Do you warm up your car before taking off?

[pezzy84]

My car is electric so its start and go (well minus starting the cabin heat and defrost via the remote app). TDI we will let idle for 15-20 seconds before we roll off, it doesn't idle high enough for the alternator to give enough juice to run the aux strip heaters and it won't warm up idling anyways so its just slow and steady after the short idle time. Coldest we really see in ATL is mid-high teens so nothing crazy like yall see up north.

 

[1uz_4me]

Runs for a minute at most before driving, if it's cold

 

[Snowflake White]

In anything other than near zero or below temps there is no reason to warm up a cold engine, you are doing two things which are actually harmful, one is idling while the engine is cold INCREASES WEAR on the mechanicals inside it, and secondly it can decrease the life time and longevity of emissions components too, of course you are also wasting gas if it matters to you.

Folks stop bothering unless absolutely necessary like scraping ice and snow off the car windows.

Get in the car, start it up and GO!

 

[Gimpy1]

In the deep winter cold that Dallas gets I usually just wait for the rpm to drop from 12 or 13 hundered to 500. It usually does not take long. Maybe 1 or 2 min. My KIA has a turbo, so for the first couple of miles I take it easy and just let everything come up to temp. Besides I live very close to a school so I'm limited to 20 mph in the morning. Once I get to the George Bush tollway which is only 2 miles away the car is up to operating temp and then I can romp on it if need be.

 

[M104]

I suspect all of you who do not let your car warm up use 0w or 5w oils. It is written in both my cars owners manual to just start it and drive and avoid warming it up but in the 90s 5w40 was rare and those cars all had 15w40 or 10w40 at best. I would not feel comfortable starting it with 15w40 in the sump and not give it a few minutes even if manual states that 15w can be used down to -15c.

 

[4wd]

I suspect all of you who do not let your car warm up use 0w or 5w oils. It is written in both my cars owners manual to just start it and drive and avoid warming it up but in the 90s 5w40 was rare and those cars all had 15w40 or 10w40 at best. I would not feel comfortable starting it with 15w40 in the sump and not give it a few minutes even if manual states that 15w can be used down to -15c.

Sure. The two common PVL grades in the USA are 0w20 and 5w30
15w40 is normally in diesel powered light trucks

 

[demarpaint]

I was surprised to read some comments regarding high idle at 1700 rpm and waiting for that to kick down.

Sounds like the 70’s. Are there new engines that still high idle like that? My CX5 high idle is 700rpm and that drops to 550 within a few seconds.

My 88 E-150 idles high, and the colder it is the longer it takes to idle down. The thought of glazing the clutch to get it going when it is idling that high combined with my OCD forces me to wait until it idles down. My concern is not the engine, it's the clutch and drivetrain.

 

[Falcon_LS]

Depends on the time of year. In spring, summer and fall, I usually fire it up, let it come off high idle and take off. By the time I put half a mile on it, it's at operating temperature already. This time of year, where it's routinely 40 - 48°F in the morning, I let it idle until coolant temperature hits 100°F and it comes off high idle, then take it easy until operating temperature is reached.

 

[Skippy722]

Van gets remote started because we have it and why not. Below 40F it kicks on the seat and steering wheel heater automatically, which is nice.

The truck it depends... tonight I started it and spent 5 minutes cleaning the windows while it idled. Most nights I let it run a minute or 2 just so there’s some heat to defrost the windows.

 

[Falcon_LS]

My 88 E-150 idles high, and the colder it is the longer it takes to idle down. The thought of glazing the clutch to get it going when it is idling that high combined with my OCD forces me to wait until it idles down. My concern is not the engine, it's the clutch and drivetrain.

Interesting you mention that, and I completely agree about the drivetrain!

My Pajero/Montero has a Fast Idle Air Valve (FIAV), which runs coolant through the throttle body/IAC valve housing. Over the years, I've noticed if it's under 45°F on a cold start, it'll run at ~1,500 rpm for a minute or two before it drops back to 1,200 rpm cold idle speed. Thereon, it normalizes at 600 rpm.

