How often do you go WOT aka "Italian tune up"?

[Sean Michael]

I was discussing this with a friend recently who was saying these motors, especially the 6.2L, need to be run hard from time-to-time to keep them happy. He's put some high mileage on his trucks and attributes some of that longevity to doing occasional WOT pulls to "clear everything out". He's talking about doing it after the vehicle is properly warmed up of course, and not necessarily flooring it from a standstill and thus shocking the drivetrain, more like a couple of rolling WOT pulls here and there being good for the motor.

I don't need too much of an excuse to enjoy a pull here and there regardless, but I was curious if other owners do the occasional "Italian tune up" and if you think running them hard occasionally has benefits over exclusively babying them. I can imagine some slow drivers who tend to just cruise around might rarely go much over 3,000 RPM and never let their motor fully breath. Any opinions on the topic?

 

[Doubeleive]

multiple times every time I get behind the wheel
vehicle runs great, but extreme use requires a more severe maintenance schedule.
I also inspect it often and am therefore pretty sure when I do get on it that it's not going to pop a hose or break a belt or do something dramatic.
I should also note doing such a thing, tends to cause failures, primarily the transmission & rear end. until they are upgraded to absorb the abuse.

 

[RoadTrip]

I do "Italian Tune Ups" at least once a month on all of my vehicles. It is a great way to know if something feels "off", such as a misfire. However, I do go light on the throttle most days since I'm trying to increase the longevity of everything. I do about 50% highway driving while running exclusively E85 for low carbon deposit and higher timing advance benefits.

The "clear everything out" part is a reference to carbon build up inside the combustion chamber. Hot, high-demand loads will increase the cylinder tempature and burn some of it out. An example of that would be towing a heavy load, but just a few-second WOT pull will not be enough to do much for the majority of the carbon in the cylinders. The truck's control systems will keep the timing advanced under more conditions than older engines where the ignition only advanced more at higher RPM.

Most high grade fuels now have additives to help keep the carbon deposits to a minimum. There are also some additives you can buy to add to your fuel if you are not convinced the carbon is gone.

Still, you should go and enjoy some WFO runs!

 

[Joseph Garcia]

That was a technique that was popular during the carburetor days, but I don't know if it does the same with direct injection.

As @Doubeleive stated, for most of us, a periodic WOT is what makes these trucks fun and gives us a pump of adrenalin, some more often than others. For me, if this technique works the same on direct injection motors, then I must have one of the cleanest motors out there.

 

[Doubeleive]

That was a technique that was popular during the carburetor days, but I don't know if it does the same with direct injection.

As @Doubeleive stated, for most of us, a periodic WOT is what makes these trucks fun and gives us a pump of adrenalin, some more often than others. For me, if this technique works the same on direct injection motors, then I must have one of the cleanest motors out there.

I know mine is pretty clean lol, the wife's 16 needed a full service but we bought it with about 90k on it and the previous owner probably never pushed the pedal much.
the direct injection motors are more prone to buildup

 

[the 18th letter]

I usually do a couple stretches of accelerated driving before each oil change. A couple time everyday is wild lol I actually have to drive someplace where it’s possible to open it up.

 

[jgraves]

In 1.5 years of ownership, I don't thing mine has ever seen full throttle. The 6.2 has enough power that I never feel the need to use all of it. The Yukon has spent several days (900mi each) pulling an enclosed trailer and sucking back the gas but I can't say I've ever hit the throttle stop or much above 4k rpm.

Jeff

 

[ReaperHWK]

lol. Wot pulls in a Tahoe…….

 

[Stbentoak]

Usually, every on ramp to major interstates if no one is ahead of you, I'll hammer it up to about 85-90 a few times a month. Can't hurt anything....

 

[Marky Dissod]

There's a road speed under which, if you stomp it suddenly, it'll make a big to-do out of a multiple downshift,
followed by jumping over a couple thousand RpM.

The trick to an 'italian tune up' is to quickly roll into the throttle without stomping it from a low speed,
so that you don't unnecessarily shock anything with a multiple downshift.
(4L60E can do a 4Dn1 , think 6L80 / 8L90 / 10L80 multidownshift by going from a gear through neutral to a gear,
like 7-N-3 or 10-N-5.)
Then you gotta hold your foot down til you're threatening 85-90MpH.
The WOT pull has to be long enough to give the cylinder a good fuel soaking.
As enjoyable as it damn well should be, it's not about the fun!

1. Plan when and where to do this without concerns. I've a few favorite spots where, despite the illegality,
no one / nothing is in ANY danger, and after a quick reconnoiter of the spot, I know I won't get caught either.
2. Run a strong dose of Chevron with Techron Fuel System Cleaner, Marvel Mystery Oil, BG44K
or another very highly recommended fuel treatment.
(Many are benign but ineffectual, go read Bobistheoilguy for a week and then make your decision.)
Bonus points if you can do this using ethanol, which is a better fuel system cleaner than petrol.
3. It's not quite a drag race, don't worry about reaction time or 'hooking hard',
unless looking for the drivetrain's weak spots.
4. Once you hit 85-90MpH, don't stomp the brakes, but get back down to legal speeds quickly and safely.
Bonus points if you DON't have to stop! The engine will appreciate avoiding DFCO immediately after a WOT run.
There's a reason why Texas vehicles' engines tend to do better than NYC engines.