Newbie Q: should I really drive under 55mph for the first 500miles?

The dealer is feeding you a line of @#$%^...to start with you really don't need to break the car in...that's old school thought ...just vary your speeds in normal driving...if you do 70, then do 50, then do 30, then 75...that's fine...
just drive with the flow and don't worry about it...also...if you haven't already...get your tire pressures up to 42psi front and 40psi back...and you will be just fine...

 

Hi liquidice63. The idea is to NOT just get on the flat open highway and set the cruise control so the ICE runs at a constant speed. Since you have no direct control over when the ICE turns on and how fast it runs, don't worry. Commuting has enough slow-and-fast driving. Try not to do any sudden braking (always good advice) for the first 600 miles or so; that gives the brake pads time to match to the microgrooves on the front disk brakes.

Mostly, just enjoy!

 

Summary: don't drive like a maniac in the first 600 miles.

 

My 2007 Owners Manual says:

"Break-in period

Drive gently and avoid high speeds. [But I don't know exactly what that means.]

Your vehicle does not need an elaborate break-in. But following a few simple tips for the first 600 miles can add to the future economy and long life of your vehicle:

* Avoid full-throttle acceleration when starting and driving.

* Avoid racing the hybrid engine.

* Try to avoid hard stops during the first 200 miles."

 

The above quote sounds like a plan to me! But I'd take it easy on the brakes for a few hundred more miles than the recommend.
Wonder what speed the dealer would have recommended if the nation speed limit had never been set at 55 mph?

 

I always think that's funny. "Don't go above 55 mph!" What's the bad thing that happens at 56 mph? I understand the need for a margin on limits, but it does come across as silly when the "break-in limit" of the engine is for some reason identical to a historical interstate speed limit.

 

IIRC: For the early years, the break-in top speed on new Toyotas was 50 mph. That was the 70s, early 80s, where, at least in most places, traffic wasn't so crazy.

Of course that 50 mph limit probably had generous leeway built-in....meaning that 58/60 mph was probably OK.

BTW, I know I read a Tom and Ray newspaper column (also have car talk radio program on NPR) on Break-in Periods and just found it on their web site cartalk.com. They claim that break-in periods are not as critical as they used to be and that some car makers have done away with them altogether.

But they also say that while car are more precisely manufactured, they believe that following a break-in period could mean the difference between getting 150K out of an engine vs. getting 250K.

So, I don't think it is unreasonable for a dealer to say 55 mph, based on historic limits on Toyota engines and the prevailing speed limits in most areas today.

I just avoided major highways while driving my Prius for the first 1000 miles, and seldom topped 50 mph. Pointless, maybe, but it worked for me and at least I know that I didn't drive at an "excessive speed."

I know a lot of people think break-in periods are unnecessary nowadays, but I'd rather be a little cautious for the month or two than wonder about it for the next 150K

 

It's still worthwhile to avoid hard braking. That one instance may not have done any harm.