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Redlining your Engine

16K views 44 replies 20 participants last post by  mega24v 
#1 ·
I've never actually hit the red, but close to it. I was driving today, getting up to speed on the freeway and I didn't realize it till I looked at the Tachometer and it was right under 6,000, and shifted right before I hit the red. I know every time you do this, you increase the chance of messing up your engine, crankshaft, connecting piston/rods, etc. That's the main reason why I won't leave it at a shop to get mods installed, that's exactly what they do!!! I don't treat my car like a race car, I just like to rev it up once in a while but that's it.

Any thoughts?
 
#2 ·
Well from what I've heard our car gets peak horsepower around 6,000 rpms.

Even in tiptronic you can't actually go INTO the red, it will upshift automatically instead of allowing you to to protect your engine from damage, so I would suppose that it is programmed in a way to allow it to only go to an acceptable point and no further, but that is my speculation. I have also noticed the tach going up that high when accelerating hard in automatic, that's why i use tiptronic when I want to accelerate so i can control when it upshifts.
 
#4 ·
Technically, that is the absolute limit in which the car can be safely operated, without the ill effects of valve float, etc. But that's just what the engineers and their computers say. Whether that is high or low... well it completely depends on the car. One weak valve spring in the engine and it may float at 5500 RPM... and bingo - new engine time.

Think about the physics involved just in the valves... at 6000 rpm, that's 100 revolutions of the crank every second. It takes two revolutions for a valve to open, and close, so that valve goes from a dead stop, travels it's 3/4 of an inch or so, stops, and then gets whipped back the other way where it slams into the seat and stops again - REPEATED FIFTY TIMES - in 1 second. That valve spring not whipping that valve back against the seat in just the real fractions of a second that it would take while the piston comes screaming toward it... wow. It only takes one time, and that's it. Engine - out. Whether warranty pays for it or not (we all know they would) aside, you are still without your car for several weeks while it's repaired.

Generally I don't go over 4,000... I just don't find many reasons to need to. There is plenty of torque and more than enough gears to choose from... and I do the majority of the engine work in this shop... so why would I want to fix my own car? No thanks...
 
#6 ·
Yea, I was pretty surprised when I hit the gas in my car the first week I had gotten it, while on the expressway and it downshifted far enough that the tach was already above 4,000 without any way of my stopping that, just because it goes straight there if you press the gas hard enough, but if you don't press it that hard it goes up so slow... Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
 
#8 ·
Good job, you should be hitting that rev limiter right out of the dealership and changing your oil soon after.

Speaking about the topic - I thought I'd chime in and mention (and this is my opinion) - all you boys who say you're taking it easy for the "break-in" period are not exactly besting your motors. Of course it says take it easy in the manual, which company wouldn't say it? Things break under pressure in general - not only break-in periods.

But if anyone wants to know - the best way to break-in a modern engine is to be hard on it and within the first 40miles of its life. Unfortunately, most cars come with 10+miles/KM's on them when you pick them up so you'll never be able to do it properly anyway.

I've broken in lots of motors in my lifetime and I assure you -with the proof of others also - that breaking in (modern) engines - you have to be hard on them - in a certain way. This will dictate the power/reliability/efficiency for the rest of its life. The only thing is - you have to change the oil soon after. I've never had any problem.

Here's a good guy that is very popular on the net and has some good insight.

Break In Secrets--How To Break In New Motorcycle and Car Engines For More Power
 
#9 ·
The rev limiter is there for a reason, your car will not allow itself to go past the safe operating range, so you really shouldn't worry about hitting the rev limiter every once in a while
I've bounced it off a couple of times, for normal driving, however, I shift at 2k rpm, 3k at the most, because I don't have much money for gas nowadays
but If I'm running it hard, I'll take it up to 6500 through first second and third at WOT
not really possible to take it up that high effectively in 4th because speedcut will hit
you should be safe, however, as long as you don't get the rev limiter switched off or changed if you get it tuned, and if you don't put it in the wrong gear, ie: shifting from 3 to 2 at wot, when you meant to shift to 4
then you can seriously damage it
 
#10 · (Edited)
*Trying to pull this back on-topic...*

The rev limiter being lower in Neutral should be the case on all these cars, under normal circumstances. I seem to recall it's around the 3500 - 4000 mark... there are ways to defeat it... but I'm not sharing. It's not meant for launching, it's meant to save your engine.

Consider redline like a lethal dose of whatever drug. Most people could handle the limit, once in a while. without ill effect... most people never go near it, so it's fine... a few can go over the limit without dying, and a few die before they get to the limit. Who wants to be the sucker to find out they can't handle the limit? Not me.

Edit: haha, posted at the same time... and yeah, 3rd at WOT into 2nd... done it in my '00 Celica... baaaaaaaad. Wrecked all kinds of things...
 
