Is it Bad to Redline your Engine? Can it be Good?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 พ.ค. 2024
- In this video I give examples and explain when it's likely safe to redline the engine and when you should avoid it. I also demonstrate how to know when your engine is up to operating temperature, I talk about the Italian tune up and what affect modifying your engine may have on how safe it is to use all the available revs.
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This video is a guide intended to help people who are learning to drive with a driving instructor in Great Britain, it is by no means a replacement for driving lessons with an appropriately qualified driving instructor.
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00:00 It's not yes or no
00:28 Cold engine
02:52 What is warm
04:27 Revs vs load
05:09 Redlining a young engine
05:59 Age
07:41 Turbo engine
09:08 Turbo cold start
10:09 Cambelt
11:20 Oil temperature
12:44 Load vs revs
15:17 Lugging the engine
16:52 Why I don't drive my car gently
20:31 Redlining an older car
21:18 Italian tune up
23:17 Modified engines
24:35 Money shift
Honda Civic owners at 3 AM:
Horror 😮😮😮😮😮
Top 5 loudest objects:
5. Motorcycle (100 db)
4. Concert (120 db)
3. Jet engine (150 db)
2. Shotgun (190 db)
1. Honda Civic at 3 AM (653 db)
@@TheRealEnglishTeacher 😂😂
All that noise while barely going 20mph
@@2seep Jokes aside, you'd be surprised how fast they accelerate, and how well they handle. They corner so well, as if it's planted.
Definition of redline:
Redline refers to the maximum engine speed at which an internal combustion engine or traction motor and its components are designed to operate without causing damage to the components themselves or other parts of the engine.
Or:
Redline definition of not being a white line
leaving your rpms at the redline for a long time (minutes to hours) can cause your engine to blow. manufacturers leave the redline high so the driver can get power when they want, but they dont expect you to continually bang the redline.
cars are not completely idiot-proof. that is why they have manuals and take licenses to drive them.
@@gfries4906 what about sport cars arent they supposed to handle redline?
My car goes to 8000 RPMs the redlines at 7000 and a caution line at 6500. I can rev to 4000 in park obviously a limiter but in drive I can go all the way to 8000 but why that’s so much stress on the engine even if it’s all warmed up it’s just going to shorten the lifespan of the engine.
@@mfdoom4358
Take for example the F1 racing car. It’s engine only lasts for 7-8 races. So it doesn’t really matter what car you own(regular or sports car). The engine components will wear out faster if you regularly hit redline.
I flor my 12 year old 1.2l Corsa with about 100k miles on the clock on the Autobahn for years now, also regularly reaching the red line. It still manages it like a boss. You just need to get it serviced regularly and wait for it to heat up before you do that.
Ok
Ok
Ok
Ok
Ok
Man, I love how informative your channel is, so many great tips to learn for daily drivers or new car fans! Keep up the great work and know it is much appreciated 🙏🏼💙
Richard, you have a rare gift for explaining things clearly, in simple terms, without childish simplification, and with a backing in personal experience. Keep up the great job! Really grateful for this bit of very informative and pleasant to watch video.
100 percent hes the goat😭
Did you see the length of the video for a no? Lol
I wish that was true. Anyone can explain everything in 30 minutes. Rather find a video that tells it to you in 3 minutes and gets straight to the point
@@svg_pikachu5816 Haha! You're so very wrong. On so many levels. Even putting aside the strict nonsense of what you said -- which can be ascribed to your inability to use grammar (See, how could you possibly explain _anything_ in 30 minutes if you're unable to compose even one written sentence that would carry the meaning across exactly as you wanted it to?) -- you took a very weird assumption that:
a) everybody watching videos on TH-cam is always in a dreadful hurry (... Well, duh, obviously -- why would they be doing it if they weren't, right? ;) )
b) listening to a good lecture canot bring joy (alongside information)
c) the little timer in the bottom of the video is invisible, and nobody can judge beforehand if they're ready/happy to spend 30 minutes of their time on the video.
Now, I was going to ask you to explain in a few sentences what inspired you to write your useless comment, but I'm not going to. And only part of the reason is that I'm fully convinced you wouldn't be able to. I'm just not interested.
@@barsorrro if u werent interested then u just wasted time sweating your ass off writing that because I can care less about your comment 🤣🤣🤣
My primary car is a 2008 R230 SL 350, and the age vs mileage debate mentioned here is a very good one. The metal components of the engine, after 40000 miles, are perfect. The plastic components, after 15 years, are all reaching the end of their lives (looking at you, variable length intake manifold). The engine's been tuned so that after a certain temperature has been reached, the redline increases by about 500RPM (this is a stock feature on lots of new cars too) which kind of takes some of the worry away. When you're buying a car, remember that depreciation, although really harsh in the first few years, does occur for a reason. That Ferrari 360 with *only* 50000 miles might be £25k now, and that might seem like a great deal... until you buy the thing. Counterintuitive though it may seem, oftentimes the more expensive the car, the less the manafacturer actually expect you to drive it. A super highly strung engine categorically will not last as long as one tuned for long journeys, NA, turbo, diesel or otherwise. Remember that any car is as good as its weakest point, if that's the shoddy £200 handbrake on a £2,500 Hyundai Coupe, so be it, if that's the £5,000 air suspension on a £5,000 S-Class... you can see where I'm going with this. Do your research on the model of car, and the model of engine for the year you're looking to buy; if there's one glaring problem that costs twice what the car's worth to fix, make sure it's already been fixed/replaced/sorted before even getting excited. Nice cars get cheaper quicker for a reason and while there are plenty of diamonds in the rough, they scarcely get the care Richard gives his cars throughout their lives.
