View Poll Results: How long do you warm up you engine
None, start it and go!
305
36.40%
About 20 sec., until rpm drops to 1200.
321
38.31%
About 2 min., until rpm drops to 1000.
176
21.00%
However long it takes to get water temp up. (post what temp)
36
4.30%
Voters: 838. You may not vote on this poll
How long do you warm up your engine?
12-08-10, 02:06 PM
#257
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Refer to Kurtz's quote, syzygy's quote for relevant information.
This has been discussed a number of times... not only is letting it sit there idling to "warm it up" not a good idea, it's an actively bad one. Idling is among the worst things you can do to a car engine.
Barring sub-zero temps, if you want to warm the car up, drive it.
Start car, put on seatbelt, drive. Keep it under 3k rpms or so for the first 5-10 minutes.
Letting it sit there is simply bad for the engine and benefits the car not at all. There's a reason that 'excessive idling' is one of the conditions for putting the car under a severe-duty maintenance schedule.
Barring sub-zero temps, if you want to warm the car up, drive it.
Start car, put on seatbelt, drive. Keep it under 3k rpms or so for the first 5-10 minutes.
Letting it sit there is simply bad for the engine and benefits the car not at all. There's a reason that 'excessive idling' is one of the conditions for putting the car under a severe-duty maintenance schedule.
Here's some relevant information -
"SHOULD I SHUT OFF THE MOTOR WHEN I'M IDLING MY CAR"
Myth #1: The engine should be warmed up before driving. Reality: Idling is not an effective way to warm up your vehicle, even in cold weather. The best way to do this is to drive the vehicle. With today's modern engines, you need no more than 30 seconds of idling on winter days before driving away.
Myth #2: Idling is good for your engine. Reality: Excessive idling can actually damage your engine components, including cylinders, spark plugs, and exhaust systems. Fuel is only partially combusted when idling because an engine does not operate at its peak temperature. This leads to the build up of fuel residues on cylinder walls that can damage engine components and increase fuel consumption.
http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/myths/idling.html
"SHOULD I SHUT OFF THE MOTOR WHEN I'M IDLING MY CAR"
Myth #1: The engine should be warmed up before driving. Reality: Idling is not an effective way to warm up your vehicle, even in cold weather. The best way to do this is to drive the vehicle. With today's modern engines, you need no more than 30 seconds of idling on winter days before driving away.
Myth #2: Idling is good for your engine. Reality: Excessive idling can actually damage your engine components, including cylinders, spark plugs, and exhaust systems. Fuel is only partially combusted when idling because an engine does not operate at its peak temperature. This leads to the build up of fuel residues on cylinder walls that can damage engine components and increase fuel consumption.
http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/myths/idling.html
12-08-10, 02:50 PM
#260
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12-08-10, 04:28 PM
#262
Ok, let's see if we can bring this debate back to reality...
I don't think anyone is stating that "idling is GOOD for the car"...I think most people wait a couple of seconds and then take off...if you really time it, a minute or two perceived is probably more like 10-30 seconds...also, those that warm the car up in the winter are doing so for their own comfort, not for the car's benefit...use a high quality synthetic if you are worried about cold starts...
Also, the statement that "idling is BAD for the car" really needs some more detail...how much time idling is considered severe duty? If sitting in stopped traffic, who really turns off their car to prevent idling? Why is there a severe duty maintenance schedule if you simply should not let the engine idle?...research is out there that proves too much idling can be bad for the engine, but we just need more detail...
I do have to agree that idling too much is not good, and our owner's manual does not require "warming up" to drive, so letting the car idle for an extended period of time should not be recommended, we just don't know how much time is too much...but keep in mind that systems are in place on the car to protect it from cold fluids, so don't be worried to drive the car cold, just don't rev it too high until it is warm...
I hope that helped...maybe not...just my $0.02
I don't think anyone is stating that "idling is GOOD for the car"...I think most people wait a couple of seconds and then take off...if you really time it, a minute or two perceived is probably more like 10-30 seconds...also, those that warm the car up in the winter are doing so for their own comfort, not for the car's benefit...use a high quality synthetic if you are worried about cold starts...