#11 ·
The good thing about the A/T is I'm pretty sure that it won't ALLOW you to put it into the wrong gear if it would put you at an unsafe RPM (I think) I've accidentally downshifted when I meant to upshift, or downshifted one too many times, I forget what accidentally happened, but the tiptronic just ignored my request to downshift...
 
#43 ·
Does the 5-spd manual transmission have a "rev-limiter"???

I broke in the engine "hard"... I revved it pretty good during the first 50 miles, not purposely, it's just that I didn't know you are supposed to take it easy the first 500 miles.... I did read about running the engine hard afterwards, but how valid is that article?... I keep on hearing two stories: "take it easy the first few miles" and "run your engine hard"... Theory vs. Practice?
How is that manual transmission? Sorry this is 11 years later but Ive been working on a forte as a project car, but it came with the a/t as it was originally my fiances and I took over it after all this covid shit. I've just recently began driving manuals last year at my job (so I can get them into my shop for engine work) and I've always been curious how well the manual transmissions are, I haven't had the chance too test one out in one of my customers cars. Or is the forte not worth it.
 
#12 ·
About how many miles do you consider the break-in period? I'm at 3500 miles now, and was purchased new with 300 miles on the odo. I do 'floor' the pedal on the expressway every now and then, but let off at around 80-90 mph, can't risk another speeding ticket. I seem to be getting around 33 mpg now, mixed 75% hwy.

I also have not changed the oil, the dealer said to wait till 5000 miles for the 1st oil change.
 
#14 ·
I agree with mfury for sure, my first change was at 3600, I got the car with 14 miles, 51 after my extensive test drive=]
Its about time to get my next oil change at 6600, I plan on keeping the change at every 3k miles just as a precaution, because I am definitely not al ittle old lady and definitely dont just putter around town
 
#15 ·
Does the 5-spd manual transmission have a "rev-limiter"???

I broke in the engine "hard"... I revved it pretty good during the first 50 miles, not purposely, it's just that I didn't know you are supposed to take it easy the first 500 miles.... I did read about running the engine hard afterwards, but how valid is that article?... I keep on hearing two stories: "take it easy the first few miles" and "run your engine hard"... Theory vs. Practice?
 
#16 ·
yeah 5 speed manual rev limiter is right above redline, so about 6700-6800

and I broke mine in with a little of both ideas
It seems as if, if you give your car a little taste of everything it could run into in the future, you're setting it up so it can cope with anything.
I would think that if you, say, don't go over 3k rpm for the first 500 miles, then rev it up all the way to the redline, you have a MUCH better chance of damaging something important, as every mechanical component in your car is used to having it easy, with barely any stress at all
 
#18 ·
Don't avoid the rev limiter if you are in a tight spot and need to accelerate hard thinking you will break something because you won't. Sustained driving at 6K will destroy your motor unless you put more work into it due to heavy wear and tear. The rev limiter is not the plague, it is your friend. Besides, any knowledgeable car guy will tell you that you need to wind out the gears sometimes to break up built up carbon deposits from the low speed driving. Shifting the car at 2k and giving significant throttle is far more dangerous than running it in a lower gear at 5k at low throttle...it is called load. There are lot more factors involved. If you drive your car hard, you will need to be careful of wear and tear. You know if you drive your car hard or not.

On a side note, do our cars have a top speed limiter?
 
#19 ·
I haven't experienced it personally but I read somewhere on here that the speed governor hits at 127mph

and thank you for backing up (in my mind at least) some things that I had thought of but was not entirely 100% on.

I plan on getting stronger rods and pistons when they're available to help strengthen this engine so it can handle more load; it's nearly all that's separating it from being as powerful and durable as an evo X motor, aside from a turbocharger and a couple other things lol
 
#23 ·
I hit 100-120 MPH at least once a day :D I always figured they thought in for the dumb people who dont know how to drive so I never worry. 2nd till about 40-50 then jam into 3rd with your foot still on the gas, so much fun just need my CAI and exaust. I too believe you push your car it becomes use to harsh conditions..And besides like corytate said as soon as they come out with harder rods and pistons Ill change them out. Who knows, maybe Ill even see what Itll take to drop a small V6 in it.
 
#29 ·
If your car is running badly on 87, there are only 2 explanatinos. Poor quality 87 will make anything run badly. Stick with the better retailers, known as 'top tier'. If you're using top tier 87 and it's running badly, it needs to see a doctor at your Kia dealership. Take them for a ride, show them what it's doing. Increasing octane in an engine designed to run 87 won't help anything but the oil company's bottom line. Top tier sellers have the same detergents in all grades, so if you're running something like Chevron, etc. 87, you're doing all you can fuel-wise.
 
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