- Wed Nov 24, 2004 12:05 pm
#527272
Hello fellow CTR enthusiasts,
This is the last time I mention the running of a new engine… I PROMISE!
The reason I have posted this is that I was speaking to friend who is a Manufacturing Manager at Honda in Swindon and I asked him about running in of the car.
NOTE: This is just for information. It’s not meant to be a lecture on how to run a car in. It’s just for information (that may or may not have been posted previously?)
Right where was I? …… my mate said that there should be no real need to ‘carefully’ run in the car when bought. They don’t treat the engines with a great deal of care when they test them before coming off the production line. There are basically two tests they perform at the end of production:
Test for Brakes and wheel
Before the car is rolled off the production line, each car is put on rollers to test the brakes and wheels. The car is started and red-lined and then stopped to test the brakes. These series of tests are done from COLD…. No waiting for oil to circulate, no waiting for oil to get to best operating temperature.
Now remember that the guys performing these tests are not paid vast amounts, so their only concern is to get 300 units out by the end of their shift. So, the quicker they get the wheels to the correct speed, the better.
Road Test
The final test is to take each car on a stretch of track (approx 1 mile long) to check for rattles. For this test, the engine tends to be red-lined from cold so the test takes less time, hence more units through each shift.
He agreed with a dealers comments that “if you drive harder when you first have the car, the better the car’s performance will be”. However… there is a downside. Basically, by driving it hard initially you are loosening the engine up, thus reducing friction resulting in a little more power in the short term, but longer term…. There is a possibility the engine could get ‘too’ loose resulting in problems (note this is possible, not definite).
So if you plan to keep the car for the long haul, take it easy in the beginning to ensure the longevity of the car. If you don’t intend to keep the car for more than 5 years, then you could drive it hard to see the improved performance sooner. He reckoned that the engine is pretty robust and you will probably find that the engine will outlast the car.
So, when I get my car this Saturday I shall be driving not too hard (no v-teching) for the first 1500-2000 miles. Even though Honda test the cars with the engines from cold, I certainly won’t be doing any hard revving until the engine is nicely warmed up.
ROLL ON SATURDAY !!
- Jamziee
This is the last time I mention the running of a new engine… I PROMISE!
The reason I have posted this is that I was speaking to friend who is a Manufacturing Manager at Honda in Swindon and I asked him about running in of the car.
NOTE: This is just for information. It’s not meant to be a lecture on how to run a car in. It’s just for information (that may or may not have been posted previously?)Right where was I? …… my mate said that there should be no real need to ‘carefully’ run in the car when bought. They don’t treat the engines with a great deal of care when they test them before coming off the production line. There are basically two tests they perform at the end of production:
Test for Brakes and wheel
Before the car is rolled off the production line, each car is put on rollers to test the brakes and wheels. The car is started and red-lined and then stopped to test the brakes. These series of tests are done from COLD…. No waiting for oil to circulate, no waiting for oil to get to best operating temperature.
Now remember that the guys performing these tests are not paid vast amounts, so their only concern is to get 300 units out by the end of their shift. So, the quicker they get the wheels to the correct speed, the better.
Road Test
The final test is to take each car on a stretch of track (approx 1 mile long) to check for rattles. For this test, the engine tends to be red-lined from cold so the test takes less time, hence more units through each shift.
He agreed with a dealers comments that “if you drive harder when you first have the car, the better the car’s performance will be”. However… there is a downside. Basically, by driving it hard initially you are loosening the engine up, thus reducing friction resulting in a little more power in the short term, but longer term…. There is a possibility the engine could get ‘too’ loose resulting in problems (note this is possible, not definite).So if you plan to keep the car for the long haul, take it easy in the beginning to ensure the longevity of the car. If you don’t intend to keep the car for more than 5 years, then you could drive it hard to see the improved performance sooner. He reckoned that the engine is pretty robust and you will probably find that the engine will outlast the car.
So, when I get my car this Saturday I shall be driving not too hard (no v-teching) for the first 1500-2000 miles. Even though Honda test the cars with the engines from cold, I certainly won’t be doing any hard revving until the engine is nicely warmed up.
ROLL ON SATURDAY !!
- Jamziee
The proud owner of a 54 Cosmic !!
I doubt even the mighty Honda has a 100% success rate in engine manufacture/assembly.
- By colemauro