Red Line - how often?

[veedubbubh]

Hi Everyone,

Just wondering what people think about red-lining your engine.

Assuming you have it warmed up well and oil etc is ok any restrictions on letting it rip?

Thank-you for your opinions.

[JPC]

Driving a Diesel, i rarely encounter the redline.

Now by how the question i assume you mean hitting the rev limiter?

Im sure that hitting the rev limiter by accident on the odd occasion wont do much hard, thats what its there for, To stop the revs before they start to do damage.

Its more of a pointless thing than a dangerous thing by hitting the rev limiter.

The power will probably drop off quite a noticable amount before the rev limiter, so your gaining nothing in terms of speed by hanging onto the loud pedal.

Now, if you mean red line without hitting the rev limiter, its much of the same thing.

On a mapped car, i would guess that theres still some power left in the redline.

Im sure many of our members get in the redline quite a bit.

Not because they're trying to, just because there is still some peak power to be had from the engine at higher revs

[veedubbubh]

Just to clarify -  not hitting the rev limiter - just bringing the revs to the red line, maybe a little into it but not bouncing off the limiter.

[Greeners]

Everything in moderation! 

As long as you know the car is healthy and topped up with all fluids then it can do the car no harm to drive it with gusto from time to time where the conditions permit. 

[john_o]

unless you are running a custom turbo setup theres no real need , youd be faster changing up a bit earlier 
but if you do then as Nathan states it aint gonna do it any harm.

(the only thing that WILL do it harm is a forced low gear selection at too high a road speed! e.g. 1st at 60mph , then the limiter cant save your engine.....)

[stealthwolf]

I used to redline a fair bit when coming from a slip road to a DC. Sometimes I'd forget to change up and hit the redline.

As said above, no harm. I think there's also something about the higher revs smoothing out any perfections in the cylinders.

[veedubbubh]

Thanks for the replies,

IMHO it is actually important to run your engine often up to at max engine power and even close to the redline - diesel or petrol it won't do it any harm whatsoever but I am not an expert. My own subjective experience suggests it is good for the engine presuming you have good oil and correct temperature and well maintained. In any case whats the point in having it if you're not gonna use it??

Take care.

[Andy]

running the revs to the red line is ok evry so often but keep doing it in low gears as mentioned and some thing will let go in the engine-- a customer of ours who has a scooby red lines it every where,a con rod went through the side of the block,then his clutch went-2 weeks later his gear box blow up,any thing has its limits

[Aparoon]

My dad used to say go into the red, get your wallet out lol 

Think its a bit different nowadays, sport mode on my dsg takes me a fair way into the red 

[chungster]

pointless redlining an engine unless its making max power at or near there.

KO3 turbo'd cars for example..run out of puff before 6k rpm...redline is at 6.5k so ur wasting time by pinging the redline.

K04 cars gets closer.....

BT cars make max power at higher revs...so people like JonnyC will be bashing the redline more often than not lol

Non turbo cars (especially with VVT like a VTEC) need revs to make power, so again its better to get close to and ping the redline in those.