It seems people aren't afraid to thrash their cars...

[Parkway]

I'm a very paranoid type. My cars aren't worth a million dollhairs but I'll be honest and say I hate to hit, say, 4k rpm because I'm always afraid of blowing every possible moving part if I do and I guess there is a possibility of doing that but I hate being this paranoid.

My mate (who drives a VT Commodore) will fang his car around every corner, take off at the lights and hit 60 in first and so on, yet his car is in perfect mechanical order; I just don't get it. I see it all the time with people and their late model SS Commodores and Falcons, even taxi drivers, maxing out their engine, yet wouldn't this bring on reliability problems? Do cars somehow become more reliable when you sit on the redline?

Do you drive like a nanna like me or do you love to hear your exhaust belch out the sound of your v8 or 6 between each gearchange. If the latter, how long did it take for your car to give up the ghost or is it yet to happen? I'd like to hear some stories.

[Scaffy]

If a car is in stock configuration and it is well maintained, it'll be fine flogging the guts out of it for years on end. Redlines are set within safe limits and tunes are pretty safe out of the factory. Baby it around and it could get cobwebs...

With modified cars, it all depends on the engine builder and tuner as to how long it will last.

[BHDOGS]

you dont modify ur car to sit in traffic and do 60 all the time otherwise why bother you gotta thrash it now and then its what make its worth it

[Venomous1]

If maintained it can take it. gotta keep that carbon out.

[sgt_doofey]

Gotta depress the loud pedal some times, especially when trying to merge in to traffic at speed.
I mainly baby the old EL most of the times, she is getting on in years, but I will mash the pedal if I have to. Not for traffic light drags or anything, just driving to the conditions.

[meatbag]

I find mine actually drives a lot better after a good thrashing. Most mechanics have also recomended utilising the full rev range every so often to keep things running.

Provided you give it time to warm up first and cool down properly, I don't see the problem in a good squirt here and there.

[Dodd]

I drive a turbo for a reason...

I'm not bouncing off the limiter all the time, but there is a good couple squirts everyday!

[chevypower]

I agree that you have to open the engine up and vary the rpm. Constant rpms are not good for it. That said "fanging the car around corners" does not have any benefit. Neither does full-throttle starts. If you are doing it to benefit the car, start off with part-throttle, then gradually open it up. This will be much better for the drivetrain.

[EDManual]

never hurt any cars i,ve had to keep them floored!

[Road Games]

I change gears before 3000rpm and never thrash my car, it's just not right they are not designed for it... Plus it only contributes to the oh zone problem...














^^^May or may not actually contain any truth ^^^

[Ford_The_Win]

I am the same as you Parkway, I drive like an old grandpa most of the time, in normal driving the tacho rarely passes 2k. I do blow out some of the cobwebs sometimes though. I don't hang about when overtaking or on long trips.

[jrfttf]

my turbo gets opened up here and there, nothing drastic only when heated up ect

As for my ef, shorter diff gears, bit of engine work, bit of a different scenario so it gets spun a bit harder, but only in suitable conditions!

[HULK EF]

3000 rpm is usualy heaps enough to be in the "steam train torque section''.. 4000rpm is the most and is not needed 99.9% of the time..

(BF MK11 Xr 6 T. 247 rwkw.)

[csv8]

Originally Posted by Venomous1

If maintained it can take it. gotta keep that carbon out.

Julia will tax you!!!!!

[JC]

Originally Posted by Parkway

I'm a very paranoid type. My cars aren't worth a million dollhairs but I'll be honest and say I hate to hit, say, 4k rpm because I'm always afraid of blowing every possible moving part if I do and I guess there is a possibility of doing that but I hate being this paranoid.

My mate (who drives a VT Commodore) will fang his car around every corner, take off at the lights and hit 60 in first and so on, yet his car is in perfect mechanical order; I just don't get it. I see it all the time with people and their late model SS Commodores and Falcons, even taxi drivers, maxing out their engine, yet wouldn't this bring on reliability problems? Do cars somehow become more reliable when you sit on the redline?

Do you drive like a nanna like me or do you love to hear your exhaust belch out the sound of your v8 or 6 between each gearchange. If the latter, how long did it take for your car to give up the ghost or is it yet to happen? I'd like to hear some stories.

The problem with driving this way is you end up only using approx 2/3 of the piston bore, if the car's redline is 6000, and you only use 4000. What this means is that on the occasions when you actually need/want to use more, there will be this big lip on the bore which will destroy the piston.

OK, so maybe not. But seriously, what is it you're afraid of? Yes, using more revs means using more fuel, but a stock engine is designed to rev to redline, and if you try to go further, it will bounce off the limiter (and in an auto in D, it will simply change gears).

[jphanna]

i have only bought a brand new jetski and motorcycle. i have never run in brand new car, in my life, but i have owned a few cars that have been 'babied' from new, and i have owned a few that were driven in country (high speed) conditions before i got them as second hand cars.

the babied cars drove like craap and never felt right, the country cars revved very sweetly, cleanly and easily. they always felt lively on the road.

i am firm believer of NOT babying cars. abusing them with full throttle starts is not a good idea in stock car either. just letting them rev out in lower gears before the too much speed becomes an issue.

[Poetic Justice]

I honestly don't believe I could continually drive below 2-3krpm.

