How are you guys driving your stangs? Is There still a 500 or 1000 mile break-in? :scratch:

 

If you look in the owner's manual, it suggests just to keep varying your rpms for the first 1000 miles.... let the oil rings seat properly. However.... if you break it in hard, it will run hard. If you granny it, it won't perform as hard for you.... be more susceptible to failure later if you decide to drive it hard.
Just drive it.... vary your rpms, don't be affraid to get into it. I don't know that I'd push that redline in the first 1000 miles... give the engine a chance to loosen up a bit, but don't pussyfoot around if you want to drive it hard later.

 

IMO drive it like your going to drive it. nothing special execpt for dont maintain a constant speed for any given time. I have drove my previous Mustangs hard, right from new. They ran strong & lasted beyond my ownership, without even any minor problems. I rode my Harley hard right from new, & many think I have internal engine work, it's a freak.

 

Thanks

 

excellent advice. I've been varying my speeds. Just over 100 miles on it.

 

OK, sounds great But, what if it is mostly driving on a highway?? drop down to 4th?? :scratch: :scratch:

 

you got it, Stephen ....

and Aaron, it's time to lay a patch

 

Back in the 60s I was buying/racing (drag strip) the big engine Mopars. The people that seemed to be in the know all said "break them in the way you want them to run".

I twisted the speedo cable off on my brand new 65 Plymouth Satallite 426 on the way home from the dealership. It always ran good - never buned oil.

I think just don't keep the car in one extreame or the other. Don't baby it all the time or crank it all the time.

I think the worst thing would be to drive the first 1000 or 5000 miles with kid gloves. If anyone is old enough to remember the cars of the 60s esp one that some older person/couple bought and never ever punched it - going down the road smoking? - the rings never set.

To me the 2nd worst thing would be to get a new one and go on a trip and maintain a constant speed for mile after mile.

I am older now - if I had one of these cars - I don't think I would take it to the drag strip right off the bat like when I was a kid - but I would nail it here and there (prolly on the way home lol).

 

I will be doing mainly highway driving and yes, drop back and forth from 5th to 4th and back again to vary the rpm's. You don't want to cruise for 30 minutes at the same rpm. I think every 5 minutes I will vary my rpm.

 

Its nice to know that riding it hard from the get go is ok. This is my third Mustang and I always rode them hard with no problems. Its just nice to know that it is ok.

I also change the oil every 5000 miles and rotate the tires at the same time.

 

well, now that these engines are designed specifically for synthetic oil, the change intervals are extended.... it's what? 6000 mile on an oil change, just swap filters on the 3000 mark? It certainly makes it easier on the pocket book since synthetic is twice the price of petrolium based oil. It all comes out to be about the same, but it would stink to have to pay for synthetic every 3000 miles.

 

Drive at different speeds. 80mph for a while, then 60, then 70, then 55. That will vary the RPMs somewhat. You can drop to 4th to vary RPMs even more, as you suggest.

 

Oh yeah, time to lay a patch!

 

Thanks for the helpful info Im getting mine at the end of the month

 

Thanks for the info!!!

 

you have no idea how happy I am to have read this thread. I drove my car for the first 100 miles shifting at low RPMs and not pushin it real hard. But I couldnt hold on for more than that. since the 100 mile mark I have been pushin it pretty hard and Im now up to 350 miles. For the last few days I have been thinking to myself how I could be messing up my car by not breaking it in slow enough. But this thread really puts my concerns at rest. Thanks guys for the advice.

 

If I get a speeding ticket driving home from work cause you guys told me to "break in" my car as described, you get to pay for it.

25mi to school, 25 mi home x 3 days
20mi to work, 20 mi home x 4 days
=310mi/week
... gas prices stink