Warm up car in cold weather?

[Swift101]

Hey Everyone,

I always let my car idle for a minute or 2 in cold weather, but I know technically there is no need to do so with modern cars. Today in NYC we hit a low of 5F, I let my Sonata (2.0T) warm up for a good 5 minutes before driving off. Naturally the shifter, steering, and pedals felt heavy and stiff.

Is it a good idea to let the car warm up in such low temperatures?

On a side note, I always drive carefully for the first several miles, keep it below 2500 RPM.

-Thanks

 

[Schmoe]

Boy, your digging up some old information that has been largely discussed. Do a search and then do some reading because that is a touchy subject amongst the brethren here. It's akin to thick vs. thin oil thing. I for one let it warm up.....different metals have different heat expansion values.

 

[demarpaint]

We get these questions every time it gets cold, there are lots of different opinions. I'm in Valley Stream probably not far from you, it was 4°F here this morning. I let the tach tell me when to take off. I start up, and when the tach hits ~1,000 rpm I go. It took a little over a minute this morning. That has worked well for me. I don't like slamming into drive or burning up a clutch. Opinions vary.

 

[mclasser]

Originally Posted By: Swift101
Hey Everyone,

I always let my car idle for a minute or 2 in cold weather, but I know technically there is no need to do so with modern cars. Today in NYC we hit a low of 5F, I let my Sonata (2.0T) warm up for a good 5 minutes before driving off. Naturally the shifter, steering, and pedals felt heavy and stiff.

Is it a good idea to let the car warm up in such low temperatures?

On a side note, I always drive carefully for the first several miles, keep it below 2500 RPM.

-Thanks

I do the same thing. I also start the car, turn on the heating and go back inside to finish my bowl of cereal. By the time I go out again, the car is nice and toasty.

 

[Clevy]

There are easily 10 threads on this very topic posted since we ushered in 2014
The search function easily dredges up these for you so if your actually looking for info,which I assure you there isn't any,just lots of opinions.
In the -35 we are presently getting I ur my car for a half hour before going anywhere. I guarantee I'll get an easy 300k out of it without breaking a sweat.
A vehicle is an appliance built to serve my needs. In winter my needs are to be warm.

 

[JHZR2]

OP, I think youre on the right track. I wouldnt idle it that long personally, I just wait until the engine speed starts to slow down. I know that can be a little while even on newest cars in such temperatures. I wouldnt idle it for more than a minute though.

Usually I get in, crank the car, then do seatbelt, mirrors, plug in phone, or anything else, while listening to the idle. When I hear the initia drop, which tells me the O2 sensor is heated, then I go.

And drive very gently for the first while.

Things like belts and steering wont be very happy in the cold.

 

[Swift101]

I saw a few posts with mixed responses
Originally Posted By: Schmoe
Boy, your digging up some old information that has been largely discussed. Do a search and then do some reading because that is a touchy subject amongst the brethren here. It's akin to thick vs. thin oil thing. I for one let it warm up.....different metals have different heat expansion values.

I did a search sometime ago and saw mixed responses as you mentioned. Since I'm running Pennzoil Ultra 5w30 I'm not terribly worried but I feel like warming up the engine can't hurt either.

I see a lot of people get in there cars on a really cold day and nail the throttle ( makes me cringe ).

 

[Bamaro]

At that temp, anything over about 15 seconds, just long enough to buckle up etc, is a waste.

 

[redhat]

Originally Posted By: Clevy
There are easily 10 threads on this very topic posted since we ushered in 2014
The search function easily dredges up these for you so if your actually looking for info,which I assure you there isn't any,just lots of opinions.
In the -35 we are presently getting I ur my car for a half hour before going anywhere. I guarantee I'll get an easy 300k out of it without breaking a sweat.
A vehicle is an appliance built to serve my needs. In winter my needs are to be warm.


I couldn't agree with you more. While I do love my car, I bought it to take me from A to B and to be comfortable.

 

[racer12306]

I started my car with the murcury reading 1*F this morning.

Started the car, got buckled in and situated, put it in reverse and then started the drive to work. The first 1.5 miles of my drive is 30mph or less, then .5 mile of 45mph to the highway, then 32 miles at 70-75mph down the highway.