On that topic, the approach to maintenance Richard takes on the Leon is exactly what everyone should aspire to do, yes it's more expensive than waiting for something to go wrong in the short term but works out so much cheaper in the long run. I've had the timing belt changed and every rubber and plastic component short of the head gasket replaced and other than a coil pack giving me a misfire on cylinder 6, the engine has been running super smoothly ever since.
Service your car regularly, at least to what your manafacturer suggest or even more if it's financially feasible for you to do (especially if you do lots of slower miles, or traffic light racing). Your car will reward you by not suddenly dying on those particularly hot, or cold, days. Never ignore a check engine light too, you can buy cheap OBDII readers online which will (most of the time) be able to point you in the right direction for a fix, especially if you go to a garage who charge additional diagnostic fees for doing essentially the same thing, bear in mind this is only true of universal codes, some manafacturer specific ones will require specialist equipment (looking at you, again, Mercedes Star diagnostics!)
Also, change your spark plugs! Often overlooked by servicing schedules, but they're often one of those tangible renewal feelings you might not get from a standard filter change.
That's my two pence, sorry it's so long. :)
TL:DR - Old nice car bad, new slow car good. Research car and engine before buying. Servicing cars good, waiting for problems bad. This video good.
A like for thoroughness, otherwise, tl/dr.
@100% COK Come to think of it a tl/dr would probably be a good idea
old corolla will live forever
TLDR Good. Above it bad.
Old S-Class airmatic has entered the chat. Damn right😅
Great advice. I owned a Porsche 996 GT3 for many years with a redline of 8200rpm and maximum power was close to the redline so you really had to rev the engine for maximum performance. I used to hit the redline frequently on track days and had a few second gear blasts on the road and never had any issues. Always made sure the engine had warmed up before I extended it and the car was regularly serviced and had frequent oil changes. Too many drivers thrash their cars from cold and the results can be a trashed engine and big bills.
It's a Porsche, they WANT you to rev it!
That's where the fun is.
Then they bring out a 991 and 992 and add another 800rpm
9000rpm is crazy
@AJS86 damn I thought my 8250rpm redline on my shelby gt350 was high...9k is WILD
@@shanefowler9443 I get 7500 with my Toyota 86. I'm still getting used to the boxer 4 driving sensation.
All the way through the rev range there's no feeling. So without the sound or shift light on the dash you wouldn't know the rpm is up there
@@shanefowler9443 it's that smooth. My old V6 Commodore you'd know you were near the redline lol
The level of precision that you have at all times makes this one of the best videos about engines/cars I have ever watched.
I can truely say you are well educated about engineering nd mechanics and that you have an outstanding communication level.
Brilliant video
I'm so glad I discovered this channel. It's quickly becoming my favorite. It answers so many questions I didn't know I wanted to ask!
This is probably one of your better videos. This information is good for drivers across the entire experience spectrum. Most of your videos are made for learners, I get that. You're a trustworthy guy, keep it the heck up.
Hey Richard, wanted to let you know your videos have been a massive help in learning and understanding manual transmission, as an American who has only used automatic. I'm now daily driving a manual super smoothly and having plenty of fun with it! Thanks for all you do!
technically it's not that bad to red line how ever it is very bad to disable the red line limiter and go past the red line🤣🤣🤣
As a guy who owns for around 3 years or so a fairly modern, manual turbo charged engine I gotta say this was very informative. I already did used some of these tips even before watching the video but its always nice to see someone who knows what he is talking about tell you why you should do so. It's probably easier to keep revs lower with a manual car than automatic altho modern automatic cars will keep the revs low when the engine temp is low so its all good either way.
Hi Richard. I'd already passed my test by the time I stumbled across your channel, but I've found your videos extremely helpful as a new driver. Thank you!
@@Thawne1338 if you have driven enough and properly that you are a confident driver, then you won't have any trouble. Say if you weren't feeling confident and you scheduled your test soon, you really set yourself up to fail.
@Thawne I didn't! I passed the second time, after I made a stupid mistake on my first. It's very stressful, but try your best to stay calm. For example, I engaged my examiner in a bit of a chat during the test, just to distract myself from how nervous I was. The other piece of advice I'd have is to not get too blinkered, so you can keep your head up and be aware of your surroundings. I failed my first test because I came off a roundabout into a bus-only road, because I was too focused on my gear change and my mirrors to see the sign. It is not easy, but you'll definitely get there.
@@Thawne1338 but test nerves are a normal thing to experience, so don't feel down from that, you just need more time to refine your driving so you become comfortable.
