How to break-in new cars

odyssey

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Please do not use high volume. You mentioned a car break-in. You arent recommended to drive in only 2nd gear while breaking in a new vehicle, nor are you recommended to drive above 100 kmph. Similarly do not use super-high volume but not low volume either. Crankly in an earlier post recommend freq sweeps - this is even better, in fact bursts at the resonance freq of the driver is even better but this is not feasible for most.

cheers
 
Re: How to" break-in" new speakers?

Please do not use high volume. You mentioned a car break-in. You arent recommended to drive in only 2nd gear while breaking in a new vehicle, nor are you recommended to drive above 100 kmph. Similarly do not use super-high volume but not low volume either. Crankly in an earlier post recommend freq sweeps - this is even better, in fact bursts at the resonance freq of the driver is even better but this is not feasible for most.

cheers

I am not the speaker expert but with vehicle engine break-ins, there are differing schools of thought.:) It is not about speeds but about exercising the various gears at different speeds. It is often about not taking the rpm meter to the redline. And that does not mean less than 100 kmph all the time:)

However, I agree the conservative view is to keep it below 100 kmph. Personally I have found that an aggressive break-in (read giving the gears work in all sorts of speed and never letting the engine knock) helps lift the performance of a vehicle - car or bike.
 
Re: How to" break-in" new speakers?

Hi Guys,
Asit u are not wrong in what u do. Playing music normally even in the initial hours of acquiring HIFI(amp,cdp and speakers) is not wrong and break in occurs gradually. The other methods suggested (wiring speaker out of phase) etc are more followed by dealers as they want to speed up the process as they need to demo them at the earliest.

Regarding a new car it is advised to not go above 3000 RPM till u cross the first 1000KM and avoid sudden acceleration and hard braking. Its more about engine RPM than speed. Taking a new car to the red line is disaster as there will be a lot of friction. When we were in the Fiat/Maruti 800 era one could sometimes see metal fragments in the first oil change but modern engines are built better.

I follow a set pattern in all vehicles. Obviously i drive it carefully and dont strain the new engine, i also change the oil every service (1st, 2nd and 3 rd free service) even if its not neccesary and swap to a synthetic oil (Mobil 1 0W 40) after about 5000 Kms. Have had very good service from all cars there after. The more u are careful in the first 1000 KMS the better the car will perform in the years ahead. Sorry moderator for the car talk but cars/bikes are a greater passion than HIFI for me!
Rgds
 
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Re: How to" break-in" new speakers?

Hi Guys,
Asit u are not wrong in what u do. Playing music normally even in the initial hours of acquiring HIFI(amp,cdp and speakers) is not wrong and break in occurs gradually. The other methods suggested (wiring speaker out of phase) etc are more followed by dealers as they want to speed up the process as they need to demo them at the earliest.

Thanks dinyaar, good to know that normal operation is all you need. However, as you mentioned and I know, it may take a bit of time.

PS (soory mod): I have bought 10 cars (7 of them new) so far in my life. I sort of observe similar routines as you do. I had great passion for cars too, however, that phase has passed. Oh, I did not quite like your changing the stock tyres to Potenza III.
 
Re: How to" break-in" new speakers?

Hahaha Asit nor did ROC.
Frankly i prefer the size 205/60 to 195/65 and either a Michelin PP2 or G111 work well for me. I chose the latter as i didnt have to pay a dime for the swap.
Am now using it for past 3 months and am very happy with it and i prefer the way the car feels to other civics on stock tyres. The ride is not as 'cushy' as say a Michelin MXV 8 but the overall feel is better.

I take the car most weekends out of the city(highway driving) and hence grip/handling are very crucial. In fact just last weekend we drove to mahabaleshwar in my old 2001 Honda city(195/60 R 14 potenza GIII) and though the tyres are over 4 yrs old they performed brilliantly at speeds in excess of 150 kmph on the xpressway.

Rgds
 
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Re: How to" break-in" new speakers?

Hi Guys,
Asit u are not wrong in what u do. Playing music normally even in the initial hours of acquiring HIFI(amp,cdp and speakers) is not wrong and break in occurs gradually. The other methods suggested (wiring speaker out of phase) etc are more followed by dealers as they want to speed up the process as they need to demo them at the earliest.

Regarding a new car it is advised to not go above 3000 RPM till u cross the first 1000KM and avoid sudden acceleration and hard braking. Its more about engine RPM than speed. Taking a new car to the red line is disaster as there will be a lot of friction. When we were in the Fiat/Maruti 800 era one could sometimes see metal fragments in the first oil change but modern engines are built better.

