I am not taking it easy on my Si engine for first 600 miles; Plus my impression

[NiD4SPD]

Everyone else seems to recommend you take it easy on the engine for the first bit, I decided to take the advice of http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm. I'm sure many of you have looked at this site, if not have a quick peek at what they, basically you need to run the engine under load with some pulls in the beginning of its life to set the piston ring seal. Here's my story:

- Went to my dealer to test-drive my own 2007 Si. It had 9 km (6 mi) on it, I took it out by myself to the highway, at one point did pulls to the blinking shift light in all gears except 6th. Got the speed up to 201 km/h (125 mph). Drove it back calmly, letting it cool down. When I got to the dealer and stopped, I could smell a "hot rubber & engine coolant" kind of smell inside the cabin, probably from the belts and whatever else. It stayed there for a while actually and kinda worried me.
Later on that same day doing some pulls to about 7000 rpm made the smell come back in, though it didn't stay long. I think now it's gone completely.

So that's my story, I don't think anything bad happened to the engine, though I didn't feel too comfortable after the smell at the dealer. I am now taking it a bit easier, though it is very hard to do! There are evil forces at work that make me rev and shift and rev and shift and rev... !!!

Now my impression of driving the Si. I had not test driven it until mine came in. - One thing I noticed is that the suspension is harder than most cars I've driven (though I have not owned any cars of this nature, newest was a 96 Tercel, sportiest was a 89 Nissan Pulsar). Make sure you test-drive an Si if you think the stiffness might bother you. I find it's great to feel exactly what is going on under my wheels.

- DBW lag: the revs do hang, they don't drop as fast as what I'm used to. When trying to drive normally and not accelerate like a maniac, I find shifting is jerky if I don't wait for the revs to drop. If I do wait for the revs to drop, there is too long of a pause and once again makes driving jerky. Good news is there's no delay in revving up for a rev-matched downshift, is responds to throttle input no problem. There is no fix or flash for my car, the way it lags is designed in and will probably stay that way (except for aftermarket ECU flashes). I expect I will get used to it and leave pauses in between my shifts. Definitely this will not ruin your experience of owning an Si!

- This car goes through the gears very fast, when accelerating full tilt, it takes some concentration to keep attention on the road and on shifting well. Also, when accelerating normally and shifting under 4000 rpm, the gears go by fast as well.

- And finally, for those who do not yet have their civics, no picture of these cars on the forums or on other sites or even seeing other cars compare to actually getting your own. Only when the car is sitting in your garage/on your driveway/in front of your house, do you appreciate how well it looks and drives! Look at my pic, it means nothing probably to all of you but that's an Si in MY GARAGE!!!



There ya go, lemme know if you have any comments or flames about my post!

[lowerlevel]

good job on the test drive.. 125 yee haa.. lol.. how much did u put down payment if any and how much did u finance? price beofre tax is what im looking for..

ps i think u burned off the engine protective coating during the test drive great job :)

[SiRyan]

Yeah, I'm a believer of breaking in your car hard. I went to vtec everyday with my car when it was new.

[bizzybearfigiblue]

great break-in. just be easy on the tranny no hard/fast shifting.

the smell will go away it's just the new car burning smell, kinda like when u put a new exhaust on. very large pic tho, let's make it a little smaller next time, k.

+rep for proper break-in

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to NiD4SPD again

[Special Ringpop]

I dunno, you guys can say it's a "proper" break-in all you want.

I did what Honda said to do for the first 600 miles.

I trust Honda's engineers a little more, sorry.

[bizzybearfigiblue]

Originally Posted by Special Ringpop

I dunno, you guys can say it's a "proper" break-in all you want.

I did what Honda said to do for the first 600 miles.

I trust Honda's engineers a little more, sorry.

that's y ur car is probably a bit slower. we have seen it many times down here in S.FLA with these Si's. i've raced so many of them that did that slow break-in and those things r a tad bit slower than mine. and my dyno proves the break-in method works better. point blank if u treat ur car like a granny it's gonna drive like a granny.

just to go off a little bit but i saw a video one time of the break-in process of an F1 car and that thing sees 20,000RPMS litterally within 20sec of first start up.

[bizzybearfigiblue]

Ringpop i forgot u have FBP so it's probably a freak anyways

[Gonzo]

Easy there, bizzy.