 

[350Rocket]

The best thing to do is to get it warmed up as quickly as possible. This helps the environment and the life of the engine. This is done by starting and driving off ASAP. Does anybody here not think the manufacturers have not done the math here?

Here in Bitog (the land of blanket statements) people only think about their own environment and don't realize it's not the same everywhere else. Start a vehicle at minus 20 and tell me it doesn't need at least a couple minutes of warm up for the engine and transmission and even the sometimes whining power steering pump.

 

[alarmguy]

I let the engine run for 60 seconds or so, if its my truck a couple minutes when using remote start, kind of nice that it also heats the seats and turns on the defroster if ice on the rear window and door mirrors.

Not sure how much it matters but I am a little surprised how many just get up and go in here. ONLY because in this oil forum we talk viscosity like its something important.

Call me crazy but your oil has a viscosity = to around 500 for a 0/30 oil give or take 50 depending on weight at 32F So I like to make sure the oil is on the move and think within 30 to 60 seconds it certainly is.
After that, I try to drive gently until the temp gauge rises a bit.

Viscosity of engine oil at all different temperatures;
https://wiki.anton-paar.com/en/engine-oil/

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[350Rocket]

I was surprised to read some comments regarding high idle at 1700 rpm and waiting for that to kick down.

Sounds like the 70’s. Are there new engines that still high idle like that? My CX5 high idle is 700rpm and that drops to 550 within a few seconds.

It was a bit warmer today (back up to minus 8 whatever that is in f (20 or so I guess) but my truck spiked to 1500 and quickly down to 1200 for a minute. Colder days it maybe idled at 1400 for a bit. The 2010 Tacoma at work is closer to 1700 on a cold day and idles high a lot longer.

 

[skyactiv]

I start and go. I drive gently until the engine is warmed up. My Elantra has a turbo and the ECU limits boost until the engine is warmed up. The Audi doesn’t limit boost but I drive it gently, too until it’s warmed up.

 

[RedSpider]

I usually let it warm up long enough for the starter to disengage.

I do drive gently until the low temperature light goes off, or the temp gauge starts moving, and no hot rodding until its completely up to temperature (I hardly ever hot rod any of them anyway).

Other than that.... nyet, comrade.

 

[wtd]

I don't.

 

[glock19]

At home the cars are in the garage so there's no need. On vacation, I use the remote start to keep the wife and kids happy.

 

[Benzadmiral]

It makes me chuckle when you guys from the south talk about it being cold and the car needing to warm up before driving.

I know. Our local weather TV people always say it's "chilly" or "cold" when it's barely 40 F. outside. Our Swamp dwellers always think that -- but then they want to dress like Bart Simpson all year long. Put on a jacket, morons!

As for me, I climb into the Buick, start it, click the seatbelt and get the radio going, wait a few moments until the RPM drops below 1000, and head off for a slow many-turns drive through the dump I live in. Once I get out to the street, I drive at about 35-40 until I approach the bridge, about 2 miles, and accelerate up to highway speeds. If the weather is cool-to-cold, I start the heat when I see the coolant needle settle into the midpoint, perhaps 4-5 minutes. If it's hot outside, the unfortunate norm, I start the A/C within a minute of driving off, once I've blown some hot air out of the windows.

I haven't had ice to scrape off here in a few years, only some frost, and I do that while the car runs. Much more often there's condensation on the windows. I squeegee that off before I start the car.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Being in MN I hate driving in a stone cold vehicle in the winter, especially when my kiddo is with me. Even though my Jeep has heated seats and steering wheel, I still remote start it and let it warm up for 5 minutes or so. At that point by the end of my block the HVAC is producing heat so my kid isn't freezing in the back seat.

Above 50 degrees or so I just hop in, start it up, buckle up and go. Probably less than a minute.

My Buick has those features too. I haven't had to use them -- I wear a coat and gloves in cold weather. Of course, "cold" here is barely "autumn frost" to people in more civilized climes like Colorado. If I lived in WI or SD (as I hope to do some day), I might well use those features even with coat and gloves.

 

[Hall]

I start and go.

You're in the heart of Buckeye country, right ? Do you park in a garage ?