Do You Abuse Your Car?
 

My car just passed 4700 miles. Hardly any miles on it, and I'm starting to feel bad a little. I've launched it over 5 times, did 1 very short burnout, and slammed through the gears quite a few times... with all this, the cars seen many runs to redline. All this is great at the time but after is all said and done I feel horrible for doing it.

I feel like I'm destroying the car and going to run into problems with it once I really add some miles to it. Anyone else kind of feel like this? I want to go easy on it but when the time comes I cant resist.. its just too much fun.

I know it doesnt seem like a bunch to you guys, but I'm just paranoid I will screw something up or I'm going to run into problems down the road. Anyone else kind of feel the same?

aren't MUSTANG meant for that? :laughing1


Although I try not to beat on it much on the streetz. only at the track obviously.

I would worry if you were treating a civic like that though
Muscle cars I meant to be driven hard.....ROOOOAAARRRRR

It's the very reason I bought my car. If I wanted to just tool around town I would have gotten a GEO.

my car is has 118k on it and i have been through 4 trans... i don't regret one bit expect or one instance... yes i abuse it i'll admit that, but in the same respect i also take care of here so she can handle it...

I drive the hell out of her sometimes. Then sometimes I just drive with the windows down just to be out driving.

I wouldn't call it abuse :happy8: . If you maintain her like you're supposed to, our cars were built to have a little fun. Otherwise, I wouldn't have bought the damn Vortech.

I only have 2,260 on mine and it has seen redline many times, not as many times during the break in period. My dad told me that his experience during the engine break in periods was that it doesn't matter if you go super slow or redline a few times here and there. He said the engine wants to perform like you broke it in. I can't argue that, and wont. This is my first new car so only time will tell, but I tend to drive it hard half the time and nicely the other half. I also don't redline it everytime I do drive hard, if I'm just accelerating fast for my own pleasure then I just bring her into the power range. After all, we got torque.. not just horsepower. I think your 4.6 will be just fine, and I'm sure it's just as or more reliable than a 5.0. :nike:

"I would worry if you were treating a civic like that though"
They don't have enough torque to break anything!

I mostly drive my car just cruising around. Driving it fast and aggressive costs too much for gas lol. But when I do it's a beast.

Why is better to stay in higher RPM's I see alot of track people want to stay there but I heard that high RPM's were what kills your car. I try not to stay above 3500 for more than 3 sec. when I drive on the streets.

Remember Mustangs are made to be driven hard. At 350 miles I took mine to the Dragstrip and had a blast. I go fairly easy on the street, :icon_chee keeps the insurance cost down!! Next spring I am going to give autocross a try.

High revs put more stress on the motor yes, granted. But the reason for revving it higher is because that's where your horsepower is, then when you shift it into the next gear it's right at the torque peak.

Well I dont feel as bad anymore. ;)

I think I'll take the launching easy though until I can get some decent tires. I was having some fun with an srt 4 and an eclipse gsx, and I lit the tires up like nothin else. :cwm21:

I drive my car hard like it was built to. If these cars couldnt take the abuse like they do, they wouldnt be making mustangs anymore. Im not saying redline every gear, but dont worry about having to *****foot it around everywhere. Like stated, if you maintain it, and its running correctly, dont be too worried. Launching on slicks and drag radials will eventually bring the demise of your rear end, but dont worry too much if you just drive on the street. My car gets well exercised, but I dont abuse it by any means. Ive actually never done a burnout, tires cost too damn much...

How well does an auto 3.8 handle aggressive driving?

my $0.02
 

My first new car was a 79 Z-28. I drove the dog**** out of it every chance i got. Blew the motor in 3 years. rebuilt it and drove it hard as nails for another 3 years. Then I drove it like a normal person for 5 years. Great car. Easy to work on. ( That was my Chevy side coming out in me).

My 04 GT is my first Ford vehicle. I am very impressed. I have redlined it a few times in 1st and 2nd gears.

