Run that engine before moving the car

[IndyIan]

You don't want to be using half throttle and 4k rpms, 10 seconds after you start a car at 0F, but these aren't race engines and if you've got 0WXX or 5WXX of some kind of synthetic, a long warm up time isn't helping anything.
0F and up, 1/4 throttle max in the first minute or two and then drive like normal. We've done that with all our cars and no problems with the engines all the way 200k+ and then the scrap yard.

 

[brages]

A little extra time to warm the batteries is probably good for hybrids.

My cars are there to serve me, not the other way around; I'll use the warmup method that fits my needs best - so far, they are holding up excellently.

 

[Pew]

I always warm up. I live 200ft from a busy 40 and 45 mph road so pulling out with the engine still on open loop screaming at 4000rpms when still cold sucks. Plus it gives me time to light a smoke.

 

[c502cid]

I'm too old to worry about the engine, if there isn't heat in the car, chances are I'm not going anywhere. 20 minutes warm up isn't uncommon on anything I own. My almost neighbor Edyvw in 5...4....3....2...

 

[Spro4Life]

Mine is DI/Turbo/CVT and on cold start it idles higher for several mins and I gladly give it at least 3-4 mins to warm up a bit when temps drop below freezing. Is it 'necessary'? Who knows/cares, but gives me peace of mind taking that bit of time to do so, same with letting it idle a bit before shutting off to cool turbo a bit more. No doubt engine materials/tolerances/lubricants have changed drastically over the years, but that's no guarantee those components can still handle typical daily use/abuse much/any better.

Will also say that one thing will always come to mind with cold starts... back in the 90s a guy that was my assistant literally laughed at me for warming my ride up a few mins before heading home on a regular basis. We worked 2nd-into 3rd shift and in winter would routinely see below freezing temps. He had a later 70s Thunderbird and as soon as he would start it out the lot he would rip it. Well the one time he did that when I left a few mins later he was parked on the side of the road with hazards on. Asked him what's up and that engine (302 I believe) had thrown a rod. Who's to say exactly what caused that, but him dogging it on cold starts likely didn't help. Funny thing is I don't recall him ever laughing at me from that point on when warming mine up.

 

[KrisZ]

I’m concerned about my comfort. I remote start my van regularly so that I can get some heat in the cabin before I go in.

 

[Marcozi]

The engine in my car revs to about 1200rpm at every start regardless of the engine or ambient temperatures. I think it's programmed to do so to ensure that oil and coolant get to the turbo. I always (regardless of the temp) drive very gently for the first 2 miles.

 

[Leo99]

It’s cold out across North America these days, which makes me feel I have to go on record as being in complete opposition to the notion of getting the car started and immediately driving off. My thought is that you absolutely need to have a little time to get the oil moving, while the engine is under no load. I think it also makes sense to get a little heat, not much, but some into the engine. One person I read recently made the statement that if you have a OW anything oil, all the properties are there even at the low temperature. Maybe that person should look and feel the oil on the dipstick when it’s cold. It’s thick. I say give it 30 seconds, or a minute. Give the engine a fighting chance. I am even less compelled by the idea that there is an environmental impact to this idle time.

My neighbor warms his car up for 20 to 30 minutes. He might consider your 30 to 60 seconds as immediately driving off.

 

[supton]

My neighbor warms his car up for 20 to 30 minutes. He might consider your 30 to 60 seconds as immediately driving off.

I'm in the 30 second or so camp, unless if I'm cleaning off windows. That's a great time to let it idle, while cleaning off the car.

I will make an exception for -10F, there's more than enough reason to run back inside and let the car idle for 5 minutes or whatever. Usually the car is running a bit rough and really likes it (I usually have older cars).

But I make no exception: if I'm at work and it's -10F out, I'm out of the parking ASAP. Not spending one more minute at work than I need to!

 

[walterjay]

Like many others I start the engine and as soon as it comes off high idle I drive off easy. I do this in both warm and cold weather. Gives it a few seconds to get the oil going everywhere.

 

[sw99]

Start it, buckle up, get settled & drive conservatively until the car is warmed up. No need for anything more unless you have to scrape the windows off. Keep it simple s....

 

[Lubener]

Engines warm up much faster when they are worked, not idled in the driveway.

Only during winter, I only idle my engine 2-3 minutes then drive off lightly. I see no reason to let it run much longer except to melt off ice from an ice storm off the windshield. Summer time, I drive off immediately after starting.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

When I let it run for a while, the only reason is so I can get in a warm car. Otherwise I take off after a minute or so

 

[supton]

Engines warm up much faster when they are worked, not idled in the driveway.