@Thawne He didn't let his nerves get the best of him
@Thawne lesson hour before test sorted mine out
Know you hear this a lot but I passed my first test today with 2 minors! Really appreciate your videos, especially watching loads the night before to get my confidence up. Cheers Richard, will be sticking around for future videos, love videos like these going into detail about cars rather than learning for the test, too :)
That's really great news! Thank you for watching and congratulations on passing!
Wholesome af. Congratulations!
@@sadface thanks man
Dope stuff! I passed two weeks ago, driving in the same learners car that our fellow TH-cam was teaching us on! Him and my instructor were the best help I could want and it paid off listening all the tips 🤙🏼
@@nightwolf9951 happy to hear that my friend
I've owned a humble Peugot 206 with only 60hp and I redlined that car all the time. Regardless of my "abuse" it was still very reliable, because I took care of the engine and only hooned it, when the temperatures allowed me to do so. Honestly, people really don't have to worry too much about pushing the RPMs, especially when they drive a n/a car. Those in particular are designed to be revved, the power is at high RPMs, not pushing the engine is quite a waste of the engines potential IMO.
Yep NA are awesome for high revs
I'm 49, been driving since I was 17. I have a Leon, too. Mine is a 2018 Cupra 300. Irrespective of knowing it all already, I just love the way you explain things.
Love how an instructor is telling us it’s okay to ping it off the limiter 🤣 (dependent on vehicle and temp obviously)
i have a very special golf mk1 from 2005 that has been redlining warm and cold daily for 18 years, 300 000+km. it also races 10 laps a month on my local racetrack. i wish all cars was this bulletproof
Old ls are the same I have a 02 ls430 and I drive it fairly hard and have no issues
Professional opinion: give it the beans
@@samuelsmith6776 when you gonna upload some videos of this gem?
My GT86 loves to rev high. 7500rpm
Sorry still think it's better than an MX5
These are the type of things I wish I knew when i got my first car. Excellent advice and explained brilliantly!
First video I've seen on this channel, I was amazed by his knowledge of how things actually work.
Loads of youtubers say the same thing, but they miss the details that really shows their knowledge.
For example, knowing that the temperature that is shown in the display is not the same as the actual temperature, is something most people dont know about
Approved!
I'm glad you mentioned valve float at the end. One of the biggest killers of tuned engines is this. People absolutely underestimate the importance of timing and high quality valvetrain components.
i was drive and i dont got a rev limiter on stock engine and it when to 7500, and the red line is 6500 but the engine was chilling
This month did my first IAM observed run, They encouraged me to rev my mx-5 out. I think you explained it well.
This video very approachably touches on subjects that those of us blessed with mechanical sympathy understand on a spiritual level: the engine in your car, although it be a machine, is still constrained by laws of nature and the properties of matter; and when a driver dimly pushes it beyond its tolerances, the results are inconvenient and expensive. What a great watch m8, honestly. Love this channel.
Had a thesaurus open for this for this comment did you mate
It's not that deep.
Just passed my driving test after a couple months of driving, first time with 1 minor fault. I really appreciate your great quality content and it definitely made a hugeee difference in my driving/confidence, ur vids are a blessing to anyone trying to learn. Thanks! 🙏
That's great news! Thank you for watching and congratulations on passing!
I got my license during covid in Georgia and never went back to take it but they never cancelled my license so ive been driving for 3 years now lol
Love your videos. All very informative.
It is good to find a driving instructor with an 'older' car as most people who pass their test will generally start with a secondhand car. My wife learned to drive in a modern car. When she bought her secondhand Metro, she had never before come across a choke and I had to show her how to use it as it was a cold day when we picked it up.
I was a driving instructor back in the early 80s. I look after all of my cars - ensuring that oil, spark plugs and all filters, cambelts, etc, are changed regularly. My last six cars (Mercedes 280SE W109/ MG Metro 1.3 Mk2/ VW Passat B2/VW Passat B3/BMW 520iSE E34/ Volvo 940 GL Estate first series) had all done in excess of 250,000 miles when I parted company with them and were still running well. My current Jaguar S-type SE 3.0 has only just reached 110,000 at 22 years of age as I don't do so much mileage now - its mechanicals are fine but age is getting to the electrics - as Richard rightly said, age is more an issue with modern cars than mileage.
I was driving a VW Passat B3 when the new MOT emissions tests came in. My local VW dealer, Rigby Turner, was amazed that each year it went in, the emissions on my trusty Passat were cleaner with passing time. I can only put it down to meticulous care of the car. I changed the oil with good quality (Castrol Magnatec) on or before time, I used Molyslip for many years before switching to Slick 50, and I used Redex or STP with each petrol fill-up and every two years I did a full de-coke with Redex in the spark plug chambers. This regime works for my track car too which gets thrashed at ARDS for the last 23 years.
Look after your cars and they look after you.
Richard would be perfect on Top Gear
Init
No way. He is far too professional to bother which such an infantile programme.
@@cactusbase3088 That's why he would be so good, help the show be taken seriously again!
