Proper break-in 6.2

ktreece · November 30, 2013

So my truck is at the station waiting to be delivered to the dealer. I figure I will be picking it up Monday-Tuesday (sitting there since the 26th, how long do they usually sit?)

Anyways, I haven't found a good answer for the proper amount of time to take it easy before I can see how well the 6.2 performs. What are you guys suggestions?

geektoad · November 30, 2013

Break it in like you're going to drive it. Babying a drivetrain for a small period of time is not going to gain you anything in the long haul. With 20 years of new car purchases, and an average of about 100k miles on each vehicle, I've always lived by the "break it in like you're going to drive it" theory, and I've never had a major drivetrain breakdown that I didn't cause myself (i've munched gears on a Camaro after 75k miles of AX, drag radials and general abuse...pretty certain that this wasn't due to bad break-in ;))

txab · November 30, 2013

Drive it like you stole it.

Change the oil early for the first change

bearman95 · November 30, 2013

Follow the owners manual for oil change and break in.

ktreece · November 30, 2013

First RTM. Then, drive it like a test drive from day one. Never let up on the throttle. Let the brake pads know you are stopping with authority each time! Always worked for me.

RTM?

seamonster · November 30, 2013

Read the manual???????

The Duke · November 30, 2013

I have bought 19 new automobiles over the past 36 years. My routine has always been no towing, hard braking, excessive rpm's or constant rpm's for the first 500 miles! Then change your oil and filter to Mobil One at one thousand miles and you are good to go! I have used this routine on GM's, Ford's, and two Chrysler products and I have yet to have a vehicle that uses oil between changes! I have towed all over the USA with a Ford and GM's and never had a break-down. I also have the first car that I bought new, a 1976 Ford Mustang Cobra.

ktreece · November 30, 2013

I have bought 19 new automobiles over the past 36 years. My routine has always been no towing, hard braking, excessive rpm's or constant rpm's for the first 500 miles! Then change your oil and filter to Mobil One at one thousand miles and you are good to go! I have used this routine on GM's, Ford's, and two Chrysler products and I have yet to have a vehicle that uses oil between changes! I have towed all over the USA with a Ford and GM's and never had a break-down. I also have the first car that I bought new, a 1976 Ford Mustang Cobra.

What should I do about my 360 mile trip home? All interstate and straight too!

The Duke · November 30, 2013

Don't use your cruise - control! Drive at one speed for ten minutes then slow down or speed up for ten minutes. This may not make you a lot of friends when they pass you multiple times, but trust me it works!

The Duke · November 30, 2013

Drive some country roads coming home if at all possible.

ktreece · November 30, 2013

Drive some country roads coming home if at all possible.

There really aren't too many but I'll take the few that I can. Straightest 350 mile shot in the country. Oklahoma City to Arkansas via i40

Cap'n Pete · November 30, 2013

Drive it. If you plan to baby it, then baby it. If you want to "see how well that 6.2L performs" then DRIVE IT like you own it!

If you're stuck doing a long highway haul, then every so often, just put your foot down and hold it full throttle for a short burst. I wouldn't necessarily shoot to hit the speed limiter, but I wouldn't hold back from approaching red-line RPM either.

You can also put it into Manual mode and hold a lower gear, speed up, and let the heavier engine braking slow you back down.

Basically, don't be afraid to LOAD the engine within the first few hundred miles. It will help seat the rings and lead to minimal oil usage over the life of the engine (valve guide/seal problems, etc., aside!)

ktreece · November 30, 2013

Winner! All this and more can be found in the manual.

I read on gminsidernews that the manuals recommendations aren't the best and tailored to driving slow for some lawsuit/lawyer reasons?

movin on · December 1, 2013

What are you running for fuel to get the 91 octane? E30? Thanks.

Cap'n Pete · December 1, 2013

I read on gminsidernews that the manuals recommendations aren't the best and tailored to driving slow for some lawsuit/lawyer reasons?

I know that the owner's manual for my '02 Camaro Z28 (that I bought brand new) "recommended" not exceeding 88 km/h for the first 800 kms (55 MPH for 500 miles). Yeah right!!!! But also said not to drive at the same speed, fast or slow, for extended periods of time during those first few hundred miles. How the heck is THAT achievable with such a tight restriction on speed?!?

So I pretty much threw those "recommendations" out the window, and DROVE IT how I saw fit (which included a full-throttle, 1/4 mile highway entrance after there were about ~80 problem-free miles on the car ). 11 years and ~90k miles later, it didn't smoke and didn't burn more than 1qt of oil between oil changes (and I did LOTS of track time ... 1/4 mile and road course) with that LS1 motor, screaming it off the rev-limiter more than a few times, holding high RPM's, etc.

I suspect the current owner's manuals would have similar recommendations on speed, etc. I'm sure they're written by/for the lawyers!