Originally Posted By: gathermewool
Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: Stewie
What do you guys think?
That was clearly written one year before Ontario's latest cold snap. If he wants to dress up like a snowmobiler and drive off in 30 seconds in -40, all the while avoiding breathing in his interior until the engine gets some heat into it, all the power to him.
I've never experienced -40F/C temps, so take this with a grains of salt: I typically dress for the weather, which means that driving all cozy in a car in my winter coat, beanie, scarf and gloves is a lot less daunting than being out in the actual elements. I have no problem hopping in and driving off, so long as the air is dry enough to literally absorb all of the moisture in my breath before it even reaches the windshield.
I try to be nice to my vehicles and typically don't even use the heat if it's above freezing, because I don't feel I need it, but the thing is a machine, so if it's -15F, I'll immediately crank the defrost to high after a mile or two, both to put some more load on the engine, but to also put whatever heat the coolant has absorbed into the cabin, as quickly as possible.
Also, another thing that has been brought up, that is definitely a gray area, is how the car performs. >0F the Civic seems to shift and do everything normally or maybe only a little sluggishly at firsts; however, unusual noises and shifting behavior at well below zero occasionally convince me that waiting 1-2 minutes idling before heading out might be in order.
I also idle the engine to warm up a little if there it's freezing-raining, the air is very moist, or any other condition that might require dry, warm air to maintain visibility.
How is "not using the heat" putting less load on the vehicle?