Engine break-in

[Herc]

Just bought a 2005 SRT 10. Book says 500 miles for break-in, the Viper tech
at the dealer tells me that the car will be kinda sluggish until the engine
sets in and that at a couple of thousand miles to "hold on".

Is there anybody out there who can tell me what to expect with this? The
car is quick, have about 200mi and am keeping it under 3500-4000 rpm, but
not ground pounding. Is this going to change? If so when? So far not as
impressive as my 97 Porsche twin turbo. Maybe its just the lower rpm for
break-in.

Thanks,
RD

 

[SRTRICKY]

300 miles to go and then you can floor it...you'll see what the cars made out of...still not impressed get some 3.55's put on from what I hear they really wake the car up!

 

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

You haven't done a full throttle yet, and when you finally do, you will be more than pleased with the instant torque. Change your oil at 500 miles also, and when you do hammer it the first time, I suggest finding a straight, smooth road, starting in second at about 40mph, put both hands on the wheel and hold on. It will pull unbelievably strong to around 5600-5700, then it is time to shift and move to third. When you hit fourth you will notice it is still pulling hard, and it will continue for a long time, so probably a good time to slow down. Either way have a good time and don't worry about it feeling tame during break in, as you will soon be able to unleash the beast.

 

[Vipera Russelli]

Although you've already heard it and will hear it again and again, I'll say it too. The stock car should have come with lower gears--switch to 3.55 gears and you'll feel the rocket-ship acceleration you're looking for all over the power band. I had the same concern with my stock 2004 and the 3.55 mod was the best single mod ever. In reference to another of your posts, your Viper tech in SLC is just wrong about the gears—you’ll learn to harness the wheel spin and push the car just shy of the breaking point for maximum excitement. And even with the gear change, you still have to be going 90 mph or so before you can get to a measly 2500 rpm in 6th gear. Just my $.02

Be extra careful learning to drive the beast as it tends to get away from too many new owners. Be patient. Be smart.

Welcome to the club!

 

[Herc]

Thanks, I'll try not to G-loc my first time.

RD

 

[LynnS]

Rd:

Congratulations on your new Viper! You will enjoy the “Viper Experience”. The cautions as to handling the car’s power are correct. Also, beware the dreaded “3rd to 2nd instead of 3rd to 4th” miss-shift which has wrecked more than one Viper.

When you change the oil, add and check the dipstick when adding the final quarts, as the engine, oil cooler, etc. retain some oil and it is easy to overfill the engine.

A great first mod to consider is changing-out the stock shifter for a B&M.

Welcome to Viper Nation!

Lynn

 

[Nich0las]

I thought the same thing you did. The car needs to be broken in. The first time you gun it you should be very impressed. Let us know when the time comes.

 

[vipersrt10]

break it in like youll drive it, pound it

 

[1TONY1]

break it in like youll drive it, pound it

Exactly !!!! It will be stronger if you don't baby it. That's the WORST thing you can do for a new airplane engine and I believe that holds true here. Long ago we only worried about breaking the cam in before roller cams were common. 30 minutes run time at varied rpm and it was done......time to go race.

 

[SRTRICKY]

break it in like youll drive it, pound it

Exactly !!!! It will be stronger if you don't baby it. That's the WORST thing you can do for a new airplane engine and I believe that holds true here. Long ago we only worried about breaking the cam in before roller cams were common. 30 minutes run time at varied rpm and it was done......time to go race.

So many different ways everyone suggests!! What I did was drive it Real easy for the first 300 miles or so and then start taking the rpms high upto red line but not slamming it just going 1/2 throttle but letting the rpms go high and then i started driving it like I stole it...why I did this...
1) first 300 miles I used to get used to the clutch gears etc. (its really differnet then the vette)
2) Next 200 miles I used to see how much torque it has how fast it will go etc. but not full throttle
3) When I got comfortable with the car I started tearing it down the street and what a thrill it is!

 

[vipersrt10]

i went to west coast viper one day and the owner told me that they had just dyno'd a bunch of vipers and had the results written on a chalk board, and the highest yeilding srt was one that he said the guy didnt baby when he got it, but hammered it like it he intended to drive it all along. i think it was over 460hp at the wheels, the others were as low as 423 i think.

