Is this really necessary? My dad told me that my engine will go bad if I don't, but he also told me that racing will make it blow up and you guys tell me that that is crap, so I don't know. Does it really hurt an engine like ours to drive it cold?

 

I posted this same thing not too long ago, so you might wanna search next time. Yes, it is not good to drive your car w/out leting the engine warm up. I try to let mine warm up for like 1-2 min. if possible.

 

30 sec when warm, 1 min when cold is a guidline.

 

20-30 seconds is plenty of time for the oil to get circulated around the engine. Then you need to start driving to get everything up to proper operating temperature. It takes the engine far longer to get up to operating temperature when idling, so you really aren't "warming" the car up that way. Driving is the best way to warm the car up.

 

yeah - u really should heat up your car, if i have time, i will just wait until the temperature guage goes up about 1/4 of the way - other wise a minute will be ok

 

I usually warm up my car for like 1 min on cold days.. Then I drive around the 2K RPM range until my engine temp needle hits the middle. Then I start my spirited driving

 

This is the last time I'm going to say this. There are more things than the engine that need to be warmed up before "spirited" driving. Nameley the transmission. So here we go. Start car. Wait 10 seconds(oil is circulating everywhere within 5, thats why the slight pinging goes away). Start driving keeping rpms below 3k or a little less if you like your car. Wait until temp guage gets to normal operating range. Then you can drive like a maniac. If you just warm up your engine and then start driving hard your tranny ain't gonna last.

 

Just because the water in the engine is up to temp. doesn't mean everything else. The engine oil will take longer to reach operating temperature and that is much more critical then the water. There is also the same issue with the entire driveline as tomj mentioned. Again, the oils take longer to reach temp. then the water (coolant). You really should wait a few minutes more after the needle reaches the middle to start driving hard.

To the person who started this thread, yes you do need to warm the engine up before driving hard, you're Dad is right. You don't have to warm it completely before you start driving it, just baby it until everything is up to temp. If you don't you drastically reduce it's life and could be in for some big repairs later on. Once the car is warm, as long as it is not outright abused, there is nothing wrong with "hard driving" as long as you keep up with the maintenance and take care of the car.

 

Yeah, you're right. I forgot to mention I use synthetic motor and tranny oil so I figure I can start driving harder sooner. I have over 70k miles with no probs(knock on wood).

 

20-30 seconds in plenty... but wait until you are above the "C" before you start taking it about 4000rpms... old people will tell you to wait 5 mins because when they were young engines did not circulate oil as fast or use oil that is as good as today's stuff..

 

Good to know, thanks guys!

 

If you're talking about me, I'm not old. I'm in my mid 20's. I agree with you that you can start driving the car after 20-30 secs., but still you feel you should wait longer than just reaching over the 'C' mark before driving hard. Most of these cars are worth multiple thousands of dollars and are a significant investment to own and maintain, for some people on the board it is their most valuable asset. Right now, this is my only car, and I can't afford to have the car down for maintenance because I couldn't wait those few extra minutes to truly warm it up properly. If people think this is overkill, they are defintly entitled to their opinions, but for me it's defintly worth the extra time to take care of the car.

 

i usually start my car and go back in the house and finish getting my stuff together. the i drive off and keep the rpm below 2500 for about 5 min of driving, then i gun it.. if i do not start the car earlier i wait about 1 min to go, and i keep the rpm below 2000 for 5 min of driving.

 

Generally speaking... I have always followed what my dad told me years ago.

With a carb... wait 1-2 minutes and then take it easy for 10.

With EFI... wait 15-20 seconds and then take it easy for 10.

Simply because carbs don’t like cold… and you can damage your engine if your mixture is way off and your hot-rodding around.

For the lead foots on the board, I define “taking it easy” as; no launching, and gradual increases in speed.

I disagree with keeping your engine below any certain speed or rpm if you are sticking to city speed limits. Taking a vehicle to higher RPMs gradually seems more important to me then not taking them there at all… as long as those RPMs are within the normal operating range of the engine.

There is my $00.01

 

All depends on what you consider normal driving. I usually shift at 3k, but sometimes I wait until 5k for the fun of it(6k if a Honduh is around).

 

This quote from DaveB very accurately says exactly how I understood this to work and why I warm up my car the way I do. Of course, I wasn't quite as specific in my understanding but...

 

i let my car warm up till the meter hits the C....but sometimes I wish i had remote start...this way, i can start my car, let it warm up and not have to be in it...cause thieves around here quick to steal a car....I would use remote start and keep the doors locked

 

Or you can do what I do.. I got a remote started installed over the weekend. Cost about $179... Works great, before I leave my house I just start it.. By the time I put on my shoes, jacket, get my keys & wallet, and walk outside of the house the car is already ready and warm

 

I usually let my car warm up for a couple of seconds and then drive it "leisurely."

From my VERY limited understanding of cars, I always thought it was bad to let your engine idle for an extended period of time (a couple of minutes even), especially when it's cold. So following that logic, should one just start driving as soon as he/she starts the car?...assuming they drive it moderately until properly warmed up.

 

After reading this thread (and numerous other threads, one of which I think I started myself), I have decided to post my thoughts on this too.

First, alot of other .org members have brought up very good points. Secondly, there is no concrete answer to this question, it's really people's opinions battling out on the field. I think the one to follow is the one that makes sense.

For example, your cat can get fouled by fuel (thanks Dave B) BUT chances are, a rich fuel mix will not drench the cat. Oil is more viscous with lower temperatures, but not significantly so that oil will not flow (UNLESS we're talking about very low temperatures, where we should be using block heaters).

When you first start your car, it will take a few seconds for the oil pump to do its thing. For some reason, alot of people don't think about it when they start their car on a cool summer night, and start spinning wheels and flooring it as they drive out of the parking lot. Summer, winter, it does not matter. A freshly-started motor will need proper lubrication to help reduce wear. It just takes a bit longer the colder it gets

If people really cared for their cars (some do, I know!), they'd be cautious year round, but even more so during winter. If I had to choose, I'd go with the majority of the board: start the car and take it easy for the first few minutes. Some say, use the gauges, I take it a step further and wait until my automagic is warm enough to kick into '4th' gear (it will not go into 4th until it is warm enough). Even after that, I still take it easy until I'm satisfied the ENTIRE car is warm enough (exhaust, O2 sensors, hoses, radiator, engine block, pistons, rings).

Just do what makes sense to you, there's no concrete answer to the proper method to warm up your car, but there are some facts:
1) A motor with insufficient lubrication will suffer the most wear.
2) The motor will run rich until O2 sensors are properly warmed up, and all sensors are operating in normal temperature.
3) The tranny has its OWN oil, and does not warm up at the same rate as the engine.
4) The temp on the (not so accurate) gauge reads the antifreeze, NOT the oil.
5) The engine is made of different metals that expand at a different rate, not to mention the rubber hoses, etc. Don't forget the exhaust too!


Just drive with common sense. Winter is very harsh on a car, I know because my beater Escort idles like crap during winter UNTIL it is warm enough, but runs like a champ during summer. I'm not trying to compare an Escort to a Maxima, but some things are common.

If I ****ed anyone off, sorry. I just get the impression that not everyone has taken the time to read through this thread. This thread will never end, because there is no concrete answer to end it. Just use common sense. (If I ****ed anyone, sorry)

My 0.02