Beating On Your Car?

"jkm7680" (jkm7680) 06/16/2016 at 19:15 • Filed to: None

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I really like driving enthusiastically, as most of us do. The sound of the turbo spooling is rather addicting and shifting quickly is good fun. Every once and a while I’ll get on it from a traffic light and take it up to 5.5k all the way up to 4th gear. I’ve never red lined it, but I do hit ze boost hard quite often. Never launch it hard and never try to do stupid shit.

However, I don’t beat on my car outside of my “performance driving.” I park miles away in a far away end spot, wash it every week and wax it every month. It’s probably the most pampered Mk6 Jetta there is out there and it’s treated me well in return with 40 highway mpg...

But as far as beating on it goes, is fully taking advantage of my car for performance reasons detrimental to the overall health of the car? Or does my car like that? It’s only got 3,000 miles on it and has been the first car I’ve bought new. Only reason I’m so iffy about it is because I was scared to get on my last car because I was afraid it would break.

Biggus Dickus (RevsBro) > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 19:19

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As long as you are through the break-in period and you let the oil get up to temp first, you should be fine. Hell, my M3 begs me to bang it off the redline at least once per drive.

jkm7680 > Biggus Dickus (RevsBro) 06/16/2016 at 19:20

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I drove it very gently for the first 1,500 miles. Then I immediately found some twisties and went crazy.

Slant6 > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 19:20

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Washing every week probably isn’t good for your paint.

Alfalfa > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 19:21

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It’s limits are by design, you won’t hurt it. In fact, you may even be helping it’s longevity.

PanchoVilleneuve ST > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 19:22

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ST Fords start insulting you at a very personal level if you don’t hoon them periodically.

jkm7680 > Slant6 06/16/2016 at 19:23

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The owners manual actually recommends it. Nobody except me actually follows it though.

Slant6 > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 19:24

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Could be fine if you’re using a good soap.

jkm7680 > Alfalfa 06/16/2016 at 19:24

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I’ve heard that’s the deal with the Audi 5.2 V10, where you actually have to drive it hard sometimes to preserve the longevity of the engine.

jkm7680 > Slant6 06/16/2016 at 19:25

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Yes, I only use the good shit.

Biggus Dickus (RevsBro) > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 19:26

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The ol’ Italian tune up!

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > PanchoVilleneuve ST 06/16/2016 at 19:31

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Also, first gear in the FiST is useless. Need to merge from a standstill, “Let me sing you the song of fuel cutoff”, the Fiesta sings.

TheHondaBro > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 19:32

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VTEC means my car gleefully hits redlines before shifting up.

DutchieDC2R > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 19:32

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I dont know about this particular engine, but VAG stuff had serious issues regarding carbon build-up in their engines. They used to say one of the reasons this was happening was due to people not stepping on it for a longer period of time, allowing the carbon build-up.

jkm7680 > DutchieDC2R 06/16/2016 at 19:35

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It’s the gen 3 1.8t. There technically shouldn’t be any issues with carbon buildup.

Some guy on Vortex has been inspecting for any and hasn’t really found too much at all. That being said, I’ll do my best to prevent it from happening in the future.

jkm7680 > TheHondaBro 06/16/2016 at 19:35

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i put ur vtec in ur mom

PanchoVilleneuve ST > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 06/16/2016 at 19:35

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The Focus is fastest if you shift into second at ~3500 rpm, since from then on you don’t get the limited boost and you can really start hauling ass.

It’s also a car made out of “is that all you got?”

TheHondaBro > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 19:36

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bruh

Flavien Vidal > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 19:36

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Smash it on man! Driving a car much harder than usual regulary does require more tedious and regular check up to make sure everything goes fine, but as long as you stay within the limits of the engine’s design, go for it. Whether it’s my rotary or the Fiat Dino I bought a little over a year ago, it doesn’t matter. Smashing on the thing is great and good if you know what you’re doing and make sure cooling, oil pressure and levels are good :)

Because I never miss an opportunity to post my Dino onboard video :)

jkm7680 > TheHondaBro 06/16/2016 at 19:37

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lol im finished no more.

I drove like two Hondas this week. One of them was a 2009 or something Accord coupe and it was sucky and the other one was a 2004 Accord sedan and the engine sounded funny.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > PanchoVilleneuve ST 06/16/2016 at 19:37

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That’s about right with the FiST. I try to shift into second ASAP.

TheHondaBro > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 19:38

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V6?

jkm7680 > TheHondaBro 06/16/2016 at 19:39

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The coupe might have been a 4cyl, but the sedan was a Vtec one.

It was actually decently quick.

