By
Paradox, July 8, 2005
WOT=Wide Open Throttle...
I often wonder what RPM I get my '99 VE up to when I do WOT...
Usually when I "floor it", its more of a need to pass or make a quick maneuver
but only on a very occasional basis.
My wife had an older GM product and I can recall fixing her "stuck" tachometer needle by flooring it several times... 
do tell, do tell. what did you see, burnouts ect?I have seen how they are getting new cars off the transporter..
I saw a truck load of new cars the other day and one was bashed in bad on the hood and fender. I laughed and thought whoever buys that car will never know about that "oops".
I can't believe how easy it is to get the 05 corolla (Auto) up into the higher 4000+ RPM's just in casual acceleration and passing etc.
The trany/eng are very aggressive for a 4cly/<140hp IMHO.
I drove my new 2004 Corolla 5spd gradually harder and was hitting redline now and then by the time I had just 200 miles on it. I switched to Amsoil synthetic oil at 2250 miles and change it every 5500 miles. Now with many mods, and 40000 hard driving miles flirting with the 6500 RPM rev-limiter a few times a day, the oil level might go down about 1/8" on the dip-stick between changes. An new engine has to be GRADUALLY driven harder and up to gradually higher RPMs, and be subjected to all operating conditions, and not sustained at low or constant speeds. Full power up to redline should be achieved before too long for a true and complete seating and break-in.
Here's one take on the break-in procedure. This makes sense to me, and I haven't heard any compelling arguments to the contrary. I've used this procedure on all of my cars, including the one whose engine I rebuilt.
As far as early oil changes... I don't know whether it is necessary/helpful or not, but it's such an easy and inexpensive process. I look at it as cheap insurance.
By the way, if the above link is correct... then the break-in opportunity for your motor is pretty much over by the time you pick up the car! He argues that the first miles are the most crucial.
thanks for the site. thats how my car was driven right off the lot so that method was covered within its first 20 miles. lol
Hello everyone, I too am new, I'm not new to Toyotas. I had a '87 Corolla I bought in 1990 with 20k miles and just gave it to my stepson last week with over 300k on it. Just bought a 2006 Corolla myself. Dealer recomends first oil change at 1000 miles, the manual doesn't specify a speed restriction- just says no prolonged driving at the same speed or jackrabbit starts, which is also what the dealer says. Under 55 doesn't seem realistic, your RPMs would be about 1500 on the highway...wouldn't be a good breakin.
Max
Welcome, madar. The manual must have been updated. My 03 calls for staying under 55 or 60mph, can't remember which, in the break-in period. I was not able to do that, though. I'd have been pushed off the interstate!
Thanks for the welcome. The manual does say to avoid high speed driving. High speed can mean different things to different people. For me it might mean 80, for my stepson it means 180...even at 70 mph she's still taching below 3000 rpm, I can't really see the harm in that.
Bikeman982
I would think that if your engine went out while your car was still under warranty that the dealer would fix it for free. I would drive normal for the break-in period. Just follow owner's manual for exact speeds and mileage, and oil changes.
Thanks for the welcome. The manual does say to avoid high speed driving. High speed can mean different things to different people. For me it might mean 80, for my stepson it means 180...even at 70 mph she's still taching below 3000 rpm, I can't really see the harm in that.I though they put in a speed limit in there as well - mine says no higher than 55 MPH during the break-in period. Remember, the break-in period is not only for the engine, but the transmission and brakes as well. You definitely don't want to go buzzing along at 70 MPH find youself having to brake hard and find out that the brakes have not set correctly. All my engines have responded well to break-in - no burning of oil or mechanical engine issues at all (Corolla 133K miles, Camry 181K miles). I think the trick is not to baby the car too much - you have to drive it - but don't go crazy either. I make sure that the tach swings through almost all parts of the rev range. From idle to within a few hundred RPMs before redline within the first 500 miles - mixing it up, not sticking to any RPM too long (no steady-state driving).
Bikeman982
Do vary the speed, but don't go to the extremes (at least not often), so everything gets mated properly.
I though they put in a speed limit in there as well - mine says no higher than 55 MPH during the break-in period. Remember, the break-in period is not only for the engine, but the transmission and brakes as well. You definitely don't want to go buzzing along at 70 MPH find youself having to brake hard and find out that the brakes have not set correctly. All my engines have responded well to break-in - no burning of oil or mechanical engine issues at all (Corolla 133K miles, Camry 181K miles). I think the trick is not to baby the car too much - you have to drive it - but don't go crazy either. I make sure that the tach swings through almost all parts of the rev range. From idle to within a few hundred RPMs before redline within the first 500 miles - mixing it up, not sticking to any RPM too long (no steady-state driving).Thanks for the welcome. The manual does say to avoid high speed driving. High speed can mean different things to different people. For me it might mean 80, for my stepson it means 180...even at 70 mph she's still taching below 3000 rpm, I can't really see the harm in that.
For brakes they say no hard stops up to 200 miles, which is the norm for newly installed brakes on any car more or less. The trans shouldn't require "breaking in" otherwise they would be requiring an oil and filter change for that as well at an early mileage, but they did tell me it has to go through a "learn" cycle to learn my driving habits.
