Running in a 172 Cup

[Toby172]

Hi Guys,

I picked up a brand new 172 Cup yesterday and I was just wondering what sort of running in other people did with their cars?

The sales woman told me that it doesnt really need running in, but then she said to take it easy for a few months???

Also, is it worth using the 98 unleaded over the 95? Does it really make a difference?

Thanks,

Toby

 

[RobFenn]

Most of us are fans of optimax, i only use it in fact.

Id agree that it doesnt need running in, the Cup engine is bench tested and 172 owners have found caning the car seems to pay off!

-Rob

 

[RSTDL]

Dont bother running in - that sfor girls - whats the point - that s like getting anew toy and keeping it in the box - nothing will go wrong and if it does warranty will cover it - I raked it from day one (but not constantly) and mines well loose now with no problems! Obviously you dont go to the limiter from day one in very gear but 0-60s shoiuld be attempted with serious conviction! The car is made for it not for shopping round town! AIMOH of course, but you bought it and its you rpride and joy so take whatever approach you feel would be best - just dont crash it or get caught speeding - its a seriously quick motor and having no license means no car and higher premiums!

 

[Turkish]

stick to super or optimax the fuel filler flap says to use 98ron so i never use std unleaded, as for running in there are mixed opinions but i ran mine in as per renaults instructions and never thrash it for cold either, enjoy the car im sure it will keep you smiling

 

[Lee]

I took it easy for the first 625 miles. Its not only the engine that needs a few miles to bed itself in. From then on its had a dam good thrashing at every opportunity.

Mine has only ever had Optimax in it from day 1.

 

[Toby172]

Thanks guys

 

[paddymph]

optimax is good if u plan on using it long term, every now and then is kinda pointless, As for running it in, yeah u got a warranty so:



cccccccccccccccccccccccaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnneeeeeeeeeeee it!

 

[rt172]

I ran my 172 in for 600 miles and it didnt do it any good. Thrash the b*****d from new and if it complains, thrash it some more

 

[CB1A]

Yeh - i agree with cupsize & rob, As soon as you get a new car NAIL it from day 1. the technicians at my garage say that if you nail a car from the start, the engine will loosen up a lot quicker - therefore making it faster at 10k than someone whos been driving it like a pussy up to 10k. If anything goes wrong, youve got a 3 yr warranty, so get it ragged !!

 

[visceral]

give it some from the start.......unless u need to get used to the power

 

[kefkef]

Yeah, cane it as much as you like, but just take care with your brakes, it usually takes a few hundred miles to bed them in properly, or else you can run the risk of warping your discs.

 

[edde]

I have to admit i have no idea if this is right but i read on a forum one that the reson ur not supposed to rag it from day 1 is to alllow the pistons to properly bed in slowly. If you rag it then it the piston rings arnt as strong as thy could be and you loose power.

Can someone with some techinal knowledge (not just RR figures and there admitance to driving it hard ) tell me if this is true. Also it it applies to diesels.

Thanks

 

[BikeMan]

If you thrash engines from day one youll get the engine working better sooner, but the engine wont last as long. The thrashing will wear the piston rings really quickly as the mineral oil thats put in engines from new does not protect as well as the semi or fully synthetic stuff put in afterwards. The pistons will move freer quicker, creating more power quicker, but thats because youve worn the piston rings down a lot in the early days. As time goes on, youll find youre burning oil as it passes the rings and gets into the combustion chamber. Engine rebuild time please.

If you take a bit more care running an engine in, youll take a little longer to get the best power out of the motor but it will last longer. The piston rings will wear at a more steady rate. The mineral oil in from new will allow the engine to wear enough to bed in nicely if you take it gently, then after the oil change at the 1000miles check you should have a nicely worn in engine that will last for ages. You must also allow for other components (suspension etc) to bed in as theyre all new too.

Ill be taking it easy in the first 1000miles in my Cup when it arrives in a weeks time, as I have done with my last car and my current bike.

 

[Mav]

SO basically do what i did, run it in very gently under 3500 for over 1000 miles.

And also if ur impatient like me make sure you do those miles in a single weekend so you can CAIN it when u get back to work on monday morning!!!!

Driving to newquay at 65 was the most frustrating thing i had ever done but it solved the wanting to thrash the car and the wear it in dilemma in one go.

 

[philip]

floor it

 

[BenR]

no down falls, no reliability problems, just thrash it.

ANy major wear areas will be swept clean in th first few secs of running.

Piston rings will only wear if there is no oil present, modern oils eliminate wear almost in its entrety. SO after 1000m of thrashing, swap to synth......no worries with anything, loads of hype over nothing.

 

[jonnyboy]

I looked at all the options available for running in and decided to rag it

That said I never redlined it, just took it to about 6 grand occasionally and gave it a few good hard accelrative runs. Basically I had fun whilst bearing in mind I dint want to pop my engine.

At the end of the day its under warranty and if somethings gonna happen it will happen in the first few months of you owning the car - have fun

As for optimax, probably wont be a very popular opinion but its a complete marketing exercise and makes no difference at all. All this 98 Ron cack is rubbish, IMO the difference is just undetectable.

 

[Jim172CUP]

petrol is expensive enough as it is, i dont use super etc. Just give it some stick when you want to, obviously it wont do it much good if you cane it all the time.

Im still getting used to the clutch, theres no biting point on it at all. i stall it more times than a learner lol

 

[tumbleweed]

i find my car now on 95 ron is noisy compared to optimax...i pondered for a while whethere this was all in my mind...but no optimax does make 172s and cups run better.



The only advice i would give is run your car gently for the first 200 miles then drive it as it should be driven after that, but only after its been warmed up

 

[Flying Scotsman]

Nobody ever thinks about the poor gearbox / differential! They need to be run in too, probably more so than the engine.

 

[zoog]

The psychopathic line is: why bother? It has a warranty and I will be selling it before thats up any way, it is later owners who will suffer the consequences of excess engine wear.



However Im not entirely psychopathic and was careful for 450 miles then thought f**k it.......................................pedal to the metal.

 

[CB1A]

QUOTE - Like i say ive leathered my v6 from day 1 & its quicker now at 5k than it was when i picked it up - but heres what renault say -

FOR THE FIRST 625 MILES DO NOT EXCEED 70 MPH - 3000 - 3500 RPM MAX.

ON COMPLETION OF 625 MILES YOU MAY USE YOUR CAR NORMALLY.

HOWEVER IT IS NOT UNTIL 1500 MILES THAT YOU MAY REASONABLY EXPECT FULL PERFORMANCE.

This is on page 2.02 of my owners handbook.