Can NOT thrashing your 172 hurt it

[Daipac]

Morming All !

Something just occured to me. I have not really booted my car much recently, for around the last month or so because of the weather and also because I have not been out in the car in the nights as much as I used to to give it a good thrashing. I just got a question really, because I am not thrashing it and driving it normally back and for to work and stuff, will it make the car slower or am I just being paranoid ?

 

[SteveJJH]

im of the opinion that you should use a car, but that doesnt necessarily mean boot it. If it sits on your drive with out running for weeks, thats not good, and if you only do short journeys and the engine doesnt get fully warmed up, thats not good either, but i dont think you need to take it to the redline everyday for it to run properly (not with a road engine anyway)

all imho of course

 

[Daipac]

At the moment I am probably driving it for an hour a day, maybe a little more. I NEVER thrash it before it has warmed up but I was just wondering if it will turn out to be slower because I am not thrashing it all the time. It has only done 5100 miles.

 

[RobFenn]

Supposedly thrashing from the start will improve performance of the car, but on the otherhand it might not last as long. I think it would be an idea to be in the middle, just drive conservatively for a while.

 

[Tom]

BOOT IT TILL IT DIES!

sorry got excited

 

[Marc]

I doubt driving conservatively for a while will hurt your car. Taking it up to the redline all the while is likeky to put more stress on your engine! The odd thrash here and there should blow away any crap that builds up in the cylinder head/injectors, etc!

 

[Daipac]

That is more what I was thinking Marc, any chance I get I boot it but recently I just havent driven it as much as I used to. Not sure whether it is because the novelty has worn off or it is just because the weather does not really allow fast driving right now.

 

[Marc]

Dont know whether anyone else feels the same but the more I use the car the slower it seems to get! When I take other people in it they say it is well rapid! Probably because Im use to it!!! Time to get modding methinks!

 

[SteveJJH]

its very easy to get used to a car. i had a really quick pulsar. when i bought it i was almost scared to put my foot down in it, but within a few months i wanted more, when i went back to driving normal cars, it felt like you werent accelerating at all.

Thats probably all that is marc

 

[Simon172]

my car seems to be quicker after ive thrashed it. It gets a good thrashing every day.

 

[KDF]

hehe, I went from a 1.0 micra to a 172...

I was scared shatless to put my foot down.. now after a month I am used to it and seeking more power.

before my micra I used to drive a 205 GTi so you can see how that was a bit of a step down.

 

[visceral]

lol - i went from a 1.1 Saxo to a 172.....

I didnt get a handbook at first, the Salesman said dont worry too much about running it in, just stay away from the redline for abit, the abit turned out to be 100miles in his opinion.

Thrash it, its what they are made for.

 

[MarkRS]

Not thrashing it is much better than bouncing it off the limiter like most on here seem to do lol permanent engine damage everytime you do that.

If your journey to work is less than at least 10 miles, then you should be driving slow anyway to let it warm up properly, under 3000rpm. It takes oil 10 miles + to reach proper operating temp in this weather.

When there is no ice, give it a good cain, wait for it to be proper warm, and dont go wacking the limiter. Limiter and caining from cold damage the engine, driving normal doesnt.

 

[Frosty]

You cant really over rev the 172 if its cold anyway. The rev limiter intrudes at about 6250rpm until the oil has warmed up which is about 10 minutes for me on an average winters morning. I never rev above 3,500rpm until the coolant gauge reaches normal temp. After this time the oil will be warm (but not at normal running temp) so you can rev to around 5,000rpm until it warms up a bit more.

Bouncing off the limiter does not do any damage to the engine as long as it is not done too often and only used as an engine saftey device and not as an indication of when to change gear!

 

[MarkRS]

The water gauges on the dash are cack, when they get to the middle the car is nowhere near warm enough to cain it. You should stay below 3000 rpm for about 10 miles really.

If the limiter is in the red bit on the rev counter - like alot of cars, then it does engine damage everytime you hit it.

 

[Owzy]

If u hit the rev limiter ur never gona be as fast as someone who changes gear just before, if ur constantly hitting it ur not driving right. ul have more fun if u change a few hundred rpm before tbh

 

[Frosty]

MarkRS: The rev limiter on a production car is to stop the car being reved into an area that can do damage to the engine. So if you are only hitting the limiter and bouncing off it, how can it possibly do any damage? It is a bad way to drive, but it wont damage the car!

Owzy: Agreed. If you wait for the limiter the engine will drop about 300-400 revs so you may as well have changed at that point in the first place.

 

[visceral]

I thought that was what the little green light was for? its set a few hundred rpm below the limiter is it not.

Apparently the 172 is just like one of the Tamagochi things, lighting up the green light feeds it, if u dont do it regular they die and u have to go back to reno for a reset (or so i heard).

 

[ak_uk]

Speaking about rev limits, what about cars that have been chipped - their RLs are significantly higher than the norm......

 

[Stu 172]

The Little green light on the dash is the optimum point to change gear i.e when u select the next gear you are more or less straight on the power.

I agree with frosty about hitting the rev limiter, as thats the whole point,not to cause engine damage.

Stu 172

 

[SoLow]

kinda need to clear ouot the cobwebs every now and again, but nothing major. Its sustained short changing over many thousands of miles that effectively cokes the engine up. Give it some stick once in a while and itll do two things, make u smile more and keep it running clean!

My excuse for ragging the knackers out of the car anyways!

 

[MarkRS]

Quote: Originally posted by ak_uk on 11 January 2003

Speaking about rev limits, what about cars that have been chipped - their RLs are significantly higher than the norm......

Chipped cars will rev higher than normal, on a standard engine this is damaging it everytime you go higher than the standard rev limit or you go in the red. If you want your car to last ( like me ) then you shouldnt do it lol

On some cars they have max rpms in the handbook and the rev limiter kicks in after this, not good. Cars dont have any power right at the top end so no point going right to the limiter.

 

[coolspot007007]

At the northern rolling road day my max BHP was at 7200 ish,nearest to that was about 6900.

 

[FunkyASFunk]

yeah drive a Van for the day then ge back into the baby!

 

[FunkyASFunk]

Quote: Originally posted by tomclio1.2 on 10 January 2003


BOOT IT TILL IT DIES!

sorry got excited

LMAO.... good words!