Break in period (make me feel good)

[TypeRD]

There's no way they drove ~15 miles at the factory. I've seen CTRs with less delivery miles. Personally mine was at 18 and I worry about it sometimes lol

I’m only guessing as I don’t know what the true number is, hence the question mark I added. If you know better, please share. I only know for a fact that my Si was 14 miles and that was the confirmed test mileage. I’ll check my CTR paperwork in a bit as a data point.

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[TypeRD]

Just checked my odometer reading at the time of sale. 10 miles. I probably had 11 in my head because of the mile I put on it during my nervously excited test drive.

Apparently I have a good/honest local dealer who didn’t mess with my pre-sold car I patiently waited months to receive.

 

[D4RCNESS]

Mine had 7 miles on the ODO when I picked her up, for reference

 

[VPMotors]

4 miles on mine. Dealer told me it was mandatory to put at least 4 on the car before delivery. BS or not, I'm happy that it was just 4.

 

[Tickle]

Cars come with all sorts of different mileage on them. Most common on a vehicle built domestically I see 2-5 miles but I've definitely seen where they come with 10. That is for cars built in North America.

 

[tezzasaurusrex]

The engines are stout, and as everyone else has mentioned, it was likely thrashed by the apprentice during the PDI inspection when they fill up. I sent my car moderately hard through some local mountain roads on the day of delivery if it makes you feel any better.

 

[savagegeese]

I can answer this a bit better than most from talking to engineers from many brands.

1. Every brand has different tolerances and mix of materials for engines which require different methods for break in or lack there of.

2. Most engines are NOT broken in at factory. Or run in. They do a validation run and start which does not involve high load testing or thermal cycling. Certain cars may ship from factory with more miles because they were validation builds.

3. Modern break in on higher performance engines should be handled with some level of care because of bearing material. With the removal of lead by regulation, there are less malleable materials in bearings.

They are now harder, so running an engine at high load or heat shocking these types of parts can create high or low sides. Bearing manufacturers recommend varying load avoiding extreme high rpm and thermal shock to running surfaces for anywhere from 300-600 miles depending on engine. Some bearings have a sacrificial layer for break in to help even out wear.

4. Many commodity high volume engines that are largely built by automation with lower tolerances (non high performance) require less care but see number 3 if you plan on keeping the vehicle for high mileage.

5. Misconceptions: "break in engine it like a race car for best performance." Street engines are not race cars. They dont live at high RPM. Engineers have told us accross the board, average speed on almost every car is 24-35MPH which means average engine load on street cars is around 2000RPM.

6. Avoid thermal shock on trans, engine etc for at least 300 miles to he safe. Don't heat soak cooling and parts at extreme temps. (Track) then let car completely cool off to ambient. Build up to that using normal heat cycling. For example keep engine and trans at normal operational temps for extended periods instead of short durations and then constant cool offs. (Similar to brake heat cycles and tires.)

7. Vary engine load, 25% - 75% first 300-500 miles in multiple gears and don't sit at one RPM for extended periods. Its about creating even wear on running surfaces.

8. Oil contimation is usually from sealers (silicones) can become abrasive, change pH or clog oil passages. Its less of an issue now with modern oils and engines. If you drive hard dump oil at 1k or less.

9. HPD who sells these engines to brands like Arial for Atom4 and race series ships with 0w20. If all you do is street driving its perfect for this engine. However, 0w20 is a compliance oil designed for better MPG and emissions. It is not a good choice for any high load or track driving as viscosity changes are much more severe above 230F (thins out, pressure loss) If you track or are in high heat, change oil grades. 5w30 will hold viscosity better at high temps. Typically 10w30 even more so and so on.

There is a difference in high temp viscosity between 0w vs 5w and 10w. That winter rating affects the base stock oil which hurts the 212F+ viscosity rating which is why a 5w30 thins out faster at 240F vs a 10w30. Lastly there are no 0w oils to my knowlege that have a NOACK less than 7% (oil evaporation) 0w oils evaporate at a higher rate than 5w 10w etc. Oil evaporation is known to contribute to carbon baking or deposits.