Also, the statement that "idling is BAD for the car" really needs some more detail...how much time idling is considered severe duty? If sitting in stopped traffic, who really turns off their car to prevent idling? Why is there a severe duty maintenance schedule if you simply should not let the engine idle?...research is out there that proves too much idling can be bad for the engine, but we just need more detail...
I do have to agree that idling too much is not good, and our owner's manual does not require "warming up" to drive, so letting the car idle for an extended period of time should not be recommended, we just don't know how much time is too much...but keep in mind that systems are in place on the car to protect it from cold fluids, so don't be worried to drive the car cold, just don't rev it too high until it is warm...
I hope that helped...maybe not...just my $0.02
12-08-10, 04:55 PM
#263
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I'm not saying the car needs to be at 180 degrees before you drive it, But letting it warm up for 5-10 minutes isn't going to hurt it either. When they build these cars, they beat the ***** out of them in 120 degree temps and 0 degree temps. They let it warm up and then let them idle for days and days. The engine is designed to handle idling both when it's cold AND when it's warmed up. There are people that sit in traffic daily for 30 minutes a day, sometimes barely creeping above idle.
I warm my car up so its warm for me inside of it, AND I believe it's less stressful on the engine. I'm not saying it has to be warmed up for 10 minutes, but letting it sit for 5 minutes has got to be a little better then just driving it right away. I dont want to sit in it for 1-2 mins before leaving, and I want to be comfortable. I don't think it's BAD for the car to let it idle before driving it. I've let cars idle for hours and never had a problem.
And regardless, this wasnt a discussion about idling at operating temp, it was about warming cars up
I warm my car up so its warm for me inside of it, AND I believe it's less stressful on the engine. I'm not saying it has to be warmed up for 10 minutes, but letting it sit for 5 minutes has got to be a little better then just driving it right away. I dont want to sit in it for 1-2 mins before leaving, and I want to be comfortable. I don't think it's BAD for the car to let it idle before driving it. I've let cars idle for hours and never had a problem.
And regardless, this wasnt a discussion about idling at operating temp, it was about warming cars up
12-08-10, 07:02 PM
#264
When they build these cars, they beat the ***** out of them in 120 degree temps and 0 degree temps. They let it warm up and then let them idle for days and days. The engine is designed to handle idling both when it's cold AND when it's warmed up. There are people that sit in traffic daily for 30 minutes a day, sometimes barely creeping above idle.
What do you know that he folks who wrote the owners manual don't?
Because they say the best thing for the engine to "warm it up" is to drive it.... just keeping it under 3k or so till it starts getting up to temp.
I don't expect you'd find much long-term reliability difference between a guy who waits 5 seconds to drive it versus 60 seconds... but I suspect if they stuck to longer OCIs you would find such a difference between a guy who idles it for 5-10 minutes to warm up every day vs. the guy who puts it in gear after 5-10 seconds.
Again, it won't be a difference that's obvious at 5k miles, or probably even 50k... but longer term it'd likely be.
Again, idling/warming up is a bit like running 87 all the time instead of 91... or using the transmission to slow the car down instead of the brakes...
If you're one of those guys who wants to drive his lexus for a couple hundred thousand miles, don't do it.
If you're one of those guys who trades his car in every 50k miles, don't worry about it and do as you like.
01-21-11, 10:22 PM
#266
Regardless of what is said, i refuse to just drive my car 30 seconds after its started n 5 degree weather, the inside is just to damn cold haha, i just turn it on and by the time im done brushing the snow of the car i think its neither to little, nor to much time
01-22-11, 08:02 AM
#267
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I notice when I start it up and go within 20seconds or so.. my drive or reverse speed feels like it kicks more. If I wait 2min, it feels normal speed backing up.
01-22-11, 02:58 PM
#270
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During cold weather in Texas (coldest so far 29F) I let my car warm up for 20 seconds. It's pointless to let the car warm up for 2 or 3 minutes unless you really want the heater to kick in and warm up the cabin. At 3.30 a gallon for premium I dont' see a point in warming up the car for long.