Watch the 2020 Corvette’s Redline Increase after Break-In

Usually, only an original owner will experience this milestone. Thanks to YouTube, we can all live vicariously through them.

Cars come and go, but Corvettes are eternal. Case in point: even with all of the 2020 C8 coverage here on Corvette Forum (including the article you’re reading now), we still spend a lot of time talking about classic Corvettes.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of Corvette restorers, it’s possible to enjoy a 1953 Corvette in 2020 in much the same way the original owner did when it was new. As these cars are carefully preserved and restored, many generations will get to have that same experience.

However, when it comes to the new C8 Corvette, there’s one experience that will be exclusive to the original owner. When a new 2020 Corvette is delivered, its redline is just 4500 RPM. It remains that way until the car surpasses the 500 mile break-in period.

Party in Your Right Foot

When that happens, the cluster blinks and suddenly you’ve got the entire range of the tachometer. There’s no special animation, no celebratory chime, and, as far as we know, the car does not dispense any confetti.

For obvious reasons, though, it’s still a very special experience for new Corvette owners. With the engine broken in, its full potential can finally be realized — all the way up to a 6,500 RPM redline.

For a car like the Corvette, it’s an unusually ephemeral part of the ownership experience. Thankfully, it’s all captured here on video, saved for posterity so that future Corvette owners will be able to see what it was like when it happened.

For years, folks have argued about the proper way to break in an engine. Some advise a “hard” break-in, with lots of wide open throttle, high RPM activity. Others suggest a “soft” break-in, with careful driving on the lower end of the RPM range, with as much variety in engine speeds as traffic allows.

Like many manufacturers, it’s clear that Chevrolet is a strong believer in the soft break-in. If you find yourself behind the wheel of a new Corvette, don’t stress too much over trying to get the “perfect” engine break-in.

Thanks to advances in technology, engines now are built to very high tolerances. In this day and age, a break-in is more or less a formality before the fun begins.

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