warm up time before driving hard (in WARM temps)

[mjf6866]

this is getting nit picky of me, but i did a search about warm up times, but all i could find was for COLD temps, none for warm temps though.

what made me think of this was today, i was taking my challenger out for a drive and its about 80 degrees here in pittsburgh. i start the car up, let it run until the rpms drop down to normal speed and back it out of the garage, drive down the street nice and easy and pull up to the main drag. at this point the temp gauge is about a quarter of the way up to full operating temp. when i pulled out, i had to really gun her in 1st (i would guess about 4k-5k rpms, redline on this car is just under 6k)to make it out on to the main road so i didnt get smashed into by oncoming traffic.

right away, i thought "did i let her warm up enough before getting on it?" which made me think to ask you guys! i'm hoping its all good since the temp gague was already on its way up.

i usually dont "get on it" until its almost at full operating temp cause this thing is just too much fun to not step on it and once heat soak sets in, it loses some of its snap!

i'm running 5w-20 mobil synthetic.

am i just paranoid?

 

[StevieC]

When the vehicles water temperature is up to temperature then the oil heating process really begins IMO so I wouldn't be gunning it until at least 20 minutes after it reaches full operating temperature because the oil needs to warm up.

Assuming this is all in warm weather.

 

[JHZR2]

Having oil temp gauges on a few of my cars, it takes 10-20 miles of driving before the oil is up to temperature to allow hard use.

 

[BobFout]

If what you did caused any real issues, engines would be having issues left and right.

 

[mjf6866]

i'm not saying that i go racing right out of the garage, its more like a short burst, when i say "get on it."

 

[StevieC]

Wait 20 minutes or at least 15 miles after the car reaches water temperature to beat on it.

 

[scurvy]

You're giving it plenty of time to get lubricated & warmed up, especially considering that it's summertime and you're running a synthetic oil. Drive more, worry less!

 

[mjf6866]

thanks for the replys guys...wouldnt the warm temps make it easier for the 5w-20 to circulate? I wouldnt do that in the cold temps that soon.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: scurvy
You're giving it plenty of time to get lubricated & warmed up, especially considering that it's summertime and you're running a synthetic oil.

I don't think it really matters whether he's running synthetic or not. It's not only about the oil flowing freely as it is about engine parts themselves reaching proper operating temperature and clearances tightening.

 

[rslifkin]

I'd give it at least a few minutes after the coolant hits normal temp. If you have an oil pressure gauge, when the oil pressure at idle is settled to what it is at a fully hot idle (after a long drive, 15+ miles), the oil should be warm enough to get on it.

 

[Gary Allan]

Do the proper BITOG thing.

Either drive around in circles for 5-10 minutes ..or, and this I would consider the ultimate in BITOG XTREME moves, install and operate block and pan warmers year round.

I really don't see need to do anything special here. Anything you could do it going to be a waste of fuel/cash

 

[mongo161]

Even in the summer I let it warm up for at least 5 minutes after pulling out of the garage. I see too many people starting their cars with a cold engine and gunning it down the street in warm and very cold weather.

I only have a Temp gauge so I will put the car in drive and let the idle move the car until it reaches the operating temp. When I let the idle move the car...I am only going 10 mph. I make sure to take side streets free of traffic when warming it up.

Winter time is the same but I let it warm up until it is 25% of operating temp. Then put it in drive and also let the idle drive me at 10mph down the "less travelled" side streets until it is up to operating temperature.

I hope that my maneuver does not cause engine problems. I must look like some 80 year old man taking his time on his way to church with the idle moving my truck.

 

[BobFout]

Originally Posted By: mongo161
Even in the summer I let it warm up for at least 5 minutes after pulling out of the garage. I see too many people starting their cars with a cold engine and gunning it down the street in warm and very cold weather.

I only have a Temp gauge so I will put the car in drive and let the idle move the car until it reaches the operating temp. When I let the idle move the car...I am only going 10 mph. I make sure to take side streets free of traffic when warming it up.

Winter time is the same but I let it warm up until it is 25% of operating temp. Then put it in drive and also let the idle drive me at 10mph down the "less travelled" side streets until it is up to operating temperature.

I hope that my maneuver does not cause engine problems. I must look like some 80 year old man taking his time on his way to church with the idle moving my truck.