 

[tezzasaurusrex]

There is a difference in high temp viscosity between 0w vs 5w and 10w. That winter rating affects the base stock oil which hurts the 212F+ viscosity rating which is why a 5w30 thins out faster at 240F vs a 10w30. Lastly there are no 0w oils to my knowlege that have a NOACK less than 7% (oil evaporation) 0w oils evaporate at a higher rate than 5w 10w etc. Oil evaporation is known to contribute to carbon baking or deposits.

Some good information here - thanks for sharing.

Honda calls for ACEA A5/B5 and API SN (according to the owners handbook in Australia at least) - I have yet to find a 0W30 oil which complies to both those standards. Do you have any suggestions?

I am still not convinced stepping up in viscosity is the solution on track unless you're seeing oil temps go way outside of the normal window and even then the better solution is to control the oil temp rather than simply going thicker.

Honda recommends 0w20
HPD also recommends 0w20 even in a motorsport application

I think I'll stick with the factory recommended. Afterall, Honda has built the engine with its intended viscosity in mind, one would assume the bearing clearances are optimised for the OEM viscosity, and they're willing to put a 5 year unlimited km warranty if anything was to go wrong (again, here in Australia at least) so all the evidence is there to support sticking with the OEM factory fill viscosity.

 

[Bullitt44]

Sleep tight. Your good.

 

[CTR]

I think the only region that has an actual oil temp sensor is Europe.

For those of us that have a calculated oil temperature I think it's probably best to stay with the factory weight so you have the most accurate display temperature. If you're in a region that never sees freezing temperatures maybe you can get away with something different but that extrapolated display temp will never match what Honda thinks it is if you change the oil weight.

 

[ABPDE5]

when i picked up mine, there was 22 miles on the odo. someone likely had a great time burning those miles and it wasn't me.

i finished the break-in, gently, for the next 600, dropped the oil at 650, and she runs fine.

enjoy your FL5. HONDA MAKES GREAT MOTORS... this is my eighth time owning the brand and they've all treated me well!

Same thing with my ITS T_T (21 miles... the paperwork showed 5, so I know the dealer put 16 on it; it was a preorder, and I had signed sale documents prior to shipment in addition to my deposit... assholes). I babied it to 600 and the moment it crossed over took the day off and spent the whole day pushing it.

 

[Southofthe8]

I'm rowing up and down through the gears up to 5000 rpm and 25-75% throttle. Got it 5 days ago with 12 miles and went straight to the canyons. Although yesterday(280 miles) I "accidentally" went full throttle and was a bit surprised at how fast it got into the 6000 rpm range. At 500 miles I'll start pushing it more above 5000 rpm.

I was an original owner 2005 RSX type S and did a similar break-in if I recall correctly. I owned it for 15 years and 130,000 miles and never had any engine issues. I drove it like I stole it with many redline shifts per day (she liked it). I did my own valve adjustment around 100,000 miles and only had a few valves slightly out of tolerance. Oil changes every 3-5000 and nothing to report from Blackstone analysis.

 

[Superhatch]

I generally just follow the mfg. suggested break in. They have those requirements to maintain as little warranty costs as possible for the company, which in turn means that the more people that follow their suggested break in the less issues those people will have too.

EVERY mfg has a break in period, be it cars, motorcycles or snowmobiles. If EVERY mfg has a break in period, wouldn't it make sense that there is a good reason for this? If the break in didn't matter we would see some mfg not suggest it.

Now they reason for the break in is to limit warranty issues, and that's going to be a small % even if nobody follows the break in. But it's such a short time of driving, you just have to ask if you want to roll the dice and be in that small % and deal with issues, or just be calm for a few weeks with your car and reduce that chance to almost 0?

 

[cryptolime]

it's mainly the clutch and gears that need breaking in.

 

[TheFactor]

Mine they just got in and had 5 miles when they drove it off the show room for my test drive . I drove it spiritedly so I could get a feel for it . Definitely didn’t ring it out or abuse it . Ran it to red line a couple times in first and second gear and that was it . I took delivery and after my test drive it had 10 miles on it . Only have 65 miles on her now and she purrs like a kitten

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