Running in procedure

[Bilbao-Emira]

If you follow the speed limits, you might never finish the brake in period, specially in US

 

[Cachaco131]

If you follow the speed limits, you might never finish the brake in period, specially in US

Come to California. 65mph = 80mph

 

[Maurice R]

It’s not 1500 miles for running in. And it’s not an absolute cap on revs. My earlier post has the extract from the handbook. RTFM!

It seems some people cannot read or understand what was stated in the extract you kindly shared

 

[Maurice R]

Come to California. 65mph = 80mph

Come to TX we have some roads 85 mph
But in TX everyone seems to think you need to do at least 15 mph over the posted speed limit.
I’m guilty of that

 

[Cachaco131]

Come to TX we have some roads 85 mph
But in TX everyone seems to think you need to do at least 15 mph over the posted speed limit.
I’m guilty of that

Hahaha and road rage will result in someone showing off their gun!

 

[Bilbao-Emira]

Come to TX we have some roads 85 mph
But in TX everyone seems to think you need to do at least 15 mph over the posted speed limit.
I’m guilty of that

see, plenty of room for the Emira, you'll be cruising at 85mph, no more than 3.000 rpm in 6th gear

 

[lion shf]

1500 miles will take me yonks, at least 4 months.

One trip to the dragon I’m good

 

[Jon_N]

It is a very old engine in the V6, could be related to running-in requirements?

 

[roundincircles]

You run a car company. Your goal is to make the annual financial plan and receive a bonus/share options/bigger salary. You know metal components need to go through heat cycles to reach optimum strength (case hardening).Warranty costs threaten those plans so you tell your customers to take it easy for a 1000 miles or 4,800,000 revolutions. You tell your customers this is recorded on the ecu and the Warranty Police will review your behaviour. Go figure. We all have choices.

 

[haaaake]

Running in mileage is very little to do with the engine and more often related to the entire rest of the car. If nothing obvious crops up in the first 1000 with the entire car it's a good sign it is safe to push to it's limits. With forced induction there are more things to be concerned about as well.

Engine run in is almost entirely based around seating the piston rings as perfectly as possible. The ideal would be to do this on an engine dyno with a very specifically tested run-in program that puts the engine at the different RPM ranges and ramps up slowly over specific amounts of time to higher and higher RPM. But just driving like they recommend for run in will quite easily do the exact same thing.

I personally wouldn't want the factory to heat cycle my tires and bed in my brakes and all that.

 

[roundincircles]

Some years ago one of the global oil companies did a lab study on the impact of synthetic oil on the running in process. They blueprinted three engines ( very expensive ) and ran one to run in recommendations, one ignoring those and thrashed one.

Basically, synthetic oils stop friction so effectively that they stop wear, thus ‘bedding in’ of components. The goal is to get the piston rings knocking off the peaks of metal on the cylinder walls.

So the conclusion was, either use running in oil (mineral) or work the engine hard once warm. But oil companies don’t warrant cars, ahhhhhh…..

 

[KJD]

It’s not 1500 miles for running in. And it’s not an absolute cap on revs. My earlier post has the extract from the handbook. RTFM!

In V1 of the manual it said “1000 miles (1500km)”
Did someone mis-read that?

And 1500km is 932 miles, so that’s the number I’ll be using!

 

[roundincircles]

Bike Magazine ran an article about running in and the effect of synthetic oils. A Yamaha R1 engine, which revs to 14300 rpm was run for 80,000 miles and stripped down. The wear on major components was 2 thou. Incredible.

The engineer who did this exercise then developed a running-in procedure from new. Get the engine warm then cycle to the maximum to minimum revs over a few miles and then run as normal. So I bought a new Honda FireBlade......I couldn't do it, my inner nanny said no, no, no.

 

[emiraspain]

This /\ It's not the 1970s anymore
My modern 1.6l 3 cylinder turbo charged Yaris engine putting out around 275bhp doesn't even have a break in rev limit:

Breaking in your new Toyota To extend the life of the vehicle, observing the following precautions is recommended: ●For the first 300 km (186 miles): Avoid sudden stops. ●For the first 1000 km (621 miles): • Do not drive at extremely high speeds. • Avoid sudden acceleration. • Do not drive continuously in low gears. • Do not drive at a constant speed for extended periods.

The important bit with breaking in any engine is to avoid constant rpm, which is increasingly difficult if you are limited to 4000rpm for over a 1000 miles!

Here we go with the damn GR again... I certainly didnt run mine in either....

For the first 300 km (186 miles): Avoid sudden stops.
Well if other cars in front avoid sudden stops you can probably avoid them too.... no biggy...
Nowhere in the manual does it say you cant drive over 4000rpm, in fact in short busts, it actually would seem to encourage it.....
I've ran in a few hand made cars and been recommended this 1000 mile (not 1500 as later mentioned, manual says 1000 I think) and in none of the cases were there any traces of bits of metal in the oil that was changed at all, the oil was in reality clean enough to put back in again . I personally believe smaller companies, like even Lotus, try to cover/protect themselves in the rare case of............, but the running in I think its a load of old husbands tales ....
We will never know for sure, but until someone comes on here and shows me the oil filter clogged up with fine shavings of metal or in the oil thats been changed, then I think today in 2022..... just go for it! Pedal to the metal.....drive it like its going out of fashion.... accelerate like you're on crack cocaine.......pretend your life depends on hitting the red line on every gear change.... haha
What about race engines for F1... do we think they are ran in? Rally engines? I dont know..... I cant see it myself.. someone will say it happens at the factory before installing.... but does it? Cant they get the forces neccesary to run in under. Yes I realize they dont need to last as long, but the stresses of 12,000 RPM they go to are far more than the misery of 6750rpm this will go to.
Old habits die hard, but they do eventually.... die....
Maybe prudent for a few hundred miles...agreed, but with a red flag, sorry a red line on the south side of 6800... I think there is zero risk. But dont quote me.....

