Break-in and a long roadtrip?

Hey guys and gals. I know Toyota recommends avoiding driving at the same speed for long periods of time during the initial break-in period. I generally understand the reasons for this, and it's never been a problem with my other new vehicles.

However, my new 1794 is likely to have under 200 miles on it when my wife and I leave for a 17 hour road trip in a week.

I assume varying the engine RPMs is more critical than the actual vehicle speed. Can I satisfy this break-in procedure by periodically manually shifting to a lower gear while still cruising at the same speed? Or more frequent stops? Or should I find excuses to put on more city driving miles before we leave. I want to give this engine the best possible start to a long reliable life.

Or, am I worrying about nothing? Thanks for your thoughts.

Matt

 

Drive it 300 miles this week.

 

If it were my truck id warm it up to op temp then go drive it like an animal around varrying speeds/loads for 500 miles before the trip. Ive had nothing but good luck breakin in with hard acceleration

 

Yeah baby - get those rings seated.

 

Thanks. That's probably the best answer. I'll take it for a long drive in the Colorado mountains this weekend. That should give the engine plenty of chance to operate at varying RPMs during the break-in.

Our roadtrip is approximately 1100 miles one-way. I plan to get the oil changed when we get there. That's probably premature, but new oil is relatively cheap peace of mind.

 

I drove my truck to Phoenix with only a couple hundred miles on it, granted that was only a 6 hour journey not 17 but I had the same thought process as you. I stopped roughly every 1.5 hours but changed speeds and gears along the way for both trips to and from. I have no idea if it helped or not but my truck now has 10k on it and I feel satisfied with my decision.

 

Thanks for the responses.

Years ago, I was tole by a trusted mechanic to drive a new engine like you stole it to seat the rings, then change the oil quickly. I guess the same principles apply to modern engines.

That should make for an exciting ride this weekend. I can't wait to see how this new twin turbo V6 handles the Rocky Mountains. It was my single largest concern about this new truck. I loved the 5.7L on my previous Tundras, except for the crappy fuel mileage. So far, I've been impressed by the V6, but I have a tiny sample size, so far.

 

Yeah there's a difference between "please take a seat" and "SIT THE F@(K DOWN!!" Seating the rings is no exception.

 

Up to temp, drive it like you stole it a bit

I got some nice max boost on my platinum here and there in the early miles

 

I've had nothing but good luck driving gentler than an old lady first few thousand miles. Engine still feels like new and mileage is same as 13yrs ago.

 

You’re not going to find out the effects of your break-in for possibly hundreds of thousands of miles. There’s no concrete answer; just anecdotes from multiple sources.

Pick your poison and buy the extended warranty.

 

How nice. I just drove the mountains of colorado with my 5.7, she handled it well but i can definitely see a twin turbo being more helpful up those!

 

I really wonder. If you've ever read the instructions to seat rings on a two stroke dirt bike after a rebuild, you beat the absolute hell out of it. And to the point of plug-chopping it at full throttle. I've also heard that diesel owners will tow stuff during the break-in period. We are talking about the same thing, maximum cylinder pressure to just about zero to seat piston rings.

I think the break-in idea applies more to seals and soft components (smaller heat gradients) rather than seating piston rings. I mean the rings will eventually seat themselves I would think regardless of how it is driven.

 

Drive it like it's hot and hit the corners Slideways!

 

I bought my truck 9 hours from home and drove out of the lot with 2 miles on it. Just vary the speed and rpm and make a good stop or two and let it cool a while.

 

No prob. I can tell you this I have absolutely zero complaints about the new engine. I also came from the 5.7 and I can tell you this engine is far more fun to drive.

I agree with this statement 100%. I won't even know if my break in went well as I get rid of my vehicles well before 6 digit mileage, I got the extended warranty as well so all I can hope is I did it good enough for the next owner.

 

My last new vehicle I came sideways out of the lot during the test drive and then sideways out of the lot after I signed for it. Never an issue. Work the crap out of them.

One of my favorite things to do on a truck that’s acting off is hook up a bunch of weight and do some 0-60 sprints. Heats things up, burns things off, seats everything right.

 

Bought my 1794 this June with 3 miles on it. Wife and I left from Ohio to Louisiana last week with 250 miles starting. Wife drove the speed limit...I drove beat 90 at times.

Came home with 2100 miles and it was a great ride. Hot as sin down south right now but the AC was great...after tweaking via carista.

 

It will conquer those mountains easily. I’ve been over several passes, Wolf Creek, Eisenhower, Vail, Kenosha, Guanella, Cameron, and probably a few more, super easy, plenty of power. Road King.

 

Forced induction in the mountains is like cheating when going up passes.

 

I bought my 22 TRD pro and ripped it for 900 miles day 1. Did the same to 23 platinum albeit the platinum I did like 3 days of city driving first .