You're missing a bunch of smiley faces in your post to indicate jest.

 

[mjf6866]

Originally Posted By: mongo161
Even in the summer I let it warm up for at least 5 minutes after pulling out of the garage. I see too many people starting their cars with a cold engine and gunning it down the street in warm and very cold weather.


it was at least 5 min before i even got the rpms above 1500. i wait much longer in cold temps.

 

[FZ1]

I think it's fine. You have a quick flowing synthetic oil.

 

[scurvy]

Originally Posted By: Gary Allan
Do the proper BITOG thing.

Why is it so often the 'proper BITOG thing' is a resoundingly silly thing to do?

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
I don't think it really matters whether he's running synthetic or not.

Haven't synthetic oils typically shown themselves to have a higher film strength than conventional oils?

I don't disagree that getting things up to proper temperature and all parts in a steady state warm size is best, but just accelerating quickly once when the car is a 'quarter' warmed up will (obviously) do zero damage, else the roads would be littered with busted vehicles on freeway entrance ramps.

The car is there to serve you, not the other way around.

 

[Oilpants]

I am allways very careful when starting up her engine because I am concerned about wear. We don't have very cold winters here but even in the summer after turning on the ignition I let her idol for about one minute just to get the oil flowing. Then I drive off not exactly slowly but without getting the RPM's up too high. I can tell by the purring of the engine when she's warmed up enough for the Freeway. When I reach the on-ramp I have to drive her hard until I match the flow of traffic. Then I ease off and keep an eye on the temparature. After 2o minutes she's hot enough to floor it but then I've allready reached my destination, exit and pull over into the theater parking lot. At lunchtime I take her usually for a quick ride. Because she's still warm from the morning drive I just go off. At night I let her warm up a little because she's been sitting for at least six hours.

I would like to thank my son Bossie for proofreading my post!

 

[TJPark01]

Motor Oil Articles by Dr. Ali E. Haas
"People think that taking the car out for a 10 or 15 minute spin will keep it in good shape. Well that is better than nothing because at least everything is splashed down with oil in the engine and some switches are activated that helps remove corrosion. But to burn off excess fuel and water from the oil it must be brought up to full operating temperature. This takes 20 or 30 minutes. Your coolant heats up in as little as 2 – 3 minutes but oil takes up to half an hour to get up to full operating temperature. You should drive the car for another half hour or more after the oil is up to temperature...
People start up their cars and rev up the engines. They impress their friends with the Vroom, Vroom, Vroom over and over again. Then they take the car out for a spin and rev up the RPM. They do this immediately, while the oil is well below operating temperature and relatively thick. I know of engines ruined in this very manor.

The moral of the story is drive your cars often and do not rev them up until the OIL is fully warmed up. Using an oil that is not as thick during the start up period should minimize the effects of cavitaion. This is why I advocate the 0W-XX oils, they are less thick at start up."

 

[Oilpants]

Originally Posted By: TJPark01
Motor Oil Articles by Dr. Ali E. Haas
"I know of engines ruined in this very manor."


I'm not shure that's a real quote or a real doctor because I'm shure a doctor know's the differance between manor and manner!

 

[rationull]

I've thought about this a lot myself, and I'm basically on the verge of giving up on it. I've read (here and probably elsewhere) that the legitimate answer is that it takes 20+ minutes of driving for the oil and everything else to be at full operating temperature as stated previously in this thread.

But, my whole commute is less than 20 minutes one way, and I'll be darned if I'm not going to get on it a little bit if I feel like it! I suppose if I were going to really hammer on the car through some twisties or something I'd want to let it run for a while first but if occasional third gear runs up to 5000 RPM or so to get on the freeway make me enjoy my car more, I've decided I'm just going to do it. My new strategy is once the temp guage hits normal operating temperature I have no qualms about taking it up between 4 and 5k RPM. In cases like yours where the temperature wasn't even that high -- as long as it's not every day, I'm not going to worry about it.

Granted my situation is a bit different than yours -- my car has a 140 hp 4 cylinder. On one hand it's putting out much less power but on the other hand it's going to be more stressed in "normal" driving anyway. So maybe it's a toss up.

Cars are made to be driven and enjoyed. And there's no point in buying something like a Challenger if you're not going to enjoy it!