break in period on an 08 mazda5?

just bought the 08 mazda5. the dealer told me that you dont have to break the engine in, but I read in the manual that you have to be careful for the first 1000km's. no dirving at the same spead for a long period, what does this mean? how long are they talking about, 1hr, 2hr? I am planning a long trip next week and need to know what precaution I should take when driving for a long period.
thanks

it means no *hard* accerleration no *hard* braking.
just don't beat up your new Mz5.. with tender and care drive it ...

^^ yeah, what he says . For today's engines is not as bad as in the past. Some things to consider:

• No high RPMs
• No towing
• If on a road trip give it a break every couple of hours, you'll need it anyway

After 1000 km/600 mi, you should be fine...

You'll be fine, there's no break-in period. It's only a Mazda5, not a performance vehicle. You shouldn't be driving it hard anyways. Good luck with it, I sure love mine.

thanks

thanks for your response guys. I know its not a performance car but it does feel like it
zooom zooom (drive)

Traditionally, engines needed a break in because parts could not be manufactured to very tight tolerances. Because of this, the rings the seal the pistons actually had to grind on the piston walls as the seated to ensure proper wear.

The break in period was to keep people from running hard ALL the time and creating uneven wear and therefore causing gas and oil to blow by the rings. Ironically, if you ever research break-in, most racing builders run hard acceleration pulls (basically like a dyno test) as the high heat does help wear evenly. The big issue is that this can only be done for say 3 or 4 pulls, then the engine has to cool completely.

I still think it's best to vary the engine speeds for the first 1000 or so miles/kms, as running at a consistent speed doesn't develop enough heat to wear rings properly. Fortunately, modern manufacturing can make parts with suck tight tolerances that wear in is basically non-existent.

Brakes on the other hand should be used hard at first, again due to a wear/break in issue. It's the same type of idea as engine break in in that the brake pads need to 'form' to the rotor surface.

Another thing that nobody ever tells you is that new tires require about 500 miles too break in. Special coatings are used to keep the rubber from sticking to the tire mold. I can attest to this as out 5 has snows on after about 2 weeks and the OEM tires were a bit squirrely when I put them on come spring!

http://www.tirerack.com/tires-techpage-1/5.shtml