Breaking In

5431 Views 38 Replies 22 Participants Last post by lo bux racer, Mar 5, 2005

Tak Fujiwara

Discussion Starter · Aug 13, 2004

I heard 2 very different sides to breaking in a car in general. I was hoping to get input on the best way to breakin the tC? From what ive read in manuals the factory way is to stay below a certain rev or speed. From somewhere on some forum (lost in my mind) i heard that you need to push the car a bit from the get go and perhaps go past the suggested rev limit they impose and helps to break in the engine better? Any facts of truth or opinions?

1 - 20 of 39 Posts

imasaf

· #2 · Aug 13, 2004

Hmm... I'm no car techy but I read in the other forums that they were telling people to push their cars for the first 20 miles... literally drive it to the grounds cause it does something to the car... I'm not sure what it does though... sorry I couldn't help much.

I'm sure when the auto guru come back online tomorrow... they can help you out.

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Eden Project

· #3 · Aug 13, 2004

you could always break it in by inviting a nice sweet young lady into your car and playing a lil al green and *ahem* sorry wrong kind of breaking it in.

LoopyLady_1

· #4 · Aug 13, 2004

LOL...nice try Eden.

I think the majority of opinions I've heard on this are be pretty nice to it for the first 1000-1500 miles. I've been trying to keep mine near 4K rpms, but with this car it's pretty hard to keep fighting the urge to gun it a bit...

SO, a few times I've hit 5.5 and I'm pretty sure my friend was "mean" to it when he took it for a short test drive this week (I was eating dinner with my boyfriend and decided to let his roommate take it out, unsupervised....yeah I know, I wasn't thinking clearly. Hehe.)

Well, I just hit 1200 and I figured I'd keep being a little nice to it (at or under 4K rpms) until I hit 2000...which shouldn't be too long, anyways.

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basilisk4

· #5 · Aug 13, 2004

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'll take the word of the Toyota engineers -- the guys who designed and built this beautiful car -- over some guys somewhere on the internet who are "tuners" and self-proclaimed car experts. So, I actually RTFM, and here's what I found on page 132:

--

Break-in period

Drive gently and avoid high speeds.

Your vehicle does not need an elaborate break-in. But following a few simple tips for the first 1600 km (1000 miles) can add to the future economy and long life of your vehicle:

- Avoid full throttle acceleration when starting and driving.
- Avoid racing the engine.
- Try to avoid hard stops during the first 300 km (200 miles).
- Do not drive slowly with the manual transmission in a high gear.
- Do not drive for a long time at any single speed, either fast or slow.

--

So, it sounds to me like they're saying there are just a few simple things you shouldn't do for the first 1,000 miles:

1. Don't floor it.
2. Don't rev your engine to show the guy next to you with the 15-foot high spoiler and the carbon fiber hat how bad you are.
3. Don't tailgate (always a good idea, and one I personally need to take to heart sometimes).
4. Don't get a manual unless you know how to drive one (I *did* take that one to heart).
5. Don't take your car on any road trips til you hit the century mark.

Works for me.

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basilisk4

· #6 · Aug 13, 2004

Oh, and one more thing -- from everything I've heard from reputable car experts, there's no way that you can be "too easy" on your car so that it would cause damage that way.

LoopyLady_1

· #7 · Aug 13, 2004

Yeah, I completely ruined #5 since I took it on a trip two days after I got it....

BUT I made sure not to use the cruise control and since I was travelling through a few states and a lot of different construction zones, my speed varied from low 90s to just above 1 mph. Hehe.

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QSJ Ed

· #8 · Aug 13, 2004

QUOTE

the carbon fiber hat[/b]

LOL

basilisk4

· #9 · Aug 13, 2004

Originally posted by LoopyLady_1@Aug 13 2004, 06:29 AM
Yeah, I completely ruined #5 since I took it on a trip two days after I got it....

BUT I made sure not to use the cruise control and since I was travelling through a few states and a lot of different construction zones, my speed varied from low 90s to just above 1 mph. Hehe.

Well, it's good to know that you were never driving exactly 1 MPH at any point -- I hear that can make your car spontaneously combust...and that's never good for anyone.

basilisk4

· #10 · Aug 13, 2004

Originally posted by QSJ Ed@Aug 13 2004, 06:43 AM
QUOTE

the carbon fiber hat

Click to expand...

LOL [/b][/quote]
I figure that's the next logical step, carbon fiber clothing...

imasaf

· #11 · Aug 13, 2004

Originally posted by Eden Project@Aug 13 2004, 03:56 AM
you could always break it in by inviting a nice sweet young lady into your car and playing a lil al green and *ahem* sorry wrong kind of breaking it in.

Haha... funny

Just remember to use our tC's "conversational space"...

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LoopyLady_1

· #12 · Aug 13, 2004

Originally posted by basilisk4@Aug 13 2004, 11:27 AM
Well, it's good to know that you were never driving exactly 1 MPH at any point -- I hear that can make your car spontaneously combust...and that's never good for anyone.

Well I knew I took my lucky rabbit's foot for SOME reason.....

OK, I did sorta' type that a little weird, didn't I? Hehe.

I mainly just meant that I was either cruising down the interstate, enjoying the ride.....or sitting at a stand-still in 90 degree weather, creeping along now and then (a tad faster than 1 mph...hehe) when people felt like kissing the bumper of the car sitting in front of them.

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2

Eden Project

· #13 · Aug 13, 2004

Originally posted by LoopyLady_1@Aug 13 2004, 06:16 AM
LOL...nice try Eden.

nice try? man, that always works!

j44thor

· #14 · Aug 18, 2004

Originally posted by LoopyLady_1@Aug 13 2004, 06:29 AM
Yeah, I completely ruined #5 since I took it on a trip two days after I got it....

BUT I made sure not to use the cruise control and since I was travelling through a few states and a lot of different construction zones, my speed varied from low 90s to just above 1 mph. Hehe.

I was wondering how the car handled in low 90's.
I am considering buying a TC in the very near future and haven't seen too many posts about how the car handles at higher speeds. Also wondering how the acceleration is between 70-90 which is about the speed I drive on my commute to work. Another concern is hearing that the RPM's are already pushing 3600 at 75MPH. What were you pushing at 90 MPH?

Thanks for your help!

QSJ Ed

· #15 · Aug 18, 2004

On my commute I often travel at speeds in the 90s. In the 90s it's a breeze to drive, very stable, quiet, you won't realize you're doing 90. All the way up to it's top speed it's very stable and comforting. I don't have any numerical figures on 70-90 acceleration, maybe I can clock it on the way home today. In any event there is PLENTY of torque - when I pass people on the highway I rarely leave 5th, but if you REALLY need the extra boost, it will jump at highway speeds in 4th. (I won't even mention 3rd) I'll say off the to of my head that the revs are around 4,300-4,500 in the 90s, but the engine doesn't feel like it's revving excessively high or loud.

basilisk4

· #16 · Aug 18, 2004

I got my automatic tC up to 90 (very briefly) for the first time last night, and it was under 3.5k RPM...

whosthatrussian

· #17 · Aug 18, 2004

oooh, thats not bad at all. Good to know!

TCrazy

· #18 · Aug 19, 2004

I think 80 mph is the "magic" tC speed. It loves 80....so smooth, i just cant get enough!!!!!! - T

JZA70

· #19 · Aug 19, 2004

i concur

j44thor

· #20 · Aug 19, 2004

Thanks everyone for answering the question about driving at higher speeds.
I'm not interested in racing (too old) and I rarely drive above 80-85 so sounds like it won't be a problem at all.

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