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1 recommendation |
Do You Warm-Up Your Car In Cold Weather? Don't Do It!(Said in a professioal car magazine)
1. You need to warm your car before starting out in cold weather: FALSE.
Idling isn't an effective way to warm up your car in the winter -- driving away is. Today's engine and fluid technology is designed to start working as soon as you turn the key (or at lease once your windshield is defrosted). Not only does idling waste gas and cause pollution, it can actually cause damage to your vehicle.
If you're faced with severe winter conditions, you may want to consider a block heater, which warms the engine, or a battery warmer. A battery loses power as the temperature goes down, so warming it gives it that extra boost.
Are these guys crazy? You certainly need to warm up your engine oil and other fluids, I have personally seen cars stall when you turn on the key and try to drive away immediately in 10 F degree weather. |
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 DadeMurphy
Premium Member
join:2002-07-25
Danvers, MA
1 recommendation |
When I started driving my father taught me that in cold weather and warm weather you start the car and drive off. He said to try to stay under 2500 rpm until warmed up, then drive it however you like. I've been following his advice regardless of season for the past 7 years without issue, whether it is -15F or 110F. |
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18172841 (banned)
join:2001-10-06
Lagrangeville, NY |
to Xstar_Lumini
The cold is bad for them no matter what, the oil is thicker and takes longer than when hot to get around. My car takes long as hell to warm up just idling but it also is one small frost box so I don't have a choice. Metal also gets more brittle the colder it is, so yes taking it slow is good. TBH IMHO it all depends on the conditions, you're best starting her up and going EASY asap (my car manual says 10sec idle warm 1min cold before driving) she will warm quicker, if you plan to use a lower gear let her warm up a little longer as you will be reving her up much higher. |
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 ·Metronet
1 recommendation |
to Xstar_Lumini
I idle only till the windows are scraped and snow is off the car with the air blowing across the windshield to help scraping. Rear defrost is also on to help that window as well.
All cars haev lasted well over 10 years and over 120K miles (one car as high as 214k miles).
I do not let it get warm then drive off however. |
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 The PigI know you want to be me
Premium Member
join:2009-09-11
1 edit |
to Xstar_Lumini
I don't have to worry about what that article says as my car is old (1988). If I don't I can't drive, the engine conks out.
Plus there is no way I am driving a car that is freezing inside it. I mainly run it to get the interor warm. |
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 KarrideSlower Traffic Keep Right
Premium Member
join:2000-04-17
Germantown, TN |
to Xstar_Lumini
I usually let it idle about 30 seconds in cold weather, just until the engine feels like its smoothed out a little. Then easy going until the temp gauge rises a little. |
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moes
Premium Member
join:2009-11-15
Cedar City, UT |
to Xstar_Lumini
Yeah I do not think so about driving off right away. I killed an 87 escort doing just this, start and go in cold weather (10F) so All of my vehicles that I drive in the cold of winter set for at least 15 minutes to fully warm up. I'd rather be safe then sorry again. |
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1 recommendation |
For a car with no issues - it is no issue. For a car to die then there were issues - probably oil or oil pump related. |
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to Xstar_Lumini
I normally let it idle for about 10 - 15 seconds, and in very cold weather I may increase that to 20 - 30 seconds. That's all my warm up.  If the windows are fogged up to a point that I can't see well (night time) I may wait some more, however.  |
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I also follow the "let it warm up for about 10 secs" method. My car idles at 2,000 rpms when i start it up and then slowly drops down. Once it reaches 1,500 rpms, I go. This way I know I'm not driving off immediately and it's less of an rpm drop when I shift into drive. |
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to Xstar_Lumini
said by Xstar_Lumini:(Said in a professioal car magazine) 1. You need to warm your car before starting out in cold weather: FALSE.
Idling isn't an effective way to warm up your car in the winter -- driving away is. Today's engine and fluid technology is designed to start working as soon as you turn the key (or at lease once your windshield is defrosted). Not only does idling waste gas and cause pollution, it can actually cause damage to your vehicle.
If you're faced with severe winter conditions, you may want to consider a block heater, which warms the engine, or a battery warmer. A battery loses power as the temperature goes down, so warming it gives it that extra boost.
Source? Professional car magazine? The content isn't wrong, but you need to learn to recognize what is professional and what is not. That clearly is not professional content. It is marketing spin with misspellings and sentences that have disjointed content. I hope that your other sources of automotive knowledge are of a higher level. Basically, a car can be driven once the idle stabilizes after starting the car. As some have mentioned, this can take several/10 seconds after starting the car. |
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 Lurch77
Premium Member
join:2001-11-22
Green Bay, WI
5 recommendations |
to Xstar_Lumini
I don't warm up my vehicle because I am concerned about the mechanical. I do it so my ass don't freeze when I get in. |
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JoelC707
Premium Member
join:2002-07-09
Lanett, AL |
to Xstar_Lumini
I can think of only one reason why idling would be bad and even then a lot of newer cars have features designed to prevent this "risk". Note I don't really know if this is bad for it or not. When idling with the transmission in park, it is most likely not circulating the transmission fluid, it must be in at least neutral or a gear for it to circulate. Right off the top of my head though I can't think of anything that would be bad by doing this. |
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 JeffConnoisseur of leisurely things
Premium Member
join:2002-12-24
GMT -5 |
to Xstar_Lumini
An old friend of mine used to remotely start his 2002 Ford Explorer from his bedroom 30 mins before he left for work in the winter. He'd turn the heat on and the fans all of the way up the night before, so sure, after 30 mins the car was a hot box after 30 mins of idling. I kept telling him to stop doing it, but he abused the hell out of his leased cars, which is an entire other issue. It always bothered me a little bit. Waste of fuel, hard on the car, etc.
