Fly in drive home question

[LSJKU]

For those who ordered an out of state Jeep and flew in to pick up and drive home; how did you handle the “break in period” as stated in owners manual?

I bought my 2025 JLR 6-spd in Littleton, CO. To avoid break-ins, I didn't stop in any shady areas for gas and drove 1020 miles straight thru to Houston.

For that other kind of break-in I just followed a few simple rules on the drive home:

• Absolutely no engine RPMs over 4000
• Varied speeds and engine RPMs constantly for the trip
• No WOT or cruise control
• Stopped often (at least every 200 miles - JLs have tiny gas tanks) and let everything cool down before resuming. Drank a lot of coffee and ate a lot of jerky
• Enjoyed myself and didn't set an agenda. Mostly stayed off the interstate except I-25 Denver to Raton and I-35 Ft. Worth to Waco. Otherwise, I took my time and did what looked interesting along the way
• Changed the oil and filter when I got home.

Other than that, the only thing I did specifically for the break-in before leaving Denver was to drain a little crankcase oil and top it back off with less than a quart of Marvel Mystery Oil. Not even sure if this is worth it anymore, but I've use MMO since 1976 and feel better using it.

Bottom line: Take it easy and enjoy your new toy (and yourself) on the drive home.

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[roaniecowpony]

I bought my 2025 JLR 6-spd in Littleton, CO. To avoid break-ins, I didn't stop in any shady areas for gas and drove 1020 miles straight thru to Houston.

For that other kind of break-in I just followed a few simple rules on the drive home:

• Absolutely no engine RPMs over 4000
• Varied speeds and engine RPMs constantly for the trip
• No WOT or cruise control
• Stopped often (at least every 200 miles - JLs have tiny gas tanks) and let everything cool down before resuming. Drank a lot of coffee and ate a lot of jerky
• Enjoyed myself and didn't set an agenda. Mostly stayed off the interstate except I-25 Denver to Raton and I-35 Ft. Worth to Waco. Otherwise, I took my time and did what looked interesting along the way
• Changed the oil and filter when I got home.

Other than that, the only thing I did specifically for the break-in before leaving Denver was to drain a little crankcase oil and top it back off with less than a quart of Marvel Mystery Oil. Not even sure if this is worth it anymore, but I've use MMO since 1976 and feel better using it.

Bottom line: Take it easy and enjoy your new toy (and yourself) on the drive home.

How did all that coffee and jerky work out?

 

[Blue Bear]

I flew from Seattle to Des Moines. Picked up the Jeep on Sat., it threw a code less than 10 miles from the dealership, they took it in, gave us a loaner, we toured Des Moines on Sunday, picked up the Jeep on Monday, I took my wife to the DM airport for a shakedown run, had no issues, and just kept going. I hit a blizzard in Bozeman, drove behind a semi to "break trail" via Yellowstone, and then hit snow and sun from Boise to Seattle. Our short trip ended up taking four days. All that to say, I just drove it. By the time I got home, it was well broken in!

 

[LSJKU]

How did all that coffee and jerky work out?

Ha ha! I survived. I drank coffee around the clock when I worked offshore, so no big deal. I kinda feel naked without a cup in my hand. Carry a HydroFlask of it with me on trips.

The jerky thing turned out to be a real treat. I ended up in Amarillo around 3:00am and was set to stop for fuel at the usual Love's Truck Stop on I-40 before getting on Hwy 287, but I spotted a "Buckey's" sign up ahead and drove there. It was brand new and just celebrated their Grand Opening.

You gotta understand, a Buckey's stop is a "happening" in Texas. It's no ordinary travel stop. And a new one just celebrating their grand opening is even more compelling. The whole place was lit up like a space shuttle launch pad out in the middle of nowhere. It was the biggest Buckey's I had ever encountered. There must have been over 100 gas filling stations in the parking lot.

People everywhere and the gas pumps would not turn on. Attendant said they had to reset the pumps so I went inside to waste some time. It was surreal; families were pushing carts around shopping with their kids in tow, at 3:00am! In addition to snacks/food at Buckey's, you can buy pretty much anything you may need on a trip, even a new wardrobe if you don't mind Buckey's tee-shirts!

I just walked around in amazement before heading to the "Jerky Bar." And I mean "Bar." That thing was longer than most meat market counters. Any type of jerky your heart desired. I settled on a pound of my favorite, Hill Country Peppered, and a half pound each of some Bavarian-style and something made with Ghost Peppers. It ain't cheap, but boy was it good!

I was at that Buckey's for almost an hour, but it was well worth it. A highlight of the trip. I bet you are sorry you asked!

 

[DrBob]

All good advice. I would recommend you bring an air pressure gauge. I had a frightening twitchy 1200 mile drive home only to ultimately discover the tires were overinflated.

