To warm up or not to warm up, that is the question

A

airjames

New member
Usually before I take off somewhere in my truck I let it idle for a couple minutes to let everything get warmed up and get the oil circulated. I've noticed though my truck gets better mileage when I don't let it warm up, if I'm in a hurry to get somewhere.



I've also been told by friends that know there stuff, and I do mean know there stuff that it's not necessary to let it warm up. They say let it idle for about 15-30 seconds and go. What do you guys do??? 91
 
let the revs stabilize (about 10 seconds) and go.



your car is very inefficient when the engine is cold and it takes longer to warm up when it's just idling. point is, you probably just want to get going - your car will warm up faster and you'll actually be doing something with the gas you're buring.



just be easy until the temp comes up since the oil isn't flowing too easily yet
 
I have a remote starter so it's typical for me to let it warm up for 10 minutes or so. I do this in cold or in very hot weather just for my comfort. In the cold weather I think it's a good idea to let it warm up so that all the "juices" are flowing well and the heat from the engine even warms up the suspension (maybe....just a little) the power steering fluid, the brake fluid etc.
 
JimS said:
I have a remote starter so it's typical for me to let it warm up for 10 minutes or so. I do this in cold or in very hot weather just for my comfort. In the cold weather I think it's a good idea to let it warm up so that all the "juices" are flowing well and the heat from the engine even warms up the suspension (maybe....just a little) the power steering fluid, the brake fluid etc.
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Actually, idling for more than a minute is just wasting gas. To warm your car up properly, keep the revs low for the first few miles you drive until the water temp gauge gets to normal temp, then you can start driving a little faster.
 
i have a remote start as well and i notice my car goes through gas like crazy. I don't let it idle for to long though as i dont like it just sitting running. I tend to use the remote start just for the winter as i have the heated seats.
 
It's been a pretty cold winter in CT. I warm up my girlfriend's Pathfinder everyday with the heat on low blowing on the floor/defroster. Maybe its psychological, but I feel doing that prevents the windows from potentially cracking if you warm up your car with no air on, then slam them with hot heat on a freezing window. By the time we get out to go drive to school (10 mins of warming up), the car isn't at normal temp (very close to it though), but the air coming out of the vents is warm. Drive about 2 miles and its at optimal running temperature.



I always let all my cars warm up. I'd rather have the oil circulating as well as the rest of the fluids before I start driving. I guess you can say I plan for the worst as in...If I had to pull out quickly when my car was cold and risk having it stall, choke, break, etc.



My rule of thumb is 10 mins in the winter, 5 in the summer. I'll pay the extra couple bucks of gas to know that everything is at the temp it should be.
 
Hey guys,



Thanks for chiming in!



It seems alot of people have different opnions on this matter, some say let it warm up, others say there's no need. Course it all comes down to the bottom line, personal preference.



I work 5 mins from my home. So regardless the weather I do let my truck warm up. Especially in the winter because the drive is so short. With engines these says it's important that they get warm and the oil is nice and hot for proper operating and the engine has enough heat to burn off excess moisture.

thanks again,,,91
 
I get in the car, start the engine, secure any stuff that I may have, buckle-up and go...about 30 seconds idling...I read somewhere that it is better to get rolling as soon as you can. Aside from the engine that needs warming up, the tranny needs to warm-up also...so if you idle until the temp is normal then go, your going with a cold tranny...thats how I have been doing it for a long time....
 
I get in the car, start the engine, secure any stuff that I may have, buckle-up and go...about 30 seconds idling...I read somewhere that it is better to get rolling as soon as you can. Aside from the engine that needs warming up, the tranny needs to warm-up also...so if you idle until the temp is normal then go, your going with a cold tranny...thats how I have been doing it for a long time..
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And then we'll drive EASY for about 5 miles...



Right?



Jim
 
jimamary said:
And then we'll drive EASY for about 5 miles...



Right?



Jim
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i wouldn't say 5 miles.....it works for me...where I live I have to snake my way out of our complex ..from there the main road is about a third of a mile away....so I just roll(its downhill) without my foot on the pedal until I get to the main road...from there I just try to accelerate gently...I dont race the engie until it gets to operating temp...
 
I want the oil to be warmed before pushing the car hard. Oil flows better when warmer then colder. I feel more comfortable with a warmer engine knowing that the oil is seeping onto every valve, rings and crank parts in the motor.



