New 2023 break in period

Picked up new ORP several days ago. Have almost 300 miles on her now.

Wondering if I need to wait 500 or 1000 miles before I can start using and playing around with:
4H, 4L and ATRAC, Crawl control, MTS etc or can I already go off-road and start using them?

so far only have kept it in 2H and driven it delicately 70mph or less on smooth asphalt

 

We had about 350 miles on ours when we tried all the systems you're talking about. 209 of those miles were the dealership driving it from Chicago back to their dealership on a trade. Prepare for fun! Use 'em.

 

I put it in 4h and 4l on my test drive.

 

I would do an engine break in oil change prior to 1k miles. Some dont care or wait longer but thats just me.

 

It's a 4 Runner not a McLaren. You don't need to break it in.

 

Everything is immediately usable from the factory. Here is what Toyota recommends in section 4 subsection 1 page 168 of the owner's manual regarding breaking in your new Toyota:

 

+1
I found a dirt road to play with them on my drive home from delivery.

 

Drive it like you stole it.

 

I thought that was just a motorcycle phrase?

 

If there's any vehicle that doesn't need a real break in period it's the 4R. I wouldn't worry.

But if you want to be extra careful I'd do the following for the first 1K miles:

1. Most importantly, don't drive at a constant speed. Make sure you're working up and down the rev range. Assuring periods of back pressure (engine braking) will help seat the rings, preventing oil consumption and lost compression later. Manually downshifting at highway speeds is one way to achieve engine braking. Engine braking to seat the rings is the theory behind "drive it like you stole it." I couldn't prove it, but personally I'm certain that driving at constant speeds is worse for a new engine than revving the heck out of it. That said, I'm not sure the 4R motor cares all that much. It's anything but delicate.

2. Avoid putting tons of stress on the drivetrain. That means don't drive at super high speeds, or tow, or beat the hell out of it off road.

3. Change the oil and filter soon after you hit the 1K mark.

I'd also change the oil at 5K intervals, especially if you are hard on the thing. Off roading, towing, carrying heavy loads, driving at high speeds for extended periods, city driving, or driving in extreme weather are all reasons to change the oil at 5K miles instead of 10K miles, per Toyota.

Some people here have an almost religious belief that 10K mile intervals are fine no matter what, and anyone who does them more often are chicken littles who are wasting their money. The rest of us know that manufacturers recommend such long intervals for reasons other than promoting long engine life.

But again, don't worry. It will be fine!

 

#3 is highly debatable.

Long time since I’ve heard of a vehicle where the MFG reccomend a short first change interval…. I think? BMW used to for M cars, etc but never heard f any Toyota that does.

A step further, some manufacturers ship the cars with a special break in oil (with really high levels of molybdenum or other war additives for example) and they explicitly DONT want you to change it early.

In any case,the tolerances and materials in modern engines are so much better today that long and careful break ins are not needed and as such there isn’t a lot of bad stuff in the oil that needs to get “flushed”

 

These three things are all in the "If you want to be extra careful" category. As mentioned, I wouldn't much worry about break in procedures for a 4R. (Being easy on the brakes till the pads bed in is worthwhile, but the OP had already reached 300 miles when he asked for advice, so that's moot).

I've done early oil changes on each of the last several new cars I've had -- except in fact my 4R. Cause the timing was inconvenient and I wasn't nearly worried enough about this motor to make the time. For this car it's just an extra precaution, for peace of mind. But do I think it will make the difference between a 250K motor and a 350K motor? I highly doubt it.

Now, do I think that 5k mile oil change intervals can make the difference between a 250k motor and a 350k motor? For sure.

 

I've got 315 miles on mine. Have not had it off road yet but have had it up to 80 (how else ya gonna vary rpm on the highway?) Had it in 4wd on an icy driveway where 2wd wouldn't move me anymore. If it snows, I'll use 4wd as necessary. Gonna be -12F when I leave work tonight, highway trip to the gf's place (only an hour)...and we're using her Subaru this weekend because it has remote start...hers only has 200 miles on it. Got mine Saturday, she picked hers up Monday.

Actually, we may go find some logging roads to explore Saturday, if we do that we will take mine...

 

I'm about to hit 1300 miles and I just picked up mine on 12/30. I've had it in 4H a bunch of times due to snowy conditions here in CO, haven't had a need to try 4L yet but will hopefully soon hit some trails. Today I'm going up to Denver to have RSG put on a set of rock sliders and a skid plate. These are my first two mods for now.

 

I had the dealer put Toyo At3's on before I picked it up. Wanted 275's but they're out of stock so I settled for stock size. On my F150, tires usually lasted 2 years, the 4Runner is only 400lb lighter than my F150 was so I don't expect them to last any longer (although it also has 115hp less and I drove my truck hard so maybe.) When the tires are spent, I'll lift, change wheels and go bigger on the tires all at once.

 

Remind me what part of the state your from? Im always looking for more off the beaten path roads besides NMW.

 

Why?

 

But you should be clear that all of this is nothing more than your opinion. You don’t have any statistical or lab data to back it up.


OTOH people post Blackstone Lab analysis reports on BITOG often showing that oil changed at 5-10k is still well within limits for wear particles and additive packs even on less well made engines than the 1GR. And they have posted analyses proving that factory break in fill from some manufacturers has extra added Moly, etc- proving your method actually detrimental in some cases.

regards- J

 

I would think that the manufacturers would tell people that there is a "special" oil from the factory.

 

Those analyses don't prove there's a special break in oil. They show that more metals from the new engine, lubrications used in assembly contaminate the oil during break in.

\

Exactly.

 

L/A but logging roads would be up north. Camped up at the Bigelow Public Reserve Lands and drove around the logging roads up there last summer. thinking about it, probably a lot of those roads are snowmobile trails right now...

Fewer and fewer places to go off pavement up here it seems. Drove my Frontier up Mt Pisgah in Winthrop when I had it, can't do that anymore.

 

Those features don't really stress the powertrain. Just don't go crazy with lots of wheelspin before 500 miles or high revs before 1000 miles.

Do the differential breather relocate if you intend to ford through water deeper than the hubs.

 

"Ride it like you stole it" was a common phrase amongst the people I used to ride with when I had a crotch rocket in my younger days. I guess I always just associated that phrase with something fast. Driving a 4runner like you stole it probably wouldn't get you very far if someone were really after you

 

No, but they do not tell you to change to oil earlier than stated in the manual.

 

correct, nor do they tell you not to.

 

Why would they if they specify you change the oil at 10,000miles? I myself don't believe it has any special oil though.

 

Isn't it just a recommendation?

 

10,000 miles is a recommended interval for light duty use. Read the manual. Toyota recommends 5,000 mile intervals for many other common uses. Such as off road. And towing. And heavy loads. And very high or very low temps. And extended periods at high speeds. Etc.

Clearly, the prudent oil change interval depends on many factors.

I swear this 10,000 mile interval thing is like some kind of religious belief around here. It is no more Gospel than the 5,000 mile interval that Toyota also recommends.

sheesh

 

I was gonna make sure all that stuff worked before I bought my 4runner. I test drove my 4runner over an hour, checking operation of 4hi, 4lo, and the rear locker. On the 80 mile drive home I hit a snowstorm and used 4hi. The next day I drove to work in 4hi on my 20 mile drive in. I have 42k miles on it now, no problems.

I would avoid hard use of a-trac/multi-terrain because it uses the braking system pretty hard. So I’d wait a to make sure those pads bed in nicely.

 

We were discussing changing oil at 1,000 for breaking in the engine, not off road or other heavy use intervals. We are very aware of these other factors.