How hard is too hard on the engine?

FalconGuy016 · Jul 13, 2005

Hey

Most people here will say drive your engine hard cause thats what its for (or whatever ) but, I am not too familiar with long term effects with it. I live in an area where you literally cannot find a straight or flat piece of road, literally, at all (pretty cool actually since its only because the area is so old and the roads are just the original roads that were here 200 years ago)

Anyways, when I'm doing some spirited driving, its not uncommon for me to be in a gear taching at around 4500-5000 rpm for a extended amount of time around a turn. Plus I engine brake a HELL of a lot from pretty high rpms. I know race cars do this, but this isnt a race car.

I want to know how bad this is for the car and whether or not I should lay off or not I was always under the impression that the difference in wear between high rpm and low rpm is so little that its not even worth mentioning (assuming everything else is okay, oil, etc) but ... im not quite sure how I know that, plus this might be a little different.

Thanks

ProCharger GT · Jul 13, 2005

it is a sports car. it should be fine as long as you have oil pressure and no fuel slosh from gettin sick around the turns.

CaliLifeStyle · Jul 13, 2005

From what I heard about the downshifting is that it is hard on the clutch. And it also cheaper to replace the brake pads then it is to replace the clutch. I used to downshift a lot but now I don't as much.

BlueRuckus · Jul 13, 2005

THIS is driving a car too hard.

http://www.rsportscars.com/Acentral/video/ferrari_456.mpeg

jasonh_86 · Jul 13, 2005

around my area, there's a lot of straight stretches and ****. i dont usually drive very fast or hard, but every now and then i'll give it a little more gas than normal and go about 80 or 90, sometimes triple digits in a 40 or 45 area.. i try not to take curves too fast.. but i guess i'm not driving my car too hard.. what do u think?.. i've only taken it down the track 6 times (9 times total it's whole life) and raced about 3 times a weekend for a month.. so, am i driving too hard or not?

FalconGuy016 · Jul 13, 2005

BlueRuckus said:
THIS is driving a car too hard.

http://www.rsportscars.com/Acentral/video/ferrari_456.mpeg

Hahah yeah... unfortunately thats way too close to what my car sounds like

04gtdrop · Jul 13, 2005

BlueRuckus said:
THIS is driving a car too hard.

http://www.rsportscars.com/Acentral/video/ferrari_456.mpeg

yeah a little TOO hard, but if he can afford a ferrari, i would think that he can afford to fix it. o well.

DerekStangGT · Jul 13, 2005

FalconGuy016 said:
Hey

Most people here will say drive your engine hard cause thats what its for (or whatever ) but, I am not too familiar with long term effects with it. I live in an area where you literally cannot find a straight or flat piece of road, literally, at all (pretty cool actually since its only because the area is so old and the roads are just the original roads that were here 200 years ago)

Anyways, when I'm doing some spirited driving, its not uncommon for me to be in a gear taching at around 4500-5000 rpm for a extended amount of time around a turn. Plus I engine brake a HELL of a lot from pretty high rpms. I know race cars do this, but this isnt a race car.

I want to know how bad this is for the car and whether or not I should lay off or not I was always under the impression that the difference in wear between high rpm and low rpm is so little that its not even worth mentioning (assuming everything else is okay, oil, etc) but ... im not quite sure how I know that, plus this might be a little different.

Thanks

wow, ive never tached 4500-5000 for very long while driving the twistys, mainly about 3k-4k. but i always downshift and use my RPMs to slow myself down. just make sure you rev match on your downshifts so the clutch doesnt have to "wind up" to match the rpms of the engine. thats not very technical, but i think you get the picture. ive been practicing my heel-toe driving a lot over the past 6 months or so, and i think ive gotten pretty decent at it. not good by any means, but good enough to use it when im driving really hard. i mainly shift/downshift between 4th-5th on this one stretch of road on my way home from school b/c i can get some pretty good speed going. on the straights i hit ~75, and do ~45-65 around the turns, all in a 25 mph zone . ive really been wanting a panhard bar for the past couple months though. my car handles pretty nuetral, but when i push it to the limits, it seems like the rearend gives out first (fishtailing). its funny, but it seems like i can actually feel the axle sliding back and forth under the car. if youre really into road racing, you should read Skip Barber's Book. its great for the theory of road racing i.e. driving the lines, realizing the weaknesses/advantages of RWD, FWD, AWD, etc. its a thick one, but well worth the time

FalconGuy016 · Jul 13, 2005

Haha yeah im really into handling...

...and I own a mustang, yeah I know its just a bigger challenge!

I can feel the limits of my suspension ALL the time. Honestly some aspects of it are pretty pathetic, and im always on edge of just barely losing control. My family has a pontiac grand prix gt that OWNS my car for handling (wider is better ). The mustang has got a lot of downfalls for sure, but the best part is that the market is big enough that you literally transform the mustang into whatever you want it to be with the right amount of cash.