 

[emiraspain]

I would say a lot of us on here are car nuts to one extent or another. I am. I have 4 two seaters (3 Lotus) a new Taycan, 3 Motors cycles and am in first batch of Emiras and im not selling anything to make way for the new one.

I put a new piston in my elan sprint when i was 25 and didnt know what the F&ck i was doing
Every day I read things on here and have to doff my hat to those with far more knowledge and indeed wisdom than I even at 53.
Lotus seems not to give two shiny shites as to who they are selling to. Newbies or veterans.

I would rarely stick my neck out but honestly your response to Eagle 6 is the sort of comment those new to this type of vehicle ownership will recoil at and avoid asking questions which are to them important and considered.

Lotus are clearly after these guys so lets all help and make sure those viewing in the wings can confidently ask a daft question if they want without fear of mockery or derision.

Im sat here thinking of a way to make a mockery of you and your post...

Im still sat here.....

still here....

cant....

Harry G just reviewed the cross tourismo... my favourite EV.... went up his steep slope... but again, like the Eletre... boot too small for a 5m car!....
I LOVE the new ferrari SUV.... if it was an EV and cost 25% of what it costs, I would be right up all over it

 

[Toomanyloti]

Im sat here thinking of a way to make a mockery of you and your post...

Im still sat here.....

still here....

cant....

Harry G just reviewed the cross tourismo... my favourite EV.... went up his steep slope... but again, like the Eletre... boot too small for a 5m car!....
I LOVE the new ferrari SUV.... if it was an EV and cost 25% of what it costs, I would be right up all over it

I just watched that. He was a bit critical of the feedback (i think its fair to paraphrase) but FFS its so good doing almost everything...and its not really a sports car. I love my 4S its brilliant. I almost cant be arsed with my other cars now and that's the basis of my fear about the Emira performance/seats etc..
I think Porsche knocked the ball out of the park with this EV. I never really wanted one just sort of ended up with it and its way better than I expected.
Oh and no run in period - just nailed it from day one

 

[emiraspain]

I just watched that. He was a bit critical of the feedback (i think its fair to paraphrase) but FFS its so good doing almost everything...and its not really a sports car. I love my 4S its brilliant. I almost cant be arsed with my other cars now and that's the basis of my fear about the Emira performance/seats etc..
I think Porsche knocked the ball out of the park with this EV. I never really wanted one just sort of ended up with it and its way better than I expected.
Oh and no run in period - just nailed it from day one

I see what you say, but 5m!!!! it cant feel nimble ....
Although I have to say at 2m wide (still narrower than a taycan which is a wide as a bus) the emira doesnt feel too nimble either.
Get a caterham....and be done with it!

 

[Toomanyloti]

I see what you say, but 5m!!!! it cant feel nimble ....
Although I have to say at 2m wide (still narrower than a taycan which is a wide as a bus) the emira doesnt feel too nimble either.
Get a caterham....and be done with it!

and its 2.5 tonnes... incredible machine to drive like it does weighing so much.
My mate has a caterham. Had it millions of years. Drove it once - not for me at all just couldn't get on with it

 

[emiraspain]

and its 2.5 tonnes... incredible machine to drive like it does weighing so much.
My mate has a caterham. Had it millions of years. Drove it once - not for me at all just couldn't get on with it

maybe..he has the narrow body.... which can feel very different to the SV wider body.... but horses for courses of course.... its just a go kart experience which is what we are all after, kind of.... then its a case of adding comfort, a nice wrapping... an image...... sound... ect, but for pure driving its the best lotus ever built. haha

 

[eriegz]

Here we go with the damn GR again... I certainly didnt run mine in either....

For the first 300 km (186 miles): Avoid sudden stops.
Well if other cars in front avoid sudden stops you can probably avoid them too.... no biggy...
Nowhere in the manual does it say you cant drive over 4000rpm, in fact in short busts, it actually would seem to encourage it.....
I've ran in a few hand made cars and been recommended this 1000 mile (not 1500 as later mentioned, manual says 1000 I think) and in none of the cases were there any traces of bits of metal in the oil that was changed at all, the oil was in reality clean enough to put back in again . I personally believe smaller companies, like even Lotus, try to cover/protect themselves in the rare case of............, but the running in I think its a load of old husbands tales ....
We will never know for sure, but until someone comes on here and shows me the oil filter clogged up with fine shavings of metal or in the oil thats been changed, then I think today in 2022..... just go for it! Pedal to the metal.....drive it like its going out of fashion.... accelerate like you're on crack cocaine.......pretend your life depends on hitting the red line on every gear change.... haha
What about race engines for F1... do we think they are ran in? Rally engines? I dont know..... I cant see it myself.. someone will say it happens at the factory before installing.... but does it? Cant they get the forces neccesary to run in under. Yes I realize they dont need to last as long, but the stresses of 12,000 RPM they go to are far more than the misery of 6750rpm this will go to.
Old habits die hard, but they do eventually.... die....
Maybe prudent for a few hundred miles...agreed, but with a red flag, sorry a red line on the south side of 6800... I think there is zero risk. But dont quote me.....

Ok, so what I'm hearing is:

"just go for it! Pedal to the metal. there is zero risk. quote me."
- emiraspain, 2022

Sounds good to me!