Only during winter, I only idle my engine 2-3 minutes then drive off lightly. I see no reason to let it run much longer except to melt off ice from an ice storm off the windshield. Summer time, I drive off immediately after starting.

You're right, a few times over the years we've had bad icing, eighth inch or more of ice. It's a waste of gas but oh so much easier on the car to let it warm up a bit, then the ice comes off with less chiseling. In those cases, you have to bang on the sheetmetal to knock off ice, else risk having it fly off on the road later--that's not safe. And scraping the ice off windows... bit safer on the glass if it can heat up a bit inside first.

Thankfully I rarely have icing like that.

 

[edyvw]

I absolutely wait! 5sec! That is how long it takes for oil to get to proper pressure. After that, slowly moving. In case of BMW and VW, they take 2min and heat is there. Sequoia takes bit longer (the seat warmers are absolute POS) but nothing like that POS Sienna I had. That vehicle couldn’t be helped with block heater and being parked in insulated garage.
Best winter vehicle I had was BMW X5 35d. Scorching seats and steering wheel. But what was really good was electric heater. Until coolant reaches 130f it would provide interior heat through electric heater. When you start a car, takes 10sec for hot air to come. Really miss that car!

 

[fantastic]

I'm with @himemsys and others.

The wife's been firing up the Volvo anywhere from 30 minutes to 10 minutes before we leave. It was -4F the other day. It's lousy mornings like that having the car warm up for our comfort is a top priority. Also helps put the heater on to help melt snow/ice. I don't do defrost in order to save fuel though. However I've gotten into the habit of at least waiting until high idle comes down until leaving on the days we don't idle the car on warmer days. Hard on engine to idle long times, hard on transmission to get in cold and rip down the road. Truth is probably "somewhere in the middle". Perhaps idling a min or two isn't a bad thing and keeping rpms down for the first few minutes if possible.

 

[thunderfog]

I'm more concerned about getting a little heat in the cabin before driving off. I don't see that as long as you keep the RPMs <2000, that whether the vehicle is standing still or moving will make little difference. I typically will start my drive gently, keep RPMs at or below 2k, and drive gently until the oil temp gets into a normal range.

What is a normal operating temperature range for the oil? (Not snark, genuine question - I've asked elsewhere in the past at what oil temperature do we get max protection from the oil - or near max protection - does it have to be all the way up to 180F?)

 

[GSCJR]

I absolutely wait! 5sec! That is how long it takes for oil to get to proper pressure. After that, slowly moving. In case of BMW and VW, they take 2min and heat is there. Sequoia takes bit longer (the seat warmers are absolute POS) but nothing like that POS Sienna I had. That vehicle couldn’t be helped with block heater and being parked in insulated garage.
Best winter vehicle I had was BMW X5 35d. Scorching seats and steering wheel. But what was really good was electric heater. Until coolant reaches 130f it would provide interior heat through electric heater. When you start a car, takes 10sec for hot air to come. Really miss that car!

More Toyota bashing by @edyvw; but I agree with you on this one brother. My 2GR-FE goes stone cold after it sits, the heat just simply vanishes. Yesterday it was -17c when I started it, and you could hear the little guy with his hammer on the engine for a while, and in less than 60 seconds, I feathered it out of the neighbourhood. One more thing, the perforated leather seat has been obliterated, I had to get some material to cover it or the sponge would disintegrate; just brutal.

 

[loneryder]

It’s cold out across North America these days, which makes me feel I have to go on record as being in complete opposition to the notion of getting the car started and immediately driving off. My thought is that you absolutely need to have a little time to get the oil moving, while the engine is under no load. I think it also makes sense to get a little heat, not much, but some into the engine. One person I read recently made the statement that if you have a OW anything oil, all the properties are there even at the low temperature. Maybe that person should look and feel the oil on the dipstick when it’s cold. It’s thick. I say give it 30 seconds, or a minute. Give the engine a fighting chance. I am even less compelled by the idea that there is an environmental impact to this idle time.

Agree and don't forget that the tranny is circulating fluid during this time...also good.

 

[loneryder]

My wife once had a 2012 Mazda3 with the Skyactiv engine. That car has a blue light when your engine is cold and it’s cold outside. My VW GLI makes decent heat in 90 seconds on a cold engine in 11 degree weather that hasn’t been ran in 10 hours. I don’t know how it does it.

My Mercedes have some heat right away. I figure they have some electrical heat because the engine has none.