Bikeman982
Maybe they thought you had to "learn" the cars habits??I though they put in a speed limit in there as well - mine says no higher than 55 MPH during the break-in period. Remember, the break-in period is not only for the engine, but the transmission and brakes as well. You definitely don't want to go buzzing along at 70 MPH find youself having to brake hard and find out that the brakes have not set correctly. All my engines have responded well to break-in - no burning of oil or mechanical engine issues at all (Corolla 133K miles, Camry 181K miles). I think the trick is not to baby the car too much - you have to drive it - but don't go crazy either. I make sure that the tach swings through almost all parts of the rev range. From idle to within a few hundred RPMs before redline within the first 500 miles - mixing it up, not sticking to any RPM too long (no steady-state driving).Thanks for the welcome. The manual does say to avoid high speed driving. High speed can mean different things to different people. For me it might mean 80, for my stepson it means 180...even at 70 mph she's still taching below 3000 rpm, I can't really see the harm in that.
For brakes they say no hard stops up to 200 miles, which is the norm for newly installed brakes on any car more or less. The trans shouldn't require "breaking in" otherwise they would be requiring an oil and filter change for that as well at an early mileage, but they did tell me it has to go through a "learn" cycle to learn my driving habits.
Don't know, I thought maybe someone here knew something about it- new feature maybe?? I know Chryslers have an automatic that you can "teach", hope they don't pick up Chryslers habits....
Bikeman982
Don't know, I thought maybe someone here knew something about it- new feature maybe?? I know Chryslers have an automatic that you can "teach", hope they don't pick up Chryslers habits....I agree...we don't need Toyota to emulate Chrysler.
its called adaptive shifting, its been around and alot of companies use it.
basically the PCM adapts the trans shift points to your driving style for smoother shifting.
Bikeman982
its called adaptive shifting, its been around and alot of companies use it.basically the PCM adapts the trans shift points to your driving style for smoother shifting.
What if it is an automatic??
its called adaptive shifting, its been around and alot of companies use it.
basically the PCM adapts the trans shift points to your driving style for smoother shifting.
What if it is an automatic??
The PCM only does that on AUTOMATICS. This eliminates transmission guessing games and keeps the car from shifting at inappropriate times for your driving style. Like for me, having a car downshift when I'm taking a corner is bad. I'm glad my Corolla doesn't do this. Anyway, back to the adaptive shifting: It (the PCM) can't possibly control when you shift a manual transmission, because as the name implies, the transmission is manual and its shifts are not controlled by any computerized or other mechanical system.
Bikeman982
Can it tell when you are taking a corner??its called adaptive shifting, its been around and alot of companies use it.
basically the PCM adapts the trans shift points to your driving style for smoother shifting.
What if it is an automatic??
The PCM only does that on AUTOMATICS. This eliminates transmission guessing games and keeps the car from shifting at inappropriate times for your driving style. Like for me, having a car downshift when I'm taking a corner is bad. I'm glad my Corolla doesn't do this. Anyway, back to the adaptive shifting: It (the PCM) can't possibly control when you shift a manual transmission, because as the name implies, the transmission is manual and its shifts are not controlled by any computerized or other mechanical system.
Can it tell when you are taking a corner??
Not in any direct way, but what it can do is know how I accelerate when I corner, watch for that pattern and not shift when I am accelerating in that way. What I do is slow down right before I start to turn, then I accelerate rather briskly through the entire corner to keep my speed up so I don't have to accelerate after I've turned the corner. When it sees this pattern, it holds the gear instead of downshifting. I don't need the car to downshift because my accleration isn't the gotta pass this truck now kind, its the keep my speed for 8 seconds kind. In fact if the car were to dowshift while I was cornering in my usual way, the shift would actually cause a shift in motion if the car making it harder for me to stay on course and making it more likely I'd slide into another lane. Other cars I've had, (my Ford) never learned that pattern because it couldn't and I had several instances where I ended up slightly into the other lane as the rear of the car broke slightly loose when the car downshifted. Of course this only happened when I was lazy and didn't do anything to correct for the downshift. In short transmissions that learn let you drive in a more performance oriented manner and allow for a smoother driving experience regardless of how you drive. Even if you drive in a rather calm manner a non-learning transmission can cause annoying unnecessary shifting and transmission guessing. Learning transmissions are a rather recent thing. It used to be that the auto makers did a good job tuning the transmission to not jerk or hunt, but at some point in time the stopped tuning the transmissions to perfection and the learning tranny became necessary to give the consumer a satisfactory driving experience.
As for the original TOPIC, since this thread has strayed way from it: To break in your Corolla properly, treat it gently for the first 500-700 miles. Driving gently means that you don't punch the accelerator to the floor and you don't make the car upshift at more than 4k RPMs, you don't slam on the brakes, you don't drive for more than 45 minutes at a constant speed. You should change the oil at 1000 miles or 1500 miles. You should also wait at least 30 days to wax your car unless you know it has been painted for more than 30 days already. I custom ordered my car and I knew its build date so I only had to wait 21 days between when I took posession of the car and when I could wax it. I had a mirror installed also, but I made the dealer wait until the car had 600 miles on it because they had to drive it 50 miles on the freeway to the electronics shop. Precautions like that make sure the car is broken in properly.
