Road trip immediately after delivery... Good idea?

[tededfred]

Hoping someone with a little more knoweldge than I can shed some light on whether or not this is a good idea. I will be taking delivery of my 2LT in the fall, and was planning on doing a road trip from Toronto to Ohio pretty much immediately after driving off the lot. Could this have any adverse effects on the engine? Or is it a good way to speed up the break in process (assuming I keep the revs down for the duration of the trip and keep varying my cruising speeds and such).

Oh, and the trip is about 400 miles one way.

[tjd24]

Break-in instructions are on page 8-16 of the owner's manual http://content.gmownercenter.yahoo.c...aro_owners.pdf - they don't indicate anything about long trips though mention not driving at any constant speed speed fast or slow. You should vary your highway speed to avoid just running at the limit.

From my experience the challenge was keeping it under 4000rpms when merging onto the highway - I recall needing to accelerate hard and clearly going over 4000rpms once but not worried about it.

[scrming]

personally... i'm of the opinion of running a car fairly hard during the break in... not super crazy but not babying it either...

I pretty much followed this: http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

Main think on a long trip would be to NOT use your cruise control...

[Teddydog]

I'm going to have to do a road trip after picking up my car next month. The dealer I ordered from is about 400 miles away!

Rob

[tededfred]

looks like the hardest part will be not cracking 4K rpms... i'll need to have my passenger watching my gauges... and punching me whenever i get close to 4K lol.

[Outlaw]

Hey it will just bring you that much closer to 1500 miles. I drove almost 300 miles the first day with no problems. Should be groovy!

[texasbill]

Originally Posted by tededfred

looks like the hardest part will be not cracking 4K rpms... i'll need to have my passenger watching my gauges... and punching me whenever i get close to 4K lol.

Or a dog shock collar!

Have fun on the road trip. Not a bad way to spend some quality time with your new Camaro.

[CamaroBAMF28]

the only thing you need to do.....keep it under 4000 rpms and a good thing to do wud be throw it in sixth gear and set cruise control to like 70 mph. you will get at least 30 mph average

[tbyrne]

I wouldn't have any concerns. Just get in and go! It's nice to vary the RPMs once in awhile though.

[tededfred]

Originally Posted by CamaroBAMF28

the only thing you need to do.....keep it under 4000 rpms and a good thing to do wud be throw it in sixth gear and set cruise control to like 70 mph. you will get at least 30 mph average

Sounds to me like cruise control is a no-no for the break in period. Varying speeds are a good thing.

[GM4LIFE]

I took my G5 on a long road trip the day after it was delivered. Had 9 miles on it when we left, had 3100 miles on it when we got home.

What I did was I kept alternating my speeds 50-65mph every so many miles, drove people nuts especially my passengers but thats what I did. I also kept RPMs under 3,000.

I was also easy on the brakes the first 250 miles, didnt use cruise till about 750 miles.
The G5 had a 500 mile break-in period tho.

What I did but everybody has a different opinion.

[glambert1]

I bought a s10 pickup new once and drove 1200 miles the next day at 70 mph no problems whatsoever . I dont recommend it but I doubt 400 miles is anything to worry about

[rickerda]

I bought my last two cars out of state and drove them home (500-600 miles) No problems

[rickerda]

New Vehicle Break-In

Notice: Follow these recommended guidelines during the first 2 414 km/1,500 miles of driving this vehicle. Parts have a break-in period and performance will be better in the long run.

• For the first 2 414 km/1,500 miles:
• Avoid full throttle starts and abrupt stops.
• Do not exceed 4,000 engine rpm.
• Avoid driving at any one constant speed, fast or slow.
• Do not drive above 160 km/h (100 mph).
• Avoid downshifting to brake or slow the vehicle when the engine speed will exceed 4000 RPM.
• Do not let the engine labor. Never lug the engine in high gear at low speeds. With a manual transmission, shift to the next lower gear. This rule applies at all times, not just during the break-in period.
• Do not participate in racing events, sport driving schools, or similar activities during this break-in period.
• Check engine oil with every refueling and add if necessary. Oil and fuel consumption may be higher than normal during the first 2 414 km/1,500 miles.
• To break in new tires, drive at moderate speeds and avoid hard cornering for the first 322 km/200 miles. New tires do not have maximum traction and may tend to slip.
• New brake linings also need a break-in period. Avoid making hard stops during the first 322 km/200 miles. This is recommended every time brake linings are replaced.
• Should the vehicle be used for racing or competitive driving (after break-in), the rear axle lubricant must be replaced
beforehand.

For those who do not have their Owner's Manual handy.