What you guys think about this?
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 424
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From: Bellaire, Texas
Originally Posted by rob-2,Jan 8 2011, 11:23 AM
I tend to agree with this.
I previously lived in a very cold spot of the country where -20-40 was a regular 5AM start up temp. On a v6 Acura I had the cold idle as high as 2600rpm, that's how cold it was. ECU was correcting for the cold temps.
That's all to say 5 min warm ups are a waste of time and gas. My general rule of thumb was not to get the revs past half way to red. In our cars (ap2) that's 4k.
No one in my family ever idled their cars for 2-5 minutes. Just the regular start it up, throw your belt on and set the cabin temp and go. We've never had any car problems.
I would go as far as to say the goofs with blown motors fall in the same category as the kids who come here claiming their red line is now 7K and cannot figure out why. The same goofs who are flooring it while leaving the drive way. Baby the car until it's fully warmed up. That said, fully warmed up its nearer to 30-45 minutes of driving in sub zero temps. Too many moving parts beyond water temp are affected by the cold.
I previously lived in a very cold spot of the country where -20-40 was a regular 5AM start up temp. On a v6 Acura I had the cold idle as high as 2600rpm, that's how cold it was. ECU was correcting for the cold temps.
That's all to say 5 min warm ups are a waste of time and gas. My general rule of thumb was not to get the revs past half way to red. In our cars (ap2) that's 4k.
No one in my family ever idled their cars for 2-5 minutes. Just the regular start it up, throw your belt on and set the cabin temp and go. We've never had any car problems.
I would go as far as to say the goofs with blown motors fall in the same category as the kids who come here claiming their red line is now 7K and cannot figure out why. The same goofs who are flooring it while leaving the drive way. Baby the car until it's fully warmed up. That said, fully warmed up its nearer to 30-45 minutes of driving in sub zero temps. Too many moving parts beyond water temp are affected by the cold.
1-2 minutes of warm up and then 10-15 minutes of easy driving. Don't jump on it unless things are really warmed up (like 20-30 minutes) but then you have the ice/snow traction issues.
It's all about being sensible, but extended idle times for warmup don't do any favors for either you or your engine.
I've moved to a warmer climate so it's no longer an issue, but when I was a kid I was sent out to the driveway to warm up the car before everyone needed to jump in.
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Joined: Jun 2010
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i normally let mine warm up while i have a smoke. im no expert on this subject, but i just think its probably a bad idea to have your cylinders firing faster than idle with a cold aluminum block. i also dont smoke in the car and usually like having a cigarette before i drive home from work or drive to work, so it works out for me.
after the coolant is warm i keep rpms low to warm up the diff and the transmission.
sadly, by the time everything is warm im just about home.
after the coolant is warm i keep rpms low to warm up the diff and the transmission.
sadly, by the time everything is warm im just about home.
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 887
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From: Mansfield, TX
Every morning I start my car 5-6 mins before I have to leave to work or where ever I am goin! I normally just wait till I see atleast 4-6 bars before I drive and even then I take it very easy! It might just be me but when the car is cold it seems like it drives totally different than it would when warmed! Also another thing I have noticed is when you start your car and the engine is still cold you can put it in gear and let off the clutch without giving it any gas and the car starts to drive like an automatic, but only goes like 7-8mph
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 22,670
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From: St-Redempteur,Qc.
Originally Posted by Sfedai0,Jan 8 2011, 02:34 PM
I also have always started it up and taken off right away. You waste more time having the engine warm while idle when it can warm up a lot faster while youre driving. Key point is not to thrash it until temps are up to par.
