Idling your car when it's cold

[Wathen1955]

Saw this article on Yahoo. They:
We spoke with mechanical engineer and former drag-racer Stephen Ciatti about the pervasive myth that you need to warm up your car in the winter.

Here in Northern CA where I'm at, I go out to my car at 4:15am. There are times when it can be 30°F outside. I've always start my car and wait ~30 seconds before taking off. Good...bad?

So what do the gear heads here in TVB have to say?

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/biggest-myth-warming-car-winter-164138459.html

[Admiral Blue]

I don't move my car any sooner than 15-20 seconds in any kind of whether. It get a little cooler than 30 degrees here -- in those cases, I may give it a minute or two. If the car is in the garage, though, it will be 40 degrees plus regardless of the outside temp.

I want to make sure that oil is circulated -- which probably does not take more than 5-10 seconds. But I still like the RPMs to settle down to a normal idle speed.

[VatorMan]

Even 5W-30 is thick when really cold. I agree tho-15-30 seconds before I move.

[lspencer534]

I warm up my car until the tachometer lowers to about 900 rpms. Engines are built much better than they were. I just don't go very fast to help reduce damage to the engine.

[99 pewtercoupe]

In the morning when I start my car in the garage, the temp is usually never much below about 45 so I start it and go. I do maintain a pretty light foot on the gas until I leave my neighborhood but that is over a mile and several minutes later

If the car has been outside in cold temps I will let it sit for 15-20 seconds after starting

I think the being easy on revs for the first couple of minutes is more important than letting the car idle

[Burro (He/Haw)]

My Tahoe has been running since November. :D

[8Up]

I dont warm up the car for ITS benefit, I do it for MY benefit.

[C5SilverBullet]

I dont warm up the car for ITS benefit, I do it for MY benefit.

:iagree:

[JRD77VET]

I dont warm up the car for ITS benefit, I do it for MY benefit.

:yesnod:

[markids77]

Once the gauges register I am moving. Done it that way since I got my license in the 70s. We keep cars until they die... 7 years with no payments at present.

[boracayjohnny]

I hate the cold weather currently going around now too.

The temp this morning was around fifty and got up to a little over seventy during the day.

[Kerrmudgeon]

Bringing a driveline up to operating temp should be done at the lowest rpm, that gives full oil pressure, possible, regardless of whether the car's in gear/moving or not. So let it sit to warm up or drive it slow....it's the same thing, PLUS driving it warms up the rear end and the trans as well.
Extreme cold starts...:canadian:, are damaging to an engine in any event. Think of trying to lubricate moving parts with freezing cold corn syrup....that's the consistency of 10-30 in that cold. Every freezing start probably wears that motor like a thousand driving miles. :(

[Oh-yaa]

I'll wait for the revs to settle below 1000 in the Vette before driving. Then its easy until the temp starts to move. With the Cummins, i have to wait for the inlet heat to complete before starting.Then I will drive gently out of the 'hood to the main streets. The manual trans is pretty notchy for the first couple of miles.

[NeedSpeed]

It doesn't matter either way.

People generally do way worse things.

[Kerrmudgeon]

It doesn't matter either way.

People generally do way worse things.

No kidding!....my old man would start his car in frigid temps and rev it to about 4K to make it warm up fast! :rofl:

....so much damage done.

While we're talking about cold starts.....the WORST thing you can do in the winter temps is not drive your car far enough to get rid of the condensation in the motor that develops when you shut it down in cold weather. Do that day after day and soon you have a high percentage of water in your oil...:willy:

A buddy of mine had a work van that the employees drove about a mile to and from work. Motor was screwed after one winter.:ack: