New cars..

[unofficialPete]

..well when they are new how big a difference does the first owner and how they drive for the first 10k make to the performance of a car a few years on?

Ragged for its first 10k=?

Driven like a saint under 3000 revs=?

 

[Chris_H]

a very large difference.

Rag it and if it lasts 80k then its done well.

However treat it properly and you can have a YB sierra cosworth putting out 350bhp at the wheels day to day for over 160k miles. yes I did build it and yes I did run it in.

My energy was run in carefully, now at 189k miles it still spins round to 8 grand happily.

 

[BenR]

indeed, my father never ever bothered running engines for his race team unless they were ragged from day one.

 

[unofficialPete]

Ah good, so buying off a lady owner is all good lol

my cars 5 years old 1.4 energy, only 20k on the clock, i dont rag it often but can safely say its warn in?

Does it explain why you get some freakishly faster valvers etc. runnin higher bhps and more torque standard than stated?

 

[BenR]

sorta, running in is one part, but when manufacturers make the engine there are tolerances allowed, and not everything is identical, you can just be lucky with the pick and mix of parts you get in your engine.

 

[Chris_H]

buying off a lady owner, etc not the best idea. Amoung the worst engines I have ever worked on are 1 old/lady owner 5 k a year, the engines are usually proper buggered.

Best engines are actually ex-police cars and rep mobiles.

 

[vavavoom172]

ex police carsv and reps, you must be kidding. if they are like the police and sales reps where i live i can glady say i dont reckon they would last 10k let alone 189k.

 

[BenR]

or the fact that they are pampered like babies mechanically.

 

[unofficialPete]

and most are D-Ts so will run and run, FSH etc..