Viper engine Break-in

[USWAG RT/10]

Just got a new GTS the other day. All I can say is WOW! Coming from a gen II to a gen V is a drastic improvement!

Anyway, I read that the engine needs to be broken in. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Ninjakris]

Drive it like you stole it. Seriously though, you got a brand new car with a warrantee, not too much to worry about. I'm sure others will disagree, but thats my theory.

[mblgjr]

Change the oil first thing at 500mi or less.

Give it 1500mi before wailing on it.

Also read the manual; I think they had a suggested mileage in there.

Mine came around nicely after 1500-1800mi.

[Voice of Reason]

Arrow broke in your engine before it ever made it to your car. Any break in procedure is for your trans, diff, and brake components. Give it hell after 500 miles and don't look back.

[TQMonster]

congrads and just keep the RPM below 4K for the first 500 miles and then let it rip

[FSTENUF]

AGREED BREAK IN IS FOR TRANS AND BREAKS. AFTER THE FIRST 1000. ITS BALLS TO THE WALL :car-smiley-003:

[BJG32]

Manual says take it easy for first 500. No redline etc. Drive around 50mph as much as possible.

[ViperJon]

Change the oil. Change the oil. Change the oil. Change the oil. Change the oil. Change the oil.

[Dman]

Change the oil. Change the oil. Change the oil. Change the oil. Change the oil. Change the oil.


And .... change the oil, change the oil, change the oil, and the filter. Seriously.

[sparkrn]

Remember. Oil is cheap and viper is expensive! Arrows 15 min dyno is not enough time to seat the rings. change oil often

[BlknBlu]

and continue to check oil levels to about 5000 miles very regularly. It is not uncommon for these cast engines to use oil up to about 5000 miles.

Bruce

[ViperJon]

and continue to check oil levels to about 5000 miles very regularly. It is not uncommon for these cast engines to use oil up to about 5000 miles.

Bruce

^^^ Very important. Some cars have burned quarts in less than 1000 miles.

[s_c5519]

Arrow broke in your engine before it ever made it to your car.


Arrows 15 min dyno is not enough time to seat the rings.

Does Arrows build the motor and do a break in before it goes into the car? If so how many miles roughly would a 15 minute dyno put on it compared to being in the car?

[kdaviper]

Does Arrows build the motor and do a break in before it goes into the car? If so how many miles roughly would a 15 minute dyno put on it compared to being in the car?

Arrow does put the engine on a dyno, but iirc it's a bit more than a 15 min run... I could be mistaken though.

[s_c5519]

Change the oil. Change the oil. Change the oil. Change the oil. Change the oil. Change the oil.

Just saw this on Yahoo news:)...

This Is What 50-Year-Old Oil From a Ford Model A Looks Like:
https://autos.yahoo.com/news/50-old-oil-ford-model-looks-183040394.html

[SammutRacing]

Change the oil. Change the oil. Change the oil. Change the oil. Change the oil. Change the oil.
!
YES !YES YES!
my viper shop (TATOR) told me first 500-700 take it easy try not to go past half throttle and 3500 RPM (god its hard), change oil then kill it..
oil changes are the cheapest form in insurance you'll ever have especially with a high performance motor.. .
but I must say it seems the guys that kill it from day one, there cars seem to be very strong on the dyno.. but as far as longevity IDK..

enjoy the new ride!

[Sub Driver]

I love these "break in" threads. They get asked on every car forum and everyone has different opinions. I wonder why this has never been officially put to bed.

[elitex]

I stopped worrying about breaking in engines. Just keep it easy for few hundred mile for clutch, diff and brakes.

[cashcorn]

Change the oil on delivery! Follow the guide lines for the first 500. Then drive it, like you stole it! I could only make it to 400. Car hauls ass!! I'm at 1,800 miles.

[TrackAire]

I feel the key is to break in the trans and rear end gears.....way more important than the motor. Do this by driving the car real easy for 6 or 7 miles then driving normal at highway speeds another 30 minutes, park it and let everything cool down for a few hours. Do this at least 3 more times (can be done over multiple days)

After you've heat cycled the trans and gears, IMO you're done. Once the car is up to operating temps (coolant, oil, trans and rear end) drive it like you stole it.

The key to longevity and reliability is to make sure everything is up to temp before getting on it.

Changing the oil at 500 miles can't hurt, but IMO if the engine has problems, it doesn't matter how many times you change the oil it will fail (hopefully while still under warranty).

[Jack B]

Not exactly true, there are a large number of the G5's where the rings did not seat till 2000-3000 miles. Mine was one of those. Many of these cars use oil the first few thousand miles, it is extremely important that the oil is periodically checked and perhaps more important that a new owner relearns how to read the dipstick. There have been several engine failures related to reading the dipstick incorrectly. The dipstick reads over a quart diff, depending which side you read.


Remember. Oil is cheap and viper is expensive! Arrows 15 min dyno is not enough time to seat the rings. change oil often

[TexasTonka]

Just got a TA2.0, put 300 miies on it day one of easy driving back from Viper Exchange. Wanted everything to seat right and get all nice and broke in. Checked oil when I got home and it was almost clear, very little tint to it at all. Never seen the pens oil stuff, is it more clear new than the Mobil 1? I plan on changing at 500 and again at 1000miles. I always check it at each oil change anyway. Rare I can get out of a gas station without someone asking to see the engine anyhow.
Anyone know if a catch can has been made for these cars?

