Understanding Engine Break In | Dos and Don'ts

Only once had the chance/duty to break in an engine, on a motorcycle (SV650). Stuck to manufacturer specified rev limits, warmed up and cooled down gently. Varied loads a lot and didn‘t shy away from open throttle - up to said rev limits. A year later the mechanic told me he‘d never ridden a stock SV650 that pulled so hard throughout all of the rev range. Seems I did well. Miss the bike.

It's actually amazing how Goose will just be in the dungeon cooking up some hot gas no one sees coming. Just paving new ground all the time, making car content for the next generation, an absolute legend 🥺

This is exactly why I’m saving up for a new car. I’m willing to eat the depreciation if I can break it in and truly care for it how I like to

My 82 year old Mother bought herself a mx5 with the brembo's and recaro's yesterday . This video couldn't have come at a better time . Thanks Marc.

I really liked the distinction in this video of tight tolerance exotic engines versus a bulletproof commuter engine. Sometimes people have this engine break-in conversation comparing apples to oranges.

A few years ago, I got a new Fiesta ST. There was an engineer on one of the sites that had a break in guide. Lots of oil changes, and off throttle coasting down hills, varying speed. Run through the gears slowly with in gear coasting to get oil to the top of the cylinder bore. Made sense to me then, will do the same with my WRX if it ever gets here. Timely video, thank you!

Got to speak to a master Ducati tech about this back in the day and I've followed his advice ever since. 1. No high load at low RPM (don't lug the motor) 2. No high RPMs before the oil is up to temp 3. Ride it don't sit it! (Vary the throttle position, shift gears, vary loads and bed in the brakes, etc.)

My GR Corolla gets delivered tomorrow, this video couldn’t have come out at a better time.

I’ve seen some videos on this and basically found the same idea. The mechanic also said that it’s best to get your first oil change at 500-1000 miles regardless of what the manufacturer said. That’s exactly what I did. Baby it for a few hundred, drive normally for another few hundred, get an oil change in the 500-1000 mile range and you should be good to go.

Breaking in a new car... an increasingly rare event per capita these days. You guys sure you understand your viewers? Joking aside, great content and very informative. Thank you!

Thanks for making these informative and technical videos with industry expert interviews, they might not be as highly viewed as the hottest new CUV grocery getter, but the engineers and nerds appreciate them. Do you use a specific oil for the track or does it vary car to car? Any plans for another live stream? Thanks for consistently making the best automotive content on YouTube

Great video, I hope more people watch this! My father used to be an engine builder as a career back in the mid 70's, he did oil testing for a company called Lubrizol. He's still builds small block V8's from time to time but now that he's getting older he doesn't do it as often ( I have some of his words of wisdom about engine building (and videos) on my channel and I encourage people to listen to him, as people like him are a dying breed some what...). When he used to build V8's back then, they would do what was called the "hemi break-in" and that was to put the car in fourth gear at about 30 miles an hour and put the throttle all the way to the floor to about 110 mph. He told me that they would do that 10 times change the oil and then the engine was broken in and good to go. Of course that was back in the day. I'm a big believer in heat cycles and varying RPM so that you're not lugging the engine and you're not spinning it to the moon either. And then I think it's very important to get oil out as soon as possible to get rid of all the casting flash. I have done this with pretty much all of my new vehicles, dirt bikes, and engines that I've built with my father and everything has always been fine. I've built Japanese engines (Mazda, Honda, Toyota) and domestic V8's as well. And I do the same type of break-in and haven't had any issue. I think the key is heat cycles driving it easy with varying the speed and then dumping the oil as soon as possible. Modern engines are built to very close tolerances and a lot of times I feel like the components break in extra quick And it seems that engines are ready to roll a bit quicker these days. I feel like everyone has a method... I guess this is mine. Thanks again for everything that you do on YT. You guys are an asset to the internet.

I really respect the idea of doing it right even if you lease the car. People worked very hard to create something you have the privilege of driving. If the car ends up with a new owner later in its life, you will have done something honorable and good for them. Perhaps even saving their family money and headaches.

To break in my 2022 Toyota 2.5 four-cylinder, I didn't brake hard, accelerate hard, use the cruise control, or drive over 55 MPH for the first 600 miles. Then I went on a 600-mile round trip, using my cruise control on and off. I then changed the engine oil at 1290 miles on the odometer and drove it normally. I follow this up with an oil change at 5k miles and every 5k mile increment after.

Loved this episode…as an old school car guy, I always follow the break in theory with any new car and do the first oil change at 1k miles, again every 5k there after. Grandfather taught me best even with todays engine tech

I always did just the way it was explained in this video in all of my cars in the last 30 years. If it was later tuned I halved the oil change interval. I always used premium oils. And in all those years I never had excessive oil consumption to top up the oil, no leaks and no problems. So yes - it works just like you said here.

Since high school (1987) I have had a dream car. That is the BMW M3. The car was amazing and no chance in hell I could get one. Fast forward next week I pick up my 2023 BMW M2. I have never spent this much money on a car. I have owned many new cars. I am driving this car 900+ miles home after delivery. I am a bit stressed about this break in process. Thank you for this video. It is going to be a dream ride home! I am like a 18 year old again and my dream has come true. This video could not have come at a better time for me. I intend to do all the right things to do my best to make this perfect on my huge trip home.

Thanks savagegeese for this great video again ! You are the best in your field really ! Car enthusiast myself I bought many new cars for the last 25 years (German cars and now only Japanese: Honda) and I still always do a 500 miles break-in, wait for the engine to get warm before reving it and I change the oil every 5000 miles. An oil change is cheap and an engine is expensive to replace voilà ;) Keep charging ! Best regards from Québec Nic

What I really love about your channel is that you are giving us a way to actually hear from the engineers that have had a hand in designing the cars we drive.

Best Car channel for years on end. I love your more in-depth videos. What a masterclass of an actual informative video without all the clickbait. I love this channel