I just got my 08 Cobalt SS/TC and I was just wondering how should I be driving the car while breaking it in.I have heard a few different opinions and I want to know from people who actually own the car. Should I be babying it, should I be pushing it kind of hard. I know not to push it too hard.

 

push it kind of hard.... i baby it up to 500miles then after that i took it to the track and did about 10-15 passes... now i cruise at 4k miles

 

It's in the manual if you intend to follow what it says.

My memory COULD be wrong, but I believe it gives these rules:

First 600 miles
Do not go over 5K rpms
Do not exceed 100 mph
Do not use full throttle acceleration
Vary the engine rpm (do not cruise one speed for hours)

After 600 miles:
Gradually work your way into full break in

Myself, I didn't make it quite 600 miles.

 

SS/SC was like 500 km, I drove that the first day I got it just so I could open her up! Haha, it was so fun!

 

it varies on who you talk to....

 

LoL I was romping on mine pretty much right out of the gate! couldn't help myself!

 

i got on mine but never pushed it to the limit till about 800 miles. I never launched it hard till around 1200 miles

 

the manual covers all the specs for a break in recommended by GM - check it out.

 

http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

This is how I broke mine in. No problems.

 

Yea, that site IS NOT CORRECT!!!!

Namely this quote: "There's a very small window of opportunity to get the rings to seal really well ... the first 20 miles !!"

Which is just blatently false. Having read multiple SAE documents on break in studies the conclusion is basically the same. Breaking it in hard will statistically lead to more pressure leakage and oil consumption. The break in data has rings still wearing significantly even after 5-6 hours of engine operation. The bore breaks in quite quickly and wear on that drops significantly after hour 1 or so.

If you break it in slowly its like sanding the edge of the piston ring with fine sand paper and if you break it in quickly its like sanding the edge with rough sand paper. Breaking it in easier gives you a better seal since you arn't removing as much excess material.

For best results, follow the manual.

 

HAHA me too. It's like having a naked supermodel in front of you begging for it, and all your "supposed" to do is watch.

 

I drove mine hard but not abused the first 1000 miles and now I drive it really hard lol. Just dont shift it hard or brake hard and you will be ok. Oh and watch out for pieces of concrete in the freeway your wheels are forged but man a piece of concrete can ruin your week. Its a fun car once you get it broke in.

 

Why can't people read their manuals?

GM is not going to print something in the manual that will jeopardize the possibility of increased warranty claims...

 

I can read my manual just fine. I just like to hear peoples opinions who have had the cars. My manual also tells me not to go aftermarket or I will void warranty, but I am sure even you stray from the manual from time to time.
I have opened it up a few times already and im at about 400, but I mostly baby it. I'll probably keep it under 5k until at least 800 and then start pushing it a little bit harder until about 1200.

 

Thats how I did it

 

run it hard to seat the rings. end of story. no quick shifts or launches for clutch break in though.

i do not care who wants to say otherwise either, just do it.

 

A good conservative break in period is 1500 miles, that comes from a GM Test Driver working @ GM's Milford Proving Grounds...

 

BZZZZ

wrong

The rings will seat no matter what you do, the higher the BMEP the faster the wear rate of the rings. The wear rate is nearly exponential and higher wear rates for break in correlate positively with oil consumption and compression leak. AKA, DON"T BREAK IT IN UNDER HIGH BMEP!!! (high bmep means you are running the engine hard)

 

+1, Finally someone else with the same opinion

 

they will seat no matter what sure, but what are the compression pressures?

 

Not to be a dick, but do a quick search on piston rings and SAE papers, read one or two and you will know all you need to know.

 

Everytime I think about getting on it to hard before I know my balt is broken in... I will just imagine what a stack of about 25,000$ looks like and then think about the monthly payments I am making on the car. I think that will be the only thing stopping me from not breaking the car in hard!

 

maybe you would like to post what you are referring too cuz i didn't find anything doin a quick search on here or on yahoo.

 

Ring wear in, and break-in is not a subject that you unravel with a "quick search". Suffice it to say, which makes more sense?

In cooking you temper things to the correct temperature. Nobody came along and magically discovered that you could shock eggs to the right temperature without curdling them.

What gains do you see from this hard break in? Where is the substantiated proof? Your theory is trying to disprove the status quo, so you have the burden of proof. With a light break-in I know for a fact you can have a car for more than ten years without needing an engine rework. What does a hard break in do?

Now I'm being a dick. Basically the argument is this. Don't read some dumb article online and throw around its nonsensical terms and act like it's a proven fact. Engine vacuum...HAH!

You get a 25k dollar car and beat it to hell and I'll baby mine, you may get 3hp more, but we'll see which one lasts longer.

 

Snippet from one article I'm reading now (SAE-2004-01-2917)

2. The ring wear rate is constant at a given steady-state
operating condition and changes to a different
constant rate when the conditions change. There is
no significant increase in wear during the transition
between different speeds and loads.

3. The key factor affecting the rate of ring wear is engine
brake mean effective pressure, BMEP. At light loads
(BMEP of 200 kPa) the total ring wear rate is about
50 μg/h, and at high loads (BMEP of 1000 kPa) the
wear rate is about 750 μg/h. At constant BMEP, a
change in engine speed has little effect on ring wear.