Originally Posted By: KrisZ
This topic is very similar to the countless anti-seize on spark plugs threads.
Personally I believe that hard break in is not "horse manure", but the definition of "hard" will vary wildly from one person to the next and that's why companies stay on the side of caution.
We have people here thinking that 3-4k RPM is running an engine hard. Some start threads after taking their engine to the redline, worrying if they damaged anything. Given such a disparity of what people perceive as "hard", it is no surprise that a lot of manufacturers recommend what they recommend, that is the safest approach that has the least potential to negatively affect their bottom line.
Honda Germany where the opportunity still exist for running the engine wide open for extended periods has not more than 4,000 rpm for the first 1k (600mi) in the owners manual, 2/3 of redline if a safe area for most engines.
Full throttle up hill but not exceeding 4K is also a good thing to load the rings now most manual transmissions are a thing of the past where engine braking could also be used.
Edit: That's a far cry from drive it like you stole it.
