I dont know if this is a myth or anything of the sort...but

Is the break-in period really neeeded? I ask this because of what I found out from my friend. He has an 03 Z, and he ran the car hard since day 1. The first day he got it, he was redlining gears and all. Now, at a local Z dyno day, we asked every1 if they followed their break-in period, and almost all said yes.

Ive been told if you run your motor hard since day 1, it will result in an overall stronger motor, and if you follow your break-in period and drive it like a granny, it will result in a weaker motor. Now, I say this, because at the dyno meet, there was about 5 stock Z's, and maybe 6 mildly modded Z's. Out of the 5 stock z's, my friends dyno'd the highest. He dyno'd in at 245RWHP. Everyone else dyno'd at around 230-240. ?

 

Read your owner's manual, it says in there to take it ez for the 1st 1200 miles. It really depends on how long you plan on keeping the car, for most of us it'll be for a long time. But if its a lease and you have to return it within 2 or 4 years, then drive it as hard as you want.

This is a highly debated topic, i'm sure everyone has their own views but just to be on the safe side, i'd say just granny the car till about 1k miles.

 

I've had two engines with this car, the first was broken in by the owners manual and the second was broken in on a dyno doing progressive pulls. The second engine also had a twin turbo kit bolted on at 100 miles.. guess which one runs stronger than ever with no problems? The first engine ended up having oil consumption problems, I think this is why the loaners run so strong (at least the ones I get) because people have no mercy on them from day one.

I could be wrong but just letting you know what my experience has been.

 

Yeah Ive been told that your piston rings will seal better and you will have overall better performance if you run your motor hard from the start. I ask this because I will be buying my 6MT G soon and I want to know if I should follow the break-in or not.

 

Well, I broke my engine the way it was suppose to be and so far, it feels great. I kept it around 4K rpm for 1000 miles, 4.5K for the next 500 miles, and then let it ripped thereafter. I'm at 2500 miles and I like the way it feels. I read an article on Motortrend where their WRX was consuming oil like it was going out of style b/c they didn't break in the engine. I say, follow the manual...BUT...also rev it high once a week just to keep it tuned during the breakin (I read this online too).

 

http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

check out that website.

I say run it hard so the piston rings will seal like you said. After about 4000 miles my engine seemed to run even stronger.

 

yeah i remember reading some guy ran two identical cars on the dyno. the car that he didnt "break in" had more whp then the one that was breaking in.

 

break-in period is NOT just for your engine, it's also for your tranny brakes suspension and everything else !i'd follow the book.
but if you are leasing it and dont give a **** push it !

 

I didnt follow the break in period.... I redlined it out of the dealer.... and I plan to keep it for a long time

 

Good **** bro, drive it like a man ! .

I guess ima drive mine hard

 

May not be the answer you want, but Nissan thinks it's necessary, and so do I.

C.

 

I agree...I would assume Nissan engineers would know what they are talking about when they build these cars. I'd follow the book...not what a engine builder says on a site.

 

My salesman told me not to worry about the break-in and in the same breathe he reminded me that they also have a service department. Go figure.

 

Not taking sides on this debate, but I think Nissan requires a break-in period to minimize their own liability, not necessarily because it will/will not optimize engine performance, longevity, etc.

 

Two minutes after I left the dealer with my car, I call and ask the salesman how many miles do I have to take it easy. He said "those days are over drive the way you want." So I close the cell phone and floor it. Been driving the car hard since day 1, then again I don't plan on keeping this car for a long time (and its not a lease).