I hope all new owners notice the new break-in procedure for the 6.4L engine. It's different from the 5.7L break-in. The "User Guide" says the break-in period last up to 1500 miles for the 6.4L engine. (starts at pg. 33). Just sayin.
You mean the engineers who designed the engine? Let's see...........Dodge engineers or.......somebody's "buddy"...? To me it's a no brainier, I always follow the maker's recommendation. Note that since 2012 Dodge has extended the breakin mileage for the Hemis, my 2012 Durango R/T required just 300 miles for breakin, in 2014 it was 500 miles. If Dodge keeps extending the breakin time, I suspect that there is a reason.
Folks with no patience will always find an excuse to not follow a breakin procedure, whether it's a car, tires, frying pans, whatever. Listen to whomever you want, do whatever you want, it's your car. Me, I'll follow the maker's recommendation.
(Laughing). As did I. Left the dealership, got on it a bit, and THEN got home and read about the break in procedure (which I'm now following). Ignorance is bliss in this case! Can't wait until all gas/gear combos are on the table full time.
It might take some many months to drive at normal ...
...power settings if we followed this stupid rule. My SRT was a daily driver for 10 mos. It has 6000 miles. It would have taken 3 months to be able to drive it in a manner that it was designed for. Whatever. I did not follow that rule. Do other cars need such a restrictive break-in?
I bought it to be a toy. If the motor breaks....I guess I'll be forced to get a 426 crate.
Lawyers? Really? So why are the lawyers involved? Perhaps that would be because a shorter breakin causes more warranty issues.....which means damage which has to be warranteed.
"I think if you just..." Right, expert testimony there. Like I said, do whatever you want, it's your car. BTW if it takes you three months to get 500 miles - shame on you!
Because Chrysler attorneys approve every word that goes into the manuals.
And they are not going to publish a "middle of the road safe" break in procedure. They are going to err on the side of being at least a little conservative.
Believe me I'm not thrashing my car. But have I touched 4.5k without sustaining those RPM on a few shifts?
Okay, you state that the lawyers were involved in the 2012 and 2014 manuals too - so why the change to a higher break in mileage? Perhaps warranty experience on these engines? Perhaps more experience with endurance dyno testing? Meh.
Why are you arguing about it anyway, you don't need my permission. Afterall I said this twice:
Okay, you state that the lawyers were involved in the 2012 and 2014 manuals too - so why the change to a higher break in mileage? Perhaps warranty experience on these engines? Perhaps more experience with endurance dyno testing?
Perhaps the break in periods are getting longer because every year these cars are putting out more power?
I don't think anyone is "arguing" or looking for your permission. Im just looking for the opinions of others that maybe have a reason why auto makers put these break-in rules into place?
Personally, I think legal puts the break-in periods on these cars, so no matter what they have their asses covered.
CYA!
With that said, Im sure I will air on the side of caution for the first couple hundred miles even if it is tempting to PUNCH IT!
I'm having a hard time figuring out why I wouldn't follow Dodge engineer recommendations when it comes to break-in periods .
The absolute worst thing that could happen is that out of the total lifetime of the car, I drove a little over 1K miles like a wuss . Who the hell cares?
It's as simple as it is a mechanical machine guys ... unless it is run test previously the components need to "break in" some.
They don't tell you to change the oil after "break in" anymore because the machined finish on the internal components are so much better now. The surface of a machined finish looks like a small mountain range. The better the finish the lower the peaks and more consistent height of the peaks. When an engine breaks in it busts off those high peaks and the pieces go into your oil (and are captured by your filter). Machining practices are 100 times better now than they used to be so you don't have nearly the amount of large pieces floating around in your oil ... that is why they tell you there is no need to change the oil after break in anymore.
With regards to bearings, and any other sliding surfaces you should still go through a "break-in" period so that you don't put extreme forces on the components while they are making their initial contacts and creating their "wear" grooves and patterns.
These same principles apply for all machinery. This is why we run test machines and often don't run them at full load right after initial installation in industry...
Now THIS is good reasoning! Again... Woz to the rescue!
I always thought that most of this was vetted out when they build the engine. Before even dropping it into the frame. I kinda thought they could hook up the engine and run it through some paces before dropping it into a new car.
I don't know what the process is for the HEMI engines. I know I've been to one of the GM engine plants a few years ago and all of the engines were filled with oil and run for a certain amount of time before leaving the factory. I know the hellcat engine is run.
All of them hit the rollers for a few miles to check out that drivetrain works as well as all the interior electronics, speedo, etc. Saw that on a plant video some time ago. That's why all these cars have a few miles on them even brand new. My SRT had 10 miles on it when I bought it new...ordered my truck and I think it had 6-7 miles the day it came off the transport...
Hmm I think my break in on my 2012 was just easy for 50 miles...then no WOT until 500+ miles...and I pretty much stuck with that. At 750 miles I changed the oil to Royal Purple, new rear tires and Flowmaster exhaust...
And I would agree...likely they have tested and found that longer break in resulted in fewer engine issues MUCH further down the road...so changed to that suggestion for longevity (to save them money down the road). Honestly if that's what they suggest I plan to follow that "as closely as I can manage" lol.
For those who have not downloaded the 2015 User Guide I have posted the break-in recommendations below. Note that not everything in the break-in procedure has to do with the engine. The tires, brakes and transmission also need a break-in period. Follow at your own risk. :deadhorse:
2015 Challenger User Guide Operating Your Vehicle
For vehicles equipped with the 6.4L use the following engine break-in recommendations: Despite modern technology and World Class manufacturing methods, the moving parts of the vehicle must still wear in with each other. This wearing in occurs mainly during the first 500 miles (805 km) and continues through the first oil change interval. It is recommended for the operator to observe the following driving behaviors during the new vehicle break-in period:
0 to 100 miles (0 to 161 km): • Do not allow the engine to operate at idle for an extended period of time. • Depress the accelerator pedal slowly and not more than halfway to avoid rapid acceleration.
