Why type of engine stress does an engine go through when you bring the rpms up near redline? I 've read it's a good thing to do now and then, but that could be an old myth. Clearing out deposits/carbon buildup was one reason it was supposed to be good.
Is it bad to redline your car?
- Thread starter buster
- Start date
- Status
Any later model car in good running condition is almost impossible to harm by running to the limiter.
They are generally quite conservative in the factory settings. The only way you can exceed them is to downshift into too low a gear and over rev that way.
They are generally quite conservative in the factory settings. The only way you can exceed them is to downshift into too low a gear and over rev that way.
If your car is an automatic, it's not the easiest thing in the world to do to make the car redline!
Redlining and hotshoeing is perhaps fun, but there is no need and absolute no advantage to redlining to "get the carbon out."
Redlining and hotshoeing is perhaps fun, but there is no need and absolute no advantage to redlining to "get the carbon out."
Quick answer: IMO, absolutely not. Redlines are set to be very conservative.
Last edited:
I have read from an engine manufacture, that chrankshaft stresss/load go up as the square of the shaft speed. That does not however trnslate directly to wear. I suspect that wear vs rpm is different for eaqch engine and THE REDLINE LEVEL. jmt. ed
i had a topic similar to this a while back and it was concluded that nothing would really happen as long as oil was up to temp. but something i thought of after i made that thread was the affects of a redline shift on a transmission. it is widely said on here that an engine will outlast a car but the same thing is never said about an auto trans, would an engine redlining have a negative affect on a trans over the years? i would imagine it couldn't really help its longevity to do so....
Last edited:
Depends on how aggressively the transmission gets into the next gear.
Originally Posted By: Nick R
Quick answer: IMO, absolutely not. Redlines are set to be very conservative.
Honda S2000 from 2000 to 2003 redlines at 9000 RPM and fuel cutoff at 9300-9400 RPM, that is not conservative at all. From 2004 redline is set at 8000 RPM and fuel cutoff at 8200-8300 RPM.
Quick answer: IMO, absolutely not. Redlines are set to be very conservative.
Honda S2000 from 2000 to 2003 redlines at 9000 RPM and fuel cutoff at 9300-9400 RPM, that is not conservative at all. From 2004 redline is set at 8000 RPM and fuel cutoff at 8200-8300 RPM.
yeah nothing really wrong with touching redline every now and then on a mechanically sound engine.
i know many guys that hit the redline ever day like nobody's business, for as long as i can remember and they still driving around on the same engine.
just my observation
i know many guys that hit the redline ever day like nobody's business, for as long as i can remember and they still driving around on the same engine.
just my observation
I redline all the time.. I need to because I have no power.
No issues ever, don't expect any.
No issues ever, don't expect any.
Originally Posted By: swirlparanoid
i had a topic similar to this a while back and it was concluded that nothing would really happen as long as oil was up to temp. but something i thought of after i made that thread was the affects of a redline shift on a transmission. it is widely said on here that an engine will outlast a car but the same thing is never said about an auto trans, would an engine redlining have a negative affect on a trans over the years? i would imagine it couldn't really help its longevity to do so....
Depends on the engine/trans combo. TH400 behind a big block...then a redline shift means that the trans has to handle nearly full engine torque...But a modern engine with drive by wire and electronic transmission will remove engine power (through fuel or timing management) during the shift, greatly reducing the transmission load during a redline shift.
I wouldn't make a habit of redlining the car, but if the engine temp, and oil temp, are warm and stable, you're minimising the adverse impact...do it cold, you're asking for trouble...
i had a topic similar to this a while back and it was concluded that nothing would really happen as long as oil was up to temp. but something i thought of after i made that thread was the affects of a redline shift on a transmission. it is widely said on here that an engine will outlast a car but the same thing is never said about an auto trans, would an engine redlining have a negative affect on a trans over the years? i would imagine it couldn't really help its longevity to do so....
Depends on the engine/trans combo. TH400 behind a big block...then a redline shift means that the trans has to handle nearly full engine torque...But a modern engine with drive by wire and electronic transmission will remove engine power (through fuel or timing management) during the shift, greatly reducing the transmission load during a redline shift.
I wouldn't make a habit of redlining the car, but if the engine temp, and oil temp, are warm and stable, you're minimising the adverse impact...do it cold, you're asking for trouble...
I would just worry more about the transmission then the engine itself.
But on my automatic transmission I find it nearly impossible to redline, unless you drop the shifter into "1" or "2" or like me putting in into the manualmatic mode and hit the fuel cutoff.
But on my automatic transmission I find it nearly impossible to redline, unless you drop the shifter into "1" or "2" or like me putting in into the manualmatic mode and hit the fuel cutoff.
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: SLCraig
I redline all the time.. I need to because I have no power.
No issues ever, don't expect any.
