Warm Up time?

[XS650]

Originally Posted By: Audi Junkie
I have a formula.

One second at idle for every degree below freezing f. That is at +22f, ten seconds at idle and so on. Above freezing, start and go.


Sounds reasonable as long as the engine runs well and you take it easy until it's some were near operating temperature.

 

[Benzadmiral]

We have no cold weather to speak of here in The Swamp. When it does hover around freezing, maybe once a year, I give it a few extra seconds. Normally, I start the car, buckle up, turn on the radio, crack a window or two, and go. I drive pretty easily for the first two to two and a half miles, all under 40 mph. Then I dive into the video game that is the Greater New Orleans Bridge and run it up to 60 or more -- but by that time the temp gauge is usually reporting 190 F. or so. Plus I'm using Pennzoil Platinum 5w30, so I expect all the engine parts have their oil by then.

 

[refaller]

I simply start and go the half block to the first light at idle speed. Usually the light turns within 10 seconds. Then I drive slowly. Probably give a few seconds of warm-up when it gets below 10F. Engine looked brand new with 101,000 miles when I changed the timing belt. Always have used synthetic.

ref

 

[Oldswagon]

Originally Posted By: Kestas
I can't (or don't want to) afford the gas for warmup in the winter. I just start the car and two minutes later I'm on the freeway. I could care less what this does to the engine. With all the salt in the winter, the engine is still going to outlast the rest of the car, as they always do in Detroit.


I agree with you on the point about the cost of idling. I can be cheap, and I just can't justify spending all that extra money for fuel for no reason. One of my co-workers drives a Chevy Avalache about on about a 1.5 - 2 km commute. He regularly idles his truck about 20-30 minutes before going home everyday. I am sure he spends a small fortune on "wasted" fuel, but at least his truck is warm. [censored], if I lived that close to work, I'd walk during the winter.

On the rust, yes generally in northern climates the bodies seem to die before the engines in most cases. Even rust proofed cars (yes, Krowned cars included) will rust out eventually in salty environments. Rust proofing just seems to slow the process, but in my opinion its is still worth the money (my vehicles are done annually and my 16 year old truck is rust free).

Most people look at the body and disregard the undercarriage and structure of the car. I remember working on an older Oldsmobile once that had no body rust, but the unibody structure in the undercarriage was rotten and unsafe. The owner was very surprised and thought his car was rust free and in good shape. Needless to say it failed the safety and was sold for scrap. A friend of mine recently pulled a Chrysler Dynasty off the road due to severe undercarriage rot, while the body and mechanical on the car were still excellent. This car was a rust proofed car for most of it's life.

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted By: Oldswagon
One of my co-workers drives a Chevy Avalache about on about a 1.5 - 2 km commute. He regularly idles his truck about 20-30 minutes before going home everyday.

That can't be good for the truck!

 

[Kestas]

In Germany it's against the law to idle the engine for an excessive amount of time. It's deemed wasteful and pollutes the environment.

 

[Audi Junkie]

Funny, the other day, the 2nd coldest of the year, I got distracted when starting the car and I started and poped into gear and pretty much slammed it! I never do that and the funny thing it was a very cold day! Oh well, that's why we run thin oil anyway.

 

[mstrjon32]

Originally Posted By: Kestas
In Germany it's against the law to idle the engine for an excessive amount of time. It's deemed wasteful and pollutes the environment.


I think White Plains, NY has a similar law regarding engine idling.

 

[jsharp]

When it's over 20 degrees I usually just start it and drive off after 30 seconds or so. Below 20 and I usually let it warm up a minute or 2. This week when it was -10 and colder I started it and went back inside for 10-15 minutes.

It has nothing to do with the vehicle. I just don't feel like driving when the interior is so cold. Before anyone mentions it, I do this every winter and I've never had any problems with fuel dilution.