@@adrianridgway4333 Nah the whole point of Top Gear is to watch 3 idiots doing silly things with cars, if they put Richard in it people would call it lame and boring and nobody would watch it
Well that's interesting, that you've maintained the car so well and still saved so much vs replacing it. Not many cars get new seats, damage to the trim is usually just left alone
I already know how to drive but I stay subbed to your channel for all the car ownership videos. I always pickup useful tidbits from them. Cheers mate
Great video Richard, well explained without being patronising. I am a retired engineer with a lot of car experience, and I was taught never to rev a cold engine and never when the engine is not under load. I have always stuck to this manta and have had cars that have topped 300k on the same engine and clutch.
I rebuilt the engine in an escort I had in the 90’s, new carb (yes, it was that old) and a home tuning kit, it could hit 55 in second ( I have no idea what the rpm was but it was definitely off the end of the gauge) in about 4 to 5 seconds and still 3 more gears to go. It pulled like a train even in 5th. I believe the carb was jetted wrongly
Edit, just got to the part where you talk about the cam belt… the reason I had to rebuild the engine was the belt idler broke, shredded the belt, pistons ate the inlet and exhaust valves… bad things happened, but it was all repairable and it was a thirsty demon afterwards
I started watching your videos when I was teaching my 17yr old nephew about a year ago. He passed his test,1st time, last November and I'm still watching your channel?
I've been driving for over 35 years...I drive for a living, actually. and I still find myself learning something new (every day is a school day). Part of my job is mentoring new PCV drivers, so I know...well, I think I know, a lot about safe driving. You're not just helping new drivers, you've made me remember a lot of what I've forgotten over the years (it's an age thing) . I even bought a SEAT Leon because of watching your videos.
Keep it up!
is the red line good or bad to hit?
@@raven4k998 it's bad to hit It ALL the time. You can hit It in case you want or need, but don't keep the revs high too much
This video was great and informative; I'm looking into getting a Polo GTI soon and was wondering how safe it will be to put my foot down, but this gives me confidence that as long as I treat it right all will be fine
Amazing video with wonderful explanations!! It is clear that you really know what you're talking about!! Thank you for your work and for helping people understand more about these beautiful and complex machines that cars are.
Really eye opening. I'm guilty of lugging my engine and it shows with head gasket leaks. Never knew what I was doing was wrong so many thanks.
I would like to thank you for helping me be able to driving a manual smoothing. My 10th Gen Civic Si also thanks you too for extending its clutch’s lifespan.
Thanks Richard, it’s always great to understand what’s going on in your car, it helps you be a better driver
Exceptional video Richard. Very interesting from start to finish.
There were 2 exact same cars in my family with 1.4 NA petrol engine.
1. Driven gently, 40000 miles, oil change every 6-7k miles
2. Driven hard from break in period ended, 100k+ miles, oil change 3-5k miles, looked after really well
Both often driven in congested area
The second one was significantly better than the first one. Engine was much happier across all rev range and the car didnt have much problems in the 8 yrs of ownership. car only broke down twice due to flat battery.
Probably more the oil than how it's been treated. Italian tuneups aren't always a bad idea.
@@stug45 Its crazy to me that many modern cars now have oil change intervals or 20000 miles. Having seen what mine looks like at 5000, it amazes me they even run on oil that old
@@olii9062 synthetic oil is crazy
Driven gently implies short trips, death for an engine.
imagine the difference if they were turbo diesels with egr and/or dpf.
videos like this are amazing because i never had an instructor when learning manual, and now i know how to keep my car healthy and to avoid revving and giving too much throttle early.
that Seat Leon is the Ship of Theseus lmao. Seriously though, really good video. Very interesting to learn about how this stuff really works. I passed my test a few months back now, but watching this stuff means I'm still improving and becoming a better driver. Sometimes in the safety stuff, but also in just getting the most out of my car (gutless little box though it is) and making the experience more comfortable for myself and any passengers.
For the uninitiated: the cam belt (or chain), A. K. A. timing belt (or chain) is the wearable part that opens and shuts the valves. It connects the crank shaft, which is what the pistons rotate, to the cam shaft, which opens the valves.
When the belt snaps (or the chain stretches) the engine gets out of time and, unless allowances were made in design (see "non-interference engine"), a piston WILL collide with a valve, bend said valve, probably warp the head, maybe damage the cam shaft and/or one or more of its bearings.
It's NOT worth the risk, just fecking change it.
I bought a 1991 Rover Metro a couple of years ago, and there were no records of it ever having a Cam belt change.
We drove it home very carefully, and changed the belt as the first job.
It was clearly the original, 30 year old belt, as there were teeth hanging off! I'm certain if I'd revved it hard, it would've snapped.
@@ryanwilliams6526 Yikes!
That sort of thins is always a risk with older cars. Hell, I keep finding stuff to do on my bike and she was only 9 months old when I got her! Fortunately none of it could have been catastrophic in my case, but it's still annoying to have to do this much work to a nearly new bike.
Passed my test yesterday! Thank you for the help in your videos, they really helped me with my test
That's fantastic news! Thank you for watching and congratulations on passing!
Stay out the way off you on the motorbike then 😂
@@p305-mrworldwide9 you what?
@@p305-mrworldwide9 I'm sure we will never cross paths but I can assure you, I passed my test so I can clearly drive safely. Thanks for the concern.
