I have the option of shipping my new JKUR or driving it 420 miles home.
My question... Is it safe or better, to drive a brand new vehicle at a steady RPM on the highway home or is it better to just have it shipped and break-in with normal in town and highway mix?
Opinions vary, but my theory is that taking it easy (no hard starts, full throttle applications, etc) for the first 1000 miles is preferable. If you plan to do a lot of highway driving, then vary your speed and DO NOT use the cruise control. As long as you vary the RPM and limit steady state cruising you should be fine. Check your owner's manual, as Jeep as recommendations/suggestions for breaking in your new ride properly.
A long break-in period is not required for the engine and drivetrain
(transmission and axle) in your vehicle.
• Drive moderately during the first 300 miles (500 km). After the initial
60 miles (100 km), speeds up to 50 or 55 mph (80 or 90 km/h) are
desirable.
• While cruising, brief full-throttle acceleration within the limits of local
traffic laws contributes to a good break-in. Wide-open throttle
acceleration in low gear can be detrimental and should be avoided.
• The engine oil installed in the engine at the factory is a high-quality
energy conserving type lubricant. Oil changes should be consistent with
anticipated climate conditions under which vehicle operations will occur.
For the recommended viscosity and quality grades, refer to “Maintaining
Your Vehicle”.
As dreg posted from the manual, it says to drive moderately and full throttle in low gears is to be avoided. I have always been more cautious with my engine break-ins. To each their own.
the thing with modern engines is that they are essentially redlined at the factory for testing purposes. that and it's been told time and time again that you need engine load to properly seat the piston rings. I broke in my bike by alternating 100 and 0% throttle in short bursts after it had warmed up and funny enough during a meet where there was a portable dyno on site, my bike pulled a good 10% more power and torque than another bike that conveniently was that same year and model as mine. what's more is this other bike and engine tuning done to it while mine was unmodified. everyone has their own arguments in how they view the break in process should be done and ultimately it falls to the owner to decide how they want to do it, but just know that because the manual says one thing, doesn't mean that it's the only way, it could be the manufacturer playing it safe and covering their legal asses. then again i do have to give jeep credit for mentioning that some wide open throttle bursts are recommended, such words are usually unheard of in factory manuals.
I let mine warmup each time I started under 1k miles. Then I just made to sure to alternate my revs and threw in random full throttle bursts. A lot of this is much easier with a manual. I had to drive 2k miles in the move to CO and I only had 500 miles on it when I left. I just alternated gears on the long drives. Kept me awake at least.
lol man, I blew mine WOT for 2.5 hours straight and it's brand new. never felt a vehicle haul ass that hard for that long while getting 18mph, was a BLAST, topless too. was so great. I say drive your baby home and enjoy her.
I had an opportunity to spend some time last November with the top guys from BMW's M Division and break-in requirements was one of the questions I brought up (break-in is always a huge debate on the various M forums).
The M Division Product Manager said break-in recommendations have more to do with the transmission and drivetrain than the engine. Although engines are run-in at the factory, the transmission and drivetrain are not.
Granted, an M is slightly different than a Rubi, but I imagine the same general reasoning applies. Gradually increase max RPM, vary the RPMs, and avoid high speeds over the initial mileage period.
Story to be an idiot, but I don't understand the manual.
• Drive moderately during the first 300 miles (500 km). After the initial
60 miles (100 km), speeds up to 50 or 55 mph (80 or 90 km/h) are
desirable.
• While cruising, brief full-throttle acceleration within the limits of local
traffic laws contributes to a good break-in. Wide-open throttle
acceleration in low gear can be detrimental and should be avoided.
I'm picking up my jku about 90 miles from home. it's a sport s manual transmission. So, when I get on the highway, for the first 60 miles, I should go around 40mph? And then increase to no more than 55, perhaps downshifting occasionally at fast enough speeds to get the Rpms temporarily high?
If something is going to go wrong with a newly built engine it usually happens right away. That first 60 miles really warms up the motor and get oil flowing to places it has never been before. It's possible to drive on an interstate highway and still take it easy. Just keep the RPM's down but don't get hit from behind. Some roads have a minimum speed you can drive.
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