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Running in rules for R

Bazd13

New member
Location
Isle of Wight
Got my R on order (manual), what are the running in rules these days?
Not had a new car for years and don't want to get it wrong, but don't think i can be over cautious for miles and miles either.
 

Avanti

Go Kart Champion
Location
UK
Just don't be thrashing it for a good 1500 miles or so, keeping the revs below say 3000rpm in any gear and you should be good to go.
 

Wild Hare

.: MR. BIG STUFF :.
Location
Nortvest
Car(s)
2015 Golf R (TUNED)
Drive it like you stole it!
 

TheSwede

Ready to race!
Location
Sweden, Halmstad
Car(s)
Golf7 Alltrack/Cupra
With such a topic you will for sure get many different answers :). Here is one more.

After about 200-300 km of very careful driving I start to use various rpm and also over 3000 rpm up to 5000-6000 rpm but not for long. I don’t have any intention to keep it under 3000 rpm since I don’t want turn edges in top of the cylinder bores. Some times 100% power output for short periods.

In the beginning I try to run the car a longer distance since I think it has bad impact to just drive short distances on cold/ half warm engine. No start/stop automatic activated in my car during running in period (S/S is another topic..).

It’s not just the engine which needs breaking in period, you have gearbox, breaks, 4motion, and so on to.

After about 1000-1500 km (1000 miles) the break in period is finished and I will drive as usual and to be honest no big difference to what I described as the running in method. This is what I have practiced for decades..;).

New running in session starts on Friday, collecting the R then :D.

/Peter
 
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Betty Swollocks

Ready to race!
Location
Norn Iron
The engine has been run in on a bench before it met the car.

The harder you drive it now, the faster she will be in the long run.

BUT.... I have found this out with my company cars.... have I applied the same practice to a 'paid for by me car?'

No .... Start off gentle, and slowly, but methodically, introduce higher revs, for short periods.

Don't let it see the rev limmiter until after 1000 miles.

If you nurse the car too much, it will never be as free as a car that was gradually rev'ved out in it's early days.

That's what we found out from our high performance company cars in the past.....
The boss drove his like a ........... (you know the idea)

And the workers drove it like they stole it........


Both cars tested side by side and the boss's was at least 5 mph down on top speed.
 

BlueBullet

Ready to race!
Location
Great Britain
I've always taken it gradually upto the first thousand miles building the revs up the more miles I've done. I try not to go over 5 thousand revs until hit the 1000 miles. As previous posts suggest you have to give it the beans every now and again once done over 1000 miles otherwise it won't pull well in long run and it clears out the system. Speed limit permitting a top speed run won't hurt it every now and again on an airfield etc.
 

Nolte

Fear my Stock Ride Height
Location
IA
Car(s)
2018 Golf R
Check the manual. There's usually a section that covers break-in. Who better to tell you how to care for the engine than the people who made it? Certainly better than a bunch of strangers on the internet, anyway. No offense to anyone of course.
 

ick

Ready to race!
Location
San Diego
Check the manual. There's usually a section that covers break-in. Who better to tell you how to care for the engine than the people who made it? Certainly better than a bunch of strangers on the internet, anyway. No offense to anyone of course.

I agree with this statement. The Germans know their engineering better than you.
 

Willow1

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
UK
Just don't thrash it , let it work through the rev range, avoid limiter bouncing, ( which is quite difficult in first gear in a manual) and remember that on a turbo to let it spool before sticking your foot to the floor, try to avoid long journeys at a constant rev range,and above all do not feed it after midnight....:p
If you are going to keep it more than three years it's worth some TLC
The running in period is not just for the engine it's for the breaks, the running gear, suspension, and so on,
I have tuned race engines in the past which operate at the most efficient when brand new,
However shelf life is shorter, but if you ran them in they would last longer
for a cost of power, the gains are very insignificant and to a road car
It really is more about the car bedding in not just the engine,
 
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