Fred R. C4S

[QUOTE=Dock
And concerning the wear on the engine, how much reduction is there in engine life (or "parts" life for that matter) between driving around a 4000 rpm and driving around at 2700 rpm?[/QUOTE]

Doc,

I have spent a few years in diesel engine design for my employer (Big Yellow Machines) and one of the engine design performance parameters is "piston travel per mile". The farther a piston travels for every mile the machine, truck, or car travels is additional wear on the liners and rings. It all comes down to friction and load on the pistons. While this may seem academic, it remains a consideration. 4000/2700 = 1.48 times the amount of piston travel at 4000 rpm vs. 2700 rpm.

Everyone is free to drive at whatever engine speed they desire. Just be aware of the implications of too slow and too fast.

Cheers,

Dock

And 1.48 times the amount of piston travel equals how many fewer miles before the rings need changing?

cigarette1

How many miles can you get at 2700 rpm before you need a ring job ?

It's a damn sportscar drive the **** or trade it for a Surburban

Dock

That's my question.

Fred claimed driving around at 4000 rpm "... is just plain stupid". He gave two reasons; gas and engine wear. I want to know just how much more wear there is, because if it's small (as I expect it is) then why deny yourself the pleasure of experiencing what the car is all about when 1) you probably won't own the car when the time comes to change the rings, or 2) the price of getting new rings is offset by the huge fun you would have had driving the car a little more aggressively. The bottom line is there is no accurate way of assessing the difference in piston ring wear at the different rpm's.

Life is short...enjoy your toys.

BobbyC

Ring wear, ding wear...who cares? I'm not saving wear...can't take it with me when all is said and done!

In the meantime the joy of 4000 + revs is...PRICELESS!!!

stuka

Last week, when traffic was seriously bad from Agoura Hills, I drove my Turbo almost entirely in 1st gear on the way home (yes, sometimes to redline), just to test whether or not the water temp gauge is buffered like the bimmers.

It is not, the temp gauge actually moved.

My point is, your car could be totalled tomorrow by something out of your control. Once the oil temp is up, drive it like you stole it.

I do.

The Turbo has seen over 10 two day track events in 18000 miles, plus some high speed stint at 110 degree weather.

That to me is the point of me blowing all this $$ on the car.

gr8330

just curious...how are you doing on a settlement

Mike@Evo

If you are not breakin stuff, you are not driving it like it was made to be drivin!!!!

1AS

Isn't this a "stop, you're both right" debate?
The nice part of the tt is that, unlike the GT3, it is a 2-personality car. If you want relaxed commuting, keep it in a higher gear, and cruise using the torque. Congested traffic, taking a business associate to lunch, or your wife to dinner all use personality 1.
Driving alone, open twisty road, good on-ramp ahead, or the first nice day of spring brings out personality 2. Run up the revs and fly. Unlike a GT3, you don't need to twist it very hard to really enjoy it.
So, isn't the right answer, "drive it so it makes you happy?" I agree that ring wear will never be a problem for 99.99% of owners, Pierre excluded. AS

collin996tt

In the 4 years that I've owned the car, I never use 4,5,or 6th gear.
If you're not down by a quart of oil after a week of driving, you're not driving hard enough.

Dock

That's just might be a record.

When I'm cruising on the interstate for awhile (taking a cross country trip), I'll use 6th gear. Riding along at 80-90 mph for long periods (2-3 hours) in 6th is loud enough as it is, but sitting in 4th or 5th would be just a little too loud.

collin996tt

I just drove an hour in 4th tonight, staying within 5000-6300 rpm, or the sweet zone

BobbyC

4th gear is "cruising" mode for me on highways...only been in 5th a few times just for the heck of it but didn't need to...and ahve been in 6th just once to feel what the car felt like. In town driving is usually 2nd-3rd, open roads is 3rd-4th.

BC

Hey, I see your sig you have an MDX.

My MDX hits redline (in the 1-2 gate trying to get on SoCal freeways) all the time.

Redline is a goal, not a barrier that you need to avoid.