1981 MB 240D...redline every shift after warm-up or it couldn't get out of it's own way...but MT meant I kept the load off the trans...and that diesel was one durable engine...
I redline all the time.. I need to because I have no power.
No issues ever, don't expect any.
1981 MB 240D...redline every shift after warm-up or it couldn't get out of it's own way...but MT meant I kept the load off the trans...and that diesel was one durable engine...
Originally Posted By: swirlparanoid
i had a topic similar to this a while back and it was concluded that nothing would really happen as long as oil was up to temp. but something i thought of after i made that thread was the affects of a redline shift on a transmission. it is widely said on here that an engine will outlast a car but the same thing is never said about an auto trans, would an engine redlining have a negative affect on a trans over the years? i would imagine it couldn't really help its longevity to do so....
I had a 1997 Honda Prelude Auto with tiptronic and the tranny didn't last too long with AGGRESSIVE driving and constantly asking the tranny to shift near Redline. (I must stress this again that I drove the car VERY hard)
The clutches for 2nd and 4th gear went out. $120 in a clutch kit and $300 labor and I had new clutch discs for all 4 gears and even reverse. Transmission shifts smooth as new. I sold the car shortly after to get something else because the automatic wasn't able to handle HARD driving.
My 98 Camry V6 with 209k miles shifts very smooth on the original tranny. It gets driven normally but sees plenty of WOT (WIDE OPEN THROTTLE) runs to Redline and various gears during normal commutes where more power is needed.
Basically as long as you won't abuse the car, the tranny will be fine.
I heard the same thing about it being good for the engine to experience full load and max engine speeds on a regular basis to allow various engine parts to fully expand under high pressure.
The high cylinder pressures also help blow off carbon deposites, as already mentioned. Same for the fuel injectors, etc etc.
Basically think of an engine (and car as a whole) as a human. You need exercise to stay healthy. Same with your engine. Stretch its legs a little bit every so often.
I've been redlining (and revving past Redline by 400rpm) since my 2007 Civic Si was new. It now has 110,000 and still runs like new. It has seen track time (time attack racing) and I beat on it daily (check my UOA posts) and all is well.
Enjoy your car. Keep up with maintenance and it will last a long time for you.
i had a topic similar to this a while back and it was concluded that nothing would really happen as long as oil was up to temp. but something i thought of after i made that thread was the affects of a redline shift on a transmission. it is widely said on here that an engine will outlast a car but the same thing is never said about an auto trans, would an engine redlining have a negative affect on a trans over the years? i would imagine it couldn't really help its longevity to do so....
I had a 1997 Honda Prelude Auto with tiptronic and the tranny didn't last too long with AGGRESSIVE driving and constantly asking the tranny to shift near Redline. (I must stress this again that I drove the car VERY hard)
The clutches for 2nd and 4th gear went out. $120 in a clutch kit and $300 labor and I had new clutch discs for all 4 gears and even reverse. Transmission shifts smooth as new. I sold the car shortly after to get something else because the automatic wasn't able to handle HARD driving.
My 98 Camry V6 with 209k miles shifts very smooth on the original tranny. It gets driven normally but sees plenty of WOT (WIDE OPEN THROTTLE) runs to Redline and various gears during normal commutes where more power is needed.
Basically as long as you won't abuse the car, the tranny will be fine.
I heard the same thing about it being good for the engine to experience full load and max engine speeds on a regular basis to allow various engine parts to fully expand under high pressure.
The high cylinder pressures also help blow off carbon deposites, as already mentioned. Same for the fuel injectors, etc etc.
Basically think of an engine (and car as a whole) as a human. You need exercise to stay healthy. Same with your engine. Stretch its legs a little bit every so often.
I've been redlining (and revving past Redline by 400rpm) since my 2007 Civic Si was new. It now has 110,000 and still runs like new. It has seen track time (time attack racing) and I beat on it daily (check my UOA posts) and all is well.
Enjoy your car. Keep up with maintenance and it will last a long time for you.
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Originally Posted By: Nick R
Quick answer: IMO, absolutely not. Redlines are set to be very conservative.
Honda S2000 from 2000 to 2003 redlines at 9000 RPM and fuel cutoff at 9300-9400 RPM, that is not conservative at all. From 2004 redline is set at 8000 RPM and fuel cutoff at 8200-8300 RPM.
Despite your feelings on the subject the redline is always set considerably lower than the engine can withstand. Note that when the displacement increased the redline was lowered.
Remember they give you a warranty on that engine! So they always set the stock limiter well below anything that could cause destruction.
Originally Posted By: Nick R
Quick answer: IMO, absolutely not. Redlines are set to be very conservative.
Honda S2000 from 2000 to 2003 redlines at 9000 RPM and fuel cutoff at 9300-9400 RPM, that is not conservative at all. From 2004 redline is set at 8000 RPM and fuel cutoff at 8200-8300 RPM.
