Because on most ATs oil (which is also the coolant) is circulated in Neutral and not in Park. On brief warm-ups you may not feel a difference but if it is going to be two or three minutes it will shift like a warmed up transmission in the first time.
Warm up - Part 2
- Thread starter Accord2005NJ
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Put the correct oil in your Honda's- 5W-20
That's a terrible analogy. Try this one on for size:
Let's say you just woke up and knew you had to run five miles and and wanted to do that as soon as possible. For the sake of argument, let's say you had three minutes to get ready to make the run.
Would you sit on the edge of the bed and blink, sigh, rub your eyes, etc. for about 2 minutes, 45 seconds, and THEN put on your clothes and dash out the door? (this would be the equivalent of just letting your engine idle for a few minutes before driving)
Or would you sit on the edge of the bed for long enough to get your bearings, stretch your arms a bit, decide what you're going to wear (say 15 seconds), and then get up, stretch gently some more as you puttered around your bedroom, perhaps working your way up to doing a few jumping jacks before going out the door for your run, and taking it easy for the first few hundred yards? (this would be analogous to starting the car as soon as you get in, then putting on your seat belt, making sure all the dash lights turn off, making sure the mirrors/climate controls/audio controls are adjusted to your liking (etc), and then starting off on your trip, driving gently until your vehicle warms up)
Letting your car sit and idle is about as efficient at warming it up as sitting on your keister is for warming yourself up.
You dig?
I think you have it. Unless I need to defrost the windows, I find an idleing warm-up a waste of time and fuel. Drive easy for the first few miles, and the engine warms quickly. Idleing in the driveway only causes fuel dilution of the oil, and a sitting car gets exactly 0 MPG while running.
bingo.
Double Bingo!
That was my thinking too.
When I moved to Canada and bought a Civic I took the heater option. Never used it! It always started easily so I didn't bother.
These days I pay more attention to battery condition and oil weight then heaters. I have a charger and every few months test my batteries and recharge. During winter months I mix in some 5W20 to bring oil weight down. I think these types of actions are effective and less hassle than heaters.
As for idle to warm up, around 0F I do use 1-2 min idle before going. I don't think that a couple of minutes idling does any damage. I simply keep RPM lower for the initial 5-10 min driving. In fact I start with a gentle down slope, so engine doesn't have to work hard. I simply build up RPM slowly as it warms up. I think that sort of driving is far more effective than a block heater.
These days I pay more attention to battery condition and oil weight then heaters. I have a charger and every few months test my batteries and recharge. During winter months I mix in some 5W20 to bring oil weight down. I think these types of actions are effective and less hassle than heaters.
As for idle to warm up, around 0F I do use 1-2 min idle before going. I don't think that a couple of minutes idling does any damage. I simply keep RPM lower for the initial 5-10 min driving. In fact I start with a gentle down slope, so engine doesn't have to work hard. I simply build up RPM slowly as it warms up. I think that sort of driving is far more effective than a block heater.
My block heater is my best friend in the winter. 2-3hrs of it on a timer, and I get enough heat to keep the windows from frosting up with 1min of idle. Plus the engine idles at regular RPM, not the warm up "high idle". My car is a fog/frost box and sitting in it for a minute when ice cold is enough to frost up all the windows on the inside. I NEED heat before driving off, and the amount of wasted gas idling that the block heater saves me has paid for it by now. Not to mention how much better this must be for the engine.
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