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 19:40

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beat the shit out of it if you are planning to get rid of it soon.

I can beat on the Civic all day everyday and it’ll take it like a champ; it only hurts when I go to a gas station are realize i burned through 10 gallons of 93 in 2 weeks

jkm7680 > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 06/16/2016 at 19:40

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I’m probably going to be keeping it for the next five years and 50,000 or so miles. So I don’t want to completely kill it.

jkm7680 > Flavien Vidal 06/16/2016 at 19:41

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Haha, noice.

Sneaky Pete > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 19:41

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Redline that shit! Give it the old Italian tune up.

TheHondaBro > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 19:41

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I like how the J-series engines sound like diesels at idle. They idle at around 600-800 RPM.

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 19:42

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...well that is (un?)fortunate. You should be totally fine :D

jkm7680 > TheHondaBro 06/16/2016 at 19:42

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Yeah, I noticed that also. During acceleration it also sounded kinda rough, not a bad sound though. I’m not sure if it needed new plugs or if they all sound like that...

jkm7680 > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 06/16/2016 at 19:45

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I’m gunna tune it, it’s really not bad at all. Manual, turbocharged and with sport suspension out of the GLI.

WRXforScience > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 19:45

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Even if it was rough on the car, why would you want to keep it pristine while never really enjoying it.

Thrash it, track it, drive the wheels off it. Let it run free and enjoy every minute of it. When it dies it will at least have lived a full life and you won’t regret the time you had with it. It is better to burnout than fade away.

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 19:45

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should totally have a race between me, you, and the hondabro

TheHondaBro > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 19:46

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I need new plugs in my car. Actually looking forward to doing that.

jkm7680 > WRXforScience 06/16/2016 at 19:47

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I do enjoy it! But I also like keeping a clean car.

jkm7680 > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 06/16/2016 at 19:47

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Oh yes we should.

And scoob can ride his bicycle!

jkm7680 > TheHondaBro 06/16/2016 at 19:48

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PITA factor: 10.15

Roadster Man > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 19:49

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MASH THE GO PEDAL. I hit the rev limiter on my 183,000 mile Miata every day. It’s there for a reason. And it’s dangerously slow merging onto the highway if I do anything other than floor it.

As long as you don’t see the temperature gauge climb into unsafe territory, you’re good. I trust the engineers. But you have a VW, so it might not be a good idea to trust those engineers... (joking but not really)

On the other hand, every moving part of your car is a wear item. Will parts wear out earlier if you thrash it instead of baby it? Yes, but I don’t think that’s a reason NOT to have fun. You paid good money for that sucker, why not enjoy it?

Why haven’t you redlined it yet? 3,000 miles should be enough to break-in everything.

shop-teacher > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 19:49

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The only burnout I’ve ever done was to a car that had done me very wrong, right before I traded that POS in.

jkm7680 > Roadster Man 06/16/2016 at 19:49

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I don’t really like redlining it. Most of the power is gotten before redlining it.

Also, jokes on you I don’t have a temp gauge.

jkm7680 > shop-teacher 06/16/2016 at 19:50

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Rental cars are good for burnouts.

Personal cars, ehhhhh depends.

TheHondaBro > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 19:50

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I’d rather have a transverse Vx engine than a longitudinal Vx engine that’s half buried under the dashboard.

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 19:51

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he can melt in his cone take the subway

jkm7680 > TheHondaBro 06/16/2016 at 19:52

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That looks fun to work on

-nobody

jkm7680 > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 06/16/2016 at 19:52

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Haha, it should be like one of those TGUK car vs. train challenges.

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 19:53

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pretty much..i’ll go buy him a white helmet

jkm7680 > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 06/16/2016 at 19:53

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How about a poop emoji helmet instead?

DasWauto > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 19:54

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I get on it at least once or twice every time I drive and I autocross the car fairly regularly. I’ve readlined it maybe once but it’s not really worth it, the turbo starts running out of steam at 5.5 or 6k rpm.

Also, this engine will have carbon buildup issues and will require cleaning out the intake at 50 or 60k miles or so. It’s direct injected but unlike some non-north American version of this engine it doesn’t have port injection on top of it to keep the intake runners clean. Giving the car a good flogging every once in a while will burn some of the carbon off and keep the buildup at bay to some extent.

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 19:55

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that’ll work. I’ll go buy him a larger cone too

shop-teacher > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 19:55

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I’ve found rental cars usually aren’t very good at them. Don’t get me wrong, I always buy the insurance and get my money’s worth. I can tell you the CV joints on a W-body Inpala make a hellacious noise when you’re doing figure-8's in a fallow cornfield.