Always good to check these things before pushing your car harder than usual
Man, Im in love with my 1991 Lancer GTI 16V
Excellent videos 😄 I’m really enjoying all of them. Been driving for many years now, but I’ve been learning new things of interest in every single one of your videos
I've had multiple old rwd volvos, and the handbook for those says you should do an Italian tune-up once in a while. Helps burn up some of the carbon residue.
an 'italian tune up' doesnt actually work unless you are doing back to back laps of the nurburgring or flat out on derestricted autobahn because the combustion chamber does not otherwise get up to a hot enough temperature to burn off carbon
@@oscarzt1652 This is true. Redlining it for few seconds will not do much good. You need to rev it at 5500+ for like 30 minutes continuously in order to heat it up enough so it starts burning carbon deposits. If you blast it for like 2-5 mins you are only making it worse, it builds carbon much more that way.
there you said it.. it was an old car and therefore makes sense
PS: at the end you talked about downshifting through multiple stages at once. I wanna add that some cars have mechanical safety elements for this (if I try to shift from 6th to 3rd my stick seems to be stuck no matter how hard I push it forward, the stick lets me get into 3rd only after the revs tune down a bit).
I love it that you match the rpm's with the gas pedal when downshifting.
i absolutely love the pedal camera along with the rev and speed camera, this is super helpful man!
I think a lot of us have a lot to learn from you in terms of thorough car maintenance and care. It would be interesting to see a video covering the maintenance costs of your Seat Leon over that incredible mileage.
I hit the red line for the first time a few weeks ago and got an "Engine overspeed!" warning, which did worry me, but it sounds like it's okay since it was fully up to temperature.
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The 'Engine overspeed' warning was probably a safety warning from the manufacturer, in case you hit the redline.
If that happens from you simply hitting the gas, then yeah, no problem.
But, if you hit the redline through mechanical means (for example, you shift into too low of a gear while going too fast), then that can cause damage, and very serious at that.
Ford vehicles will put a that code up if it has shut the injectors off.
@@crazeguy26 which Ford model? Cause i haven't seen a message like that on a 1.0, 1,5 and 1,6 Ecoboosts
@@AsteroSSB mostly on the pickup trucks.
My general rule of thumb is if the engine is healthy and well maintained, then FULLY warmed up, go for gold! It's hard to damage an engine from driving it hard once it's fully warmed up, and thermal expansion has played its part.
Massive amounts of damage occur from driving too hard before the engine is warmed up because not only are the tolerances and clearance out of spec, but the irons and alloys of the blocks, heads, cylinder sleeves and pistons all expand at different rates. It's possible to seize certain engines by driving them hard before they're warmed up, as for example, the aluminium pistons expand rapidly in comparison to the iron blocks. Some Alfa Romeo engines were notorious for this! Once they're warm could redline them all day...
Edit: My 1992 Mercedes with an M104 engine has 230k on the odometer and runs like new. It's never had a single engine component replaced, just fluids, filters and ignition parts (has a distributor and rotor). I idle it for around 60 seconds first start in a morning, sometimes more or less depending on how cold it is outside, then drive like a grandma for the first 15 minutes. After that I often beat on it. Helps to keep the combustion chamber clean too when you hit the redline 😜
Thank you so much for this video, it helped me learn a lot I didn't know about engines, especially because I'm new to the technical aspect of engines.
Thanks for the good tips on driving.
Another thing to keep in mind is that it is possible to delay that degradation of non-metallic parts, like gaskets and seals, in the engine by not allowing dirty and contaminated fluids from remaining in contact with these parts for long periods of time, hence the benefit of frequent fluid flushes whenever these fluids start getting dirty.
I find the secret to getting good life from your engine even if you bounce it off the limiter or boot it down a slip-road occasionally is *ALL* about maintenance. Follow the service guidance in your car's manuals, fix faults and leaks as and when they happen and it'll serve you well. Sometimes it's even a smart idea to go with shorter service intervals on some consumables like oil and coolant if you're able to. Oil especially, as it serves 3 purposes in the engine...
1: Cool the areas that the coolant can't reach (such as the pistons and connecting rods)
2: Lubricate the moving parts
3: keep the moving parts of the engine clean to aid in lubrication and wear prevention
And all three of those functions are critical to maximizing engine life - especially in turbocharged or supercharged cars because of that extra heat that the boost produces.
Hi, thank for the video!
Last week I had one of the sport trainings on my Hyundai Accent IV(2012) I know that car is old and slow but for training it is enough.
During the training I try to keep 5-6 thousand revs for a max torque. My car has hydraulic power steering wheel with oil pump that connected to engine with belt. More revs - more rotation of pump rotor. I had more than 40 hours of such trainings and last week pump died with loud roaring noise when engine is on. Mechanic at service said that some pumps does not like high revs for long period of time.
I think, clutch also should wear more quickly when shifting gears on high rev.
So not only plastic suffers on older cars =)
I'm sorry to hear that. Later cars have electric power steering which is more reliable in my experience.
Fantastic video, as always. I often come and watch your videos to learn something new or update my knowledge. I really like you are nothing like Scotty Kilmer.
I drive a 2016 Ford Fiesta ST. I'll regularly red line it, be it traffic light racing shifting @ 5000 - 6000 rpm or spirited driving. This car is weird in the sense that computer is telling engine coolant is up to temperature at only 50c! Usually I'll wait 10-15 minutes before I rev past 3000 or drive hard. I do only have 72000 km (44000 miles).
