redlining your engine (good, ok, or bad) - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

schumionbike · 10-20-2010, 08:44 AM

Well, lately I have been driving a 6 cylinder Camry and for some reason, I have become much more aggresive with it than when i was driving the four cylinder, probably because it's much smoother than the four under throttle and will actually go somewhere

Anyway, I don't really do jackrabbit start ( my tires never chirped) but I have been pushing the engine to redline if I am trying to get up the ramp on the highway or a light in a country road. Anyway the question is, should I stop doing that as in it is bad for the engine to be taken to the limit once a while like that? I only do that once the engine is fully warmed up. I am thinking I really should stop pulling this stunt but it is so irresistable.

Btw, I don't speed in traffic or anything, just accelerate hard to the speed limit which is 65mph around here. 0-70 in around 9 seconds is quite an adrenaline rush.

Chris Crash · 10-20-2010, 08:52 AM

No it's not bad. Just make sure it's warmed up. It'll be alright. My theory is our cars like being pushed every now and then.

iovaykind · 10-20-2010, 09:02 AM

You abuse the car and you'll pay for it. Like you said youre not doing it excessively so once in awhile like you're saying is totally fine

***BMR*** · 10-20-2010, 09:31 AM

I'd say there's no harm in taking it to redline under full throttle, as long as it's not done constantly. My Camry gets that often, at least once during almost every drive. 305k miles of me driving like that and she still pulls strong.

jordan7831 · 10-20-2010, 10:18 AM

Please correct me if im wrong but isnt that the whole point of the redline? The redline is supposed to be the maximum point that an engine can run before causing damage to itself. So unless your are exceeding the redline for extended peroids of time, your engine should be fine.

So up to red line = okay
Past redline = damage if prolonged

Chris Crash · 10-20-2010, 10:23 AM

Redline is a safety feature to keep you from damaging it. You can't go past it.

Bouncing off redline is not good either, but hitting redline and then shifting...you'll be aiight.

iovaykind · 10-20-2010, 10:24 AM

^^up to redline is okay, but getting near redline all too often isn't that good either. Just think logically to yourself, if you're pedal to the metal every time you go from red to green, your car is getting abused. If you do it once in awhile, it won't hurt.

Chris Crash · 10-20-2010, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iovaykind

^^up to redline is okay, but getting near redline all too often isn't that good either. Just think logically to yourself, if you're pedal to the metal every time you go from red to green, your car is getting abused. If you do it once in awhile, it won't hurt.

I respectfully disagree. If you maintain your car well, all you're doing by going pedal to the metal is wasting gas. I wouldn't call it abuse. Abuse is not maintaining it, or flipping your car in a ditch....or getting stuck in a 12 inch mud pit....
ANYWAY. If you keep up with maintenance and maybe even a little more stricter, you'll be fine in my opinion.

iovaykind · 10-20-2010, 10:32 AM

Really? I'm pretty sure that if you always redline at say 6250rpm, rather than getting close the redline at 6200rpm every time, it's still not that good for your car. What I'm trying to say is that relatively of course redlining is worse, but obviously the difference between redlining, and being close to redlining is not that different

Chris Crash · 10-20-2010, 10:34 AM

I guess my thing is that I don't see what kind of extra wear you would see by shifting at 6200 RPM instead of 5000 RPM.

jordan7831 · 10-20-2010, 10:57 AM

The red line is the point where the various mechanical components in our engines cannot take any more strain, and risk damaging itself. Therefore, up to redline should be okay since our engines were made to rev that high. Thats why we have various cut offs (fuel cut off) to prevent serious engine abuse.

Chris Crash · 10-20-2010, 11:03 AM

Right. That's what I'm saying. Don't hold it at redline and bounce it, but going UP TO it is fine.

iovaykind · 10-20-2010, 11:33 AM

But shifting at it is not good right? So basically stay under it is the way to go, shifting right before redline is optimal probably since the higher rpms don't help HP anyway

schumionbike · 10-20-2010, 01:05 PM

it's an automatic and I keep in D so it'll only hit redline because I floor the pedal....didn't know an AT could do that for a very long time. But yeah, i do it once in a while once the engine warm up, fun fun fun.

***Mister_Perkins*** · 10-20-2010, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by schumionbike

Well, lately I have been driving a 6 cylinder Camry and for some reason, I have become much more aggresive with it than when i was driving the four cylinder, probably because it's much smoother than the four under throttle and will actually go somewhere

Anyway, I don't really do jackrabbit start ( my tires never chirped) but I have been pushing the engine to redline if I am trying to get up the ramp on the highway or a light in a country road. Anyway the question is, should I stop doing that as in it is bad for the engine to be taken to the limit once a while like that? I only do that once the engine is fully warmed up. I am thinking I really should stop pulling this stunt but it is so irresistable.

Btw, I don't speed in traffic or anything, just accelerate hard to the speed limit which is 65mph around here. 0-70 in around 9 seconds is quite an adrenaline rush.

Running a stock motor at high rpm's is hard on a stock motor

Its fun, but after a while your going to regret beating on your car.