If its like 20 or above, I start the car, wait about 20 seconds for the RPMs to die down, and go. Lower than that, I might give it a minute or two, but that's it. Until the car is at at operating temperature, I keep it below 2,000 RPMs and under 45mph if I can help it. |
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to JoelC707
said by JoelC707:I can think of only one reason why idling would be bad and even then a lot of newer cars have features designed to prevent this "risk". Note I don't really know if this is bad for it or not. When idling with the transmission in park, it is most likely not circulating the transmission fluid, it must be in at least neutral or a gear for it to circulate. Right off the top of my head though I can't think of anything that would be bad by doing this. Every automatic transmission that I have seen, the pump is turning no matter if it is in Park or any other gear. The transmission's internal pump (not to be confused with the internal workings of the torque converter) is attached to the outer shaft of the torque converter which spins at the same speed as the engine. . |
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to JoelC707
said by JoelC707:I can think of only one reason why idling would be bad and even then a lot of newer cars have features designed to prevent this "risk". Note I don't really know if this is bad for it or not. When idling with the transmission in park, it is most likely not circulating the transmission fluid, it must be in at least neutral or a gear for it to circulate. Right off the top of my head though I can't think of anything that would be bad by doing this. I know that I don't know enough to be an authority on computer security. As a result, I refrain from posting "advice" based on guesses. The only time advice should be posted is when it is based on concrete knowledge. Please see dipweed's post above. It is an example of a post that is based on concrete knowledge. |
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ctggzg
Premium Member
join:2005-02-11
USA |
to Xstar_Lumini
Read the owner's manual. The people who engineer and maintain the car know how it's supposed to run. |
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JoelC707
Premium Member
join:2002-07-09
Lanett, AL |
to Cho Baka
Point taken, now go back and re-read my post. I never once said it was "concrete knowledge" and even said I can't think of anything bad that would come from my scenario. I was simply pointing out what the "professional" article writer might have been thinking. |
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 rusdiAmerican V
MVM
join:2001-04-28
Flippin, AR |
to Xstar_Lumini
Do I warm up my car? Not any more!  The practice is ancient, and unnecessary. I used to warm 'em up, during the "Era", of carburetors, and point induction/coil field collapse ignition days. (Few might remember...when gasoline was 20 cents a gallon.)  Now that EVERY vehicle I own, (except my Harley FatBoy) has Fuel Injection, and some form of High Energy Ignition, along with a crank-case o' synthetic motor oil. THERE IS NO NEED to "warm up" and waste that precious fluid!!!!!!!!!!! Some day, I look forward to the day, Saudi Arabia, and "BIG OIL" can't give their products away!! I will prolly be dead & gone. |
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 JahntassaWhat, I can have feathers
Premium Member
join:2006-04-14
Conway, SC
1 recommendation |
to Jeff
said by Jeff:An old friend of mine used to remotely start his 2002 Ford Explorer from his bedroom 30 mins before he left for work in the winter. When it's below freezing out, and I had more than a 5-10 minute drive ahead of me, i'd remote start my car and leave the heat on for a good 5-10 minutes (until it was blowing heat AT ALL), and then drive off. This was for personal convenience. When I used to do it a lot, I never noticed a difference in fuel usage than when I wasn't. |
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JeffConnoisseur of leisurely things
Premium Member
join:2002-12-24
GMT -5 |
Jeff
Premium Member
2009-Dec-18 9:12 pm
said by Jahntassa:said by Jeff:An old friend of mine used to remotely start his 2002 Ford Explorer from his bedroom 30 mins before he left for work in the winter. When it's below freezing out, and I had more than a 5-10 minute drive ahead of me, i'd remote start my car and leave the heat on for a good 5-10 minutes (until it was blowing heat AT ALL), and then drive off. This was for personal convenience. When I used to do it a lot, I never noticed a difference in fuel usage than when I wasn't. That's cool. Five or ten minutes is in the "reasonable" level for me in the coldest of weather, although if I've done it it's only because I forgot I turned the car on. I wasn't so much as concerned with fuel economy so much I thought letting the car idle for too long (like 30 mins) wasn't good for the engine or the components- for it's lifespan of the vehicle. I sometimes read the specs for Police vehicles and they all seem to have some provision to save the car from extended periods of idling. I'm assuming that's from some real-world measure that idling is bad for the engine. |
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 Duramax08To The Moon
Premium Member
join:2008-08-03
San Antonio, TX |
to Xstar_Lumini
it can be 100 degrees outside and my truck says its coldwhen i got my truck the thermostat stays at cold. I think the previous owner took it off so it can stay cool. Its good for the summer but bad for the winter. I can drive 10 miles on the highway and its still freezing with the heat all the way on. so for that i will go outside and start it up while i get ready for work when its freezing outside. i would replace it but i think the previous owner took it off for a reason like to keep the engine from overheating.