• Avoid aggressive braking. • Drive with the engine speed less than 3,500RPM.
• Maintain vehicle speed below 55mph (88km/h) and observe local speed limits.
100 to 300 miles (161 to 483 km): • Depress the accelerator pedal slowly and not more than halfway to avoid rapid acceleration in lower gears (1st to 3rd gears). • Avoid aggressive braking. • Drive with the engine speed less than 5,000RPM. • Maintain vehicle speed below 70mph (112km/h) and observe local speed limits.
300 to 500 miles (483 to 805 km): • Exercise the full engine rpm range, shifting manually (paddles or gear shift) at higher rpms when possible. • Do not perform sustained operation with the accelerator pedal at wide open throttle. • Maintain vehicle speed below 85mph (136km/h) and observe local speed limits.
For the first 1500 mi (2414 km): • Do not participate in track events, sport driving schools, or similar activities during the
For vehicles equipped with the 6.4L use the following engine break-in recommendations: Despite modern technology and World Class manufacturing methods, the moving parts of the vehicle must still wear in with each other. This wearing in occurs mainly during the first 500 miles (805 km) and continues through the first oil change interval. It is recommended for the operator to observe the following driving behaviors during the new vehicle break-in period:
All that makes sense to me...if I recall I didn't have mine on the track until about 1200 miles or so... A lot of the break in has more to do with heat/cool cycles as well as proper wear/break in. If that's what makes the machine last longer and perform better so be it... Always different opinions on this... Several perf engine builders I have spoken with say baby it for 100 miles or so then run it as you will for the life of the car...fresh oil earlier than normal interval (say 1000 miles instead of 5000). Simple as that. BUT every engine is different not to mention also taking into account trans break in, brakes, etc etc.
YEs this " lot of the break in has more to do with heat/cool cycles as well as proper wear/break in."
And yes this "not to mention also taking into account trans break in, brakes, etc etc. "
A lot of people don't think about that second one. Your rearend and transmissions are gearboxes...gearboxes require a little time to get their meshes and contact patterns "set". Bashing them all at once while they're new with all that awesome HEMI power isn't the best practice for them. Warm up with a little light foreplay for the first 500 miles then let them have it !
A lot of people don't think about that second one. Your rearend and transmissions are gearboxes...gearboxes require a little time to get their meshes and contact patterns "set". Bashing them all at once while they're new with all that awesome HEMI power isn't the best practice for them. Warm up with a little light foreplay for the first 500 miles then let them have it !
Exactly...even with just a gear swap in an old Chevy truck...(lifted it and went up to 35" tires so needed lower gearing)...went to a Yukon 4.11 set and the manuf and installer recommended 50mph only and gentle accel for 500 miles. Heat/Cool...and break/wear in before they can be stressed. And Yukon gears are near bullet-proof...
I'd bet biggest wear and tear concern is in fact the transmission and rear end with all the torque these beasts pour out!
I always find this subject funny. Cars are made up of Thousands of moving parts separated by a microscopic film of oil. Yet some don't see a need to take it easy for the first few thousand miles. Then wonder why they have noises that others don't have. Transmissions that hang up, ect. lol
Ive always been a technical guy/computer IT guy. So break-in is a foreign concept to me. Thats why this thread is very interesting. I am all about prolonging the life of my new investment. Im all about following the manufacturers recommended break-in procedure (thanks to GotRPM for posting).
I was only questioning the recommendation so I could LEARN the Mechanical reason behind it. You guys have done a very good job conveying why the recommendation is in place!
Good point on the rear axle, hardly nobody thinks about it during breakin but it can get extremely hot if not driven easily for at least the first 100 miles.
Cant wait for the HellCats to start coming in. And everybody beating the crap out of them right out of the box. ( I have been an engine builder and heavy mechanic for 35 years)
I also was not challenging the knowledge of the Chrysler engineers or those with knowledge here.
But from a product liability / integrity standpoint, the break in procedure is going to be stated conservatively. Just as when a bridge says "max gross weight 10,000lbs" that doesn't mean it will collapse with 10,500 lbs. It means 10,000 is well within safety parameters. No competant engineer is going to design a structure or machine with a near-zero tolerance for max usage guidelines.
Similar to the bridge analogy, all I was saying is if you occasionally blip up to 4500 RPM or drive 1/2 a mile at a time at 65 mph, I can't imagine that would exceed any engineering tolerances.
Precisely - I had posted a similar analogy involving weight limitations on elevators on a similar thread about trans limitations. If an elevator says MAX 3500 lbs that doesn't mean 3600 breaks it...but it's extremely unlikely that under typical circumstances that 3500 will NOT. Likely the recommended max is about 75% of it's true max. Leaving room for error, wear and tear, women who lie about their weight, etc.
Similarly, these recommendations don't mean, if you don't comply it will break. They are in place to decrease the likelihood of failure or issue. Essentially to save them warranty repairs.
I had to drive on the interstate home after picking up the car which would have limited me to 55mph. I said something about that to the car salesman and he said I was fine to go at interstate speeds and that he could have one of their SRT techs talk to me about it if that would make me more comfortable. Either way I still haven't got on it at all. I had to leave for work 5 minutes after getting home with the car so I told my brother to go put some damn miles on it for me!
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