I drove a BA2 XR6 turbo over the weekend and whilst I wasn't being an outright hoon, I sure didn't drive like a grandpa either.

Use this analogy; life is short. You spend your entire life eating healthy, exercising plenty, never drinking alcohol, never trying drugs, never indulging in lifes pleasures and one day you get hit by a bus. Live a little. You spend the entire time with your car babying it to a point where it's not overly enjoyable and one day the engine blows up anyway through no wrong doing and you're screwed anyway.

The only way I could see people want to drive in such a relaxed manner is for fuel saving purposes.

[Brazen]

you're gonna get at least a quarter of a million kms out of a modern Australian car whether you baby it or not, might as well enjoy it.

[Spudz27]

For the most part I drive along at the speed limit, however I also run my Fairmont (not the camry lol) on 98 only, so every now and then I will go out on the highway, pull over, put in manual mode, make sure there is no traffic and flog the **** out of it. The best part is at 120 I slow down and do it again, as it is a 110 zone I am only technically doing 10 over the limit. It is fun and gives me that small rush I need after weeks of driving at 60 all day. Note I never have my kids in the car and I do this in a 110 zone, when no other traffic is behind or oncoming.

[blueoval]

I think it comes down to having a balance in the way you drive your car.

You need to try driving it between sedate and spirited. Not grandpa style but not hoon or thrashing style either.

Engine's actually react better to being pushed more than babied. It's keeps things working well. Much like exercise, you could take it really really easy in life trying avoiding sickness and injury, but exercise and movement is good for the body and organs. Not thrashing your body like an Olympic athlete, but not sitting on the couch and doing nothing either.

Regular thorough maintenance balanced with a driving style that occasionally pushes the limits will see an engine last for quite some time.

This is the philosophy I have kept with my cars. I don't pull burnouts nor do I drive like Im 90. Im still running stock running gear except for a s/c strapped to the car and have done for 2.5 years with no major detriment. (touch wood)

[TheSneakiness]

I take the Paj to 4 grand every so often (sounds and feels like armageddon cause diesels don't like revving) and used to take my Falcons to redline every so often... give or take.

[pottery beige]

topgear burnouts are fun......

[LTDHO]

Cars need to be given a hard time once in a while, I know I sound like a hoon, but I find it true.

I know of two cars (1 carby and one efi) both driven like grannys, and both running bad with bad economy. Gave both a 'good' drive, blew out cobwebs and both improves in effecincy and ran better.

So at least once a week I will (legally) blow out cobwebs.

[Parkway]

Originally Posted by JC

The problem with driving this way is you end up only using approx 2/3 of the piston bore, if the car's redline is 6000, and you only use 4000. What this means is that on the occasions when you actually need/want to use more, there will be this big lip on the bore which will destroy the piston.

OK, so maybe not. But seriously, what is it you're afraid of? Yes, using more revs means using more fuel, but a stock engine is designed to rev to redline, and if you try to go further, it will bounce off the limiter (and in an auto in D, it will simply change gears).

I think this is just me being paranoid, not about fuel or the ozone or offending people ears with my loud exhaust but rather me blowing the engine or gearbox and thinking, well, was that really worth it? Basically I'm being a skirt.....

[blueoval]

Unless you are being reckless, doing burnouts and careless driving, I doubt you will 'break' anything. Revving the engine within it's designed rev range won't break anything either. The fact you drive to 4000-4500rpm is fine too. That's the max range of the stock cam anyway. But these engines will rev to redline without problem if you are doing this on occasions.

[DJM83]

Not much mechanical sympathy here by the looks.
My XR5 hasn't been past 5500rpm even though it will rev more.

[blueoval]

Could you imagine the bagging members would give if the engine 'broke' just revving to 4000rpm? These engines can handle it. Taxi drivers loved them for their longevity. They were and still are hard to kill.

[Franco Cozzo]

My LV Focus doesn't go past 2000rpm most days. 3000 and she's struggling for air, 3500 and it turns blue lol. 3500+ isn't worth it, does nothing.

I didn't run it in properly which I regret, was too busy trying to keep the numbers down as a game.

[not happy]

I had my 2004 SS dyno'ed and it running heaps sweeter,sometimes I run the auto in 3rd rather than Drive just to let it rev out in the 80/90 zones
I love going up the F3 freeway on Saturday night at 120k's then come home up the old freeway hillclimbing in 3rd using the 2 uphill lanes,can't get over 90k's with all the cornering-Put the windows down listening to the engine howl and exhaust growl and echo off the rock wall-the harder I drive the car the more it likes it,never tried pushing over 2500rpm-must do it 1 day-mbe up the hill in 2nd rather than 3rd-

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by not happy

I had my 2004 SS dyno'ed and it running heaps sweeter,sometimes I run the auto in 3rd rather than Drive just to let it rev out in the 80/90 zones
I love going up the F3 freeway on Saturday night at 120k's then come home up the old freeway hillclimbing in 3rd using the 2 uphill lanes,can't get over 90k's with all the cornering-Put the windows down listening to the engine howl and exhaust growl and echo off the rock wall-the harder I drive the car the more it likes it,never tried pushing over 2500rpm-must do it 1 day-mbe up the hill in 2nd rather than 3rd-

This sounds like the way I drive.