it works. that all that matters. if it breaks just get a new truck since its pretty old. 92 f150 5.0 225k miles with some dents really dont have that much value these days. |
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to Xstar_Lumini
Re: Do You Warm-Up Your Car In Cold Weather? Don't Do It!Cold idling was bad on carburetor cars because the choke was closed until gas pedal action opened it making the engine run rich. Fuel injection isn't limited by simple mechanical linkages and idles wherever it wants to. Extended idling is wasteful but not destructive.
I idle mine for about 20 seconds then go easy until the engine puts out a little heat. Both the engine and transmission will warm up faster with a little motion. |
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to Xstar_Lumini
the warmup theory can and will be debated just like briefs or boxer shorts, granny panties or thongs. the "warming up" dates back to the carb and choke that went away about the mid 80's.
with today's modern computers controlling the cars, the adjust the fuel load on the fly. i say it is a good idea to let them run a few minutes if there is no ice on the windows, that way the oil is starting to warm up and circulate better. why do you think that dry sump race cares have generators plugged to an oil that that heats the oil? its not good to run that thick ass oil. that would also be another reason they have 0w20 and 5w20 weight oil. it flows better.
this topic can be kicked around till the sun goes down, and the fact is, everyone will have a different opinion. to each his own. |
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 MchartFirst There.
join:2004-01-21
Kaneohe, HI
2 edits |
to Xstar_Lumini
With modern cars the only reason why idling for an extended period of time is bad is because it's bad for the catalytic converter. This has to do with the fact that at idle rpm's, or low RPM's in general - The rate at which the exhaust is moving through the Cats is not fast enough to cool the cats down. The higher RPMs = more exhaust. More exhaust = cooler cat. (Even though more exhaust is a lot more heat, the increased volume of air moving through is still keeping them at operating temperature) Most engines tend to run a bit rich while idleing as well. Thus, you get more un-combusted fuel that the Cat has to deal with. Which is another thing that kills catalytic converters fast.
There really is no need to let an engine warm up. As long as you don't bring the RPM's above 3 grand or so while the engine isn't at operating temperature it should be fine. |
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to Xstar_Lumini
My 99 Camry likes to idle at around 2K when it's first started - and cannot be adjusted. In that the car has 135K on the clock, I like to let it warm up enough that the RPM drops some before I drop it into drive. At 2000 RPM, from park to drive is a pretty hard "clunk". Recently I've been trying this: Start the car and immediately put it in drive before it revs up to 2K, then let it run about a minute and drive off slowly. Synthetic oil helps. |
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 shaner
Premium Member
join:2000-10-04
Calgary, AB
1 edit
1 recommendation |
to Xstar_Lumini
said by Xstar_Lumini:(Said in a professioal car magazine) 1. You need to warm your car before starting out in cold weather: FALSE.
Idling isn't an effective way to warm up your car in the winter -- driving away is. Today's engine and fluid technology is designed to start working as soon as you turn the key (or at lease once your windshield is defrosted). Not only does idling waste gas and cause pollution, it can actually cause damage to your vehicle.
If you're faced with severe winter conditions, you may want to consider a block heater, which warms the engine, or a battery warmer. A battery loses power as the temperature goes down, so warming it gives it that extra boost.
Ummm..yeah okay. I heard a 'car expert' on tv complaining about remote car starters the other day for the very same reason. My reply? You can't drive away in -30C weather (like we had last week) because you can't see out the damn windshield yet! And no, there's no ice on the inside, but the presence of my warm body exhaling warm air inside a frigid car means that the windshield is unusable until the inside of it is at least up to a reasonable temperature. That means I have to idle my car to warm it up so that it's safely drivable. A block heater doesn't do jack for my windshield. So there. |
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to Xstar_Lumini
My philosophy is to start the car and drive off softly. Don't push the car when its cold cause everything is brittle and damage can occur. When it heats up than you can push the car and drive like maniacs. At least thats how i drive my car... |
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 sivranVive Vivaldi
Premium Member
join:2003-09-15
Irving, TX |
to Xstar_Lumini
I'm glad I don't have to worry about such things. It just doesn't get cold enough here.  |
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 Alcohol
Premium Member
join:2003-05-26
Climax, MI |
to Karride
said by Karride:I usually let it idle about 30 seconds in cold weather, just until the engine feels like its smoothed out a little. Then easy going until the temp gauge rises a little. I do the same. I drive off after 30 seconds but try to keep the rpm down until car gets heated.. |
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