Hi,

Have been here for a couple weeks after I made my mind to get an xa. Really like it here Just bought a brand new xa (actually it's on the rail now and the dealer said it would be here by June 5th) and am pretty excited about it. I'm moving to Chicago so will it 'll take about 7 hours. I probably have to load up my xa with all my stuff. My question is:

1. Does xa need a break-in period? This is my first new car and I was told for the first 3000 miles I shouldn't drive more than 56mph. Well, I don't need to drive on highway except for this long trip. It kinda sucks to be the slowest car on the highway. Do I have to stick with this 56mph rule? I was told that is really important to the car long term though. How did you guys drive when you first purchase your xa?

2. What is the approximate highway gas mileage if the xa is fully loaded?

3. Anything else I need to know for such a long drive on my xa?

Thank you!

 

I did do some research on the net and here is what I found:
http://www.faqfarm.com/Q/How_should_you_'break-in'_a_new_car

It says "general rule is not to exceed 3000 - 3500 rpm". I don't know much about the cars, so what is the mph corresponding to "3000 - 3500 rpm"?

http://www.answerbag.com/q_view.php/2420 Here they suggest "to drive very gently" what does that mean? What speed should I keep?

Someone on the same site said "70 MPH on the freeway for 3 hours straight. Best way. Will run perfect forever. ". Now I'm totally confused. I don't mind babying my new xa cuz I know I'll have her for a long time.

Thanks for taking the time reading this post.

 

Engine Break-In Sticky:
https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1574

 

One suggestion: The car will come by boat to the Northwest Coast, by rail to Chicago. why have it trucked all the way to Columbus and then drive it back?

Try and see if the dealer can get it drop shipped to a Chicago dealer for you or perhaps just do a fax order with $500 down to a local Chicago dealer.

Remember there's no cruise on it initially. And while the road is fairly level, I'd NOT want to put my new car springs and engine through that.

I just got mine in yesterday and he said it was to be trucked to Canton, but when I got it it had 140 miles on it as it had been dropped in Marietta and retiree driven to Canton. I had about dropped a brick.

Good luck.

 

Thanks, that was a good discussion. I will take good care of my xa, like to change the oil after the first 1000 miles to get rid of any metal particles that may damage the engine.

I guess this is a very controversial topic. On a website they recommended, it says "What's The Best Way To Break-In A New Engine ??
The Short Answer: Run it Hard !"

Mine is a AT so I don't have to worry about shifting gears

 

Thank you! I do know that it shall arrive in Chicago first and will get here on a truck. The dealer told me it'll only have 1-3 miles on it. I don't have cruise control either.

I need the car now since I need to bring my stuff with me, e.g. books, clothes, etc. Besides I heard driving gently on highway is a good way to break-in a new car. So I decided to buy the car here and drive it to Chicago with tons of moivng boxes in the back. ( I saw one on the road the other day, a black cherry xa, it was so stuffed I bet the driver couldn't see through the rear window at all *_*)

 

I'm pretty sure the break in period is 1000 miles and I've never heard of the 56mph rule... When your on the highway just make sure to vary your speed, like don't do exactley 65 the entire trip and you should be fine.

You should get anywhere from 35-40mpg depending on you speed.

If you want even better mpg you can always drive behind a semi, but than your running the major risk of getting you new paint chipped so you really shouldn't do that.

 

The main goal is to watch your RPMS, you dont want to sit at 2500 RPM's. Just make sure you downshift and upshift enough so that the engine sees the full array of RPM's. Dont abuse the engine, but don't baby it too much either.

For the first 200 miles i would not take the car over 3k RPMs
400 miles it would see 4k
600 - 5k
800 redline once or twice

and then i would just drive it normally, its how ive broken in my engine and it seems to be performing perfectly and sound.

 

Thank you, everyone. Very helpful ^_^