Unfortunately thats what I lack

triggz · Jul 13, 2005

I took my car through the tail of the dragon and cherohola skyway, 100% 'spirited driving'.. at the end of the dragon my brake pads were smoldering but engine temps were only slightly elevated... Granted, I wasnt turning that high RPM.

Get a trans cooler and oil cooler if you're gonna do it alot. I'd imagine your valve springs would appreciate an upgrade if you do this a LOT as well.

DerekStangGT · Jul 13, 2005

FalconGuy016 said:
Haha yeah im really into handling...

...and I own a mustang, yeah I know its just a bigger challenge!

I can feel the limits of my suspension ALL the time. Honestly some aspects of it are pretty pathetic, and im always on edge of just barely losing control. My family has a pontiac grand prix gt that OWNS my car for handling (wider is better ). The mustang has got a lot of downfalls for sure, but the best part is that the market is big enough that you literally transform the mustang into whatever you want it to be with the right amount of cash.

Unfortunately thats what I lack

what are your mods? just the ones in your sig? if so, WOW. a STB but nothing to help out the rear. your rearend must feel like crap. got fishtail?

twogts4us · Jul 13, 2005

FalconGuy016 said:
the area is so old and the roads are just the original roads that were here 200 years ago

200 year old roads...ummm, those would be dirt paths in the early 1800's...

ADRENLN · Jul 13, 2005

tacked my gt out at 6300 rpm the other day, of course it was a mistake and i lost the race. thats too hard.

300bhp/ton · Jul 14, 2005

FalconGuy016 said:
Hey

Most people here will say drive your engine hard cause thats what its for (or whatever ) but, I am not too familiar with long term effects with it. I live in an area where you literally cannot find a straight or flat piece of road, literally, at all (pretty cool actually since its only because the area is so old and the roads are just the original roads that were here 200 years ago)

Anyways, when I'm doing some spirited driving, its not uncommon for me to be in a gear taching at around 4500-5000 rpm for a extended amount of time around a turn. Plus I engine brake a HELL of a lot from pretty high rpms. I know race cars do this, but this isnt a race car.

I want to know how bad this is for the car and whether or not I should lay off or not I was always under the impression that the difference in wear between high rpm and low rpm is so little that its not even worth mentioning (assuming everything else is okay, oil, etc) but ... im not quite sure how I know that, plus this might be a little different.

Thanks

Are you driving a Honda??????

There is one in your sig. Because if so 5000rpm is not even in the power band on a Tyre R motor, where as its near the upper limit for a stock V8 Mustang.

Either way, hard driving will cause extra wear and increased strain on ALL of the car. Brakes/suspension/engine/cooling the lot.

As long as you maintain the car and expect bit to wear quicker then there's no problem. If your only going to foot around every where buy a slower car.

96WhiteNight · Jul 14, 2005

BlueRuckus said:
THIS is driving a car too hard.

http://www.rsportscars.com/Acentral/video/ferrari_456.mpeg

Lol i would say

DerekStangGT · Jul 14, 2005

triggz said:
I took my car through the tail of the dragon and cherohola skyway, 100% 'spirited driving'.. at the end of the dragon my brake pads were smoldering but engine temps were only slightly elevated... Granted, I wasnt turning that high RPM.

Get a trans cooler and oil cooler if you're gonna do it alot. I'd imagine your valve springs would appreciate an upgrade if you do this a LOT as well.

TOTD and cherohola skyway=constant orgasm best friggin roads ive ever been on.

SonicBlueBabe · Jul 14, 2005

FalconGuy016 said:
I can feel the limits of my suspension ALL the time.

Try taking turns with no front swaybar

FalconGuy016 · Jul 14, 2005

Lol the civic was a joke for some other thread

Yeah I have no mods, thats why it sucks. I am on the verge of losing the rear all the time. I have had a couple scary encounters where a curve appears consistant but in fact closes in the tiniest bit more, and since im already on edge I almost lose it. I hate that feeling though, cause there is only so much you can do at that point.

300bhp/ton · Jul 14, 2005

FalconGuy016 said:
Lol the civic was a joke for some other thread

Yeah I have no mods, thats why it sucks. I am on the verge of losing the rear all the time. I have had a couple scary encounters where a curve appears consistant but in fact closes in the tiniest bit more, and since im already on edge I almost lose it. I hate that feeling though, cause there is only so much you can do at that point.

well thats not the cars fault.

If you improve the grip and handling all that will happen is you'll be going even faster when you reach trouble.

Joel's98GT · Jul 15, 2005

+1 for not engine braking, it is hard on the clutch and syncros (weak spot in our trannies)

I drive my car like it cheated on me, and it runs better than it did when it left the showroom, even with 114k miles on her.

driving foe a few seconds at 5000 is no big deal, driving at 5000 for a few minutes is alot of stress.

think about it, in a drag race some people (me) launch at 4500-5000 and stay between 4000 and 5500 untill the end of the track. about 13 seconds

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