Warming up?

**bonfire** · 10-29-2005, 06:30 AM

How long should you let your car warm up before you drive?

**Setec Astronomy** · 10-29-2005, 07:16 AM

I`m sure some people will tell you a long time, but for a variety of reasons, studies have shown you should go as soon as the oil pressure comes up, just take it easy until the car warms up, no hard acceleration/high revs, etc.

**atticdog** · 10-29-2005, 07:18 AM

I try to leave then the cold engine light goes off

if you leave before its warm when its cold out it would take longer to warm up while driving due to cold air blowing on the engine and then run richer longer and use abit more gas

**Wasatch** · 10-29-2005, 07:23 AM

I go within a minute.

**JaCkaL829** · 10-29-2005, 07:28 AM

I usually only wait 1-2 minutes, mainly because i`m looking for the cd I want to listen to. IMO it`s better to take it easy and drive really slow and conservative then to have your car ideling for 15-20 minutes then flooring it. It takes forever for your car to hit normal operating temps. if its just ideling and its a waste of gas. Not to mention its only warming up your engine; not your tranny, axels and all your other moving parts.

**Setec Astronomy** · 10-29-2005, 07:29 AM

Originally Posted by atticdog

I try to leave then the cold engine light goes off

if you leave before its warm when its cold out it would take longer to warm up while driving due to cold air blowing on the engine and then run richer longer and use abit more gas

What is a "cold engine light"? Also, I think studies have shown that driving warms the engine faster than idling. You want to minimize the time it takes to bring the engine to operating temperature to minimize piston ring blowby which causes condensation of combustion byproducts (water, unburned fuel, etc.) in your oil, and to get the emissions system (catalytic converter) up to (operating) temperature, if you care about emissions, that is.

**Corey Bit Spank** · 10-29-2005, 07:51 AM

About 30 seconds idling and then I drive lightly.

**ZaneO** · 10-29-2005, 08:01 AM

I let it warm up for about 1 minute and keep the RPM under 2000 for about 10 minutes.

**LightngSVT** · 10-29-2005, 08:17 AM

1 - 2 minutes (or until the lights on the tach reach 6k rpm on the M3), then drive carefully for the first 5 minutes.

**ramp** · 10-29-2005, 08:18 AM

My car tells me: When I start the cold engine it revs to about 1,200 RPM and stays there for several seconds. Then it drops back to 800-900 RPMs and I proceed.

**imported_flatstick** · 10-29-2005, 08:38 AM

Originally Posted by bonfire

How long should you let your car warm up before you drive?

Depends on how long of a drive you are taking. the crucial factor of warming up a car properly is not really getting the engine to temp. making sure the oil reaches operating temp is a more important factor. your oil may never reach the temperature it needs to burn off the condensation that forms. Running it for a while before driving will provide more driving at a higher engine temperature, allowing the moisture to burn off. if you have a short drive in very cold weather not warming up the oil enough is a bad thing. if you have a longer drive you can get on the road faster and drive slow to start out with. nothing worse than romping on a cold motor. if you really want to know if you are doing your motor harm go grab a UOA. this will tell the condition of your motor and how it is wearing. just my two cents :dance

**benpocock** · 10-29-2005, 01:32 PM

Oil generally takes about 10 minutes to get up to temperature so I always drive easily until then. In terms of start up, I may leave it 30 seconds on a cold day but generally I go as soon as it;s up and running.

Ben

**ramp** · 10-29-2005, 01:41 PM

I don`t think getting oil "up to temp" is nearly as important as getting oil to all moving parts before taking off. There is no reason in todays cars to wait for the car or the oil to warm up.

**DrSauekraut** · 10-29-2005, 02:52 PM

Yes . . . I too wait several minutes Ã¢â‚¬â€œ IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m turbocharged. Not only does it allow oil to flow and warm, but it also gives secondary air injection enough time to prep the cat.

**imported_flatstick** · 10-29-2005, 04:30 PM

Originally Posted by ramp

I don`t think getting oil "up to temp" is nearly as important as getting oil to all moving parts before taking off. There is no reason in todays cars to wait for the car or the oil to warm up.

If you read my post what I am trying to say is that you must drive far enough to bring the oil up to temp so that you burn off any condensation . in other words if you only drive two miles to work you should let the motor warm longer than if you drove 20 miles. if you do not do this you will end up with some issues down the road. if you live in a moderate climate, not as many worries. my winters get down to -10 at times. sorry if you took my advice the wrong way, did not feel that I said to wait until the oil is warmed up before taking off. people who have short driving habits are harder on oil and motors than people who are driving with longer trips. this is why I rely on UOA`S they will tell you the state of your motor on the inside.