I'm interested to see how your engine does later down the road. Let's see a dyno after about 1000 miles.

Just remember to let your engine warm up fully before you go crazy on it.

[bizzybearfigiblue]

Originally Posted by Gonzo

Easy there, bizzy.

I'm interested to see how your engine does later down the road. Let's see a dyno after about 1000 miles.

Just remember to let your engine warm up fully before you go crazy on it.

i'm cool, my engine is currently very close to 15,000 miles and it has never run harder. i should get it dynoed soon again in stock form to show all of the haters. my first dyno was posted up here a few months ago when i only had like 3,000 miles on her. needless to say sum ppl didn't believe my results.

i remember that i have and have to wait for the oil pressure to build up before i drive crazy. thanx for the advice tho .

[Ultraman]

Ride it hard. If Honda engines are rally and F1 tested, redlining it shouldn't be an issue. Just in case it conks out, there's always the warranty coverage.

[BLU BY U]

you only live once, get the most out of your $300/month payments :)

[VTEXTC]

Looks great as always NiD. I suspect that there are two variants of the break-in theory, and to each his own.

The picture looks awesome; very inspiring, and I can't wait to get my own.

Say, any plans for winterizing given the crappy weather we're expecting this week?

Happy motoring!
Asif

[Street2uned]

Originally Posted by bizzybearfigiblue

i'm cool, my engine is currently very close to 15,000 miles and it has never run harder. i should get it dynoed soon again in stock form to show all of the haters. my first dyno was posted up here a few months ago when i only had like 3,000 miles on her. needless to say sum ppl didn't believe my results.

i remember that i have and have to wait for the oil pressure to build up before i drive crazy. thanx for the advice tho .

I'm the same way. I let it warm up before I really drive it hard, but I know that you can't hit vtec when it's cold so I'm not too worried about it. Just like to get the juices flowin' before I beat on it.

[Special Ringpop]

Sorry, "Bizzy", I'll trust Honda's engineers over internet speculation and banter.

If you're that much prouder of the very minute "fastness" you've acrued due to beating the engine, then that's worth it for you. Personally, I bought the Si because it's fast enough as it is, and I don't need those minute fragments of speed to justify my car's speed. It says Si, therefore it is an Si. It has a K20, therefore it is an Si. I chose to baby the car, because the book said so. Yours may be a needlehead amount faster than mine, but that wasn't enough of a concern for me, considering I dont care about "dynos" or "racing" or any of that stuff anyways. I like the Si, and it's PLENTY fast for what I need.

Look at it anyway you want, the Si is no grandma, and I think it's silly to blow up your balls for having an Si that is barely faster than the ones that were broken in. If you like it, that's great, but there is no proof that it is going to work like its supposed to down the line. If Honda knew that the engine was supposed to be "driven hard", they wouldn't have written in the owner's manual to take it easy. I thnik it's just a precautionary measure anyways, because engine's are supposedly broken in at the factories.

And also, you don't like Fiji Blue. Therefore your opinion has been invalidated.

Dial called, too, they want their soapbox back.

[NiD4SPD]

Originally Posted by lowerlevel

good job on the test drive.. 125 yee haa.. lol.. how much did u put down payment if any and how much did u finance? price beofre tax is what im looking for..

ps i think u burned off the engine protective coating during the test drive great job :)

Well, I'm in Canada so our prices are different than you guys in the US, the price means little to me before taxes as we all pay them. But I put down $2000 CAD and am paying about $551/month at 7.0% for 5 years. If you're good at economics you can figure out what price I paid!

Originally Posted by bizzybearfigiblue

the smell will go away it's just the new car burning smell, kinda like when u put a new exhaust on

Good to know, never had a new car to burn, nor a new exhaust! Now I will enjoy the smell more!

Originally Posted by Special Ringpop

I dunno, you guys can say it's a "proper" break-in all you want.

I did what Honda said to do for the first 600 miles.

I trust Honda's engineers a little more, sorry.

I am glad you are doing this, it allows people on the forum to reads your advice and decide on their own. I am just providing a different side of the story, I found a lot more people on here were taking it easy, so I wanted to let people know how I did it, and whether or not anything bad comes out of it! But like VTEXTC said, to each his own!

Originally Posted by VTEXTC

Say, any plans for winterizing given the crappy weather we're expecting this week?

