How bad is it really to occasionally hit redline in a controlled manner? Is it practically detrimental at all? I'm not talking about revving in neutral, or cruising at redline -- just hitting it (at WOT) during acceleration and/or during passing maneuvers after everything is warmed up. To me, logic would dictate that the redline is set to an engine speed that's safe to hit occasionally (or else it would've been set lower), and that this is true whether you're talking about an engine in a sporty car or in a car with less of a sporty focus (be it a 6000 RPM V8, an 8000 RPM I4, or even a 4500 RPM diesel I4). In fact while sporty cars are probably more likely to be redlined recreationally, economy cars may be in general more likely to be in situations where the full engine speed range is actually needed and used given they have less power on tap and will need to take advantage of all of it from time to time. I don't see why higher revs would be safe in one but not in the other.
However, despite this logic, plenty of people seem afraid to hit redline or seem to think it's bad for the car. Generally the truth is somewhere in the middle -- where is the truth here? Has anyone actually experienced or heard of engine problems that could be attributed to too much revving? Ever redlined a car all the time and still had no issues after many miles?
However, despite this logic, plenty of people seem afraid to hit redline or seem to think it's bad for the car. Generally the truth is somewhere in the middle -- where is the truth here? Has anyone actually experienced or heard of engine problems that could be attributed to too much revving? Ever redlined a car all the time and still had no issues after many miles?