[Aspirations57]

Manual says take it easy for first 500. No redline etc. Drive around 50mph as much as possible.

I can understand no redline and keeping it under 4K rpms but its almost impossible to drive under 50 for much of the time as I do some highway and you just cant go 50 unless you want to get killed. This car is just a beautiful monster.

[Mazak]

The manual also says to do hard pulls but stay under the speed limit.:car-smiley-003:

I have been doing those hard pulls up to 4K rpm. I will change the oil at 500 miles.

[USWAG RT/10]

Just hit 600 miles and had to test launch control. WOW! Still spun them a little and had to keep it from getting sideways, but WOW! I think my wife almost puked. Haha

[roadrunner]

This was in my owners manual - and it mimic the old "Herb Helbig" break-in recommendation from the old Viper magazine pretty closely.

SRT ENGINE BREAK-IN RECOMMENDATIONS

SRT Engine Break-In Recommendations: The following
tips will be helpful in obtaining optimum performance
and maximum durability for your new SRT Vehicle.
Despite modern technology and World Class manufacturing
methods, the moving parts of the vehicle must still
wear in with each other. This wearing in occurs mainly
during the first 500 miles (805 km) and continues through
the first oil change interval.

It is recommended for the operator to observe the following
driving behaviors during the new vehicle break-in
period:

0 to 100 miles (0 to 161 km):
• Do not allow the engine to operate at idle for an
extended period of time.
• Depress the accelerator pedal slowly and not more
than halfway to avoid rapid acceleration.
• Avoid aggressive braking.
• Drive with the engine speed less than 3,500 RPM.
• Maintain vehicle speed below 55 mph (88 km/h) and
observe local speed limits.

100 to 300 miles (161 to 483 km):
• Depress the accelerator pedal slowly and not more
than halfway to avoid rapid acceleration in lower
gears (1st to 3rd gears).
• Avoid aggressive braking.
• Drive with the engine speed less than 5,000 RPM.
• Maintain vehicle speed below 70 mph (112 km/h) and
observe local speed limits.

300 to 500 miles (483 to 805 km):
• Exercise the full engine rpm range, shifting manually
(paddles or gear shift) at higher rpms when possible.
• Do not perform sustained operation with the accelerator
pedal at wide open throttle.
• Maintain vehicle speed below 85 mph (136 km/h) and
observe local speed limits.

For the first 1500 mi (2414 km):
• Do not participate in track events, sport driving
schools, or similar activities during the first 1500 mi
(2414 km).

NOTE: Check engine oil with every refueling and add if
necessary. Oil and fuel consumption may be higher
through the first oil change interval

[Blue T/A 2.0]

Change the oil on delivery! Follow the guide lines for the first 500. Then drive it, like you stole it! I could only make it to 400. Car hauls ass!! I'm at 1,800 miles.
Do you mean change the oil as soon as you get it or wait til 500 miles? I have considered changing mine to Mobil 1 as soon as I get it and change it again at 500 miles. May
be overkill, but....

[TexasTonka]

Just an FYI, Mobil1 and Royal Purple have both replied to my inquiry that they do not meet the required Chrysler Material Standard MS-12633 for 2015 Viper V10 motors. Amsoil did reply that they do acknowledge and meet this new standard.

Just thought I would throw that out there, I know there have been a few motors with spun bearings etc and you would not want to give Chrysler any firepower to deny a warranty claim if you used oil that did not meet the required material standard.

[Blue T/A 2.0]

That's ridiculous. Sounds like what GM did with their oil certification, whatever it was called. Dexos or something like that; however, if I recall correctly, Mobil 1 did meet that standard. Thanks for the heads up.

[dasvolk]

Just an FYI, Mobil1 and Royal Purple have both replied to my inquiry that they do not meet the required Chrysler Material Standard MS-12633 for 2015 Viper V10 motors. Amsoil did reply that they do acknowledge and meet this new standard.

Just thought I would throw that out there, I know there have been a few motors with spun bearings etc and you would not want to give Chrysler any firepower to deny a warranty claim if you used oil that did not meet the required material standard.

So which oil do we need to be using?

[bluesrt]

The manual also says to do hard pulls but stay under the speed limit.:car-smiley-003:

I have been doing those hard pulls up to 4K rpm. I will change the oil at 500 miles.

yep, helps seat the rings well

[AZTVR]

Do you mean change the oil as soon as you get it or wait til 500 miles? I have considered changing mine to Mobil 1 as soon as I get it and change it again at 500 miles. May
be overkill, but....
I think that the "change the oil immediately " comes from the discussion of some 2013 model year engine failures where the oil in the engine reportedly had an unexpected color. I would think that by the 2015MY, they would have fixed whatever manufacturing escape might have caused that, if it were part of the problem.


So which oil do we need to be using?

Well, Dodge does refer to 0W-40, Pennzoil Ultra or equivalent in the user guide. Some people like other oils for various reasons; but, always remember that even in one manufacturers product line, such as Mobil 1, there is variation in formulation of additives like ZDDP that is different for various viscosity formulations . Just recommending "Mobil 1" does not help. There are two specific viscosity formulations of Mobil 1 that are more desirable from a ZDDP standpoint. Here is Pennzoil's press release, for what it is worth. http://www.pennzoil.com/press/new-pennzoil-ultra-0w-40-designed-for-all-srt-vehicles/