Do new trucks still need a break-in before towing?

[Blaise]

I just took delivery of a 2024 Silverado 2500, and I'm loving it! The owner's manual talks about a 500 mile break-in period, during which you should:
- Avoid full throttle starts and abrupt stops.
- Avoid exceeding the following engine speeds when accelerating or downshifting to slow or brake the vehicle:
Gasoline engines: 4000 rpm
Diesel engines: 3000 rpm
- Avoid making hard stops for the first 300 km (200 mi). Hard stops with new brake linings can result in premature wear and earlier replacement. Follow this guideline every time brake linings are replaced.
- Do not tow a trailer

I heard that "modern" vehicles didn't need a break-in. In the old days, we would go easy for 500-1,000 miles and then immediately change oil and filter. The manual does not say anything about changing oil after the break-in.

The truck has 219 miles on it, and I'm supposed to tow a 11,400# 5th wheel trailer next Monday! I guess I'll be putting at least 300 miles on it over the weekend

Any other opinions on this subject?

Thanks for any feedback.

 

[rgsauger]

Put some miles on it this weekend. Camshaft and lifters no longer have to break in but the piston rings still have to seat to the Cylinder walls.

 

[Joezeppy]

I had this same dilemma back in 2010 with my new Sierra 2500 (6.0 gas). About 3 days after I picked it up I hooked up our 8,500 lb TT and hauled it about 3 hours to Watkins Glen, NY. I did try to keep the RPMs reasonable so we went pretty slowly up some grades but we made it there and back and I kept that truck for 12 years through 107,000 miles with no issues.

 

[Domo]

The manual told you what to do. Seems clear to me that's what you should do to keep your warranty.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Basically, no special break-in needed, and certainly no early oil changes or special break-in oils. Modern maching tolerances make the mechanical parts near-perfect and they don't need to wear into the correct alignment. But yes, going easy for the first few hundred miles seems a wise thing.

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

The only new vehicle I ever bought I spent the first week driving it on a long loop around the city to and from work which offered a moderate pace and easy braking. Gave me a chance to discover any operating issues or noises right away and it got broken in quickly. You could put 300 miles on in an afternoon and not have to wonder what might happen.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[Ex-Calif]

Yes I would get 300 more miles before heavy towing, especially if that's what they are asking you to do in the manual.

I would say that older technology meant that there would be some debris collected in the oil, hence the oil change.

Modern oils are weirdly long life - My Ram has a 10k recommendation for oil changes. Life long I have done 3,000 on my vehicles. This one I have stretched it to 5k.

My dad said you never hurt an engine by changing the oil.

 

[RedForeman]

The 500 mile no towing is to give the drive gears in the differential some run in time before adding more load. The rest is just common sense when getting a new assembly out on the road.

My only difference of opinion is: after that first 500, and at least over the following 1,000, don't be shy with the throttle now and then. Obviously I'm not talking about drag strip land speed runs at every chance, just punch it once in a while. It helps the piston rings seat better during the later part of break-in. You'll be less likely to have oil burning problems later on.

 

[RedForeman]

Modern oils are weirdly long life - My Ram has a 10k recommendation for oil changes. Life long I have done 3,000 on my vehicles. This one I have stretched it to 5k.

My dad said you never hurt an engine by changing the oil.

I service the diesels at 10k and the Durango at 8k. Starting with the '19 models I believe, Ram went to 15k on the diesels. I'll be sticking to 10.

Now you want to see an interval, look at late model semis. To be fair, its a 12 gallon fill and they now come with factory bypass oil filtration. My late model Macks get the PM at 50k, factory says I can go to 60. Of course they get grease and fuel filters more often. Compare that to my last ones, '07 models with C-15 CATs. Those were 15k, and that was definitely the point where the oil condition was rapidly deteriorating. I believe that, with the diesels especially, correcting the sins of early emissions control is behind the longer oil/filter service intervals on the newer ones.

