Do you warm up your car (let it idle) before driving it on cold days?

[ortiz34]

as discussed in the article, engines do run more efficiently (and emit less pollutants) when they are warmed to proper operating temperature. . .however, when your engine is cold, the computer gives it more gas and less oxygen (it used to be called "choking" the engine, before computers came along and did the job for you) and, on a very cold day, if you start up the engine and let it idle, where it's not under operating stress (pushing the car around), a lot of the fuel ends up not getting burned. . .and some of the unspent fuel ends up in your crankcase. . .and dilutes your oil, which increases engine wear.

i don't let my car idle. . .i fire it up and i drive. . .the engine temperature comes up much quicker when the engine is actually working, and it's better for the overall life of your engine. . .my $.02.

I'm not talking about 10 plus minutes. I am talking at least 30-60 seconds on a cold start due to the lubricants being settled and thicker.

 

[gstacker]

Best way to warm Up a car is to drive it, BUT if ur windows are all fogged up duha!

 

[Mr. dB]

As soon as you've got oil pressure, the car is good to go.

 

[digimon7068]

I'm not talking about 10 plus minutes. I am talking at least 30-60 seconds on a cold start due to the lubricants being settled and thicker.

fuck. . .i'm old, d00d. . .it takes me 30 to 60 seconds just to get comfortable in my seat and fasten my seat belt and thumb through the songs on my mp3 player till i find one that suits my mood, etc

 

[Mr. dB]

...and thumb through the songs on my mp3 player till i find one that suits my mood, etc

Ugh. I like silence in my car, it's like my fortress of solitude.

I guess that's 'cause I learned to drive in a car with no radio.

 

[gstacker]

Lol I won't even drive a car with out music....

 

[Dial_tone]

foreplay thread?

 

[ortiz34]

fuck. . .i'm old, d00d. . .it takes me 30 to 60 seconds just to get comfortable in my seat and fasten my seat belt and thumb through the songs on my mp3 player till i find one that suits my mood, etc

you're an old noob

 

[RottenWillow]

Depends on just how low the ambient temperature, but roughly about 3 minutes. That's long enough for the oil pump to pick up and distribute oil to the valvetrain and for the transmission to lube itself. Older model year cars need more warming by far, but automotive technology has advanced hugely during the last 20 years, obviating much of the need for warming up. Even though it's an '08 I let the Corvette warm up a bit longer than the manual econobox b/c it not only has an auto tranny, but a hella big one.

 

[chris302001]

did anyone read the article? It was largely about emissions.