I follow a set pattern in all vehicles. Obviously i drive it carefully and dont strain the new engine, i also change the oil every service (1st, 2nd and 3 rd free service) even if its not neccesary and swap to a synthetic oil (Mobil 1 0W 40) after about 5000 Kms. Have had very good service from all cars there after. The more u are careful in the first 1000 KMS the better the car will perform in the years ahead. Sorry moderator for the car talk but cars/bikes are a greater passion than HIFI for me!
Rgds

There is a school of thought that it is precisely that friction generated which helps iron out the imperfections in molds in the piston ring and the cylinder. :)
Rapid accerlation and complete deceleration in each gear is a highly recommended procedure that works even for race cars and drivers. During the deceleration phase a vacuum is generated and helps throw out any and all impurities in or around the ring or cylinder region. I have tried this and got a lot of good responses with this - with both car and bike:)

However I guess this is in no way related to audio systems.
 
Re: How to" break-in" new speakers?

Hi thevotex,
There is friction even when an engine is on idle!!! Its more about ' controlled '
wear and i dont believe that taking a new engine to the redline is the way to go nor would i crank my new amp to dizzy levels.

Racing engine is a different cup of tea alltogether. That is meant for speed and not meant to last for years so what works for a racing car need not apply to a regular car.The amount of engine blow outs are testimony to that fact. Plus the fact that they dont have the time to gently break in an engine in a way similar to a dealer playing them over a weekend out of phase, with a blanket!!

Well i have followed the method that makes sense to me and u have followed the contrary and that too has worked !!!!!!!!

I guess its 'each to his own' time once again!!!!!
Rgds
 
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Re: How to" break-in" new speakers?

Hi thevotex,
There is friction even when an engine is on idle!!! Its more about ' controlled '
wear and i dont believe that taking a new engine to the redline is the way to go nor would i crank my new amp to dizzy levels.

Racing engine is a different cup of tea alltogether. That is meant for speed and not meant to last for years so what works for a racing car need not apply to a regular car.The amount of engine blow outs are testimony to that fact. Plus the fact that they dont have the time to gently break in an engine in a way similar to a dealer playing them over a weekend out of phase, with a blanket!!

Well i have followed the method that makes sense to me and u have followed the contrary and that too has worked !!!!!!!!

I guess its 'each to his own' time once again!!!!!
Rgds

It is not necessarily about taking it to the redline, Dinyaar. It is more akin to exercising the gears at every speed - without letting them pull from very low down.

I have tested this down with 3 of my own vehicles and a couple of friends' vehicles. I have noted that when using this technique, we are required to change our oil much sooner than required - because the impurities collect in the oil. And then after break in, synthetic oil works best. Standard recommendation of dealers is to use synthetic oil to start with - which is OK if you dont care too much if you dont want to extract the maximum potential out of your vehicle. Not otherwise.

And touchwood - there have been no problems with durability:) Driving this way I have experienced a positive tilt to the vehicle's top speed and in gear acceleration.

On a side note, if you visit an automobile factory and see how they are tested before they are shipped out - you would be shocked to see that they rev the vehicle right upto the redline before stamping approval:)

But we can agree to disagree surely.
 
Very surprised to see this as a new topic. Thanks to the mods.

Hey Dinyaar - lets exchange notes on this, shall we?:)
 
Typically the recommended maximum revs is specified by the manufacturer. 3000rpm is only a guideline for most standard cars. It can be different too eg - In BMW M3 with an 8400 rpm redline, the running in rpm must be below 5500.

One can exceed it but not for too long. One just has to make sure that one doesn't drive at a constant rpm for a very long time during run in. The revs must be varied as much as possible.
 
Hahaha thevotex its because of the two of us that the poor Mod had to seperate this into a new thread. Am always ready to talk bikes,cars,audio(in that order).
I agree with u in totality ROC. 3000 RPM was just a conservative figure which is a standard for most cars. An M3 and similar will differ.
Rgds
 
I agree, ReignofChaos! That is the whole point behind running-in or breaking-in. Get the gears accustomed to all sorts of loads.

Personally I believe in the Motoman method of breaking in. I have achieved really astounding results with both bike and car. Not just mine but also a couple of friends' vehicles. Do take a look at this and let me know your thoughts.

Break In Secrets--How To Break In New Motorcycle and Car Engines For More Power

The writing and the page layout is not very impressive but the concepts I have verified and found to be based on sound principles. It has opened my eyes with respect to the way I view my vehicles' engines.
 
Wharfedale Linton Heritage Speakers in Red Mahogany finish at a Special Offer Price. BUY now before the price increase.
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