Well I have winter tires bought already from Costco (Michelin Pilot Alpin PA2, 205/55 R16), but their 16" steelie rims are out of stock until tomorrow maybe, so I am waiting for those.

And let's keep the bickering to a minimum here, k? I'll let you know if my engine blows up anytime soon, or anything else drastic happens!

[bizzybearfigiblue]

Originally Posted by Special Ringpop

Sorry, "Bizzy", I'll trust Honda's engineers over someone on a forum named BizzyBear, no offense.

If you're that much prouder of the very minute "fastness" you've acrued due to beating the engine, then that's worth it. Personally, I bought the Si because it's fast enough as it is, and I don't need those minute fragments of speed to justify my car's speed. It says Si, therefore it is an Si. It has a K20, therefore it is an Si. I chose to baby the car, because the book said so. Yours may be a needlehead amount faster than mine, but that wasn't enough of a concern for me, considering I dont care about "dynos" or "racing" or any of that stuff anyways. I like the Si, and it's PLENTY fast for what I need.

And also, you don't like Fiji Blue. Therefore your opinion has been invalidated.

Also, Dial called, they want their soapbox back.

ur break-in method was how u wanted to do it. but the majority of ppl that, suggest or ask how to properly break-in an engine, most likely want to get the most out of their engine.

and that comment about I don't like FBP, WTF r u talkin bout. i have FBP and that's the only color that i would've gotten, that's y i waited 4 1/2 months to get my FBP w/navi. so ur comment has be invalidated.

if ur refering to my comment about ur FBP is probably a freak, that's just means that ur car probably runs hard anyways b/c it FBP.

also, i use plain Ivory soap, my skin breaks out if i use anything else. so i don't have any Dial, sorry.

[hatchbac_smokin_you]

here is the thing.. the break in that he reckomends is not bad and neither is the "granny" way.. I know a few engineers and here is what they said to do...

Drive the car with some nice WOT pulls to around 7k for the first 100 miles.. During those pulls let the motor decelerate itself, no brakes.. That is important as well.. You see you seem to claim that well I want longevity in my motor, well sealing the rings the correct way is what keeps contaminates out of the oil.. So the aggressive break in does have its advantage down the road. Another part of the break in is for the tranny/clutch.. That is something that does require a "easy" break in.. No banging gears, powershifting for at least 500 miles.. Now for you comment about well I am gonna trust HOnda engineers, well do you really think they would say.. Go out there and haul ass in your new car? NO way.. its a new car meaning its new to you.. I think more truth lays behind them not wanting you to go and wreck you car.. they want you to get use to it.. Just my opinion

[Special Ringpop]

Originally Posted by bizzybearfigiblue

ur break-in method was how u wanted to do it. but the majority of ppl that, suggest or ask how to properly break-in an engine, most likely want to get the most out of their engine.

and that comment about I don't like FBP, WTF r u talkin bout. i have FBP and that's the only color that i would've gotten, that's y i waited 4 1/2 months to get my FBP w/navi. so ur comment has be invalidated.

if ur refering to my comment about ur FBP is probably a freak, that's just means that ur car probably runs hard anyways b/c it FBP.

also, i use plain Ivory soap, my skin breaks out if i use anything else. so i don't have any Dial, sorry.

LOL, okay, you redeemed yourself with this post. First thing that I've laughed at all day .

I'm not saying "You're wrong" for breaking in the engine that way. There's just two sides to it, and I dunno if we can truly know what the real advtanges/disadvantages are until the engines get more wear and tear and usage on them, no?

I misinterpreted your FBP comment. I thought you were making a jab at it, and then I realized you own that color.

But yes, Fiji adds 10 horsepower :), even if it's only in my mind.

[xmx250]

Automotive engineers would do things ALOT differently if it were not for rules and laws. Trust me the car you get is not what the engineer would have loved to give you. Many things are cut back and many policies are set (like break in) because of rules and liabilitys. Even the way the car looks is changed due to policies. Higher front hood etc.

[taste]

R18 here guys. I've got about 15k on mine right now, beat the snot out of it daily and still see 35 mpg's.

I am extremely glad I did not break this motor in by luggin the thing around town for 1000 miles. I did some hard runs letting the motor decelerate itself as soon as I left the dealer as it was late with no one on the roads.

Judging from the way the car performs now, I cannot imagine what a slow break-in would have done to it. Maybe nothing, but I definately feel I did what was best for this motor.