Bikeman982
Can it tell when you are taking a corner??Not in any direct way, but what it can do is know how I accelerate when I corner, watch for that pattern and not shift when I am accelerating in that way. What I do is slow down right before I start to turn, then I accelerate rather briskly through the entire corner to keep my speed up so I don't have to accelerate after I've turned the corner. When it sees this pattern, it holds the gear instead of downshifting. I don't need the car to downshift because my accleration isn't the gotta pass this truck now kind, its the keep my speed for 8 seconds kind. In fact if the car were to dowshift while I was cornering in my usual way, the shift would actually cause a shift in motion if the car making it harder for me to stay on course and making it more likely I'd slide into another lane. Other cars I've had, (my Ford) never learned that pattern because it couldn't and I had several instances where I ended up slightly into the other lane as the rear of the car broke slightly loose when the car downshifted. Of course this only happened when I was lazy and didn't do anything to correct for the downshift. In short transmissions that learn let you drive in a more performance oriented manner and allow for a smoother driving experience regardless of how you drive. Even if you drive in a rather calm manner a non-learning transmission can cause annoying unnecessary shifting and transmission guessing. Learning transmissions are a rather recent thing. It used to be that the auto makers did a good job tuning the transmission to not jerk or hunt, but at some point in time the stopped tuning the transmissions to perfection and the learning tranny became necessary to give the consumer a satisfactory driving experience.
Older cars used to shift when you were accelerating and then let up on the gas for a second. The car would change gears and you could get back on the gas pedal. Usually you didn't let up during a turn.
Can it tell when you are taking a corner??Not in any direct way, but what it can do is know how I accelerate when I corner, watch for that pattern and not shift when I am accelerating in that way. What I do is slow down right before I start to turn, then I accelerate rather briskly through the entire corner to keep my speed up so I don't have to accelerate after I've turned the corner. When it sees this pattern, it holds the gear instead of downshifting. I don't need the car to downshift because my accleration isn't the gotta pass this truck now kind, its the keep my speed for 8 seconds kind. In fact if the car were to dowshift while I was cornering in my usual way, the shift would actually cause a shift in motion if the car making it harder for me to stay on course and making it more likely I'd slide into another lane. Other cars I've had, (my Ford) never learned that pattern because it couldn't and I had several instances where I ended up slightly into the other lane as the rear of the car broke slightly loose when the car downshifted. Of course this only happened when I was lazy and didn't do anything to correct for the downshift. In short transmissions that learn let you drive in a more performance oriented manner and allow for a smoother driving experience regardless of how you drive. Even if you drive in a rather calm manner a non-learning transmission can cause annoying unnecessary shifting and transmission guessing. Learning transmissions are a rather recent thing. It used to be that the auto makers did a good job tuning the transmission to not jerk or hunt, but at some point in time the stopped tuning the transmissions to perfection and the learning tranny became necessary to give the consumer a satisfactory driving experience.
As for the original TOPIC, since this thread has strayed way from it: To break in your Corolla properly, treat it gently for the first 500-700 miles. Driving gently means that you don't punch the accelerator to the floor and you don't make the car upshift at more than 4k RPMs, you don't slam on the brakes, you don't drive for more than 45 minutes at a constant speed. You should change the oil at 1000 miles or 1500 miles. You should also wait at least 30 days to wax your car unless you know it has been painted for more than 30 days already. I custom ordered my car and I knew its build date so I only had to wait 21 days between when I took posession of the car and when I could wax it. I had a mirror installed also, but I made the dealer wait until the car had 600 miles on it because they had to drive it 50 miles on the freeway to the electronics shop. Precautions like that make sure the car is broken in properly.
Thanks for the info on the tranny, and the breakin info makes good common sense and is line with what my dealer told me, although I could tell you most dealers don't observe the "30 days to wax" rule. They usually wax a new car before delivery.
Bikeman982
Most dealers have the cars detailed while they are on the lot to help sell them. They do what they can to make them look good. I doubt if a wax job within 30 days would have a negative affect.
Most dealers have the cars detailed while they are on the lot to help sell them. They do what they can to make them look good. I doubt if a wax job within 30 days would have a negative affect.
Yeah it actually can. I've seen new cars at the bodyshop before in need of a wetsanding because the dealer waxed them not knowing they hadn't sat in a holding lot long enough before it came to them. If the paint isn't fully cured yet and you wax it you can trap moisture and cloud the paint to the point where a wetsand is necessary to fix it. You could also cause it to go soft and then any bugs or whatever hit it become part of the paint. Same goes for when you have repainting done by a bodyshop. They tell you not to wax until the paint is totally cured for those very reasons. Since a lot of times you have no way of knowing how long it has been since your car was painted when you buy a new car, it is best to wait before waxing. Don't want to risk ruining a brand new paint job.