 

[Ratbert]

All good advice. I would recommend you bring an air pressure gauge. I had a frightening twitchy 1200 mile drive home only to ultimately discover the tires were overinflated.

Those details are on the dash, which is fairly accurate.

And yes, for some reason it's common for tires to be inflated to 45-ish PSI at the dealership, especially if the dealership is "at altitude".

 

[LSJKU]

All good advice. I would recommend you bring an air pressure gauge. I had a frightening twitchy 1200 mile drive home only to ultimately discover the tires were overinflated.

Oh yeah, that's great advice!

I picked my JLR up at the dealer and drove over to ORW to make sure they were ready for me the next morning. While there I checked the air pressure in my stock tires and they wre all over 40psi. I made sure they were at 33psi on the 35s when I left ORW the next day for the drive home.

 

[Dadrifle]

Great post, glad I read this as I will be breaking in a new engine soon.

 

[heynavt1]

Same for me when I picked up my 26 JL. Drove from Mark Dodge to Florida panhandle twitching all over the place. Pulled into the garage and checked pressures later that evening. All at 45 psi. Recommended is 37 psi. Handles much better at proper pressure.

 

[Trails]

Same for me when I picked up my 26 JL. Drove from Mark Dodge to Florida panhandle twitching all over the place. Pulled into the garage and checked pressures later that evening. All at 45 psi. Recommended is 37 psi. Handles much better at proper pressure.

Even 37 psi is too high. Most people who bave done a chalk test find that the OEM BFGs should be run at around 28 psi. 30 tops. Any more than that, and you are riding too much on the centers.

 

[roaniecowpony]

Even 37 psi is too high. Most people who bave done a chalk test find that the OEM BFGs should be run at around 28 psi. 30 tops. Any more than that, and you are riding too much on the centers.

True. But a chalk test only considers contact patch. It doesn't account for wheel width effects, tread stability, steering response or emergency maneuvering.

 

[drpericak]

Floor it as much as possible. Get it up to 90+ and keep it there. Ensures that the engine is properly warmed up right out of the gate!

No, do not do this.

I think I actually did this with my current one. Hard to drive slow on a 6 hour trip

 

[roaniecowpony]

Seems like the overwhelming majority of people believe in babying a new engine/new vehicle, even when the owner's manual states to run it for periods of full throttle.

So, my question is: What is it you think needs to be "broken in"? and, Why do you believe driving easy makes that happen better?

 

[LSJKU]

Seems like the overwhelming majority of people believe in babying a new engine/new vehicle, even when the owner's manual states to run it for periods of full throttle.

So, my question is: What is it you think needs to be "broken in"? and, Why do you believe driving easy makes that happen better?

I think it's two points you are mixing together. But the short answer (for me, anyway) to your question is "every wear surface" in your vehicle needs to be seated. Granted, they put new motors on a dyno before dropping into your new vehicle (that starts the rings/bearings seating) but that process needs to be completed to somewhere between (reference only) 300 and 500 miles. All machined parts have imperfections (high points) that need to be worn down, or seated. That includes the engine, tranny, transfer case, rear ends, brakes, etc. Hell, I don't even fart in my new seat for the first 500 miles, but I probably should, at least little ones.

My other point is that I do not, nor should anyone else, "baby" their new vehicle. Drive it like you stole it, but only up to around 4,000 rpm. There is plenty of data from torn down engines that show improper wear of parts that were pushed above that threshold during the break-in. 4,000 rpm is a more important threshold (for me) than how the vehicle is driven during that period. They are two separate points.

Anyway, 'nuff said. It's a great subtle point you bring up. I hope you get what I'm trying so inadequately to say.

 

[LSJKU]

Seems like the overwhelming majority of people believe in babying a new engine/new vehicle, even when the owner's manual states to run it for periods of full throttle.

So, my question is: What is it you think needs to be "broken in"? and, Why do you believe driving easy makes that happen better?

Mr. Cowpony, you were an aerospace engineer, correct? I hope you get what I mean below from that perspective.

I was an offshore geo-engineer. Worked with all kinds of downhole tools, packers, towfish, AUVs, ROVs and associated support gear. On any given job I preferred to deploy the "used" gear that had already been "broken in" and maybe a little sloppy, because it was dependable. In contrast, I cringed when we had to deploy new gear because it inevitably meant "dry runs" and lost rig/boat time because new lugs would not always engage correctly, actuators would not fire off, hot stabs would be impossible to difficult at best, etc. They all required a wear-in period. But we drove each one of them to hell and back every time we deployed them in a most unforgiving environment.

Same with our Jeeps. Except maybe the farting thing....

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