Often you will hear people revving the engines of their lovely new sports cars as they drive. It’s pretty common and easy to do, but how exactly do you rev your engine without ever moving your vehicle? Well, it’s pretty simple, and I will show you exactly how to do it.
How to rev your vehicle in six easy steps:
- Turn on your vehicle.
- Let your vehicle idle for 20-30 seconds.
- Place the car in park or neutral.
- Make sure that the vehicle is not on a hill.
- Rev the engine in park or neutral.
- Remove your foot from the accelerator.
In the rest of this article, I will cover the six steps you should take to safely rev your engine while your vehicle isn’t moving, as well as some of the most frequently asked questions about the effects of revving your engine. So if you would like to learn how to rev your engine while not moving, stick around to find out.
1. Turn On Your Vehicle
If you want to rev your engine in a manual or automatic vehicle, the first step remains the same. You will need to turn on your vehicle carefully. This can be done easily by using the key in the ignition as you would usually start your car. In order to rev the engine of any vehicle, the car must first be turned on.
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2. Let Your Vehicle Idle for 20–30 Seconds
Next, you will need to be patient, as revving an engine that has been sitting for an extended period of time without warming up can be detrimental for the vehicle. This is because the oil in the engine has not had time to warm up and be pushed through to lubricate essential engine components.
So, when you start revving a vehicle before it’s ready, there is a good chance that you can damage important parts within the engine due to the added stress they will be under. This is why it’s recommended that you wait at least 20-30 seconds, though longer is always okay. Just be sure that your engine is warm before revving, and you should be fine.
It’s also important to note that you should not idle your vehicle in an enclosed space such as your garage, and if you are letting your car warm up, you should open the door to allow in the fresh air. The toxins emitted by the exhaust are dangerous, so use your best judgment as you wait for your car to warm up in order to rev the engine.
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3. Place the Car in Park or Neutral
After your car’s engine has had time to warm up, you will need to place the car in park or neutral. In either case, you will be able to rev your car’s engine without ever moving your vehicle. However, placing your car in park before revving is undoubtedly the safest method for hitting your accelerator.
If you are planning to rev your vehicle while in neutral, there are some added precautions that you should take. Firstly, you should place the emergency brake on. This will ensure that when you go to rev your car’s engine, you don’t go flying off as soon as your foot hits the gas.
It’s important to remember that you should NEVER rev your engine while the car is in drive or reverse. Likewise, you should triple-check that the correct gear has been selected when switching your car’s gears to park or neutral. Accidentally setting your car into the wrong gear could be disastrous.
So just remember to use caution when switching gears and to use the parking brake as an added protection.
Also, if you would like a more thorough explanation about the shifting and revving process, you should definitely check out Helpful DIY’s video on How To Rev The Engine In An Automatic Car. He does a great job of explaining the dangers of revving a vehicle in drive or reverse.
4. Make Sure That the Vehicle Is Not on a Hill
This step is especially important if you are driving a manual vehicle and intend to rev your vehicle while in neutral gear. This is because when a car is in neutral gear, it’s very easy for the vehicle to be moved, so if you have parked on a hill and switch into neutral, it can very easily begin rolling, especially with the force of the revving.
So to avoid rolling away and potentially damaging someone’s property or causing injury to yourself or others, you should always park on level ground before revving your engine while the car isn’t moving in a manual.
However, as I previously stated, you can use your parking brake to help prevent your vehicle from moving during the revving. Still, parking brakes sometimes fail, especially when they are under strain on hills, so it’s better to be safe than sorry.
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5. Rev the Engine in Park or Neutral
You will then want to carefully begin revving your engine once you have settled into park or neutral. I personally recommend using park as it is much safer to do so.
To begin revving your vehicle’s engine, you will want to use your foot to nudge the gas pedal down gently. This should result in your car exuding a loud rumbling sound. Then, as you tap the accelerator, the vehicle will continue to make that deep growling noise until you have stopped.
Remember to pay careful attention to the RPM gauge and ensure that the needle doesn’t dip into the red. When you rev an engine for too long, it can cause it to overheat, or a valve could get stuck open, resulting in over-revving.
Generally, you should be fine to rev your car’s engine on and off for a minute or so. Then, as I previously discussed, just be careful and keep an eye on the RPM gauge; if the needle dips into the red portion of the dial, stop revving immediately and give your engine a break.
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6. Remove Your Foot From the Accelerator
Once you have sufficiently revved your engine, it’s time to take your foot off of the gas and turn the vehicle off or be on your way.
So congratulations, you have learned how to rev your engine successfully while in park or neutral. Now you should now be able to rev your engine whenever you would like so long as you follow these outlined steps.
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Frequently Asked Questions
I will now go over some of the most frequently asked questions about revving your engine, especially in park, the consequences of revving an engine too high, damages that can occur, and which gear is best to rev in. So let’s get started.
Q: Is It Better To Rev in Park or Neutral?
It is better to rev in park as this is the safest way to rev a vehicle while the car is not moving. When you rev your engine in neutral, you can risk the car sliding down a hill or moving slightly if the emergency brake is not properly engaged.
Q: Will Revving Damage the Engine?
Revving will not damage your vehicle’s engine so long as you don’t allow your RPM gauge needle to move into the red. You can avoid this by not revving your engine for too long and stopping immediately if you notice the gauge is getting near the red.
However, if you do rev your engine too high or for too long, you can damage your engine. So always remember to rev only in moderation.
Q: What Happens if You Rev Your Engine Too High?
If you rev your engine too high and for too long, you can cause permanent damage to your engine. This is because you are putting added strain on the engine’s components, and often you can cause a value to get stuck open from prolonged revving.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, revving your vehicle’s engine is a reasonably straightforward process, and you can quickly accomplish it by simply following just a few steps. Despite how easy it is to do, it’s an impressive way to get people to take notice.
If you wish to rev your engine while your vehicle isn’t moving, simply follow the steps outlined above. Doing so will give you that deep, throaty growl that many people find so exciting. Just remember that in this, as in all things, safety comes first.
