296 break in

Well, with my SF90 I realized that there was a bit of time driven in ev mode where the engine was not running. Still hit 621 miles and went for it. It's not as cut and dry as an ice car. I've also been told drive it like you stole it out of the box, so, do as you will.

 

Most of the dealers I spoke to said - there is no break in period. This includes several mechanics. Obviously the manual says there is one. I made some effort not to go mental for a few hundred miles and certainly not put my foot down with a cold engine.

 

The key things IMHO

They do run the ICE on the test bench for a little bit, and they do drive the cars around, so it’s got some breaking in.

The tires need breaking in.

The brakes need some use, I dont think you really need to do the old school bedding in procedure, but probably doesnt hurt to do after a few hundred miles- you dont want to do any really hard accelerations/ breaking applications with the tires brand new

The other mechanical bits need a bit of break in.

Most important, with the engine, no thermal shocks. So that means dont take a fairly cold engine and then make it rev/ work/ really hard. Make sure all your temps are at operating, you will want to take some longer than 5 minutes drives. I suggest drives that average out to 30-45 minutes. Gently build revs- but also dont sit at any one rev point. Use the gears to vary the revs. Try to avoid wide open throttle/ break lock up/ for the first few hundred miles.

Also make sure you break in the most critical component: you! There’s a lot for get used to with any new car.


Sent from my iPad using FerrariChat

 

I truly believe that with modern cars, warm them up, theyre broken in. Any negatives from driving the car hard right away wouldn’t be noticed for an absurd amount of miles that these supecars will never see. More damage would be caused from underuse than overuse.

 

-let car idle for 5 min so all the electronics boot up
-let engine oil temp come up
- first 500 miles keep it below 4000-5000 rpm
-first 1500 miles vary the rpm’s on long drives. no cruise control
- after 1500 miles good to track it.
just my opinion for all ice cars. rpm restrictions will vary depending on redline.

 

I am not rich enough to trash a new Ferrari engine “for the Gram” so just kept it sensible <4k-5k revs for specified run-in period. Since then however it have run the car hard on fast roads and track in temperatures up to 40C and it has been faultless … just under 3k miles so far in 14 months. Having studied engineering the idea of mechanical sympathy has been drilled into me… engines are complex things with thousands of moving parts and a Ferrari engine is designed at the limits of performance/ weight/ operating temperatures etc

 

Dealer told me there is no need for running in the engine but tyres need to be run in. This is the first time I have heard this and forgot to ask him how to go about doing that. If anyone can add insight, it would be much appreciated. Thanks.


Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app

 

When I first started driving I was told this is to do with the non stick agent they use to get tyres out of the mould. So the tyre is more "slick" than grip for the first X miles.

No idea if this is still the case, ie do they now clean them. Either way I would always do the first few hundred miles at more modest speeds and give myself more time to break, slower into corners etc.

 

Warm the car up properly (fluids, tyres and brakes) then drive it like you stole it.
This is the advice each and every race team provides, next to my dealer.
The cars have been tested at the factory and should be fine when delivered.
Any major flaw will quickly resurface after a 5-10 min break in and pushing it.
Probably best to find out what that flaw is as soon as possible or after waiting several weeks/months after a "so called" break in period.

Let's not forget, these cars/engines, drive trains, gear boxes, etc have all been tested through and through.
Our cars are not driving test cases for a brand. This is tried and true technology.

 

Thanks. In London we have 20 mph speed limits so no danger of going anywhere fast. This weekend we will go for a proper long drive and see.




Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app

 

Dealer told me the same thing. No run in period necessary


Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app

 

what does the owners manual say?

 

This, page 168:

Image Unavailable, Please Login

Also, quoting Dino_Argento: "Having studied engineering the idea of mechanical sympathy has been drilled into me"

 

not too far off my earlier post.

 

Thanks for the clarification and a timely reminder for me not to be lazy and read the manual [emoji23]


Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app

 

Most cars for sale have well under 1000 km.

 

The flip side of this is that some cars are defective, and can become very dangerous if something fails suddenly. Those initial miles tease out defects in production or supplied components, some of which might fail immediately or upon increased initial stress.

 

Even though what you are saying is true, the fact that all Ferraris are test driven prior to shipment, mitigates the possibility of a manufacturing flaw. Of course one may arise after the initial 30-50 km test drive.

 

I got mine, took it straight to get PPF’d, then took it on a 250 mile each way road trip. Break-in was done in ~a weekend.

in terms of process during the first ~550 miles, I waited till “warmup” turned off to go any higher than like 3500-4000. And then varied 0-5000 once warmup cleared. Now up to like 1050 miles driven. And no complaints.

 

a very large portion of Ferrari's don't even reach the point of 1000km break in period before they are resold.
it's a no brainer that various cars are being delivered straight from the dealer, by transport, to a storage facility of the new owner.
I would never state my claim as a "fact". However being active in racing in various forms, being close to my dealer and the guys in the work shop as well as professional race teams and drivers; I feel very comfortable making the above claims.
Warm your Ferrari up properly and then drive it like she's meant to be driven.
1000km of driving below 4000rpm is the equivalent of one of Dante's 9 circle's of hell!

 

All of the posts describing what should be done other than what is in the book have risk attached.

The vehicle software tracks peak revs , speed , gear changes etc . If something goes wrong in the ‘break in period’ and you have been ‘driving it like you stole it ‘ good luck getting full warranty.

Yes you can whinge to the dealer that it is expensive and it should be perfect yet you must remember it has thousands of moving parts , hundreds of electronic parts that are put together by Ferrari but not necessarily manufactured by them. There can and will be failures in cars .

So by all means drive it the way you wish and be aware of the risks.