Entaille

the break in plan is very debatable. that will be for you to decide. one thing I'd like to reinforce: no cruise control for 1000 miles - you want to vary your speeds.

Mayberry40

I was told that with todays technology the engines are made to drive it like you want to straight from the dealers lot! I have also been told by top mechanics that when an engine is ran hard when it is cold that is when a great amount of wear is done to the bearings because the oil is not as thin when it is cold vs when the oil is warmed up.
I dont rev my engine over 2000 rpm's until a little past the point the engine is at operating temp.

mph07alloy

I try to baby it until some miles are on it but it's tough for me to remember to go slow, before long I'm doing full throttle burnouts and racing down onramps as fast as I can possibly go.

Norm Peterson

No matter how good the fabrication processes get, you have a collection of metal bits that need a little time to wear in to each other at the microscopic level.

I've always broken my cars in pretty easy the first few hundred miles and gradually getting into it harder over the next couple of thousand. I go out of my way to keep the revs varied.

Cruise control during break-in? Never happen. Under only one very rare and very specific situation will I ever use it at all, no matter how many miles are on the clock.

The production processes may be better controlled now than they were 45 years ago, but last I checked aluminum and steel have not changed their thermal properties and heat still expands things of different materials unequally and things of uneven thicknesses unevenly.

You get a different point of view after you've assembled a few engines intended for long-term performance street use (watching and setting clearances), rebuilt transmissions or transaxles (endplay), or replaced rear axle gears (backlash). These little "gaps" are what keeps metal to metal situations from happening, which is something can and occasionally does happen if you get sloppy. Think those machines that make the parts are absolutely perfect every time? Think again, and remember something called "tolerance".

I've also been paid to do an engineering thing called "thermal transient analysis", where you calculate the effects that occur in metal due to rapid temperature changes.


Norm

autos221

I just stomped the pedal down and smiled

moosestang

5 easy miles till I hit the interstate on ramp, my wife was following me in her pt cruiser, she said one second I was there and then I was GONE! I've been beating on it every since.

JimC

Easy for the first couple of miles and then on it like I stole it.

Less than 400 miles on it and several WOT runs - lots of highway driving, but some in town as well.

Tomorrow - take it to the track to get some base line passes down bone stock.

shoeys08dkcandygt

No cruise control for first 1000 miles. But when I took off from the light out front of the dealership I bought it from I got it sideways and been driving it like I stole it since day 1. The shifter only goes into 6th gear when cruising at 80+ on the interstate. Didn't buy any of my mustangs for mpgs. Had 4 in a row now(06,07,08,12). 3 tuned gt's and a tuned v6. None of them ever went to the dealership for any warranty work. Ive learned that the harder u drive cars the better they hold up and perform. Enjoy the stang buddy

Sethman29

so i left the dealer today with 28 miles on it (including my test drive) i had a 3 hour drive so i was worried and of course the dealer was like " naw now days you aint gotta do none of that... blah blah" well i just kinda mixed it up like 60-65-70-75-70-65 you get it. Got on it like once or twice (nothing above 4-5k, i say got on it what i meant was wishing like hell i wasn't so paranoid about my motor so i could get on it like a mad man) lol now i think i've got close to 300 on it. Hopefully it will be good to me, i'm ready to have fun in this car! my buddy has a 12 and he told me when he left the dealer he left sideways lol i guess it's a common practice.

Cory Cook

I varied the rpm's, but had a 3hr drive home from the dealership. I think I went WOT once getting on an on-ramp about halfway home. Ever since it's been usually above 4K a few times a week, usually a WOT run leaving work to try and not get ran over getting on the highway. Changed the oil today at 1200 miles and got rid of the sound tube.