You may be eager to get your new Ford F-150 home to finally do a heavy towing job you've been putting off. Now that you have a reliable, capable pickup, you have no excuse not to, right?
If you are a chronic procrastinator, there may be good news yet!
When a vehicle is new off the lot, it has a break-in period that requires special care. For the first few hundred miles, avoid:
- Fully opening the throttle
- Redlining the rpm
- Using cruise control
- Short trips in which the engine does not reach operating temperature
- Towing
As a recent Engineering Explained video explains, a gentle break-in period is necessary to allow imperfections in the engine to wear down evenly. If it gets too hot, it can cause damage. You may also want to avoid towing during the break-in period for safety reasons -- new tires are coated with a thin film left over from the factory, slightly reducing traction until it wears away.
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