vB Easy Archive - How long do you wait for ur car to warm up?

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How long do you wait for ur car to warm up?
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Posted by: mplswaltar

I was wonder how long u guys wait for your cars to warm up? Today My car was trapped in about 3 feet of snow, and it was about to get towed. So at like the crack of dawn, i had to wake up and move it, while the snow plows were waiting. Idiots almost rammed my car. Probably an Inch if not less, between the stupid monster plow, and my door. I really didnt wait for my car to warm up, maybe 5 seconds and started trying to get out of the snowbank. It takes about 10 minutes for my car to fully warm up if the weather is around 32F degrees. Alot longer if its below 0.

I tend to wait untill my cars water temp is about 1/4th. Fully warmed up is a little less than 1/2. Do any of you just jump in your car after its been sitting over night, and drive?

I really dont care about 80f weather since it takes about a minute to warm up. honda reccommends 1 minute before driving on anything over 40f.

Posted by: str8edgepunker

Warm up? I just go. No sense waiting for the car to warm up, especially in this day and age of insane gas prices.

Posted by: Bonka

20 seconds. Just enough for the oil to circulate and raise the oil pressure.

Posted by: SKY LAI

About 5 minutes....
By the time, I put my socks on....remote start the car, then about 5 minutes after, i will step out from my house and ready to go......more if I need to wipe off the snow...

It takes at least 7-8 minutes of DRIVING to get the water presure to go at 1/2...guess we are colder up here.

Posted by: ice512

As long as it take for the "needle" to reach the "thick" line at the bottom.
It may mean 5-6min in the extreme weather, it may also mean 30seconds in the warm weather.

Posted by: Nitrous

If you use gas I think its better just to let it run for 30 seconds and take it easy on the engine till its fully warmed up

Posted by: rip

about a min from a cold start...then roll out slowly to crusing/traffic speed

Posted by: bembol

About 30 seconds max...I'm using Castrol German Syntec 0W-30...I'm sure she'll be fine...!!!

Posted by: dynamo768

I wait until needel goes up lol

Posted by: eimajuno

0. I live in sunny so cal. No snow although it has been cold lately.

Posted by: AndyLHoang

Well, the MPV is usually parked in the garage so it doesn't need to warm up, so I just go. If I take my sister's car after it's been sitting for awhile outside, then I'll just let it warm up for about 1/2 a minute to a minute. If there's frost/snow on the car, then I'll just let it run while I clear it off which takes about 2 minutes.

Posted by: Rev. Voodoo

Ive heard on any fuel injected car, warm up doesn't change a thing (other than your comfort so you can have heat!)...dunno if thats true. Ive never waited for my car to warm up. well....until now. My GF just put a remote starter on my car, so now I get into a toasty ride.......

Posted by: Xpimp

About 30 seconds is enough for me

Posted by: Eternity

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry7130e/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/126 UP.Browser/5.0.3.3)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nitrous

If you use gas I think its better just to let it run for 30 seconds and take it easy on the engine till its fully warmed up

Posted by: dynamo768

Doesn't this mess up ur car?

Posted by: INNOVA

The most damage to your car's engine happens at startup, especialy in the cold.

I usualy wait 30 seconds or so and take it easy for the next few min's of driving. I use Royal Purple 5w-30.

Posted by: eldawg

5-10 seconds max. In the winter time (up here in the great white north), I will usually take it easy for the first few minutes of driving.

Posted by: 91RS

I wait about a minute before I start moving the car.

Posted by: rip

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rev. Voodoo

Ive heard on any fuel injected car, warm up doesn't change a thing (other than your comfort so you can have heat!)...dunno if thats true. Ive never waited for my car to warm up. well....until now. My GF just put a remote starter on my car, so now I get into a toasty ride.......

it's more for the oil to get where it needs to be so wear on those parts are reduced.

Posted by: WoNGsTeR

i just wait for a few secs... and than just drive around 2k rmp for a while until the needle gets half way......

Posted by: mplswaltar

yea i know honda now says with its 5w-20, 1 minute to warm up the car in any kind of weather. It will cause extra wear if you just up and go. Your oil needs to be at a certain temp before it can lubricate properly. My car is pretty modified, so it takes about 10 minutes of driving before i have heat. I have bypassed the coolant lines on my throttle body and intake manifold, so it takes a while to warm up.

As far as gas goes, if you just up and drive, your ECU will run richer, to warm the car up if you have a FITV, or OBD2. So i think i would rather wait and idle, to allow the oil to lubricate. Then drive no more that 2k rpm untill the water temp is at norm.

I live in MN, and this winter has been pretty cold. I have seen WAY to many idiots, just jump in there 350z or some nice car and just haul A, i almost wanna cry. My deepest sympathy for that engine, esp in -15f weather.

Posted by: Inclemental

i will look at my rmp...usually when i start up my car...it goes above 1k...i will wait till it drop under 1k before i start driving...