I have fired up the goodyears 2 times in 1st gear. ( I let off after the tach went red).

But I think my favorite thing to do is going about 20 mph in 2nd gear and peg the throttle with a little clutch of course and let this little monster leave some serious marks on the blacktop. :love7:

This car seems to be an all around ready to take what you can give it little hotrod. I'm in love!

But yes I do worry about breakage,, BTW which could happen at anytime to any vehicle. Mechanical stuff DO break

all I can say is that I drive mine like I stole it!!! I have 15k miles, and my gatorbacks are toast. I've been to the track like 10 times, and test out my g-tech anytime I can. These cars are ment to be driven hard, my first car was a 89 p-40 notchback, and I couldn't hurt it, after that I'll never buy another car.

i get on it time to time.

Mustang abuse
 

You must consider the intended purpose of the car in question. Now, if you were running your dad's Caddy to redline consistently, that would be abuse. But Mustangs are intended to be driven hard. What you have done with your car so far I would classify as normal use, for cars like ours. For the most part, they can take it with no negative lasting effects. They were built to take X amount of "abuse".
My advice to you would be, ditch the guilt! :nike:

More abuse!
 

Now, this is a man after my own heart! Go for it! :icon_thum :icon_thum

I've got 28k on my Stang.... I drive her hard 1/4 of the time, cause, after all, she's my daily driver... The rest of the time I drive her almost like an old lady (No offense intended). I try to stay as close to 2k rpms as much as possible for as many gears as possible... except 5th... I mean, I'm pretty sure ahe could handle it.... but I can't afford anything to be breaking :icon_pale anytime soon...

I've got just under 16000 miles on my car, and I've been to the track 3 times and I'm on my 3rd set of rear tires. My car seems to run at least as good as it did stock, and everything (including the clutch) looks to be in good condition and feels great when I drive it. Happy hotrodding :toothy12:

128,000 miles on my car. It shifts at 6300-6500rpm....stock motor....stock tranny. These motors are made to rev high. The main caps are bolted thru the side of the block..very durable. Redline 6050rpm is nothing..they have a limiter...they can run that rpm all day long. The crank is good past 7000rpm....rod stretch is your main concern, but that won't start until 6500-6600rpm. It just boils down to if you can afford the downtime or a rebuild on your motor. I have had great luck with the 4.6...it will blow away the previous 3 5.0's I have owned.


Adam

Wow, and I thought I was hard on mine...
Im not nearly as cruel as you guys are.
:icon_king

well i just back back from a like a half hour romp in the 178k 88 prelude... i just beat the piss outta that car..lol it was great ... and ya know what it runs prefect... i'm amazed, i didn't break anything... i think a part of me wanted too(or maybe just get pulled over or something stupid).. god i miss driving the stang.. i want it to be spring...

I Rev The **** Outta Mine And Love Every Second Of It...

Driven hard 1/4 of the time
 

Man, with that stable you've got, you SHOULD be taking it easy on one of those cars!
:brave:

Race it, powershift, do donuts, burnouts, and purpously slide the back end into hard turns. Enjoy it because once a part goes, than you know it's time to upgrade. Just make sure your maintenance is up to date, always use good parts and fix problems as soon as they occur. It's actually really hard to brake these cars with anything less than 420 rwhp. If you have an 03 Cobra, you can go near 500rwhp without any major problems.

Have you switched out the blower pulley in your cobra?

I know how you feel man.

My Bronco is still relatively low on miles for a Bronco.

I just passed 167000 on her, she's still runnin' like a beaut but I'm getting the feeling that maybe one day all of 89 degree hills I climb, the curbs I park on, the rivers I drive it through, and the barrell rolls I put her through over asphalt may start to take its toll.

Do you guys ever bounce off the rev limiter? I was having problems shifting tonight. :( and banged off it once... or two times. :(

Thankfully its there to protect me

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