Break in period

[DSI]

what's the break in period on a V8 R8?

[Monkey boy UK]

There isn’t a break in period really, the engines are put through vigorous tests prior to going into the car, and then tested again once fitted as road tests.

Some people prefer to take it easy for first few hundred miles, not me, I am just driving my 10 day old Spyder as i would if it had 5,000 miles on it, did the same on the last two R8 V8's and no problems at all, others will disagree but my dealer told me not to worry and just drive it.

Enjoy your new car and push it as hard as you feel safe to.

[CPBRI]

After I saw the engine taken up to its redline and causing the headers to glow orange....on the test stand, prior to being installed, I became less concerned with any break-in procedure.

[swansailor]

After I saw the engine taken up to its redline and causing the headers to glow orange....on the test stand, prior to being installed, I became less concerned with any break-in procedure.

Bear in mind that the break-in is not just for the engine but is also for the transmission (all those gears meshing with each other) and for the tires.

[hmp10]

According to Audi . . .

Do not exceed 6000 rpm for first 600 miles, gradually increase rpm's during next 600 miles, do not redline until after 1500 miles. No full acceleration during first 1500 miles.

Swansailor is right. Tires need about 500 miles to fully wear off the lubricants that are used to keep the tires from binding in the molds. Also, the dealer told me that one of the reasons Audi encourages a break-in period is to make sure people don't drive the car too aggressively until they have fully adapted to it (although that's not much of a problem for those here who are moving from a V8 to a V10).

[sapien]

Indeed, break-in periods are rarely just for the engine. A car is made up of several components that need to wear in properly, and pushing too hard too early can result in sub optimal results. Cars are pretty complicated.

Not breaking in properly could reduce the lifespan of a vehicle, so keep that in mind if you don't plan on reselling.

[SteveR]

I am not completely sold on the idea that these cars can be run flat out from the start without effecting long term performance. Running an engine on a dyno to 8000 rpm does not put the same loads on an engine as a WOT run to redline in gears 3-6. Also, you have to consider the brakes, clutch, and transmission as others have mentioned.

I wish Audi had a white paper on why the engineers made their break-in suggestions.

[mstams]

After I saw the engine taken up to its redline and causing the headers to glow orange....on the test stand, prior to being installed, I became less concerned with any break-in procedure.

Yep. This was shown on the recent Nat Geo factory show. I think they said each engine is run hard for about an hour before being installed in the vehicle.

That being said, I'd probably still stick with the recommened procedure. 600 miles goes by quick...

[doctorr8]

So is there an expert/professional who can tell us to break in or not? And how many miles?
Or a guy that did not break in and had problems?!

[KfabR8]

Most of us that flogged our cars from the start have had less oil consumption.

Breaking in an engine - the main part of break in is bedding the rings to the cylinder walls. (oil consumption starts here).

By babying the engine, you never produce the pressures that it will see under a full load - pressures in the combustion chamber. This pressure forces the rings out of the lands and against the cylinder wall, bedding them in.

When I was involved with a super bike race team years ago, we would build an engine, put it on a dyno, warm it up and then start dyno pulls. As the engine would "break in" the numbers would go up. - minimally, but up.

With today's modern machining techniques, the ability to hold extremely precise tolerances, metallurgy and processes, break in really is more of a hold onto old ideas and CYA on Audi's part in that respect.

The biggest thing to pay attention to, for the life of the vehicle, not just "break in" is let the temps get up into operating range. Especially the oil temp. Once they're in the green, get on the throttle and enjoy.