunity for peak engine performance is within its first 20 miles as the rings seal permanantly and this determines the power output/power loss through mechanics.
http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm
What are your views. I know the risk is that the engine may not last as long... (10 years as supposed to 14), but I must stress that my only point is to make good use of power through the revband a few times once the engine is warmed up, for the first 100 miles.
My previous car I treated with respect for about 20 miles, and did then frequently open it up when warm to get the oil circualted and engine parts bedded. Suffice to say there have never been any flat spots, and it performs far better than average of a similar spec car. It was taken on a dyno and measured at 10 BHP over the manafacturers statistic, despite the car never being modified. And there is an argument for high power at the start. A colleaugue states that a well known magazine did a test with 2 bikes, both 1 mile on the clock. One was ragged, one was treated like a baby. The ragged engine turned out to be faster in the long run. The following web site actually states that the window of oppurtunity for peak engine performance is within its first 20 miles as the rings seal permanantly and this determines the power output/power loss through mechanics.
http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm
What are your views. I know the risk is that the engine may not last as long... (10 years as supposed to 14), but I must stress that my only point is to make good use of power through the revband a few times once the engine is warmed up, for the first 100 miles.