 

[SRTRICKY]

Damn that *****

 

[Herc]

Was wondering if the dealer could download a rev counter,
like my Big Dog, when I take it back in for the 500 mi
check and try to give me [******].

RD

 

[MaxedGTS]

break it in like youll drive it, pound it

 

[Vipera Russelli]

i went to west coast viper one day and the owner told me that they had just dyno'd a bunch of vipers and had the results written on a chalk board, and the highest yeilding srt was one that he said the guy didnt baby when he got it, but hammered it like it he intended to drive it all along. i think it was over 460hp at the wheels, the others were as low as 423 i think.

I’ve heard the same. The car will “learn” to drive like its driver drives it. A car with a history of easy driving will not show as high of numbers on a dyno as a car that has regularly been driven hard. But there is time for teaching the car to be driven hard after it has been properly broken it, or at least that’s my understanding. I would follow the conventional wisdom, as well as the manufacturer’s recommendations, and break the car in easy. Very your speeds, gears and rpm a lot (around-town driving is better than say spending all day on the freeway going the same speed in the same gear) while staying below 4000 rpm for 500 or so miles (I did 1000), and then give it hell all the time. It also provides an opportunity for you to get to know the car at least a little bit by the time you’re starting to push it. First crawl, then walk, then run...

 

[Y2K5SRT]

I was handed the keys to my new Viper in Dallas - at a Viper Owners Invitational. This meant that in the first 75 miles it was broken in like this:

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That would be NASCAR driver Jerry Nadeau breaking it in at around 160 MPH. Hey, it was VOI and I had no choice. Dodge made me do it!

The car dyno'ed with around 600 miles on the clock at 464 rwhp and 504 rwtq. Just barely broken in...

 

[Viper X]

I'm probably the guy West Coast was talking about. My car dynoed 450 rwhp / 490 rwtq with 3.55s. Add the correction factor of 10 to 15 to the hp and tq for the gear change and you get 460 - 465 rwhp / 500 / 505 rwtq. This was stock. B $ B headers and K & N filters put me at 505 rwhp and and 542 rwtq. This car is still a beast. Look at my signature. We're now at 729 rwhp with a Paxton and some other goodies. And the Paxton is set on minimum psi.

I drove my car fairly aggressively, wound it up regularly ( 1/2 to 2/3 throttle and allow it to wind up ) but didn't beat it or full throttle it until after 500 miles. I had West Coast adjust the rpm limiter up to 6400 because the car continued to pull hard up to 6250, where most flatten and loose power at about 5700. I also changed the oil early and continue to change it at 2500 to 3000, depending on usage (after a track day) / temperature. I'm not sure how, but this computer does seem to "learn" your driving habits.

If my drivetrain (clutch / differential) only worked as well as my engine does, life would be good.

Good Luck

 

[Ray W]

Ooops,Did you guys say Don't go over 4000rpms. I've been keeping mine over 4000rpms for the first 500 miles. It runs good though.

Seriously,break them in firmly and try to maintain rpms in the 2-3000rpm range. NO extended idling. I just reached 500 miles this weekend and have had zero oil consumption.

Have fun........

 

[SilverViper03]

I am finishing the break-in period, and was reasonable on the throttle and RPM. Now I don’t want my car to remember that kind of soft driving. How can we make a reset of the computer so I will now drive it the right way (full throttle) and the computer will learn immediately his new pattern?

Is the dealer can reset it?

Thank you.

 

[98MODMTR]

Don't these motors get the crap beat out of them via an engine dyno before being installed into the cars?

 

[Y2K5SRT]

I am finishing the break-in period, and was reasonable on the throttle and RPM. Now I don’t want my car to remember that kind of soft driving. How can we make a reset of the computer so I will now drive it the right way (full throttle) and the computer will learn immediately his new pattern?

I believe you can reset it simply by disconnecting the battery at the remote terminal under the hood. We did that during our Dyno Day and it did seem to make a little difference on the "lesser driven" cars. Good luck!