In the other news, I know someone with a tuned BMW diesel 6cyl engine on a 2007 car I believe that had 302,000 km and it just had engine workout costing over 3000 euros... Driving too hard an older, high mile car without warming it up properly is my best bet for that happening.
one of the only driving instructors i will continue to watch now i passed today. Richard provides great videos
That's great news! Thank you for watching and congratulations on passing!
@@ConquerDriving thank you :]
I have a 13 mazda cx5 with over 255k miles. I drive it hard. But i also maintain it. I hit the limiter daily. Granted its one of the few cars that has a soft limiter set right redline instead of past it. It also depends on the brand. Mazda, honda motors are known for wanting to be revved high. They are designed for that type of driving. Therefore the components are designed for that even after 9 years or over 200k miles. I think it all comes down to maintenance. I do also drive it easy from time to time
With money shifting, typically the most common part to get destroyed is the valves, since they'll float and get slammed into by the pistons. Connecting rod failures can also happen but that's not as common. Most engines nowadays are interference engines, which means that there's an area where both the valves and pistons can be, and the timing of it is such that they never contact. This is done to be able to increase the compression ratio. Many older engines (especially once you get to 80s cars and older) do not have interference engines, so overreving the engine and causing valve float won't destroy your valves. Something else is much more likely to fail.
last car i had was a 2017 Avalon (bought in 2021) that only had 19k miles when I purchased it, and the Italian tune up worked absolute wonders. I did 1 tank of shell vpower which has the best detergents in my opinion (not recommended more than once as the engine will pull timing and be slower if it is made for 87 octane) and drove as fast as safely possible for a few days. whole different car after just a few pulls. Toyota knows what they are doing so they have a port and direct injection come to find out so maybe that is why
Thank you for the great video. As a Honda owner it was good to peek in to some other car brand. Realized that will stay Honda owner and will not be peeking again to other car brands as it gave me quite a bit of shock, what is and how is failing and how it’s reving and so on. Thank you and all the best.
Good job on the video!! I would like that you make a video of how to drive underpowered cars like small diesels. Thanks.
I have a rover with the 1.4 K series engine in which is a very fun and rev happy engine, it was also used in Caterham's and lotuses. Every now and then it doesn't hurt to give it a redline as its designed to do that (and is very fun while doing so), i hit the limiter this morning overtaking a van in second gear, i see no harm in it aslong the engine is warm and its done in moderation 👍👍
I've got a Rover 211, with the 1.1 litre, 8 valve K series. I've found it to be a very nice revvy and smooth engine, although it lacks torque beyond around 5-5,500 RPM, so there wasn't much point in taking it above there.
I bought a Rover 214 yesterday though, with the 1.4 16 valve K series so, once I've done all of the servicing jobs (Cambelt, oil, etc), I'm looking forward to a better torque band, and a quite significant power increase!
@@ryanwilliams6526 nice to hear, I think the earlier k series weren’t as powerful as the later k series with twin cams and mpfi, the 1.4 16 valve does have quite a nice smooth powerband and is very eager revving right up to the redline, it doesn’t have much torque below 1,500 but that’s to be expected from a small petrol, but my mighty 1.4 k series leaves my mates fiestas, corsas and polos in the dust! 😂
Keep the good work up!! Great video, always wondered this question
Really really good video this mate. Keep up your great work. ❤
My personal approach to whether or not to redline an engine depends on how the engine feels high up. Some cars love to rev; I know Subarus will easily go above redline. Other cars run out of torque higher up and you don't really gain anything going all the way to the redline, so shifting earlier just makes more sense. My car falls into this latter category, so most of the time, if I take it high up in the revs, I'll shift 500-1000 rpm short of the redline because the engine starts to run out of torque at those rpms.
It makes sense but my car feels good high up, max torque is at about 6200rpm I think, redline being at 6500. But it wasn't built for that, it kept having problems with things like valves or cam followers. So I got it built and now it feels even better and it hasn't failed yet. Just because an engine feels good high up doesn't necessarily mean it'll be reliable if you go there regularly.
@@Randommmmm204 if your redline is at 6500 rpm its probably your max hp at 6200 not your max torque as max torque is usually generated in lower rpms (1500 to 2500)
@@micimaco9509 not really. Max torque can be all the way up to 4300rpm's
@@gabrielv.4358 i have my max torque from 1750-3000 revs. that said its a diesel, which really only revs to 4,5-5k , thatfor, max hp is at 4000rpm (ive never revved it to the limiter, latest shift ill do is at 4,5k, it can rev a tad higher, idk how much tho)
@@drivein8055diesels are low rev high torque, that's their whole point
Great video and well explained! I have a diesel, so I would like to share my experience with a 1.7 Turbo diesel with 100bhp. I Always let my car heat up to the temp which usually takes about 10-15 minutes. I dont have a temp gauge at all, so I orient myself by how long I have driven for and by the sound of the engine, because when its fully heated up it runs much smoother and quieter. I unfortunatelly had scenarios when I had to rev my car cold or half warmed up because I was basically forced to do so by the traffic situation, but I never went over a little bit above 3k and I did not "floor it". I mostly dont go over 2k (2,5k max when its warm outside) untill the engine is warmed up . My engine does not like it when its cold outside, because its more rattly and loud and vibrates way more, which is typicall for a diesel engine, because the diesel fuel thickens as the temperature drops. I never had experience with redlining or hitting the limiter, because its not necessary on a diesel engine. Above 3.5-4k rpm it just screams and does nothing, so I rather shift and not push it to the limiter (4,5k rpm).. The only thing that failed on my engine was the alternator and it was in the middle of last winter. (I own it for 4 and a half years) Anyways,thanks for the vid! It actually helped me,because often I was making my engine struggle up the hills because I was scared to rev it cold, now I know that I should not be afraid to rev it a little more, but use just like 1/3 of the gas pedal rather than relying on the turbo boost by pressing the gas pedal deeper.
