Is driving long distance bad for the car?

[DenOutside]

This would be wrong...

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/owning-car/19008-article-how-run-your-new-car.html

Cool. Thanks for the link. I did a bit more research and found the techniques for "new car break-in" to be very wide ranging!

Also this...

Most modern car engines are broken in at the factory, before assembly. Therefore the old tradition of breaking in a new car doesn't apply anymore. Just drive as you normally would drive and treat the car the way you would treat anything else of value.

Source

 

[Addikt]

Wouldn't the fuel efficancy be a bit low at 85 miles per hour? Though I guess I can't say anything because I tend to drive 70 when I go long distance

 

[D-Fence]

I drove my car at <2500rpm for the first 500km, then another 500km max 3000rpm, the next 4000km max 4500rpm.
Then I did an oil change and from that point on it was YEEEEEEEEEEEHAW!

@ victor: you drive a wankel though, that has different mechanical components than a common petrol engine. A friend of mine said "don't rev the wankel over 6000 for the first 1000km then go flatout"


I think the key element in car driving has always to be: Never ever eveeeeeeeeer high-rev a cold car.


@ addikt: For me it doesn't matter. On summer tires, I got those consumption values

120 km/h (~75mph): 9.0l / 100km (26.1 mpg)
140 km/h (~87mph): 9,6l / 100km (24,5 mpg)
160 km/h (~100mph): 10,1l /100km (23,3 mpg)

It doesn't really make much of a difference, I normally roll around at 130-150km/h. 1l of LPG is only 54c here so who cares

 

[Spectre]

This would be wrong...

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/owning-car/19008-article-how-run-your-new-car.html

Well, that advice should be tempered by the fact that not all engines respond the same to a break-in technique like that due to differences in technology and metallurgy. Check out the manual for your prospective car and follow the manufacturer's recommendations for break-in. Some new cars do not require break in, others still do.

Driving long-distance is the best thing you can do to your car. Your engine oil is at optimum temperature, you don't vary your load or rpm all the time lowering stresses on the engine, you don't use the clutch much...
As long as your highway speed isn't close to the limiter then I don't see a reason why it could possibly be worse than the same distance driven in city/highway mix.

I often drive the distance Munich-D?sseldorf (600km) at 200+kmh, the car isn't going to break because of it.

I agree, highway driving (at reasonable speeds) is the least stressful of all driving regimes (in terms of your hardware).

I believe it was GM (who spent billions on researching car durability and human/machine interaction over the past half-century and more yet never did anything with their information) who determined that ten cold starts followed by trips shorter than ten miles puts more wear on your engine than a single 250 mile highway trip. Other tests with taxicab fleets bear this out - when the engine is left running and doesn't have to endure cold starts, the statistical mean lifespan of the engine is often doubled or tripled.

 

[Ford Prefect]

Well I might need to buy a brand new car ('10 Honda Civic or '10 Scion Tc) for a long 1000 mile road trip to my new job. I don't want to buy a car and "abuse" it right out of the box.

Well, when you?re still breaking it in, things may be a bit different. Constant revs over a long time aren?t that good for a brand new engine, but they certainly won?t destroy it either.

Although, I did hear somewhere that new cars NEED to be pushed to the limit when you first get them. Like you have to step really hard on the pedal...
Can someone shed more light on this?

This would be wrong...

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/owning-car/19008-article-how-run-your-new-car.html

Meh, car forums all over the world have had huge threads, debates and how-tos about this eversince someone invented internet forums. Some say you have to push it like a maniac, others say you have to treat it like a newborn baby. The truth (as always) lies somewhere in between. But I?m not the authority on this, and I don?t intend to take up the topic again until I actually buy a brand new car for the first time.

I come from the computer world and in computers, I guess it's the opposite. You want to keep it as cool as possible and taking breaks to let it cool off is a good thing. Seems like the opposite of cars.

Well... If you?re driving the car really hard then yes, it?s good to give it time to cool every once in a while. But the best way to keep a car cool (as long as you?re not actually losing any fluids or something like that) is to drive along at a sensible speed. The worst way to let it cool down is to just pull over and turn it off. I don?t really know much about how a computer actually works, but I suppose the main difference is that cars can be both too cold or too hot.

 

[thevictor390]

@ victor: you drive a wankel though, that has different mechanical components than a common petrol engine. A friend of mine said "don't rev the wankel over 6000 for the first 1000km then go flatout"

I was referring to my Sebring, as I don't actually get the RX-8 until (hopefully) later today. Regular 2.0 I4... revs high only because it is underpowered.

 

[D-Fence]

Dude, I drive a 75hp 4 banger, you are telling me!

 

[vette5885]

What??? I don't think I have ever driven any slower... apart from driving in towns...villages

What's so special about towns and villages?

 

[thevictor390]

Dude, I drive a 75hp 4 banger, you are telling me!

I bet power to weight is about the same

 

[DarkReaper]

Cars are designed with tolerances optimized for optimum temperature. The metal expands to the right diameter to form the best seal, the cylinders walls at proper temperature increase fuel vaporisation, oil gets to the right viscosity for best lubrication...

