View Poll Results: The Italian Tune-Up: Fact or Fiction?
Fact
43
81.13%
Fiction
10
18.87%
Voters: 53. You may not vote on this poll
The Italian Tune-Up: Fact or Fiction?
03-26-2018, 08:10 PM
#16
Race Director
More fiction than fact, in my opinion.
Modern cars are designed to run efficiently over a very wide range of environmental and driving conditions as well as variations in the grades of fuel.
Back in the carbonated days or even early fuel injector days, "blowing out the carbon" really was true. Not so much today, but it's a lot of fun to try!
Modern cars are designed to run efficiently over a very wide range of environmental and driving conditions as well as variations in the grades of fuel.
Back in the carbonated days or even early fuel injector days, "blowing out the carbon" really was true. Not so much today, but it's a lot of fun to try!
03-27-2018, 04:04 PM
#17
Three Wheelin'
Since I got into motorcycle racing, I've always broke in my cars and motos via the MotoTune method. If you have any opportunity to do an Italian Tune-Up, do it and let her rip!
03-27-2018, 11:28 PM
#19
Rennlist Member
Since I got into motorcycle racing, I've always broke in my cars and motos via the MotoTune method. If you have any opportunity to do an Italian Tune-Up, do it and let her rip!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T444D7IRnmY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T444D7IRnmY
03-29-2018, 10:53 AM
#21
Rennlist Member
03-29-2018, 11:09 AM
#22
Race Director
agreed. now if you do nothing but lug the car at 1500rpm or do exclusively super short (1 mile) trips, then an italian tune up may have some minor benefit, but realistically, the difference won't be substantial. Anything to the contrary on a modern fuel injected car is placebo.
03-29-2018, 11:21 AM
#23
First, I voted Fact, I do believe hitting red line on occasion is important to a healthy engine. DI or not.
I base that on this observation. A couple years back my wife and I both had BMWs with N55 DI motors. I drove mine hard, hitting redline frequently (which isn't that exciting in a sterile feeling BMW) while my wife mostly babied her car, rarely going above 4k rpms based on my observations riding with her.
I noticed, when in auto mode in my car and I floor it the downshift would cause a big jump in RPM, obviously, but looking in the rear view mirror there was never a hint of black exhaust. I'd try to take my wifes car out once ever few months and do the same and that thing would release a huge cloud of black smoke, border line rolling coal when it downshifted and hit redline. That alone is enough to convince me tickling redline on occasion is important to blowing some carbon out.
Both vehicles performed the same, in fact my wife has close to 100k miles on her N55 and it's still running strong but like clock work, when I take her car out and floor it I can see black cloud of exhaust. I often wonder, if I daily drove her car and hit redline more frequently if those black clouds would subside. Unfortunately, I don't see myself DDing her car anytime soon.
I base that on this observation. A couple years back my wife and I both had BMWs with N55 DI motors. I drove mine hard, hitting redline frequently (which isn't that exciting in a sterile feeling BMW) while my wife mostly babied her car, rarely going above 4k rpms based on my observations riding with her.
I noticed, when in auto mode in my car and I floor it the downshift would cause a big jump in RPM, obviously, but looking in the rear view mirror there was never a hint of black exhaust. I'd try to take my wifes car out once ever few months and do the same and that thing would release a huge cloud of black smoke, border line rolling coal when it downshifted and hit redline. That alone is enough to convince me tickling redline on occasion is important to blowing some carbon out.
Both vehicles performed the same, in fact my wife has close to 100k miles on her N55 and it's still running strong but like clock work, when I take her car out and floor it I can see black cloud of exhaust. I often wonder, if I daily drove her car and hit redline more frequently if those black clouds would subside. Unfortunately, I don't see myself DDing her car anytime soon.
03-29-2018, 01:22 PM
#25
First, I voted Fact, I do believe hitting red line on occasion is important to a healthy engine. DI or not.