Posted by: WoNGsTeR

Quote:

Originally Posted by mplswaltar

yea i know honda now says with its 5w-20, 1 minute to warm up the car in any kind of weather. It will cause extra wear if you just up and go. Your oil needs to be at a certain temp before it can lubricate properly. My car is pretty modified, so it takes about 10 minutes of driving before i have heat. I have bypassed the coolant lines on my throttle body and intake manifold, so it takes a while to warm up.

As far as gas goes, if you just up and drive, your ECU will run richer, to warm the car up if you have a FITV, or OBD2. So i think i would rather wait and idle, to allow the oil to lubricate. Then drive no more that 2k rpm untill the water temp is at norm.

I live in MN, and this winter has been pretty cold. I have seen WAY to many idiots, just jump in there 350z or some nice car and just haul A, i almost wanna cry. My deepest sympathy for that engine, esp in -15f weather.

yea i know i shouldnt be doing.. it just a bad lazy habit... but good thing is that i park underground so its not as bad.. but i will be getting a remote start this fall so atleast 5 mins before i can just do the auto starter so it will be fine by the time i get in...

Posted by: IsLand_BoY

I wait maybe 15 seconds. Don't need to wait much cuz it's 85 degrees here in Hawaii

- but yeah, I take it easy until the needle starts moving up.

Posted by: TheRupp

Quote:

Originally Posted by IsLand_BoY

I wait maybe 15 seconds. Don't need to wait much cuz it's 85 degrees here in Hawaii

- but yeah, I take it easy until the needle starts moving up.

^ *******!

In cold weather, I run it for a few minutes, usually 5 or so. My car will hold the gears (depending on speed of course) to warm up the engine faster, but I can't really take it easy because all the roads by my house are 55mph (~90 kmh) after I leave the neighborhood, which only takes 0.3mi (0.5km).

Posted by: plumers

Usually I let the car idle for about a minute or a little more only if I have a hard time starting it up. If I don't warm it up, the tranny shift more rough than usual, it's just weird.

Posted by: ajponu

I don't wait at all. I just go.

Posted by: chops

give it a min til the meter hits the first line on the temp guage..then take it easy til its halfway. my car is over 18 years old...runs like a champ and its always been warmed up a min or two before moving.

Posted by: The Rex

* start car
* smoke cigarette in garage
* get in car and gooooooo

Posted by: dkny_boi

I give it a minute or less. But when i did have a remote starter in my old car, even if i started it and let it sit there for 10min, it'd still take longer to warm up than if i only ran it for a minute or two and then start driving. So i'd only let it sit out there for a couple minutes running.

Posted by: mplswaltar

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Rex

* start car
* smoke cigarette in garage
* get in car and gooooooo

this is EXACTLY what i do. The second my cig is done, i drive under 3k rpms untill water temp is normal. About 2 minutes after that, im pulling a shumacher past the soccer moms who are applying makeup, talking on the phone and playing with their PDA. Im frightend of them, so i blow past doing 130 just so they dont swerve and hit me.

Either way, you use the same ammount of gas, so i would rather wait.

Posted by: rovert

My manual recommends not to run the car idle at cold. Just start the car and drive off at reasonably lower RPMS than normal until the temperature guage is in the middle. I'll shift at a maximum of 2,500RPMs for the first few shifts until the needle starts to move up. After it is half way up I'll change my max to 3,000RPMs and as it works up to the middle, I'll max myself out to 4,500RPMs. Once the needle has shown regular operating temperature for more than a minute I feel safe that I can redline if needed.

The reason is that when an idling vehicle, there is not enough pressure from the engine to pump oil effeciently to all locations of the engine. When you are driving there is a lot more pressure so as no premature wear and tear is put on an engine that doesn't have enough oil to lubricate parts of the engine. Also with a cold engine the car will run rich and while it's just sitting there doing nothing some of the rich unburnt fuel could contaminate the catalytic converter causing premature aging since the cat isn't warmed up to it's optimal temperature to handle that condition.

With a small load on a cold engine, the engine and catalytic converter will heat up much faster compared to idling the car sitting there parked.

Posted by: mplswaltar

rovert what kinda car do you have?

Posted by: rovert

Quote:

Originally Posted by mplswaltar

rovert what kinda car do you have?

I have a BMW 330i....this is the same as with my dad's 540i and my sister's Audi A4. I've also confirmed this info with a good friend/mechanic for BMW.

Posted by: DannyBoy413

about 1 minute or so.....maybe a couple more if its really cold... no need to do it in the summer time...

Posted by: Skylinepilot

Wow, not a lot waiting with you guys. My cars get 5-10 minutes, when getting ready in the morning I start the car as soon as I am dressed, then finish brushing my teeth, doing my hair and any other last minute things.

On my STi it's a bit more imperative to let it warm up because of the variable valve timing (oil pressure). The Clubwagon, well it just won't run right unless it has had a substantial amount of warm up time.

Posted by: Zaku_4

hmm

personally, i dont let it warm up. meaning i dont let it sit, its a waste of gas. i just drive it slower and let the autobox shift at the low rpms.