Newer cars can be driven in about 1 minute with the use of thinner oils like 5-20w - 10-30w. Thinner oil takes less time to heat and gets to it's normal operating temp faster. Newer technology also plays a big factor in getting the idle to stabilize and not die on you when cold.



Older carbed classic autos have chokes which is usually controlled by a heat choke tube. If you try to drive a cold carbed car after 30 seconds, there may be a good chance that it will die on you when you get to a stop sign. That an entirely different subject that I won't get into...



Erik
 
In my owner's manual it specifically states not to warm up the car. I says that there is no benefit to warming up and that you will be wasting fuel. I also think that letting the car idle for 10 minutes is probably worse then softly driving a cold engine. I thought warming up a car went out with the carburetor...:nixweiss
 
The owners manual for my VW and BMW say to drive immediately, do not allow to warm up.



I let them run for about a minute before driving and go easy for a couple minutes until the engine warms up.



In my VW I watch the tach hover a tad over 1000rpm's. After 30 seconds, it falls to 1000rpm. After 1 minute it drops a tad below 1000 rpm's. Then I go. You can hear a difference in the sound of the idle too.



The BMW fires right up and idles at an even keel. Ready to roll!



My 96' Civic I warm up for a few minutes, then go and pamper her for a couple miles. That little inline 4 whines and complains until she's warmed up. The tranny lags until warmed up.
 
Depends on the car in a lot of cases. My Honda I just let the RPMs rev down a bit and it probably doesn't even need that. Now my wife's Mazda, I prefer to let it warm up, especially in the winter. I think as long as you drive in the lower RPM range until the temp guage comes up you're fine. :xyxthumbs
 
My owners manual says to drive away. The oil etc will increase in temperature a lot quicker and less fuel is used if you dont let it idle.
 
I've never heard any mechanic, car "guru" or owners manual say to let the car warm up. In fact a lot of them say that allowing the car to warm up causes more wear than just driving, as when you drive the engine reaches operating temperature quicker.



As for the windows cracking, maybe if you threw boiling water on them but theres no way the car's heater is going to crack the windows...



Plus the side windows would just shatter, they're tempered.
 
I'd say, the bigger the displacement, the more you should let the oil work through it to warm up.



I have a WRX and was advised to not drive past 4krpm until the temperature guage lifted from C to make sure the turbocharger was prepped.
 
During my Jorneyman Motor Mechanic training I learned that engines that are idled excessively exhibit more wear on the lower half of the crank journal bearings.



Engines are designed to operate and wear best under load. In cold weather use a good synthetic oil and there should be no problems with lubrication.



What I do is the following. I start the car, take my snow brush and clear the snow from the car and the ice from the windows and drive away. In reality all you need is, as others have pointed out, about 15 seconds of idle time then drive at low rpm for a few miles/kilometers.
 
Having your engine at the proper operating temperature is essential before really stressing the engine. By stressing I mean high RPMs. Realize also that most cars (not all) have very inaccurate (I like to call idiot gauges) gauges for temperature. Also realize that fluids such as oil, transmission fluid, etc. usually take much longer to warm up than the water/antifreeze in the cooling system. What is point? Don't just let the temperature gauge (usually water) dictate when your car is warmed up. Drive easily to allow everything to get warm. A good example of this can be seen in the e46 M3. The water temp gauge will come up to normal quickly but the lights on the tach showing what is the highest RPM you should run take much longer to go away.



Additionally on most modern cars (some 90's Porsches notwithstanding) the heat for the climate control system is taken from the cooling system (usually water/antifreeze). Turning on your heat immediately in the winter puts more of strain on a car that is trying to warm up. That said some of the more modern auto climate control systems will not attempt to warm up the cabin until the engine coolant has reached the proper operating temperature.



I find it very frustrating that the gauges on modern cars are so idiot like. I want to know at what point in the scale of things my car is operating. If the temperature is just barely in the normal range let me know as if creeps up to the very top of the normal range let me see that also. Don’t just have needle that is buried right in the middle and then flash lights at me when things have gotten too hot. That is the one thing I love about the gauges on the Porsche. I know exactly where things stand. The temp goes up in stop and go traffic and then when you hit the express way you see the needle drop. This is how all car gauges should work. Ok I feel better rant off. :D
 
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