I drive easy out of my complex and don't go over 4k until about 3 bars or so, then I drive normally.

 

I prefer to let everything warm up together ( Engine, transmission and rear diff). So i get in, start it up, Throw my iPhone in the cup holder, buckle up and im off. I take it easy on my drive obviously to let everything get to operating temperature. don't usually get funky behind the wheel until I see three bars though.


Plus, sitting stationairy with a test pipe sucks.

 

I start the car; buckle the seatbelt; check the inside mirror; check both the outside mirrors; back out of the garage; and proceed to drive down the road gently.

 

depends on where your at, when i lived in alaska it was a whole different story. -40 makes a car do weird things! we would have our cars on timers and plugged in and the timer would trip a few hours before you left, and everyone had remote starters on their cars. when i had my diesel up there i would start it at work every few hours to keep the block warm since i couldnt plug it in at work. diesels dont like to be cold. but the s2k i dont really sweat to much, i use a 0w oil so it flows nicely when its cold.

 

i'd say 2 bars at most and then wait till it gets to 3 when you want to punch it.

 

One minute then im off.. No point in having my car idle longer than the time it takes to get to work.

 

Keep in mind that the temp gauge is water temp, not oil. Your oil takes even longer to get up to it's optimum temperature. If you have ever driven a car with an engine oil temperature gauge you will know this first hand. Engine oil likes to be hot.

Just because you get to that 3 bar mark does not mean you are fully warm and free to vtec. You can of course, but your potential for wear is much higher if your oil is still cold. On top of that, it will take even longer for your transmission and diff fluid to warm up. I try to wait 2-3 minutes after I get to 3 bars (or whatever the "normal" reading is on other cars) before I really get on it.

And yes, I agree it is best to drive the car to warm it up.

Edit: Good link that talks about oil temperature

 

I do exactly this image, in all my vehicles really. 30 seconds for the engine to just warm up slightly, then I drive off. I drive very light on the gas and allow the car to warm up. Until my car is fully warmed up (temp to the top and tranny feels warm) I am very easy on the car.

 

Just don't go around vtec'ing it when its cold. Let it warm up, and warm up means driving it mildly. I only sit around in my car after starting it as long as it takes to buckle up and plug in an address in my GPS.

 

10-15 seconds? just till the oil and coolant are circulated a bit.