Driving a little red sports car brings all sorts of temptations. When the scenario is just right, I'm overcome and reach for redline euphoria. The enjoyment I recieve from this really improves my quality of life. Everyday I drive the car, I submit to a guilty pleasure and build a better day. So how's the internals of my '92 Miata doing? Does anyone have anecdotes of flogged cars with diminished life? I know racing stresses every part harder, but how does this equate to performance in the long run? How will a 200k motor pushed hard compare to a car driven by a granny. For simplicity's sake, let's assume that both cars recieve 3000 synthetic oil change intervals. This way we can eliminate the maintenance comparison issue between the driving styles.
How harmful is aggressive driving?
- Thread starter Kurtatron
- Start date
- Status
Mechanically the motors fair very well with hard use. Brakes, driveline, suspension, joints, body structure, tires, take more of a toll.
Sometimes agressive driving is hard on the nose, lip, & eye socket.
Sometimes agressive driving is hard on the nose, lip, & eye socket.
Assuming you start with a fully warmed up engine and oil, the side effects should be nominal. It will without a doubt affect bearing and journal life as well as cause piston slap a little sooner in life.
Just remember that for the sake of the things that go round and round and up and down, wait till the engine is fully warm and you should be fine.
Just remember that for the sake of the things that go round and round and up and down, wait till the engine is fully warm and you should be fine.
I wouldn't hesitate to run the car hard. When I had a sports car, I enjoyed blasts to redline daily. Just do it responsibly and respectfully to everyone else you're sharing the road with.
Also, if you're interested in longevity in running the engine hard, one of the key things to do is wait until your oil temp is up to full temperature before hitting redline.
In a typical engine from everything I've read, it takes significantly longer for the oil to hit full operating temp than it does for the coolant. Doing this is complicated if you don't have an oil temperature gauge and if you don't have an oil pressure gauge. I can do it with an oil pressure gauge because I knew what the PSI settled at @idle, 2k rpms and redline when it's at full temp compared to cold.
Also, if you're interested in longevity in running the engine hard, one of the key things to do is wait until your oil temp is up to full temperature before hitting redline.
In a typical engine from everything I've read, it takes significantly longer for the oil to hit full operating temp than it does for the coolant. Doing this is complicated if you don't have an oil temperature gauge and if you don't have an oil pressure gauge. I can do it with an oil pressure gauge because I knew what the PSI settled at @idle, 2k rpms and redline when it's at full temp compared to cold.
I've heard it's healthy to run your car hard from time to time. It helps to burn off excess carbon in the fuel system. I redline my car from time to time. I will usually do it if im passing a car on the highway or trying to gain speed on a acceleration ramp. I have also head that running the car hard can help condition piston rings on a new car.
Some cars need to be run hard frequently like the Rotary engines, which are very different from the standard piston engines.
As long as your not acting like an A hole like the guy in this video, you should be fine. It makes me cringe to see a new STi end up like this.
If it were bad I think the manufacturer would state that it's bad. They also put a revlimiter there for a reason.
Once again... Oil plays a huge role in the wear and tear of your engine. Oil pumps play a large role also. a Dry sump is superior to the pumps found in most cars. However, I think a dry sump is only needed for a highly modified car with high tq/hp. It wouldn't hurt to upgrade the pump. The STi in the video probably died due to oil starvation because he didn't upgrade the pump
Some cars need to be run hard frequently like the Rotary engines, which are very different from the standard piston engines.
As long as your not acting like an A hole like the guy in this video, you should be fine. It makes me cringe to see a new STi end up like this.
If it were bad I think the manufacturer would state that it's bad. They also put a revlimiter there for a reason.
Once again... Oil plays a huge role in the wear and tear of your engine. Oil pumps play a large role also. a Dry sump is superior to the pumps found in most cars. However, I think a dry sump is only needed for a highly modified car with high tq/hp. It wouldn't hurt to upgrade the pump. The STi in the video probably died due to oil starvation because he didn't upgrade the pump
Last edited:
I know that temptation far to well. I have a four cylinder 1997 Subaru Legacy station wagon with roll up windows...
Think of it as "SPIRITED" driving and it wont have as bad a effect. I seriously doubt it will cause any issues, the way your talking. Now pounding on it, like teenagers do to their parents cars, thats some Aggressive driving.
I've seen old cars in New Jersey, so I wouldn't worry much about it.
Well I'm somewhat surprised and glad to read your responces. I'll try my best to keep it secluded and away from places. I don't do anything similar to street racing. I just like to briskly reach 5 over the speed limit. Once I'm there, my lead foot goes on an insta-diet. I guess reading BlackStone's comment on this UOA got me overly concerned. I suppose racing a car does wear it more, but not significantly if done right.
