What happens if you redline a car

One of the worst things that could happen to an engine, valve float usually happens at really high speeds. Poppet Valves are a part of an IC engine and their job is to moderate fuel and exhaust intake and outtake. They are located on top of the piston. A valve float means that these poppet valves stop closing. This results in low performance reduced efficiency and in worst-case scenarios piston blowing out of the engine.

Yes, it is. Should you do it all the time? Engines are designed in such a way that they can perform at redline without breaking down or taking damage at those RPMs. Working at peak performance be it an engine or anything else will take its toll and cause wear and tear. Newer cars also come with rev limiters that cut fuel supply if the engine is working at redline or above for too long.

Let stake a look at if it works and if its worth to redline your engine. A redline a day keeps the carbon at bay. A common saying among the redline enthusiast, it is not entirely false. Multiple studies have found out that more load on a car means more carbon deposit however more load also equals higher temperature which results in the cleaning of said deposit.

This makes the Italian tune-up more of a maybe rather than a guaranteed clean up of carbon deposit. Running an engine to redline in these vehicles helps to generate the temperatures required to break down these deposits and improve performance. However, a vehicle that is driven on very short trips and that rarely gets up to proper operating temperatures can still suffer from carbon buildup issues.

Redlining might be an effective way for certain vehicles to keep engines running clean. Photo courtesy of Flickr. Know How. Having been bitten by the car bug at a young age, I spent my formative years surrounded by Studebakers at car shows across Quebec and the northeastern United States.

Over ten years of racing, restoring, and obsessing over automobiles lead me to balance science writing and automotive journalism full time. I currently contribute as an editor to several online and print automotive publications, and I also write and consult for the pharmaceutical and medical device industry. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Lowell, MA. Hudson, MA. Medway, MA. View Quotes View my tire cart.

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