What's the best way to break in a brand new L? Some say go easy the first 1500 miles, others say drive it hard right off the bat. Which is the best way?

 

Frans,
I guess that all depends on what you want to do. I sort of babied it for the first 3 or 4 hundred miles, they say do the same for the brakes. Mine runs fine, as does those who got on it as soon as they got it, your call.

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00 Black Lightning
No mods yet
00 Honda Civic
01 Pontiac Grand AM GT

 

Picked mine up with 9 miles on the odometer. Drove it about 50 miles and foot to the floor! It is my daily driver and at least once a day I put the pedal down and try to see 10 pounds of boost in 2nd gear before I let off. NO problems whatsoever and my truck hauls A$$!
Don't baby it, that's not what it's made for!


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• 2000 Red Lightning
• 13.13 @ 106.40 mph in 1/4 mile
• 8.50 @ 85.43 mph in 1/8 mile (same run)
• Superchip R9, Airaid box with S+B 10" filter
  

 

Drive it like you stole it.

-Marcus

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Black 2001 ordered 10/31/00. As another member said, "Now the wait begins"

 

Do what the book says,, don't drive at at constant speed, vary the speed. Putting your foot in it at first can cause serious problems with bearing scald. No need to drive slow, but vary the speed so no part breakes in at a resonince(is that spelled right)

 

Drive it like you stole it! All the fastest Lightnings were driven hard from day one. Lloyd

 

i drove mine pretty easy the first 500 miles.I did however give it plenty of wide open throttle blurps. I would just not drive hard for more than a few moments.Then drive it like you are going to after the first 500.If you drive hard,DRIVE HARD.If you drive easy drive easy but you must put your foot into it very often to keep things from staying tight.Ive seen so many vechicles that are babied and soon as you start pounding them,You start breaking things.If Its driven relativly hard its whole life,It is used to it.

This is my opinion and what I did.Ive had a 99 and a 2000 and to be honest,Both were one of the quickest if not the quickest on the board with just Chip/filter combo.Could be a coincidence ,Probally not

 

Drive it like you stole it. I've got 10 trophys this year so far and one week of racin to go.
noelvm

 

Frans,
Do not drive long distances at a steady state. Get on it once in a while. Once at five hundred. Drain the oil and change the filter. Put in the mobile synthetic, then foot to the floor. This gives the bearings time to break-in proper and the trans also. Best of luck!

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2001 L. (Silver Frost)
Order#1148

 

Thanks all, sounds like alternating driving speeds is key (avoid going the same speed consistently). Luckily there is nothing wrong with leadfooting it during this period either. Alas, doesn't sound like I will take it to the drags in the first 500 miles, however tempting!

 

Just be sure to try to change the oil at around 500 miles..You can never be too sure... Thats when new metal parts that begin to work together tend to lose odds and ends that were never meant to be in the engine from original casting. You see what I mean?

Kinda like the little plastic peices that stay o nthe edges of a toy model that you are glueing together...

 

One trick to use for varying speeds if you do a lot of highway driving is to turn the overddrive off for a while. That way you can stay at highway speed but the RPMs will be higher.

 

Frans,

Just keep in mind most of the people who post here are in their very early 20's, some still in their teens. Take that into consideration when they tell you to "Drive it like you stole it" and "That's how these trucks were built to drive." I've never seen an engine built that didn't last longer and give run more dependably by taking to the limit every time out. It's an engine like any other, to think if you beat the sh*t out of it, it will run better is just plain stupid.

 

I was told by the dealership to take it easy for the first 500 miles or so.Also make sure the lugnuts are tightened as well @500 miles.But after that its pedal to the metal.Now after 28K i drive it like i stole it.

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1999 Lightning
12.88 @ 104.5
Administrator/Moderator
<A HREF="http://www.svtperformance.com" TARGET=_blank> </A>

[This message has been edited by ZorPrime (edited 12-11-2000).]

 

Do a big narly burnout pulling out of the SVT dealer the day you buy it and then DRIVE IT LIKE YOU STOLE IT!

OK, really.. I was easy on mine for the first couple hundred miles.. then I drove it like I stole it..

Just my $.02...
Brad


[This message has been edited by SVT2Go (edited 12-11-2000).]