Fun fact: Diesel engines typically have a much lower redline than gasoline engines.
@@R3cce I... Know that. Thats why I mentioned its a diesel 😅
Sounds like you have the Isuzu 1.7 CDTI engine
@@Mr330d yes. ;)
@@existenz_svk2639 Very strong engine if I had one I would definitely get it remapped to 140-145
Great video, you are incredibly well spoken! Very good at explaning what and why
As a guy who owns a 12 year old manual diesel turbocharged car, this is a really helpful video, thanks!
Very interesting and informational. One additional note: many manual shift cars prevent you from shifting into a gear that is too low. The gear will be locked in a way so that the shift lever does not go into that gear even when you try to move it into that gear. Of course, a lot of force can overcome this, but it will prevent most, if not all, accidental cases.
I've not driven a car that locks you out of gears. Only reverse. Low gears are often stiff when fast as it's hard for it to engage when spinning quickly, but I don't know of any locking mechanism for forward gears.
The synchromesh may make it difficult to slot into the wrong gear but it can still be forced in. Usually happens when people are racing and are shifting quickly.
Also varies a lot by individual car. A tale of two Toyota engines.
The 2ZZ-GE - 8200RPM redline. But if you use it north of 7500 for extended periods the they're prone to oil pump issues which will ultimately destroy the bottom end. So not a great idea to use it right at the top end regularly unless you ugrade the oil pump.
-The 1NZ-FE. Factory redline 6400rpm, but has proven to be reliable revving up to 7200rpm with no upgrades. They take endless limiter bashing without complaint 🤣
2ZZ-GE have to be taken all the way up to redline to reach full power
@@ruaraidhwatson indeed it does. Whereas my 1NZ starts noticably losing torque past about 5.2k rpm
2ZZs also have a poorly designed sump, meaning, if you rev hard and corner hard at the same time there's a risk of failure due to starvation.
Most who take a 2ZZ on track regularly fit a 1ZZ sump.
@@B_-.- It‘s better to fit a Moroso Oil sump if you go regularly to the track
@@DeepRacer-zr4yp It is, some people like MWR too, but the 1zz sump is a cheap and available part in comparison.
You're a very savvy car owner Richard. I just had all the gaskets and belts replaced on my Impreza back in december. I'm at around 100k miles looking to see how long I can make it last I bought it at 93k miles but that was over a year ago. Has several mods, around about 165 ps and weighs just under 3000 American pounds. Not as zippy as your Mazda I'm sure...But that's what my other car, the 2014 WRX Special Edition is for ;)
Another great video here from you man.
Well informed. Thank you for bringing me to light!
Cant say i ever seen a video explaining about when to use revs on a engine..i guess as soon as you started speaking on your video i knew that you knew what your talking about..i do to because most of my engine knowledge was passed down to me from my late dad who knew pretty much everything about about every engine..his was a engineer and mechanic so i never had any doubt everything he told me was correct..his advice on engines and anything mechanical stood me in good stead to this day .
"Redline a day keeps the carbon away!"
I have a 2.0 Diesel Seat Leon as a work car and I love the fact that it tells me the oil temperature! It's also interesting how much longer it takes to get to operating temperature compared with my personal 1.25 Fiesta 😄. I'm guessing this is down to the larger cast iron block in the diesel? 🤔 Interesting video regardless 👍
Diesel has way less heat loss
@karelpipa ah yes, diesel doesn't burn as hot, i didn't think of that.
I suppose that, coupled with the much leaner ratio, leads to the slower heating of the oil 🤔. Pretty interesting stuff!
Do such a good job explaining, showing this to the folks with many questions
Thank you bro I’m tryna get my car knowledge up and you taught me a ton
My first car was my grandad's honda jazz, that car had almost never gone above 3000rpm in its life. The EGR was quite clogged probably because of this.
I also find that turbo actuators can stick on cars that have taken lots of short journeys too
I always prefer to buy high mileage diesels.. Most engines can take the mileage just fine. The repair bills from other components are what get you in the end (clutch, suspension, wheel bearings etc).
I feel like to kill a modern day engine you'd have to try quite hard.. or just neglect changing the oil
Me as a german knows: The red line in highest gear, is what prevents you from going faster.
