Do you warm up your car before taking off?

It's been cold here in Michigan lately.....Start engine and let run until interior is so hot i have to roll down windows to cool down. Away i go. True story.
 
I try and let the idle settle before putting them in drive. Sometimes that takes a while on the Accord so I'll go ahead and put it in drive and go. I always try and wait at least 15 seconds to make sure the oil is circulating.
 
I hope you're not lugging it shifting at 2k. Just driving slowly is preferred.

I only warm a car up if I need to defrost the windows for safety.

My prius has pre-programmed "warm up modes" that are mostly idling and running off the HV battery unless I really flog it. So it's a no-brainer for me.
 
This last cold snap we are having, I am having to commute to work in my personal vehicle. I let it idle maybe 5 minutes then take my time. The first mile of road I get up to 60km/hour and then after I get up to 80, which is the speed limit on grids. No issues.

It usually takes close to 10 miles for the transmission to get up to whatever temp it needs for lockup.
 
If it's a modern car (after the early 80s) and the temperature is above freezing you have absolutely no reason to do so...
in fact you are wearing the engine out more quickly by doing this, when you drive almost immediately you warm up the engine oil and get the oil circulating more efficiently and effectively.
 
Inside the garage, the temperature is at least 15-20C warmer than outside. By the time I start the car, put the seat belt on, turn on the heated seat/adjust climate control, dash cam, and turn on my drive podcast, about a minute has passed in warming up. Slow and easy drive into the frigid cold and all's good.

If parked outdoors, then, about 5 minute warm up after plugging in the block heater for 4 hours, during this polar vortex.
 
I regularly consult with engineers from all over the automotive industry.

Most vehicles should simply be the following:

1) Let rpms get at or near the normal idle range.
2) Shift with your foot on the brake.
3) Then drive.

Cars have absolutely no problem with lubrication at start-up anymore.

If it makes you feel any better you can keep the rpm on the lower end of the band. Certain manual transmissions may not lubricate particularly well during extreme cold or if the fluid is exceptionally old. Nothing gets on my nerves more than feeling a synchro on my first drive get pinched.

I have 5 police departments within a 5 mile radius from my home. I tend to cruise below 2000 rpms until normal temperature and even afterwards I keep a light throttle unless I'm in a rural part of my state. I get a kick out of the fact that my 1994 Camry is still on the road with over 380,000 miles. Even though I haven't owned it since 2005.

All the best!

Steven Lang
 
On the Prius, as soon as the READY light is on. On everything else, I give it 30 seconds to build oil pressure before I move off. I’ll let it warm up in transit.
 
I don’t warm up, but my close next door neighbor and his wife both have Chevy trucks with remote start and aftermarket exhausts. They run their trucks for 30 minutes before they leave regardless of the weather. This requires several restarts...
ANNOYING!!!!!
I can relate . i have a neighbor that has two suvs that have hollowed out mufflers and those two stupid vehicles vibrate the walls in my home and they let the darn things idle after starting for more than a few minutes at least..
 
Since it got a bit colder here, the mid 20's the past few mornings, [which not not really cold] I changed things up a bit. I hit the remote start when I'm at the front door, walk to the vehicle, open the door, put the seat belt on, and drive away. Total warm up time is about 30 seconds, and the idle speed is under my 1,000 rpm target. Then I drive slowly until I get to the parkway, a few minutes away. We have a nice long acceleration ramp so getting up to highway speed doesn't require forcing downshifts and hashing the gas pedal.
 
I start up, idle 30-60 seconds while I get ready to go (seat belt, defroster, mirror heat, radio, lights), and go. Drive gently until I have oil at least 125 degrees.

Wife warms up her Blazer at fast-idle about 2-3 minutes if she hasn't used the block heater...otherwise, it sputters and smokes. Plugged in-start it, heater on, disconnect and hang up the cord, and go.
 
I'm getting more and more like my Dad: I want to make that fire and warm it up. I just start driving after maybe 20 seconds after startup, even at -15f. I'm gentle, but firm. The slushbox seems more affected than the engine by sub-zero temps.

Aside: left during the worst of the vortex for a week in Mexico. So cool to see vehicles on the roads so long that they actually start to burn oil, pretty obviously don't have emissions testing, and aren't afraid of manual transmissions and hills. So many Tsuros!!
 
My cars are parked outside. I don’t plug them in. I live in a colder city ( not the last few years like many places ) where we get -15 Celsius alot, as low as - 20 C ( used to get many -30 days , not anymore ).

My rule is , idle for car for 30 seconds ( just to get oil circulated ) when it’s 0 C or lower. When it’s -15 or lower, if wait 45 secs. Then drive gently. I actually look the second hand on the clock ( no, I don’t have OCD ).

My cars have always been high mileage ( 2012 has over 300,000 miles ) and none have ever used perceptible amounts of oil Between 12,000 oil drain intervals.
 
Today I did a cold start at about 45f. Let it idle for a few seconds waiting for it to come off of fast idle. After 30 seconds I took off. It was actually another 20 seconds before I touched the gas to get to the first stop sign. I noticed that the downshift at the first stop sign was smoother. Was this because of the longer warmup or the warmer than average temperatures than we have had lately?
 
...My prius has pre-programmed "warm up modes" that are mostly idling and running off the HV battery unless I really flog it. So it's a no-brainer for me.
Right. Mine tries to run off the battery for the first 1 minute, regardless of temperature. I doubt the resulting heavy discharge current is great for the battery, so move only very slowly (like maneuvering out of a parking lot) during that minute, i.e., avoid jumping into fast traffic or attacking a steep hill. Yes, that delay is sometimes annoying.

Pre-Prius, I would start off moderately as soon as the engine would run without stalling.
On the Prius, as soon as the READY light is on. ...
Then you're "flogging" the battery, unless yours is programmed differently.
 
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