Does taking long highway trips during the dead of winter help the life of motor oil?

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What kind of advantages are there to taking a 150 mile round trip once a week during the coldest temperatures of winter. Does getting the oil up to operating temperature help the condition of the oil?
 
I'm sure this will assist in vaporizing condensation from the crankcase and in purging the PCV system. I would think a one hour drive at highway speeds should accomplish that and keep the oil in good shape. ND gets' really cold. I'd really avoid short trips in such cold weather.

[ September 15, 2003, 02:32 PM: Message edited by: moribundman ]
 
Can't hurt
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I think it is beneficial for both your engine and your oil to give it a "high output low demand" workout during the winter months.
 
quote:

Originally posted by moribundman:
I'm sure this will assist in vaporizing condensation from the crankcase and in purging the PCV system. I would think a one hour drive at highway speeds should accomplish that and keep the oil in good shape. ND gets' really cold. I'd really avoid short trips in such cold weather.

100% correct. I work for various OEMs and while in a cold lab in the spring I spoke to a tech there about some of the other tests he was running. One of them was so ugly- the room was set at -20F and they'd start and run a vehicle for about 10 minutes, then shut it off and let it sit until the bulk oil temp stabilized. Rinse and repeat. This particular vehicle had a poorly designed PCV system, so loads of condensate was getting mixed with the oil. Not getting up to temp allowed the condition to worsen, and eventually they had bearing failure. The Frigid Aunt Millie Test
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Robert
 
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