dungdori

I bought new my 8 yesterday. I am so happy with that.
Usually, piston engine car has their own adjustment period- I don't know exact word - to take care limiting a speed and rpm.
But I 'm wondering if there is the recommended maximum RPM and speed during the first XXX miles.

DOMINION

Yea there is a lot you should not do befor 3,000miles or something like that. I did a search and got a good find. Welsome to the cult or ah club.

JSE RX-8

its up to who you talk to you. i have heard people say stay under 4k rpm which i found impossible, and some people say there is no break-in period. the service manager at my dealership told me there wasnt a break-in period. so its really up to who you talk to. you will hear several things

ryousuke

Here's how I broke in my rx-8,

For the first 1,000 miles don't shift over 4 rpms, and don't go full throttle with your car.

Between 1,000 and 2,000 miles raise the rpms you shift at but do not redline it, and avoid going full throttle.

Once you have over 2,000 miles on the car, it sould be fully broken in to do whatever you want with (redline, full throttle, fast excelerations).

That's what I did and I have had no problems with my rx-8 at all.

I found it on the website https://www.racingbeat.com/RX8%20Break%20in.htm

You have to remember, since it is a rotary engine, it needs a little more care than a normal one.

chambo

Quoted from the Mazda Rx-8 Driver's Guide that came from Rosenthal Mazda (Tyson's Corner)

"While no special break-in is necessary, a few precautions in the first 600 miles may add to performance. Don't race the engine. Don't maintain one constant speed for long. Don't drive constantly at WOT or high engine rpm for extended periods. Avoid unecessary hard stops. Avoid WOT starts."

the renesis actually needs far less break in than a piston engine (i assume cause of the fewer moving parts).

Also remember that the car "learns" your driving habits and if you end up driving cautiously for a long period of time (few thousand miles) its going to expect easy driving from then on. If you change habits and start pushing the car after a long period of "soft" driving you may not get the full performance you were expecting.

JSE RX-8

once you get a reflash like the M-Flash. the car learns ur habits all over again though.

RX22

I'm currently doing the same thing. I kept it below 4000 for the first 1100 miles. Now that I'm above that, I'm raising my RPM limit 500 RPM for every 100 miles. So it goes like this:

1100-1200 => 4500 max
1200-1300 => 5000 max
1300-1400 => 5500 max
1400-1500 => 6000 max
1500-1600 => 6500 max
1600-1700 => 7000 max
1700-1800 => 7500 max
1800-1900 => 8000 max
1900-2000 => 8500 max
After 2000 => 9000 max

Personally, I think I'm being really **** and overdoing it, but at least I'll know it was broken in right.

StewC625

Yes, you're being REALLY ****.

I worked on Rotarys 20 years ago ... and also have sold them.

Because there's no reciprocating parts, revs are far less of an issue - but LOAD is.

Here's what I've followed, and what has been recommended to me by several people that I know AT Mazda:

Pre-500 miles - limit revs to between 6000 and 7000 RPM, although not terribly critical (let's face it folks, we ALL redlined the car on the test drive ...), and limit full-throttle starts and runs - avoid them if possible. For brake bedding, it's recomended you don't do any full-brake (into the antilocks) applications for the first 1000 miles.

AFTER 500 miles - while OK to pull to near/around redline, avoid WOT runs up to the redline. WOT throttle acceleration OK as long as you short shift below 7000 RPM.

AFTER 1000 miles - all clear. Drive it like you stole it.

And it is true - the drive-by-wire and everything else does "learn" your habits. My Acura had a very sensitive throttle response because I'm a lead foot, but ironically, because I've been babying my -8 a bit in deference to gas mileage (and unwanted attention from the "gendarmes"), my car is a bit docile right now for throttle response.

It's in today for the M-Flash, so we'll see how it feels when it comes back.

Soundave

So after it learns your habits, is it stuck like that until you get another flash? Or would it relearn your habits if you start driving more/less aggressively?

Cam

iTrader: (1)

This is the break in Im following.

chambo

I would assume that if you installed lead shoes on your feet it would pick it up after a good period of driving time. I wouldnt expect a "learning" module to just shutdown after say 500 miles of driving and forget how to "learn"....I suspect its more of an always on thing that can be "retaught"

.....just a guess

Rob Tomlin

This kind of sucks.

I want, and expect, a sports car to be able to give me the very best performance that it is capable of when I need it. I shouldn't have to "drive it like I stole it" all the time for fear that the computer might "learn" that I tend to drive easier in an effort to get better gas mileage etc.

What's the logic behind this?

DOMINION

I do know one thing. I went to my state line for Ca and NV, its about 40miles each way and was doing 70mph. I stoped to play the lotto eat and be shop. Then on the way back doing 70mph my CEL light up!. Went to Mazda next day and get flashed along with some recall work. CEL went on like 3 more sepret times. Went to Mazda agen got some more flash all better now. Service guy told me should not take new cars on long trips. months back we got a Toyota Av renta car with 9miles on it went to Orange Co. in CA for IAS show and put 8,000+miles on it in 5 days. Got back home with no BS???...

ryousuke

Personnaly....I don't really trust the break-in from the mazda dealership, but that's just me.

Rob Tomlin

What is "the break-in from the mazda dealership"?

chambo

Rob >> One word: READ!

ryousuke >> the guide I am quoting is written by mazda, not the dealership.....I could understand not liking the dealer's advice but if you dont like taking Mazda's advice about a car they produce then I wouldnt bother askin them to fix it once you break it.

veilsidev1

what does wot mean

Cam

iTrader: (1)

WOT

Wide
Open
Throttle

Ike

Disconnect your battery pump the brake a few times, hook the battery back up and go drive it like a bat out of hell (with regular wot runs) if you want the best performance. It's not exactly the best thing for your engine doing that while the ECU is learning but it's pretty unlikely you'll do any damage.

StewC625

Check my post in the "sick of gas mileage" thread. I learned a bunch about the adaptive driving thing this week.

Here's a synopsis - the ECU writes a data point every 3 miles on your driving habits, and the throttle response/mapping/etc. is customized to the average of those data points.

My car was M-Flashed two days ago, and my dealer told me to drive it aggressively to set the initial "driving habits" score high on the agression scale to maximize throttle response. When I picked up the car, it was a dog - the default is for fairly docile response, presumably to keep the car from being a handful for someone (I'm guessing here, don't yell at me ...). I drove it really hard the first three miles, and experienced exactly what he said I would. After 3 miles, suddenly the throttle was hair-trigger sensitive (almost too much so), and there was significantly a sense of more power.

Now that I've mixed in some regular driving two days later, it's settling a bit, but interestingly my wife, who hadn't driven the car before the flash, and whom I hadn't briefed on its potential effects, called me as soon as she set out in it yesterday and said "what the hell did they do to your car?" The throttle is like a hair trigger!

Rob Tomlin

I did read, you Boob!

I know what Mazda's official word is on the break in procedure, but he said he didn't trust "the break-in from the mazda dealership". Not the same thing, is it?

ryousuke

I mean I guess you're right about my car breaking if I take more precautions then the mazda dealership.

ryousuke

and yes, that was sarcasm.