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1910143#Post1910143
"Most people 'enjoy' the cars quite a bit, but that's not the case here."
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1910143#Post1910143
"Most people 'enjoy' the cars quite a bit, but that's not the case here."
Just to echo what others have said, from the way I was brought-up, the hardest things on drivetrain etc are the hard agressive starts and stops. Letting an engine "run" a bit within its rpm limits I was always told helps to keep things exercised and clean. "Blowing the carbon out if you will" 
As long as you do a proper "warm-up" before hand, use a proper-weight modern oil, and do appropiate OCI's, the engine will probably outlast you
As long as you do a proper "warm-up" before hand, use a proper-weight modern oil, and do appropiate OCI's, the engine will probably outlast youWith oil to water cooling warm up of the oil should be nearly as in sych with the coolant.
Originally Posted By: Kurtatron
Well I'm somewhat surprised and glad to read your responces. I'll try my best to keep it secluded and away from places. I don't do anything similar to street racing. I just like to briskly reach 5 over the speed limit. Once I'm there, my lead foot goes on an insta-diet. I guess reading BlackStone's comment on this UOA got me overly concerned. I suppose racing a car does wear it more, but not significantly if done right.
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1910143#Post1910143
"Most people 'enjoy' the cars quite a bit, but that's not the case here."
If you plan to drive the motor hard,then don't extend the oil out to 7k. I suppose you could extend the OCI to 7k on some oils like Rotella or M1 EP. As a general rule of thumb, I change my oil 4k or 5k. It's probably the best preventive thing that you can to. Sure I maybe throwing money away, but I'm not a penny pincher when it comes to my car. I also enjoy changing my oil. You gotta pay to play hard.
Well I'm somewhat surprised and glad to read your responces. I'll try my best to keep it secluded and away from places. I don't do anything similar to street racing. I just like to briskly reach 5 over the speed limit. Once I'm there, my lead foot goes on an insta-diet. I guess reading BlackStone's comment on this UOA got me overly concerned. I suppose racing a car does wear it more, but not significantly if done right.
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1910143#Post1910143
"Most people 'enjoy' the cars quite a bit, but that's not the case here."
If you plan to drive the motor hard,then don't extend the oil out to 7k. I suppose you could extend the OCI to 7k on some oils like Rotella or M1 EP. As a general rule of thumb, I change my oil 4k or 5k. It's probably the best preventive thing that you can to. Sure I maybe throwing money away, but I'm not a penny pincher when it comes to my car. I also enjoy changing my oil. You gotta pay to play hard.
Last edited:
Ring wear has been shown to be 4-5x higher during acceleration* than steady state operation. Does this mean subtract 100K off the engine life on a spiritedly driven car? I cant answer that.
*SWRi Study: RAT ring wear
*SWRi Study: RAT ring wear
Last edited:
Considering that the Miata engine is a former turbo motor (IE Overbuilt for a NA car) and that it is pretty easy on oil, you shouldn't have any problem with driving it hard. Over at a Miata specific forum there are several UOA's on them, both raced and not and wear in pretty much all cases is low, even with motors that have been put on a diet of forced induction.
- Joined
- Sep 28, 2002
- Messages
- 39,799
Outside of breakage, I'd say that the wear rate will contour the added fuel consumption over/under any other usage profile. You see this in the marine engines. They're worn out sooner since their basically operated @ WOT and get 1.6mpg (fake figure). The life limit is probably somewhere beyond where some random MTBF for some component ..so you don't know what figure you're shortening ...350k...500k..750k
+1
Absolutely nothing wrong driving a Miata to redline everyday so long as the coolant and oil are up to operating temperature beforehand.
My MSM lives it's life just short of fuel-cut at 6700 RPM, and the 91 just doesn't make much power below 4,000 RPM anyway.
Check over on Miata.net or one of the multiple Miata based websites and you will find that these little engines are extremely robust and it takes allot to wear one out (and this usually involves operating it in one extreme or another, like turbocharging it and not upgrading components to handle it before hand.)
In naturally aspirated trim, just drive and be happy, you'll wear out the chassis before the engine.
My MSM lives it's life just short of fuel-cut at 6700 RPM, and the 91 just doesn't make much power below 4,000 RPM anyway.
Check over on Miata.net or one of the multiple Miata based websites and you will find that these little engines are extremely robust and it takes allot to wear one out (and this usually involves operating it in one extreme or another, like turbocharging it and not upgrading components to handle it before hand.)
In naturally aspirated trim, just drive and be happy, you'll wear out the chassis before the engine.
- Status
Similar threads