Despite your feelings on the subject the redline is always set considerably lower than the engine can withstand. Note that when the displacement increased the redline was lowered.
Remember they give you a warranty on that engine! So they always set the stock limiter well below anything that could cause destruction.
Quote:
I've been redlining (and revving past Redline by 400rpm) since my 2007 Civic Si was new. It now has 110,000 and still runs like new. It has seen track time (time attack racing) and I beat on it daily (check my UOA posts) and all is well.
Enjoy your car. Keep up with maintenance and it will last a long time for you.
Though.. Do you have a manual transmission? A/t seem not to handle high rpm shifts as well
I've been redlining (and revving past Redline by 400rpm) since my 2007 Civic Si was new. It now has 110,000 and still runs like new. It has seen track time (time attack racing) and I beat on it daily (check my UOA posts) and all is well.
Enjoy your car. Keep up with maintenance and it will last a long time for you.
Though.. Do you have a manual transmission? A/t seem not to handle high rpm shifts as well
I'm of the "stretch it out" school of thought.
I firmly believe that an engine that gets stretched out early and often will outlast an engine that gets driven gingerly it's whole life.
And especially believe that holds true when changing use patterns...ie an engine thats been babied and then gets driven hard will fail sooner than an engine that gets driven hard then spends years in light service. Just my anecdotal rubbish opinion, but I've seen this scenario play out again and again.
I firmly believe that an engine that gets stretched out early and often will outlast an engine that gets driven gingerly it's whole life.
And especially believe that holds true when changing use patterns...ie an engine thats been babied and then gets driven hard will fail sooner than an engine that gets driven hard then spends years in light service. Just my anecdotal rubbish opinion, but I've seen this scenario play out again and again.
Originally Posted By: Astro14
Originally Posted By: SLCraig
I redline all the time.. I need to because I have no power.
No issues ever, don't expect any.
1981 MB 240D...redline every shift after warm-up or it couldn't get out of it's own way...but MT meant I kept the load off the trans...and that diesel was one durable engine...
2,400 RPM????
Originally Posted By: SLCraig
I redline all the time.. I need to because I have no power.
No issues ever, don't expect any.
1981 MB 240D...redline every shift after warm-up or it couldn't get out of it's own way...but MT meant I kept the load off the trans...and that diesel was one durable engine...
2,400 RPM????
Engine wear does increase by the square of the piston speed so if you ran the engine at red line for it's entire life you'd only get a fraction of the normal engine life.
In practice, even if you drive fast including cruising on the autobahn at 250 km/h (if you're so lucky) you only spend a tiny fraction of an engine life at very high rev's including red line.
For street driven vehicles, most wear still occurs on start-up.
And for those who like to "ring the neck" of their cars periodically, one should wait until oil temp's are at least at the low end of normal; say 70C, before extracting maximum rev's.
In practice, even if you drive fast including cruising on the autobahn at 250 km/h (if you're so lucky) you only spend a tiny fraction of an engine life at very high rev's including red line.
For street driven vehicles, most wear still occurs on start-up.
And for those who like to "ring the neck" of their cars periodically, one should wait until oil temp's are at least at the low end of normal; say 70C, before extracting maximum rev's.
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Originally Posted By: Nick R
Quick answer: IMO, absolutely not. Redlines are set to be very conservative.
Honda S2000 from 2000 to 2003 redlines at 9000 RPM and fuel cutoff at 9300-9400 RPM, that is not conservative at all. From 2004 redline is set at 8000 RPM and fuel cutoff at 8200-8300 RPM.
Despite your feelings on the subject the redline is always set considerably lower than the engine can withstand. Note that when the displacement increased the redline was lowered.
Remember they give you a warranty on that engine! So they always set the stock limiter well below anything that could cause destruction.
Not that I'm a Honda fan by any stretch of the imagination, but I would be suprised if the 2 liter could not handle almost 11,000 rpm before damage, and the 2.2 liter version around 10,000 revs before possibly grenading.
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Originally Posted By: Nick R
Quick answer: IMO, absolutely not. Redlines are set to be very conservative.
Honda S2000 from 2000 to 2003 redlines at 9000 RPM and fuel cutoff at 9300-9400 RPM, that is not conservative at all. From 2004 redline is set at 8000 RPM and fuel cutoff at 8200-8300 RPM.
Despite your feelings on the subject the redline is always set considerably lower than the engine can withstand. Note that when the displacement increased the redline was lowered.
Remember they give you a warranty on that engine! So they always set the stock limiter well below anything that could cause destruction.
Not that I'm a Honda fan by any stretch of the imagination, but I would be suprised if the 2 liter could not handle almost 11,000 rpm before damage, and the 2.2 liter version around 10,000 revs before possibly grenading.
- Status
