911 Break in
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 1,140
Likes: 596
From: Toronto
Those Porsche cars at the PSDS in Birmingham...are not broken in per the owners manual. I've done all 3 schools there and drove cars with a few hundred miles on them...and every car I drove in the schools had under 2000 miles on them.
The last 4 911 cars I've had that I tracked (997's) I did long drives and varied the rpms from 2000-5000rpms and did 1/2 throttle and some full throttle fast acceleration and deceleration for around 1000-1500 miles. Then I changed the oil and hit the track. All the cars ran great.
My 2009 (9a1 engine with pdk) drank oil like a 2 stroke. Basically a quart every 700-800 miles and at least a quart for 1 track day. Porsche PCNA and the dealer were notified but would not do anything about it. Said it's normal. I didn't push it because I was keeping its year to year and a half only. I tracked the heck out of that car and traded it for a 2012 GTS. My 2012 (9a1) got the same break in and didn't drink oil. My 2017 is getting the same break in and so far at 1200 miles is not drinking oil.
The last 4 911 cars I've had that I tracked (997's) I did long drives and varied the rpms from 2000-5000rpms and did 1/2 throttle and some full throttle fast acceleration and deceleration for around 1000-1500 miles. Then I changed the oil and hit the track. All the cars ran great.
My 2009 (9a1 engine with pdk) drank oil like a 2 stroke. Basically a quart every 700-800 miles and at least a quart for 1 track day. Porsche PCNA and the dealer were notified but would not do anything about it. Said it's normal. I didn't push it because I was keeping its year to year and a half only. I tracked the heck out of that car and traded it for a 2012 GTS. My 2012 (9a1) got the same break in and didn't drink oil. My 2017 is getting the same break in and so far at 1200 miles is not drinking oil.
Rennlist Member
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 6,154
Likes: 3,473
From: New Orleans, LA (NOLA)
I did all of the courses with BMW driver training, including 2 days of lapping at Mt. Tremblant. They gave us all new M cars to drive. I asked what happened to the cars after we were done on the track and was told that at the end of the season, they were given an oil change, new pads/ tires, and sold as demos. So much for the break in.
Rennlist Member
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 2,591
Likes: 1,335
From: NH/FL
Quote from the manual of a 991.2:
"The moving parts of a new vehicle must be run in. The parts require the first 2000 miles (3,000 km) for this purpose. The oil and fuel consumption may be somewhat higher than normal during this period.
During the running-in period, drive as follows:
Preferably take long trips. Avoid frequent cold starts with short-distance driving whenever possible.
Avoid full throttle starts and abrupt stops.
Do not participate in motorsport events, sports driving training or similar events.
Avoid high engine speeds of 4,000 rpm or more. Drive at low engine speeds when the engine is cold.
Do not let the engine labor, especially when driving uphill. Shift to the next lower gear in time (use the most favorable rpm range).
Never lug the engine in high gear at low speeds. This rule applies at all times, not just during the break-in period. .
There may be a slight stiffness in the steering,gear-shifting or other controls during the break-in period which will gradually disappear."
"The moving parts of a new vehicle must be run in. The parts require the first 2000 miles (3,000 km) for this purpose. The oil and fuel consumption may be somewhat higher than normal during this period.
During the running-in period, drive as follows:
Preferably take long trips. Avoid frequent cold starts with short-distance driving whenever possible.
Avoid full throttle starts and abrupt stops.
Do not participate in motorsport events, sports driving training or similar events.
Avoid high engine speeds of 4,000 rpm or more. Drive at low engine speeds when the engine is cold.
Do not let the engine labor, especially when driving uphill. Shift to the next lower gear in time (use the most favorable rpm range).
Never lug the engine in high gear at low speeds. This rule applies at all times, not just during the break-in period. .
There may be a slight stiffness in the steering,gear-shifting or other controls during the break-in period which will gradually disappear."
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 15,362
Likes: 198
From: Tampa
RL Community Team
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 18,819
Likes: 14,738
Just out of curiosity, and without taking a side on whether (and what) break-in procedure(s) is needed, what are the theoretical consequences of not following a break-in procedure for the engine?
Shorter operating lifespan of the engine?
Loss of power (hp and torque)?
More engine oil consumption?
Less efficient (i.e., lower MPG)?
Something else (like less smoothness)?
Just curious ...
Shorter operating lifespan of the engine?
Loss of power (hp and torque)?
More engine oil consumption?
Less efficient (i.e., lower MPG)?
Something else (like less smoothness)?
Just curious ...
Rennlist Member
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 110
Likes: 3
From: KPAO
Just out of curiosity, and without taking a side on whether (and what) break-in procedure(s) is needed, what are the theoretical consequences of not following a break-in procedure for the engine?
Shorter operating lifespan of the engine?
Loss of power (hp and torque)?
More engine oil consumption?
Less efficient (i.e., lower MPG)?
Something else (like less smoothness)?
Just curious ...
Shorter operating lifespan of the engine?
Loss of power (hp and torque)?
More engine oil consumption?
Less efficient (i.e., lower MPG)?
Something else (like less smoothness)?
Just curious ...
The consequences?
Fire and Fury!...with a touch of brimstone.
Intermediate
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 40
Likes: 0
From: Toronto
2000 is definitely overkill. 300 I think would be good enough.
Rennlist Member
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 1,597
Likes: 128
From: Louisville KY
All these posts and none do the obvious comparison: we all have some level of emotional attachment to our 911s and the engine is the heart of the car! Break in is like a woman! Treat it nice (especially when you first meet) and she will reward you! Do the opposite, and her lawyer will take you to the bank and she will leave you all alone! 😀
Advanced
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 61
Likes: 2
From: Houston, TX
In general, I'd say turbo cars are easier to break in than highly strung NA motors. They don't need to rev so high to make their power and the tolerances are also wider. You also have a lot more usable tq down below so its easier to put the break in miles on a FI engine.
I generally follow the same procedure for all my cars - first 1k miles I let the engine warm up before driving off (~1 min), don't go over 5000 rpm and vary rpm on the highway at cruise by changing between the top 3 gears. After 1k miles, I start moving the rpm limit higher by 10% increments every 50 miles or so. I usually have the oil changed ~1200 miles but do a couple of wot, hard pulls before I send it in. After that I make sure I do one hard pull on wot a week.
I generally follow the same procedure for all my cars - first 1k miles I let the engine warm up before driving off (~1 min), don't go over 5000 rpm and vary rpm on the highway at cruise by changing between the top 3 gears. After 1k miles, I start moving the rpm limit higher by 10% increments every 50 miles or so. I usually have the oil changed ~1200 miles but do a couple of wot, hard pulls before I send it in. After that I make sure I do one hard pull on wot a week.
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 75
Likes: 0
I've never understood why this is even a debate. The manufacturer spent several years researching and designing a vehicle, more years choosing components and completing building process.. then finally establishing a price, warranty, service, repair and spare parts to ensure that vehicle will continue to perform for many decades and several hundred thousands of miles. Why would you NOT listen to their recommended method of break-in?
Unless you've built a car/engine yourself and have proof your method is somehow better. Then you simply sound foolish. Hey its your money, your car.. do as you please. But that doesn't keep you from sounding like an idiot.
Unless you've built a car/engine yourself and have proof your method is somehow better. Then you simply sound foolish. Hey its your money, your car.. do as you please. But that doesn't keep you from sounding like an idiot.