Look, as per the comments in this thread, there are sound reasons to let your car warm up for driver comfort and safety.
Of course I'm not advocating driving off with a half inch of ice on the windscreen. That's dangerous. Running the car to get heat is sound.
BUT the article in question is explaining why it's better to run the engine for warmup - for the engine's sake.
And it's using a bunch of falsities and poor arguments to justify it.
But to say "run it until your vehicle is safe to drive, regardless of 32F, or -32F" is less than a sentence, and doesn't sound anywhere near as smart as their article.
For example
Quote:
It’s not just me saying this—actual intelligent, non-morons agree, like the folks at Team O’Neil Rally School, who drive cars in sub-zero weather all the time:
ummm, of course a Rally school warms their cars up before beating on them...everyone knows you don't beat on a cold engine (except BJ Barlin, the Madman from Brindabella, who did burnouts on his cold Cleveland on 20W50).
Quote:
Even if the car can start and drive nearly immediately, every rubber thing in that engine is still hard and cold and brittle, those fluids are still highly viscous, and while driving is possible, putting any load on that engine isn’t doing it any favors.
The "rubber things" will still warm up quicker if the engine warms up quicker. And loading the engine isn't "loading" the rubber parts either. Again, no-one is advocating beating on a cold engine, however the more viscous oil thins quicker when revs increase...so light load driving still does a better job than idling. (Again, no-one is advocating beating on a cold engine).
Quote:
Will you need to accelerate suddenly to avoid danger? Who knows? It could happen. Will you have to detour and end up going up a steeper hill that requires more power? It can happen. And, remember, any hill will put your engine under load.
Ultimately, what’s the point of risking it? Why put yourself in a position where you could be needlessly causing engine damage?
Not an argument in the least...what sort of damage are they suggesting would be created by using normal driving techniques (seriously an unexpected hill is going to damage an engine ?...you've already been running the engine for at least 5 minutes by that point (my assumption, but it's equally as valid as hypothesising that you MIGHT need to be Don Garlits to avoid an accident).
Quote:
Their other big argument against warming up a fuel injected car revolves around that the fuel mixture is more rich when cold, and gas is a solvent that washes away oil, which is true, but ignores the fact that when driving, you’re injecting even more gasoline into the cylinders as you accelerate.
False argument...idling cold is more likely to wash cylinders, and for longer than light load operation.
They've slapped together a bunch of dot points that aren't valid/true. or overexaggerated their case to justify idling as a methid of protecting your engine.
Again.
* Warmup is quickest when lightly loaded and revs are above idle.
* that's NOT advocating beating on a cold engine.
* If you've got ice on your screen, that's a safety issue that needs to be managed. Idle you car for however long you need to be safe.
The "my car's a tool, so I choose to idle" is equally as valid as "my car's a tool, I'm getting in it and driving"...except the article paints that latter as damaging (or potentially) when it isn't.