I base that on this observation. A couple years back my wife and I both had BMWs with N55 DI motors. I drove mine hard, hitting redline frequently (which isn't that exciting in a sterile feeling BMW) while my wife mostly babied her car, rarely going above 4k rpms based on my observations riding with her.
I noticed, when in auto mode in my car and I floor it the downshift would cause a big jump in RPM, obviously, but looking in the rear view mirror there was never a hint of black exhaust. I'd try to take my wifes car out once ever few months and do the same and that thing would release a huge cloud of black smoke, border line rolling coal when it downshifted and hit redline. That alone is enough to convince me tickling redline on occasion is important to blowing some carbon out.
Both vehicles performed the same, in fact my wife has close to 100k miles on her N55 and it's still running strong but like clock work, when I take her car out and floor it I can see black cloud of exhaust. I often wonder, if I daily drove her car and hit redline more frequently if those black clouds would subside. Unfortunately, I don't see myself DDing her car anytime soon.
I base that on this observation. A couple years back my wife and I both had BMWs with N55 DI motors. I drove mine hard, hitting redline frequently (which isn't that exciting in a sterile feeling BMW) while my wife mostly babied her car, rarely going above 4k rpms based on my observations riding with her.
I noticed, when in auto mode in my car and I floor it the downshift would cause a big jump in RPM, obviously, but looking in the rear view mirror there was never a hint of black exhaust. I'd try to take my wifes car out once ever few months and do the same and that thing would release a huge cloud of black smoke, border line rolling coal when it downshifted and hit redline. That alone is enough to convince me tickling redline on occasion is important to blowing some carbon out.
Both vehicles performed the same, in fact my wife has close to 100k miles on her N55 and it's still running strong but like clock work, when I take her car out and floor it I can see black cloud of exhaust. I often wonder, if I daily drove her car and hit redline more frequently if those black clouds would subside. Unfortunately, I don't see myself DDing her car anytime soon.
03-29-2018, 01:31 PM
#26
It's funny how old ways stay with us. Mazny years ago carbureted motorcycles had unstable idles and could easily stall. Riders would need to keep blipping their throttle to keep the engine running at stop light. Today, you still here them doing it even though there is no need ( assuming no extreme cam setup or poor condition). Thje same with "revving it up to clean it out" with cars. That was necessary for many older or poorly tuned or designed engines ( think many cars from the 1950s,60s,70s) but the myths live on.
03-29-2018, 01:38 PM
#27
When I perform the hard acceleration to redline, I picture the rings in my relatively low 15K mileage car flexing and seating themselves against the cylinder walls better over time. Who knows, but GOD I love 2nd gear!
03-29-2018, 01:44 PM
#28
03-29-2018, 01:56 PM
#29
The soot leaves the engine through the exhaust valves and gets caught in the nooks and crannies of the exhaust system, mostly the muffler and perhaps some in the catalytic converter. Any soot that forms on the intake areas, unfortunately, stays there until serviced. If it did come dislodged, it would enter and exit the cylinder in larger particles. Revving the car up to blow soot out of the exhaust has the same effect in improving the performance of the car as washing the car it does ( it "seems" better).
03-29-2018, 04:22 PM
#30
The soot leaves the engine through the exhaust valves and gets caught in the nooks and crannies of the exhaust system, mostly the muffler and perhaps some in the catalytic converter. Any soot that forms on the intake areas, unfortunately, stays there until serviced. If it did come dislodged, it would enter and exit the cylinder in larger particles. Revving the car up to blow soot out of the exhaust has the same effect in improving the performance of the car as washing the car it does ( it "seems" better).
Do I think I'm restoring a 10% HP loss by flooring it? No, of course not but again I do think there is value in touching the entire rev range from time to time. Especially on cars that never see that kind of use. Besides, it's really fun to do!!
I do agree you aren't impacting any carbon plaque that may have built on the top of the intake valves.