Worried new father...

[Alsmag]

Not sure if thats an appropriate title, but I do have a question about break-in. I took a weekend trip in which I put 800 miles on the new C. Before I left town, I had 460 miles on her. Is it not smart to travel that long of a distance before there are more miles on her (5-6 hours straight)....also, as I was trying to pass I was close to a shift point when I hit it, so the car shot up into the red-line for about 2-3 seconds before it finally shifted...I KNOW this is probably me being a wuss with her, but could this cause any damage at this mileage?

[mspeasl]

Originally Posted by Alsmag

Not sure if thats an appropriate title, but I do have a question about break-in. I took a weekend trip in which I put 800 miles on the new C. Before I left town, I had 460 miles on her. Is it not smart to travel that long of a distance before there are more miles on her (5-6 hours straight)....also, as I was trying to pass I was close to a shift point when I hit it, so the car shot up into the red-line for about 2-3 seconds before it finally shifted...I KNOW this is probably me being a wuss with her, but could this cause any damage at this mileage?

Don't worry about it. You have not hurt a thing

[II kings 9:20]

No, the manual states brief periods of WOT aid in breakin. Break in is controversial, some say granny drive initially, some drive it hard, some say there is no such thing as break in. At 150K miles none of this will matter. I would recommend going to synthetic oil in anothe 1K, and consider a Filtermagnet to keep the oil metal free.

[HEMEEE]

I'm one of those that doesn't completely believe in the need for a break-in period.. although I do follow the recommendations and I don't granny-drive anything. But remember that hemi is a beast, the only thing you might hurt is its feelings by not letting it do what it was born to do! Enjoy!

[05 300c]

Alsmag,

I have been reading up on break-in-period also. I will have about a 4 hour drive back home on the autobon I plan on taking it easy, meaning I will not drive it as if I was stop light racing. I saved this post a few months ago, I forgot who posted the info, take it for what it's worth.

Breaking Engine In-

Page 57 states "Drive moderately during the first 300 miles. After the initial 60 miles speeds up to 50 or 55mph are desirable" Woohoo!!

"While cruising, brief full throttle acceleration .. contributes to good break in. WOT acceleration in low gear can be detrimental and should be avoided"

I think this says it all. Brief WOT is fine during breakin but if you do it long enough to drop into lower gears it is not good. This means very brief WOT because it kicks down fast. This would hardly be considered driving it "hard".

[jjs]

Those recommendations are fine and good if you live where this is possible...try a major city (well, like Houston) where getting into traffic/out of problems/taking advantage of lane changes/etc. often requires WOT...never mind the fact that most highways in my part of the Houston area are posted 65 or HIGHER...that makes it impossible to drive the 'preferred' 50-55 mph without becoming a traffic hazard. I drove it like I normally will for its life with me and haven't worried about it.

[Alsmag]

Thanks for all of the info guys (and gal). Guess I was concerned with how long it held the red line until shifting. My pops thought I was crazy as he said better to find out now if something will go wrong then after warranty. I've just always taken great care of my stuff....guess I need to get accustomed to having a Hemi!

[ntotrr]

Originally Posted by II kings 9:20

No, the manual states brief periods of WOT aid in breakin. Break in is controversial, some say granny drive initially, some drive it hard, some say there is no such thing as break in. At 150K miles none of this will matter. I would recommend going to synthetic oil in anothe 1K, and consider a Filtermagnet to keep the oil metal free.

I have not been able to find 5W-20 synthetic anywhere on Long Island, I'm anxious to use synthetic but until I can find it I'll keep using the regular Castrol 5W-20.