Roadster Man > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 19:55

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I’ll bet good money that the stupid screen in the middle will warn you if your temp gets too hot or if the oil pressure is too high/low. But it is a German car, so maybe they decided to just let people explode their cars.

To each his own, I like to hear my car go BWABWABWABWA when I hit the rev limiter. Then again, I hit peak power at 6500 revs and the redline is 7000 or so. If you get all the power in the middle range I can see why you don’t want to hit the rev limiter, it’s sort of pointless. Other than the cool sound it makes (which is clearly reason enough on its own for me).

jkm7680 > shop-teacher 06/16/2016 at 19:56

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Hahaha, I’ve always wanted to flog a W-body Pimpala for some reason.

jkm7680 > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 06/16/2016 at 19:56

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Good plan!

Now where are we racing to?

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 19:57

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uh.........to get food?

jkm7680 > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 06/16/2016 at 19:58

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and drugs?

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 19:59

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we’re racing to White Castle..and we’ll get drugs in or around Princeton

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 19:59

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Even though I have a 4Runner, I will still give it some throttle occasionally. In any car I'm in, I won't go within 1500 RPM of redline though.

jkm7680 > DasWauto 06/16/2016 at 20:00

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I totally agree about the turbo running out of steam at 5.5k. Kinda like how redlining a diesel car is pointless.

Thanks for the advice about carbon buildup though, makes me feel like flogging the car is doing it a favor :P

Also, you can now get an APR Stage II tune without worrying about your clutch slipping. There’s a new Southbend clutch that’s just been released for the 1.8t that I was told about by a fellow Opponaut.

jkm7680 > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 06/16/2016 at 20:00

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Ok good, White Castle is amazing.

Well, we will race there. Then to a bathroom for post White Castle diarrhea, then we shall continue elsewhere.

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 20:01

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we will then race to Hondabro’s backyard for his meat festival...on his grill

jkm7680 > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 06/16/2016 at 20:02

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That involves a cross country road trip. But it will be worth it.

Lets Just Drive > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 20:02

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1. To each their own

&

2. The right tool for the right job

I’ve been everywhere on that spectrum. I’ve driven cars built for beating gently and cars meant for gentle handling roughly. I’ve both enjoyed and regretted both.

As a so-called adult, now, I find I beat on my own things and those things not meant for being beaten on rather less than I did as a younger man. It’s about appropriate use.

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 20:03

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Race you there

jkm7680 > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 06/16/2016 at 20:03

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ok cool

Alfalfa > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 20:09

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Exactly. Some Audi 8 and 10 cylinders are famous for it, and the same is said for a lot of older German cars (like 90's on down).

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 20:10

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most pampered? have you met me?
I wash my GLI every week and wax it once a month. it gets polished every 6 months. oil changes happen every 4000 miles, and I’ve done every single major service on it ahead of schedule.
Sure, I drive the snot out of it, pushing it hard and test it’s limits, but I’ve put money in to suspension, tires, and engine upgrades to insure it does well. so you may pamper your car, but call me when you make your friends do rolling shots of it ;)

(I would post pictures rn, but I keep getting kinja'd

jkm7680 > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power 06/16/2016 at 20:11

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Haha, then we are on the same level of pampericity.

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 20:15

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sweet! only sucky thing with my car is 52K miles and it was hit twice, but otherwise it's fine

MM54 > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 20:17

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Why not both?

I’ll beat the shit out of my p71 day-to-day, then spend an overcast Saturday giving it the whole wash/wax/etc (if nothing more pressing needs fixed, which is usually the case). When I daily drove the Chevelle I did the same (and will again once it’s back on the road).

No reason not to get the most out of your car, and it doesn’t mean you can’t take care of it too. If you know you run it hard, those oil changes, cleaning the brake dust out of the wheels, and so on start to take on new meaning.

Just because you beat on it doesn’t mean it’s a beater, and just because it’s a beater doesn’t mean you can’t take good care of it.

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 20:22

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I like to bring the engine up to high rpm at least once a day. It seems happier when it gets run hard. Also, V12 WOT is fun.

DutchieDC2R > TheHondaBro 06/16/2016 at 20:34

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plugs and MSD cables coming in this week!!!..

(had to chime in, ill see myself out now)

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 20:54

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My Lada gets shifted at 5000 rpm pretty well all the time, except as I’m leaving home cause I don’t need my neighbours hating me... Cruising at 60mph is right at 4500 rpm. If I need to pass someone on a two-lane (it does happen) usually that means third gear and 6500 rpm if I want to pass within the next couple minutes. It hasn’t exploded yet, so...