The redline is what sorts people into different lanes on the Autobahn
The feeling you have towards your Leon is the same of mine towards my Golf 6 Tsi.I don't know what to buy with the same money.Great content!
Incredibly well researched and informative.
I got a bit nervous at the end, I thought you were going money shift.
Also, Honda Civics and CR-V's have a temp gauge that runs at about a 3rd once fully up to temperature.
I can confirm, I thought something was off with the coolant temp on my car.
I like to drive my 1.5 golf mk7 as if it was your mx5 😂😂 its got 130bhp which is severely underpowered for what it actually could produce, even the version prior to mine had 150bhp with the same engine. A remap mechanic told me they usually can get the engines to 175bhp, and I'm thinking about it, but bit worried about reliability. Have you ever remapped one of your cars?
Cheers for the video!
I would ask around on VW forums. What you want is a good range of people to have ran a power level for a long time and not encountered an excess of problems.
On my engine many push 225hp (up from 143) with stock internals and that's generally considered the limit of reasonable.
If many people run 175hp without issue, you probably won't have an issue either.
I would be very careful, a lot goes into a factory map.
I'd be more worried about the clutch than the engine tbh. Just make sure all the usual vw gremlins like plugs, coils and coolant are in good shape before you do it. Changing the oil more frequently than vw specifies is probably advisable too, especially given the 1.5 has a chain
02 Celica GTS 6spd manual here with over 400k miles original engine, original owner and still redlines all day. VVTLi just kicked yo! 💪
love your videos your such an interesting intelligent guy. As an Instructor myself i love to learn to improve myself as a person and to pass forward information to my pupils
I drive a Honda.......so yes high revs all the time!
My car needs the "Italian tune-up" fairly often as it has problems with the catalytic converter.
Most likely your catalytic converter tells you there is problem with the engine... Its probably symptom of problems not the cause (unless its totally broken - like crushed to pieces or totally melted inside wchich would cause engine runing rough constantly).
Good video Richard. I would just add one of the more important facts that when redlining the engine it is the transmission that suffers the most as well as the druck-lager if the driver keeps the clutch pedal pressed even slightly. And i wouldn't agree that the Leon is a massive and heavy car and that the 1.4 TSI is titsi tiny engine that has difficulties with that chassis. It is just about on the sweet spot. Even the 1.0TSI is more than capable engine for that car for civil and efficient driving.
Keep up the great work.
hows bro turned a 5 min video into 30 mins
Can anybody explain why vauxhall corsa and other cars do not have temp gauge. Isnt that very important?
The temperature is monitored, it's just not displayed on gauge. You'll get a warning, probably with a reduction in power if it's beyond a pre-programmed threshold. Saying that, yes, all cars should have a user readable gauge but manu's tend to look at who their "average" driver is then they make the decision of whether a gauge is appropriate. It's all part of dumbing down driving believing that's what users want.
Trying to save money I guess. It does know the temperature but it doesn't tell you unless there is a problem, then you'll get a light on the dash.
Thanks Richard for your helpful videos! It’s helped me with learning and passing my test today!
That's great news! Thank you for watching and congratulations on passing!
Bro this video actually was so good! Your explanations are fantastic and you are sympahtic too :)
On my last lesson I went to 60mph in 3rd gear 😂👌 6 or 7 thousand revs. Not bad for a 1.2 Corsa 😂
Also own a 1.2 corsa you should have only been 5-6k revs
I wanted to see what my mk3 1.2tsi fabia redlines at in 2nd. Its about 60mph, at roughly 6,000rpm
@@Eavolution_ yeah in my corsa I got it up to 50 at around 7k in second
Is it actually illegal to idle your car for 10 seconds in Germany? @1:00
That is clown world levels of Stop Oil and green virtue signalling nonsense.
Do they recommend drivers just drive straight off in winter without demisting the windows? I guess it will help with depopulation which is the eco-nutters goal.
I didn’t believe it myself but according to Google its true. It’s a 10 euro fine apparently. Germany really is a paradoxical country. Sometimes they are so logical and matter of fact and then other times they come up with this kind of worthless crap. You’re right though it is purely for virtue signalling purposes since it will have no impact of emissions.
this manual is at least 10 year old, its probably something else
Your spot on
Richard Fanders. I passed my test solely because of you imparting your immense driving wisdom and expertise. I am eternally grateful
May the Force be with you,
That's great news! Congratulations on passing!
I have an S2000 and I would be doing it an injustice not redlining it in every gear! 👌
Never redline your vehicle, it can cause serious damage to the clutch and its a really expensive repair.
Good video!
My old diesel Mercedes has an automatic which revs straight to the red line when i floor it, but it really doesn't care if it's warm so i have to care. With my other old petrol VW which has manual gearbox i found out there's no point in going far beyond the red line because there's no tourque anyways, but it doesn't limit revs when i have a gear selected.
Extremely informative, and makes perfect sense. Thank you very much.
Great video and very clear advice I always wait 30 seconds beofre driving off and never go full throttle ever really as u can't legally use it great video
nice video. I drive a 1994 Dodge Dakota as a daily driver. 300k miles on the clock and still running like new. I don't think I've ever hit the rev limiter and rarely ever rev past 4k rpm. It's red line is at 5k with caution at 4500.