The car acted pretty normal, had a little extra grunt at first but other than that it was perfectly fine. Took a hair longer to start with Motorcraft 5w30 in the sump as compared to when it's 30*F.

 

[Drew99GT]

Originally Posted By: redhat
Originally Posted By: Clevy
There are easily 10 threads on this very topic posted since we ushered in 2014
The search function easily dredges up these for you so if your actually looking for info,which I assure you there isn't any,just lots of opinions.
In the -35 we are presently getting I ur my car for a half hour before going anywhere. I guarantee I'll get an easy 300k out of it without breaking a sweat.
A vehicle is an appliance built to serve my needs. In winter my needs are to be warm.


I couldn't agree with you more. While I do love my car, I bought it to take me from A to B and to be comfortable.


+3; If it's below 0, I let it idle for a while until the water temp gauge at least moves and a little heat is coming out the vents. I lock the doors and use a spare key to get back in. It goes against the technical perfection of not idling in the cold and all the supposed negative consequences like more fuel dilution etc. Meh, I want to at least be able to see out the windshield before I start driving. I do love cars, but a daily driver is an appliance.

 

[sir1900]

It was -25C/-13F this morning, I let it run for 5 minutes and then started driving. Car warms up faster when driven.

 

[doitmyself]

Swift, here is a very recent argument, errr, gentlemanly discussion on the topic. Doing a Google search of BITOG works better than using the site search function.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...myt#Post3235259

- I imagine that people who garage their cars have a better option to idle less time before taking off. Everyone here commenting should take that into consideration.

- Cars that sit outside will require that ALL the windows are cleared of frost, ice, and snow. This is sometimes hard to achieve in sub 0F temps. So, based on previous threads, people here would also be outraged to see anyone driving on the roads with less than perfect vision (cleared windows). It's a catch 22 situation at BITOG.

- Do what you want. Waste a bit of gas to be comfortable and/or safe. Drive off immediately, even if your windows are not completely clear. Everything in moderation.

There will be no consensus here. People are wrapped up a bit too tight about non-issues.

Our mid Michigan temp this morning is -18F.

 

[DemoFly]

I let it idle about 20 seconds and then I'm off.

I drive easily for 2 miles until my coolant warms up and then I drive regular.

 

[bullwinkle]

One thing I have noticed-if you drive a Chrysler built vehicle, and it has the original PS fluid, you'll need to idle for at least a minute or 2 in subzero temps until you can turn the wheel! I usually wait for any unusual noises to stop & baby it until it reaches operating temperature.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Swift101

I did a search sometime ago and saw mixed responses

And mixed responses is what you'll see every time this question gets asked again.

Do whatever helps you sleep better at night and don't worry about what others do.

 

[Ken2]

There is no question about warming the engine and other parts;do it--the real question is about the best way to warm it.

As soon as it'll run smoothly, drive it easy. This is the best for the engine and other parts. If you do anything else, it is an indulgence--it's your car, do what you want.

If one is in a normal frigid winter area, an engine block heater, and maybe oil pan heater and battery heater for really cold areas, are very smart. The engine warms much faster, saves gas, wears less, pukes up the air less, and gets the cabin and driver warm much sooner.

 

[rshaw125]

Depends on a lot of things. Is the car parked outside? Is it covered in ice and snow? The only one answer here is: It depends.

 

[gfh77665]

Originally Posted By: Clevy

A vehicle is an appliance built to serve my needs. In winter my needs are to be warm.


Fully agree. Vehicles exist to serve man, not the other way around. Too bad more folks don't realize this.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

I used to be a huge idler in the cold. Then I started reading what people have observed and learning about it's effect on oil, etc.

I learned this from my parents who grew up on carbureted cars that had to be cranked for 3 days straight and idled for 2 weeks before they would move without stalling.

Modern FI cars start right up and will run pretty much nomatter what you do to them.

My focus, could sit in a parking lot all day idling and it would never make a bit of heat. If I let it idle for 10 minutes, all I would be doing is diluting my gas.