 

[Gary Allan]

Originally Posted By: mstrjon32
Originally Posted By: Kestas
In Germany it's against the law to idle the engine for an excessive amount of time. It's deemed wasteful and pollutes the environment.


I think White Plains, NY has a similar law regarding engine idling.


Attleboro, MA had this ordinance in the 70's. It may have been state wide (probably). It was a $100 fine for being caught idling beyond 1 minute while parked. I think it was due to the acid rain that was probably beyond our control (the Ohio coal fired power production was allegedly the cause). It made a very expensive oil paint job on your house trash in about 3 years or less.

 

[Audi Junkie]

It's just selfish and bad for the enviornment.

 

[Steve S]

Just driving the car is bad for the enviroment . If you look at the whole picture.

 

[M1Accord]

Originally Posted By: BuickGN
When I had the rental car it was great. I would start it, put it in gear and go. I would drag the brakes with it at half throttle for the first minute. Talk about nearly instant heat from the heater.


Where did you learn how to drive? You shouldn't treat vehicles like that even if they're not yours; someone down the road without a lot of money in the bank will thank you when they purchase these rental, aka certified pre-owned, vehicles.

 

[Audi Junkie]

Originally Posted By: Steve S
Just driving the car is bad for the enviroment . If you look at the whole picture.


Right, and double your consumption by ~warming~ a vehicle for 20 min to drive 2 minutes? That makes sense.

 

[Mustang2008Z]

I drive almost immediately after starting up my Nissan Frontier. If I have ice on the windshield, I let the defroster work from the beginning of start-up, but I go easy until the motor warms up, which usually does not take long here, where I live, in Texas. Now, when I lived in the Panhandle of Texas, it usually took much longer to get the vehicles I owned moving, longer idling time, more ice on windshield, more defrosting time, even after using silly cardboard covers over the windshield, but at least, I could drive using the portholes created by the cheap cardboard covers.

 

[Crashbox]

A lot of it depends on the vehicle itself for me.

My old carbureted '77 Chev 454 P/U: I wait until the combustion chambers get some warmth to them (usually about one minute or so, maybe a little more if it's really being stubborn), otherwise she does not like to run at all.

My old MoPars would fire over almost ***immediately*** when they were cold so the idle period was probably about ten to 30 seconds (they were rather ornery when trying to start them warm though). The (in)famous old MoPar "twilight zone" I'll save for another thread.

My '95 Civic usually sees no more than 30 seconds of idling before liftoff.

In sum, I very rarely idle a cold engine very long at all but I do tend to baby them until they warm up.

 

[SevenBizzos]

I don't like getting in cold cars, so they are running before I leave during the winter mornings. Idle time depends on the temp. A couple of minutes when it's near freezing to 10 minutes or so when it's close or below zero. I was lazy when it was -18F the other morning and the idle time was 25 minutes. It really hasn't hurt the MPG very much.

 

[Zaedock]

I drive when I can see clearly.

 

[M1Accord]

Less than 30 seconds when I am by myself and less than 2 minutes if I am taking my family. With family, I go down first and start the car while loading the diaper bags then phone my wife to take the baby down. Personally, I don't think it makes a different between 2 minutes and 10 minutes, but I wouldn't pull own after 5 seconds and hit the highway, which my place is located along.

I don't have problem with ice or snow on the windows as they are treated with a heavy dose of RainX and the windshield fluid is mixed with a strong dose of de-icer. I can clear the window in 4 spray. The rear window is a pain as there is no wiper back there but it clears up by the time I hit the first traffic light.

 

[jsharp]

Originally Posted By: Audi Junkie
Originally Posted By: Steve S
Just driving the car is bad for the enviroment . If you look at the whole picture.


Right, and double your consumption by ~warming~ a vehicle for 20 min to drive 2 minutes? That makes sense.


A lot of us have farther to drive than a 2 minute commute. Mine is 25-30 minutes so a 10 minute warm up will hardly double my consumption.

I doubt my vehicle burns 1/2 gallon an hour at idle...