Posted by: mplswaltar

Maybe its just with BMW or german cars, but with most imports such as honda/acura, its not meant to be drivin right off the bat. They have IACV and Fast idle thermo valves, and the ECU warms the engine up at minimal load, to get the oil at a certain temp, along with getting the engine lubed. If you start driving your going to run leaner, which will lead to engine wear.

Posted by: Zaku_4

Quote:

Originally Posted by mplswaltar

Maybe its just with BMW or german cars, but with most imports such as honda/acura, its not meant to be drivin right off the bat. They have IACV and Fast idle thermo valves, and the ECU warms the engine up at minimal load, to get the oil at a certain temp, along with getting the engine lubed. If you start driving your going to run leaner, which will lead to engine wear.

it just uses more gas and makes it seem like u installed something which makes u go faster

Posted by: 91RS

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zaku_4

it just uses more gas and makes it seem like u installed something which makes u go faster

Unless you're revving your car at 6k while it's sitting there, you're not using enough gas while you car warms up for a minute or two to constitute saying that you're "wasting" gas in my opinion.

Posted by: mplswaltar

right, think of the injector pulses, its idleing at 1.5k rpms. How are you using "more gas" at 1.5k rpms or even 1k, vrs. 2-3k rpms. Your putting a load on the engine when you open up the TB butterfly to allow more air in, and the more air you allow in, the faster the injector pulse is. The injectors cannot "shoot" more fuel out than their rating. Its all about pulses and idling would be the same thing as driving, but without the wear on the engine. On hondas, anything under 4k rpms the oil pressure is going to be simmilar. After 4k it bypasses the oil filter, so oil pressure isnt an issue.

Parts expand/contract when going from hot to cold. The whole engine is built down to .1mm +/- .01mm or somthing wierd like that. When the engine is cold, the tolorance is WAY off, so just driving is going to cause wear. If anybody notices when its really cold out, the engine sounds PISSED! I live in MN, and there is a HUGE difference on how my car drives/sounds when its summer or winter. Winter im very scared because it sounds like there is no oil in the car. This is because the tolorance is off a bit. Summer it purrs like a ferrari, and revving up sounds even nicer. No ticking, no slaping or knocking. Im guessing this only applies to people who live in places where it gets down to -10 durring the winter. I would never just up and go, im sure i could find some metal shavings if I did that, when i change my oil.

Posted by: Skylinepilot

Quote:

Originally Posted by 91RS

Unless you're revving your car at 6k while it's sitting there, you're not using enough gas while you car warms up for a minute or two to constitute saying that you're "wasting" gas in my opinion.

I completely agree, same for mpswalter's post

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zaku_4

it just uses more gas and makes it seem like u installed something which makes u go faster

Cars with variable valve timing usually depend on oil pressure because that is what is used actuate whatever engages the extra lobes on the camshaft (I believe some hondas use pins to actuate).

Without it, it would be like your 8K RPM car suddenly turning into a 4-5K RPM car. I would imagine with the low end power on my Subaru it would work like an even lower RPM car if I didn't let it warm up. I haven't actually located a warning in my manual but I have heard that VTEC Honda owners have disclaimers in their manuals warning about warm up.

As far as cars without Variable valve timing, its still good to let it warm up. Your car was built to run at a certain temperature. Metals expand, fluids reach an optimal temperature, its all engineered to run a certain way.

Posted by: mplswaltar

so very very true, I lost my honda manual, wish i could find it again.

Posted by: 91RS

I'm gonna go look in my manual and see if it says anything about warm up.

Posted by: Trey1475

Yeah it depends on the the weather and your car. Everyone should warm their car up for about 1-5 minutes. Older cars usually need to be warmed up longer. You dont have to warm the car up to driving temperatures just long enough for the oil to circulate. Once you start driving then your car will be at the correct temperature. Just dont drive your car rough or at high speeds untill its at normal temperature.

Posted by: Drew10162003

both my cars are GM my GTO & my moms 03 yukon denali

when i get up and get ready for work i go out and start my gto and take my shower get dressed hair ( about 15 minutes plus its styll winter here and i like it to be nice and warm lol) ect and when i get out ther its all ready for a hard take off ( i dont shift till about 4,700rpms ) now my moms yukon i let it warm up 5 - 10 minutes with the heater on full blast ( big car takes a while to warm up ) but ther all fast about warming up under 1 minute even in the winter

-Drew

Posted by: plumers

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drew10162003

both my cars are GM my GTO & my moms 03 yukon denali

when i get up and get ready for work i go out and start my gto and take my shower get dressed hair ( about 15 minutes plus its styll winter here and i like it to be nice and warm lol) ect and when i get out ther its all ready for a hard take off ( i dont shift till about 4,700rpms ) now my moms yukon i let it warm up 5 - 10 minutes with the heater on full blast ( big car takes a while to warm up ) but ther all fast about warming up under 1 minute even in the winter

-Drew

Whoa dude! that's plenty of time for thieves to drove your cars away from your driveway

Posted by: Drew10162003

Well lets see humm why not lock it with the extra key in it ???

plus the yukon has a $700 alarm remotestart ect lol

-Drew