We are all aware of how having your motor and engine regularly serviced and maintained can help it to run smoothly and efficiently for longer, it can even extend the life of your engine, but did you know that the way you drive affects the life of an engine too.
New or even modified engines don’t come cheap, so it stands to reason that you should have your engine regularly serviced and maintained, but there are a few things you can do behind the wheel to help out too.
The Running In Period
If you’re lucky enough to buy a brand new motor fresh from the showroom at metronissanredlands.com (or similar), then this is for you. Although modern cars don’t need to be handled quite as carefully as they did a couple of decades ago it still pays in the long term if you handle them with care in the beginning. You can find lots of useful information about this in the owner’s handbook – they’ll probably advise that you don’t drive faster than a pre-determined speed for the first few hundred miles, exceed a certain RPM for a number of miles etc. This gives the new engine parts the opportunity to get bedded in and shape themselves so that they are a perfect fit.
The Warm Up
Athletes know how dangerous it is to go for a run without warming up first, and the same can be said for your car engine. When the weather is particularly cold it can be tough for a car engine, it will take more energy to get started, the battery may have a lower charge and the oil will be thicker. That’s why it’s a good idea to give the engine time to idle and warm up when the weather is particularly cold. It doesn’t take long, you only need to wait around 30 seconds but those few seconds can make a big difference.
Slow Down
You may fancy yourself as a bit of a race car driver but there are many reasons why you shouldn’t unleash this fantasy on the public roads. For one thing it is dangerous, for another you will use lots of excess fuel, your emissions will be increased and it is not good for the engine. The faster you drive the harder your engine has to work – around 55 mph is the optimum for the engine and every mile per hour you go over this speed can be detrimental to its longevity.
Ditch the Trash
Some trucks and pick-ups are designed to haul heavy weights around the roads, which is why they are designed with lots of torque, smaller cars have smaller engines and are not built in the same way. They will not have the torque and power needed to pull or carry heavy loads. All that this will do is to create excess strain on the engine and cause it to wear out sooner than is necessary. Check out the owner’s manual if you are unsure whether your car is up to the job of towing whatever you need to tow or carry. The lighter the load in your car the less strain it puts on the engine so don’t carry your golf clubs around in the trunk all week unless you genuinely might need them.
Follow those rather simple steps and you’ll be doing your best to help your engine live a long, happy and healthy life, but if you do need to replace your vehicle for any reason just check out http://metronissanredlands.com, they’ve got some great deals.