C7 Corvette ZR1’s Receives ‘Proper’ Engine Break-in
GM has a recommended break-in period for the ZR1. Bah humbug.
It has to be frustrating to buy a new ZR1, sit in it, start it, drive it, and not enjoy it. But that’s the crux of buying a brand new car. For a while now, we have known about the yellow and red ring that surrounds the tachometer. It’s a gentle reminder of the suggested 5,000 RPM rev limit. We also know that you’re not supposed to give it a full prod of the throttle either. Five hundred miles of purgatory.
GM must know that not everyone will be so persnickety with that 500 mile recommendation, and Mike from the Street Speed 717 YouTube channel might be one of those people who bends the rules just a little bit. Some may cry “that’s a good way to void a warranty!” or emit other similar complaints, but At Corvette Forum we have to remember: it’s not our car. Mike can drive it any way he wishes. If he comes up against some problems, you can be sure we’ll hear about it.
Granted, Mike is brave enough to drive the ZR1 out in the rain to rack up some mileage, visiting a local workshop to plan out a new camo-style wrap, but afterward, the wet tarmac presents an opportunity he can’t refuse. Burnouts and donuts!
OK, so they aren’t full-bore 5th gear burnouts and it really is just some simple sliding around on a black-top parking lot rather than Formula D’s next best exhibition run, but it’s still fun none the less, and technically isn’t breaking the “rules” of the break-in period.
Mike would have put even more mileage on the car in order to complete the 500 mile break-in period properly, but it’s understandable that highway runs on the ZR1’s semi-slick tires might not be the very best idea, at least this early on in ownership.
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