Svart Smart, traded in his Smart > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 21:18

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I don’t have a garage, or even an off-street parking space, but I get my car washed regularly and plan to wax it for the first time later this summer. In addition, I take care of maintenance issues on time. My driving manner is somewhat brisk, but I try to avoid jackrabbit starts, sudden stops, and abrupt turns. Then again, since my car has just 70 hp, the accelerator touches the floorboard about once every other day.

shop-teacher > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 21:33

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They take quite a pounding. It didn't have ABS, so I was constantly locking up the brakes on purpose. This tires had many flat spots by the time I was done.

DasWauto > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 21:37

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I’m definitely looking to avoid swapping the clutch but if you go for it do let me know how it is.

jkm7680 > DasWauto 06/16/2016 at 21:37

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Will do!

Wagon, semi manual, not brown, turbo because volvo > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 21:43

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Cars are meant to be beaten like dead horses. Wail on it to your heart’s content. Just keep up on maintaining it and know what damage you may be causing and be prepared to fix it. Every vehicle I have ever owned I have whipped like a ponderous carthorse before feeding them the finest fuels and attending them with wonderous oils. That is... Till shit really broke or the car devaluated past the point of economic repair then I either drove them into the ground becoming downright abusive or babied them until they could be made someone else’s problem.

jkm7680 > Wagon, semi manual, not brown, turbo because volvo 06/16/2016 at 21:48

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Good outlook haha.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 21:58

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“Day 273:...”

jkm7680 > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 06/16/2016 at 22:15

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I'll be wanting a bro truck or an Rs7 next week. Maybe a B5 S4.

BigBlock440 > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 22:23

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Running the car through the RPM range isn’t beating it. Beating it is curb hopping, slamming through that pothole without even trying to avoid it, catching air off of bridges and speed bumps, redlining on a cold start to try and warm it up quicker, parking by feel, neutral drops, etc.

OPPOsaurus WRX > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 23:00

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Lol. Some times I’m afraid to turn the key. ‘spirited’ driving will probably just accelerate wear. I can’t imagine it being anything crazy.

His Stigness > jkm7680 06/16/2016 at 23:18

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German cars were meant to be driven “hard,” and by driving them “hard,” you are preventing issues down the line.

I’ve seen it time and time again: an A3 or GTI is putted around; WOT is never used, nor is the redline ever approached. Sure, it gets its oil changed, but it is never driven in anger, and they always have problems.

With direct injection motors, it is imperative you drive it hard, and get up to redline or shift within the torque band, once the oil is warm, that way you can burn off any carbon in the combustion chamber, and possibly on the intake valves.

Keep driving your VW like the engineers intended it to be driven, and you will be greatly rewarded.

jkm7680 > His Stigness 06/16/2016 at 23:30

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Great explanation!

The carbon buildup thing is a good idea though.

jkm7680 > OPPOsaurus WRX 06/16/2016 at 23:30

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Haha, so was I. Loved the car, but it scared the shit outta me sometimes.

His Stigness > jkm7680 06/17/2016 at 00:19

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I have a TDI and I still do an intake service, because I don’t know how much hard driving does to clean the valves.

I haven’t looked, but I’m pretty sure Liqui Moly or someone else sells a cleaner in a can and you can do the service yourself, you just spray after the MAF.

BayAreaMiataBoi > jkm7680 06/17/2016 at 02:30

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Systems-level blanket statement: All mechanical systems fail faster and more often the more stress they are subjected to. That’s why Ford mechanics almost never have to work on the early-’70's 429 motors that only made ~200 hp, and why the 500+ hp M-series cars seem to be in the shop more than they are on the road. . . Simple mechanical principle that also applies to chemical, biological, and other systems.

MarqCars > jkm7680 06/17/2016 at 04:30

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I drove my first car HARD. 2010 Dodge Charger with the 2.7 so you pretty much had to if you wanted to get anywhere at a decent rate. It’s at 180,000 miles now and Ive only changed the essentials and a water pump at about 130K. Plus they say a redline a day keeps the mechanic away :p

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > jkm7680 06/17/2016 at 08:26

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I can’t stay out of the throttle on my truck. The songs 8 cylinders sing is too much for me. As far as beating it... I do launch it (ish) because it feels so great when I get it right, but it’s more a “whoosh” than a balls-out tire-screaming start, because I’m very consious that I’ve got a 4l60e under me. The sensation is still amazing though, the low-end torque makes it feel like I’m being thrown, even though I rarely give it full beans.

I usually get off the heavy throttle before it hits second, again because 4l60e. That said, once in a while I just let ‘er go and with the Corvette servo it’ll chirp into second... kind of a monthly treat :)