In fact, as long as your cars cooling system is working right and your thermostat isn't broken your water temperature gauge should always stay at optimum temperature no matter what your speed is.

In fact when my thermostat was broken once, the cars water temperature would actually go back down to cold while driving at 140kmh. Then again the outside temperature of -15?C also probably had some influence.

But the best way to keep a car cool (as long as you?re not actually losing any fluids or something like that) is to drive along at a sensible speed. The worst way to let it cool down is to just pull over and turn it off.

Yeah, turning your overheating car off is actually worse as your engine block is still dumping heat into your water system but your radiator sees no airflow at all.

 

[DenOutside]

Well... If you?re driving the car really hard then yes, it?s good to give it time to cool every once in a while. But the best way to keep a car cool (as long as you?re not actually losing any fluids or something like that) is to drive along at a sensible speed. The worst way to let it cool down is to just pull over and turn it off.

Oh wow. That's like the opposite of common sense. I'm sure most people don't know this and will pull over at a rest stop to let the car cool down (like me)

It's bad because when a car cools down all the way, and then you drive it again for a long distance, the metal contracts and expands too much right?

 

[WillDAQ]

Well, that advice should be tempered by the fact that not all engines respond the same to a break-in technique like that due to differences in technology and metallurgy. Check out the manual for your prospective car and follow the manufacturer's recommendations for break-in. Some new cars do not require break in, others still do.

Some lazy "point proving link dumping" there from me

 

[argatoga]

Oh wow. That's like the opposite of common sense. I'm sure most people don't know this and will pull over at a rest stop to let the car cool down (like me)

It's bad because when a car cools down all the way, and then you drive it again for a long distance, the metal contracts and expands too much right?

It isn't "the opposite of common sense". When you turn off the car the oil starts draining into the oil pan and the coolant stops moving. Letting the car just run after hard driving (and no 85mph on the freeway isn't anywhere near hard driving) allows the car to cool down through these fluids circulating.

You are over thinking this. Plenty of cars nowadays last over 100k with regular driving. If they were as fragile as you make them out to be you wouldn't see cars over three years old on the road.

Just keep up regular maintenance and it will be fine.

Now if you race your car and push it near redline constantly then your engine will develop issues more quickly.

 

[Jakain]

A post or two back there was a discussion about break in periods for engines; for the 350z the manual recommends a break in period of around 1200 miles IIRC where its suggested you don't take it above a certain RPM. For most performance cars, especially budget ones like the Z, there's going to be a suggested break in period.

 

[Ford Prefect]

Oh wow. That's like the opposite of common sense. I'm sure most people don't know this and will pull over at a rest stop to let the car cool down (like me)

It's bad because when a car cools down all the way, and then you drive it again for a long distance, the metal contracts and expands too much right?

No. The reasons why have both been stated above. To keep it simple: When your car/engine stops moving, all the liquids which have been put there to keep it cool stop doing what they are supposed to do. And as long as you are driving along at a sensible speed, the air flowing onto your radiator and into your engine bay, will assist these fluids in doing what they are supposed to do.

You are over thinking this. Plenty of cars nowadays last over 100k with regular driving. If they were as fragile as you make them out to be you wouldn't see cars over three years old on the road.

Just keep up regular maintenance and it will be fine.

This is the main point. Think of all the people who don?t give any thought to what their car is doing, most of them never have any of the problems you are worried about.

Don?t think too much. In modern cars, a lot of very smart people have already done that for you. Long before you first put the keys in the ignition.

 

[villej]

Yeah, turning your overheating car off is actually worse as your engine block is still dumping heat into your water system but your radiator sees no airflow at all.

Yeah, it's true that the best way to cool the engine down is to keep it running, but in some cars the radiator fan keeps spinning for some time even after the engine is turned off, if the engine is hot. At least my Megane does that.

 

[DarkReaper]

Only when you have an electric fan instead (or additional) of the standard belt-driven fan.

 

[CD82]

Yeah, it's true that the best way to cool the engine down is to keep it running, but in some cars the radiator fan keeps spinning for some time even after the engine is turned off, if the engine is hot. At least my Megane does that.

As does my little Peugeot. So there's one thing french cars do better than others.

 

[narf]

Other tests with taxicab fleets bear this out - when the engine is left running and doesn't have to endure cold starts, the statistical mean lifespan of the engine is often doubled or tripled.

Orly?

How long does it take for an engine at regular operating temperature to cool off to cold start conditions? Quite a long time.
For how long does a cab stop? Not that long if it wants to make any money.

Even worse would be letting the engine warm up after a real cold start before setting off. At no load it takes the longest to distribute oil or warm everything up. Condensing fuel will increase consumption and even wash off some oil inside the cylinders. Best thing to do is go straight away, medium loads, lower medium revs. Avoid high revs while cold, obviously.

I won't even mention the environment (oops, I just did...).
Additionally, it is illegal in Germany to keep your engine idling for longer than necessary (?30 StVO).

 

[Hatmouse]

You are over thinking this. Plenty of cars nowadays last over 100k with regular driving.

100k? Hell, my mom's civic has 203k on the clock and I'd trust it with anything.

I put 5k on it this summer (May-Aug) and another 5k last summer (Jun-Aug). Doesn't break a sweat.