New here and new owner of an F type SVR!

I don't want this to become a thread about proper break-in procedure which has been debated since Paleolithic times.

Here's the info I have:

1. the owner's manual literally says not a single word about engine break in. Nothing. Not mentioned at all. By contrast, Porsche owner manual is very specific and detailed about engine break in.

2. General manager at my Jaguar dealer says that he asked his Jaguar rep and was told there is a 1,000 mile break-in period.

3. According to the rep, this break-in period doesn't require any modifications to driving habits, but rather is an adaptation period for the car to learn my driving habits.

4. Being skeptical, I asked him to dig deeper into the matter. ARE YOU SURE? Because I want to drive the snot out of this lovely car but not to its detriment. He said the Jaguar rep emailed the Jaguar engineering department to get a more concrete answer.

5. GM got back to me again and said I can drive the car how I want. Not sure if that came from JLR or what.



So here I am; stuck in this weird place, not knowing what to do. I am slightly inclined to believe the GM since the owner manual says ZILCH about this. They are typically quite elaborate.



Someone more knowledgeable than me... please help.

 

Engine breakin is getting to be a thing of the past due to engines being part matched rather than an engine builder just grabbing the next part from the bin. If the handbook doesn't mention it , dont worry about it too much, that is the cars bible. Having said that,as for driving the 'snot' out of it, i would give it a few tankfuls of gas before you give it the beans.

 

Since i'm getting my SVR in March i've done a lot of digging on just that subject, somewhere in Jag's website guides there is an official recommendation, i'll try to find it, it was along the lines of first 1000miles no high revs and try to avoid driving at constant speed for extended periods of time, and it was saying don't go **** nuts until 2500miles. there are a ton of debates on this topic, and i go with its still a valid activity, think about it, if Jaguar sells you a high performance car, they want you to drive it and enjoy it, so why tell you to take it easy out of the box if there is no need. the only ones who bench break in engines are Nissan GTR's as far as I know they are done on a dyno, but all manufactures still recommend running in to harden things like the piston rings and get them to wear into the bores correctly etc. i'll see if I can find the link from Jag

 

Jaguar Owner Information here you go

 

It still never ceases to amaze me that, collectively on this forum, we know far more about this car than the dealers (or maybe even JLR).

 

if youve spent your own money on it and its not leased and you plan on keeping it, then run it in

 

Break-In was completely missing in my first edition of the manual, and the dealer insisted there wasn't any. But Jaguar added it to the 2nd edition, in the maintenance section.

 

That clearly has information about break-in. Jaguar Owner Information

But it's generalized for all F types. I didn't know if the SVR was different.

I'm just going to follow general break-in rules for the first 1000 miles or so. The prescribed procedures don't say that one shouldn't rev the motor, just not for sustained periods, such as in a track day.

I'm going to check the owner's manual again. Maybe I missed it.

 

It's more of a psychological motivation: I want to know the car is producing maximum horsepower. If I ignore break-in procedure, the motor won't spontaneously combust, but it won't be quite as strong and that will bother me on a very subconscious and conscious level.

 

That's a pretty big assumption. I can quote you many sources who are convinced that beating an engine from day one is the way to get max horsepower.

 

SVR has exactly the same 5.0 V8 you will find on the R, built on the same production line with the same internals, it has a different ECU map and a different exhaust so yeah i'd say it applies the same. Ultimately its your car and you can do with it as you will, i've watched a bunch of youtube vids where they swear by hammering an engine from day one, what you'll find is they are nearly all race engines, and they are the sort of thing that are rebuilt every few races anyway. I go back to my original point that the manufacturers and its not just Jag its all of them, all recommend the run in period which they have learned over countless years, helps the life of the engine, they have zero incentive to make you do it otherwise, they want you to enjoy the car. In truth you'll likely never know the difference, if you run it in right and get a good bed in and good seals on the piston rings and the like, it might make 1-2% more horse power which you won't notice, maybe 3 years from now its a bit more smokey on start up if it was hammered from new as the oil gets a bit of leakage through the rings etc. When mine arrives, i'll resist every fibre in my being to not thrash it, but i'll do a few long drives early in its life and get through that period pretty quick, I aim to keep mine for 4-5 yrs so I want to look after it. just my 2 cents, also one of the reasons I didn't want to go for an ex demo SVR as they will have done everything the book says not to - short runs at max revs with test pilots, but the other reason is there are Zero Convertibles out there! again, likelihood is it won't be your problem but 70k miles from now it might be a bit more smokey and less powerful, but i'll do it by the book as it's costing me an arm and 2 legs!

 

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but I have seen as many sources calling that method hogwash. Furthermore, many of those sources claim that it has to be done basically from mile 0. My car arrived with 33 miles. Some of them would say it's too late. This was a few years ago but that's what I recall.

The consensus I've seen is that while following the manufacturer break-in procedure may be conservative, it is prescribed by the manufacturer and their engineering department and therefore, one can't go wrong following it, even if the "hammer it like mad" method is actually better. I'm sure the legal department wouldn't approve of that one either.

This is the age-old debate.

 

Fair points! I'll take the conservative route and follow the break-in procedure in the link you sent. Very little harm in doing so.

I don't keep my cars for more than a year usually so I'm sure it won't matter much.

 

Yes it is, with no clear answer. Not sure why it's been dragged out for another beating since nothing will be resolved.

Lets talk about nitrogen in tires. I'm bored.

 

Congrats! and post some photos of your new machine.

 

did you buy one that was pre-spec'd in a Showroom? I ordered in November and won't get it until March, i'm let to believe they haven't built any since early December for the facelift, 20th of March is sooooo long away

 

It was new in showroom and literally has every specification I would've wanted, including the CF exterior pieces, ultra blue, and forged wheel package.

I *THOUGHT* I wanted the CF roof, but after seeing how vast the glass one is, I've decided it's a really nice feature.


And I must tell you... it is worth the wait. I have hired a V8 S roadster which was the impetus for going for the SVR. There aren't lightyears of differences, but it feels considerably more special. The throttle responsiveness, transmission, and steering breathe new life into the car. The exhaust isn't quite as exciting as I would like, considering other V8 F types, but the convertible should ameliorate that for you.

I wish there were more reading material about this car. Most automotive publications have written about it once or twice and that's all. There aren't many YouTube videos either. It's like a forgotten stepchild in the "affordable" supercar world.


What color have you chosen?


As a side note, I have to give it to my Jaguar dealer too (Crown Jaguar in St. Petersburg, Florida). They flew a salesperson up to me in NYC to have me sign the paperwork. Top notch.

 

Thank you. I will when this snow decides to **** off.

 

Ah well I just sold my V8s so i'm eagerly awaiting the new one, i've only driven an SVR Coupe as there are no verts in the whole of the UK as demo's but i can pretty much appreciate what it will be like coming from a V8s Vert, Gone for Corris Grey which is the new name for Ammonite grey, couldn't quite stretch to spending £8k on the carbon brake kit even though I really wanted them other than that not really gone for any options other than heated seats (bazaar that they aren't standard in a vert) as its pretty well spec'd and my V8s had every toy on it imaginable and stuff like dual zone climate in a vert is frankly daft, I never ever used it. looked at getting a red roof which looks really cool on the web builder its a really dark red, but i've seen a few in the flesh and its actually a very bright red so I played safe and went with black. 6 and a half weeks and counting....

 

here is a pretty good youtube video of the SVR by the way