rn59fan

Q: Is the 1,000 miles driven before towing an Absolute, or a guideline?

smokeywren

Guideline.


You can begin towing immediately if you follow some rules.


1] Only gentle acceleration. No jack-rabbit starts.
2] Lots of throttle-off deceleration, such as coasting to a stop with minimum use of the service brakes. Use the trailer brakes only, an stay off the brake pedal.
3] No steep hills or mountain passes that would cause the engine to work hard.
4] Vary the towing speed a lot. City traffic with lots of stop signs and red lights is ideal. But if you absolutely need to tow on a freeway, then change the cruising speed at every exit or every 5 miles or so. Take every exit with maximum throttle-off deceleration, if you need brakes use the trailer brakes only, and then get back on the highway and gently accelerate back up to your new cruising speed per the following example.

For example, if the speed limit is 65 MPH and exits are more than 5 miles apart, then
5 miles at 50 MPH if traffic will allow
5 miles at 55
5 miles at 60
5 miles at 65.
5 miles at 69 (ticket limit)
Then repeat beginning at 50


Continue that routine until you have over 1,000 miles on the odometer.

The purpose of the 1000-mile rule is to allow the gears in the diff to mate and get used to each other, for the piston rings to mate to the cylinder walls, and for the brakes to be gently used until they have a good match between brake pads and rotors. So you want to "baby" the drivetrain and gently use the service brakes until they have a chance to mate (i.e., break in).

rn59fan

Hey, Thanks for the Info!
Just took delivery of my new 2017 F-150 XLT V8 4WD, and I want to treat it right!
The plan is a long term, as in 15-20 years of service, so I don't want to start out by creating damage where there is none ...