I've had my 330i 'vert a couple of weeks now and love driving it. Had the hardtop off at weekend, even better.
I am finding it hard to resist trying out the performance i.e. extending the rev counter if you know what I mean.
One thing makes me think. The previous owner was I believe a 'middle aged female' and with respect to all ladies everywhere it is probable/possible that she didn't extend the engine in this way.
The low down torque that these 3litre engines have in reality mean that don't need to use the revs and couple with a 6 speed close ratio sick shift, you can make very swift progess without exceeding 2500 revs. That leaves 4000 revs to play with!!! (legally of couse)
The car has done 25k and as you would expect runs a smoothly as silk. I guess I'm being over cautious here but would appreciate any views on this as I want to have a bit of fun!!
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Dude, even if the engine has been babied all it's life, at that mileage it won't be suffering any ill effects from that. Wait till it's thoroughly warmed up, then feel free to take it to the red line. It will not harm the car in the slightest-just keep it smooth, don't fluff the next upshift or downshift.
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Give it an almighty thrashing to help clear it out and finish off the running-in process! :-)
I've got an older 323Ci with 110K on the clock, the engine is still smooth as silk and I've found the best way to get the performance out of it is to allow it to stop just short of red-line when I'm realy in a hurry. I have to say it's the most satisfying car to drive that I've ever owned.
The reason that I say it will need a good thrashing is that if the previous owner hasn't opened it up properly then it will have become accustomed to the slower driving, the exact same thing has happened to my dad's Z4 because my mam drives it far too gently most of the time. When my dad gets it he notes that it seems more sluggish than it should and normally ends up giving it a good booting to try and claw back some of the horses. We also had problems with some of the demo cars when I worked at the dealership, we had an ST170 that had been run in very gently and it was awful to drive.
Blue
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It all in the mind you know
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My boss has just bought a three year old Impreza for fun and to hillclimb occasionally. First thing he is doing is getting himself on a performance driving course - not so he can be a loon, but so he can learn how to use the silly power available without killing himself or anyone else and actually enjoy the car.
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It wouldn't do any harm perhaps, to regard it as not entirely run-in (for the higher rpm's) & treat it as such,
i.e. gently intial forays up to 3/4 redline & progressively more after a couple of K-miles more - then all those wonderful (x6)
valves guides & piston rings & top-end/big-end bearings will have a chance to become gently more intimate.
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Obviously not in the same class, but a few years ago I drove my mums Almera for the 1st time to a family funeral. Unfortunately the hearse got away from us a bit, so I was forced to floor it to pass a tractor, but I think it must have been the first time the accerator pedal had been past half way as it was very stiff at the bottom of its travel. ( I could see mum wincing in the back seat, but its just wrong not to rev a 16v engine isn't it?)
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"Give it an almighty thrashing...."
That always sounds such an undignified, low-brow way of saying what you mean!
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Cheers guys --------- I guess Woodbines suggestion makes sense, just to be safe. After all having bought this 'toy' with my own wedge I want to look after it. I suppose I'm still thinking of a car I bought off my Grandad many many tears ago. 8 years`old but only 12k miles on it & it had never been over about 45mph!! When I got it it was all nice & tight. 6m later & after I gave it 'a few runs out' it was leaking oil & was basically clapped out.
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"Give it an almighty thrashing...." That always sounds such an undignified, low-brow way of saying what you mean!
Yeah but it gets the point across in as colourful a manner as possible :-)
Blue
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>>>"Give it an almighty thrashing...."
There's an old saying:- " A dog a wife and a walnut tree, the harder you beat them the happier they be"
So this applies to cars as well, does it?
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What I like about a big engine is its flexibility. If you want to make only moderate progress - and let's face it, the pace of traffic is dicated by the mimser doing 45-50 at the head of the procession - then 2500 revs is plenty and it'll pull from almost idling in 3rd. But when you do want performance - for overtaking or even for the hell of it (!) - then wow!
For the OP, I think the idea of a further period of running is a good one...
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Gentlemen I have a thread running "Motorway driving skills" , might be worth a read and beware the surgeons knife !
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"I've had my 330i 'vert a couple of weeks now "
What? You bought a GREEN one? i thought they only came in Silver?!
;-)
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