Your Dad is right. My Dad does 5k intervals if I recall. He's got a '92 Chevy 3500 low rider dually with a 454 that hasn't been opened up, nor burning oil, since he got it in '93 half a million miles ago. Maybe there's something to it? LOL

 

[Skookum]

Engines are basically broken in from the factory but can benefit from a brief break-in period on the road. The other break-in people don't think much about is for your axles and transmission. The gears need to wear in together and this should be done unloaded and highway speeds should be kept down.

Does it really matter? Hard to say. A lot of vehicles don't get break-in periods, like work trucks, rental vehicles and such. The owners manual provides a good "recommendation", i.e. the best thing you can do for your truck, but that doesn't mean the truck will be ruined if you don't.

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

Thing about vehicles today is they all have what are essentially black boxes. Wouldn't surprise me if it recorded periods of certain operating conditions that would reveal how the vehicle was used if there was ever a dispute relating to a failure.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[Babe2201]

The manual told you what to do. Seems clear to me that's what you should do to keep your warranty.

How will they know that you did not?

 

[Tulecreeper]

My 2023 RAM manual says the same thing about the 500 mile thing and no towing. I have 2100 miles on it now, so I wouldn't be shy about towing what I wanted to tow.

And Mark_K5LXP is correct. The computers on these vehicle now can track the strain and torque on the transmission, engine, and rear end and compute how much weight was being pulled, and when it happened.

 

[Tulecreeper]

How will they know that you did not?

Read my last reply.

 

[Babe2201]

I don't think any modern vehicles need a break in. I know years ago they always recommended a certain amount of miles before you could start using synthetic oil and now most of them come with it when they leave the factory.

I would think using it at different speeds and RPM the first few hundred miles would be helpful but I think that might be accomplished with regular driving.

 

[Lou Schneider]

Interestingly, 15 years ago I installed a 75 kw diesel generator at a transmitter site that used the same 12 valve Cummins engine as the Dodge pickup trucks of that era. It didn't have any break-in instructions other than starting it up and running it for a half hour or so to check for overheating, oil or coolant leaks, etc. Of course that engine ran at a constant 1800 RPM regardless of load.

 

[RedForeman]

I don't think any modern vehicles need a break in. I know years ago they always recommended a certain amount of miles before you could start using synthetic oil and now most of them come with it when they leave the factory.

I would think using it at different speeds and RPM the first few hundred miles would be helpful but I think that might be accomplished with regular driving.

I generally agree with this. Modern manufacturing tolerances and energy conserving (aka low viscosity) lubricants all contribute. However, there is an actual break in period. I believe it's mostly initial wear-in of sleeve type sliding bearings found on crank and rod journals, transmission shafts, and the like.

On gas engines it's about 500 miles, small diesels closer to 1,000. On class 8 semis it can be up to 40k miles or more. From the driver seat you can tell when it occurs: all of a sudden you'll notice the vehicle will seem to have snappier acceleration, coast down hills a little faster, and you'll get an increase of 1-2 mpg.

 

[Domo]

How will they know that you did not?

Yes, nefarious folks can circumvent any system if they wish and if failure should occur, of course they can lie.

I would think members should encourage following mfg. recommendations and reduce the need for a coverup - after all, this is not politics it's a group aimed at helping others get the best from their equipment and travels.

 

[SargeW]

My Ram had the similar break in recommendations as the OP. But for what these vehicles cost, following an easy to do recommendation just to ensure your investment makes sense. And the truth is that if blowing off the recommendations and "drive it like you stole it" is your preference then go for it. But the reality is that if not following the guidelines causes damage, most likely it won't show up until the vehicle is far out of warranty. Just common sense to me.

 

[Ray-IN]

There is no break-in period when being towed. The truck brakes get the same amount of braking as your MH, but is that is a concern don't attach the braking module in the truck. Hook up and enjoy your trip!
Then when you do drive the truck you can observe all the break-in admonitions.