i'm paying attention to proper break-in because i'm willing to keep the car with me for at least three years, so i want to make sure it will run without any problems in the long term.
manual's instructions recommends to drive with varying speed and not exceeding 55 mph for the first 500 miles. i sticked to that and now the car has 550 miles, can i increase the speed now and drive on the highway for a distance of 50 miles or so with a speed exceeding 55 mph (let's say i will be doing 75 mph)???
on more question, at what RPM should i be shifting gears???
The motor was broke in 400 miles ago..imo. The extra 400 was a nice cushion for your drivetrain. Don't be afraid..let it eat!!!!
Oh & btw....shift when it feels right!!!!
^^^^What Keith said.^^^^
Just be ready for the car's other personality to come out when you start shifting above 5k - that's when the beast awakens (and the grin gets really big)
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2 grand is perfect for normal shifting.sporty shifting you can increase as it feels good to you.my opine is to wait another 1000 miles before you start speed shifting and a shift light like a raptor will help alot for max perf.the shifter is able to be speedshifted every gear up or down.you aint gonna believe the power this beast has got,nothing i mean NOTHING on the street can stay close.dont push the double death button [AH/TC] until ya got a lot of seat time,this car will bite ya,i will rotate before you can react and hot weather is a must for the tires to grip.they dont like snow,rain or cold
The LS7's torque and power doesn't come in until around 5000 rpms, you think the engine will never quit pulling. Most people don't realize there are 2 Redlines on this engine; 7000 (7200 fuel shutoff) and 8300 (max. piston speed for the installed hardware).
In reality 6600 rpms is it for power with the stock cam even though it will rev until fuel cutoff at 7200. If you want to push the absolute rpm limit and have the programming tools, 8300 is when GM says parts will start to fly. So there is a 1100 rpm "cushion" for the rotating assembly. Stock valvesprings will have given up before then even if they may not be trying to poke holes in the pistons.
I've seen engines broken in with "soft" rpms in steady state running that would never seat the rings enough to provide adequate oil control.(This may not be true on modern engines, but the LS7 has a "light" ring package, so maybe.)
Breaking in an engine starting off with a light load, constantly varying rpm and progressively adding engine load and rpm until you are reaching WOT. The transmission needs the same treatment to get it to preform at its' best. Remember that you are bedding the brakes and clutch assembly too. The first 500 on my cars has always been city surface streets, where you are forced to run the gears and vary the throttle. Then go find the most curves on a mountain road and try to unravel it.
Get some miles on it, then drive it like your being chased by meanies with big cannons. After all you bought a race car that just happens to be street legal.
manual's instructions recommends to drive with varying speed and not exceeding 55 mph for the first 500 miles.
pg:89 "Following break-in, engine speed and load can be gradually increased".
...which is a subjective statement since everyones idea of "gradually" will vary.
Quote:
at what RPM should I be shifting gears???
Other than tables which indicate the shift speeds for best economy (pg: 101) and max speed allowed to downshift to a specific gear (pg: 102), there is nothing about the max speed allowable in each gear other than not to exceed redline.
...which some people seem to interpret as being OK to shift at redline, every shift. Their rationale often being 'It's under warranty so if it breaks, they'll fix it'. Do you want a Chevy dealer to try and fix your car?
Therefore, I suggest not shifting at more than 2000 RPM (as extanker said), nor ever exceeding 50 mph. Save a tree,...save an owl,...save the whales,...save the planet! We should all buy a Prius instead.
At this point your motor is mostly broken in. I would shift as high as 5500 now. It's the speed you have to watch. 75 is fine but long trips now is not the best. Heating up and cooling the rear is the proper way to to break it in. Your trying not to get the whine which can come from higher speeds for longer lengths of time. You can rev it up and have some fun but don't beat on it till you get over 1000 mls. You've done just fine so far just watch that rear and trans.
i know the manufacurer instructions for break-in are there for a reason that i don't know. so i was just wondering what's the point behind not exceeding 55 mph, driving at varying speeds for the first 500 miles?
i know the manufacurer instructions for break-in are there for a reason that i don't know. so i was just wondering what's the point behind not exceeding 55 mph, driving at varying speeds for the first 500 miles?
Not much behind that statement...step on it and let it show you "who's yer Daddy"! Good luck, enjoy, and be careful.
Time to beat it like a rented mule, red headed stepchild, circus monkey!!!
but i still can hear the rear axle chatter i described earlier, so i thought the rear end still needs some time to break-in. i guess i would a little more before i beat it just to make sure that engine, trans. and rear end have broken in properly.
The 55mph is an out dated relic from corporate lawyers... the motor is broken in and dyno tested at the factory. It's ready to go from the start. The 500 miles is for the trans and differential to break-in and set a proper pattern on the gear faces. You wasetd 550 miles farting around. Go drive the car.
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Their rationale often being 'It's under warranty so if it breaks, they'll fix it'. 
Do you want a Chevy dealer to try and fix your car? 
Save a tree,...save an owl,...save the whales,...save the planet! We should all buy a Prius instead. 
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