How long should i let my car warm up in winter time?

[talontsiboy24]

Winter is here in chicago and i dont have a garage for my Automatic 97 gsx and temps are in the low 20s and teens and was wondering how long should i let my car warm up for?

im running mobil 1 15w-50 oil which is real thick for winter but thats what the car has been on ever since the mods and tune...

i usually let it idle for almost 20min and then drive i just wanna be sure that thick oil has went threw everything not just start it up and go as some people do...

what do u guys think?

 

[morelock]

i agree with 91stocker on this one does any one know the basics of hydraulics the same thing applies to your motor if you want it to last

 

[RyanSaiki]

It's in the teens in the mornings here in Idaho. When I park my car outside I let it warm up 3-4 minutes. When it's in the garge I give it a minute. Then again I only have to drive 1/2 a mile to school. So it doesn't make much of a difference for me.

 

[Wobet]

Ive always let my cars warm up enough to start to show on the temp gauge. Have you ever seen oil at below freezing temps. Thicker then syrup. No way its lubing anything like that. I bet the oil pump doesnt like it much either. I also dont like taking a cold engine and warming it up very fast like by driving it. Rapid expansion taking something cold and warming it up very very fast cant be good for anything. Just seems like common sense.

Isn't the different weighted oil a different thickness anyways, so switching to a lighter one in the winter would be better or worse?

 

[talontsiboy24]

Ive always let my cars warm up enough to start to show on the temp gauge. Have you ever seen oil at below freezing temps. Thicker then syrup. No way its lubing anything like that. I bet the oil pump doesnt like it much either. I also dont like taking a cold engine and warming it up very fast like by driving it. Rapid expansion taking something cold and warming it up very very fast cant be good for anything. Just seems like common sense.

But what if u have 5w oil that should be flowing fast as hell in winter time on cold startup and wont take much time to warm it up since its thinner..but i do like how u said taking something cold and warming it up very very fast is not good thats why i let my car warmup for at least 10min before i take off just doesnt feel right to start it up for 1min and go in winter time.

But also is it bad to just start your car up in winter and let it warmup and move it a lil and turn it off if u dont drive it in winter time?

 

[1GRedRocket]

houghton mi, crazy cold here!
2 min warmup
take it easy till its at "race temp"
30 sec idle to cool down after im done drivin
never had any problems

 

[crazyboy81]

This idea of letting a car warm up is debunked. It applies to older cars not newer fuel injection vehicles. I've read all about it and as far as warm up you waste more gas letting it idle than if you just started and drove. Driving makes it get hotter quicker not idling. A few seconds of idle tops is all thats really needed.

 

[talontsiboy24]

Is this true since im automatic=

In an automatic, the torque convertor is always turning, so yes, it will warm up a little. The auto trans fluid is also circulating through the radiator which will probably pick up some heat from the circulating antifreeze. A manual doesn't do anything until you start driving. Neither need any time to warm up. just your engine

 

[GRAVEDIGGER]

Ive always let my cars warm up enough to start to show on the temp gauge.

I also dont like taking a cold engine and warming it up very fast like by driving it. Rapid expansion taking something cold and warming it up very very fast cant be good for anything. Just seems like common sense.

I agree

 

[ramsack]

Warming up something cold quickly is not bad. Cooling something hot down too quickly is a different story. Something can only warm up as quick as it absorbs the heat. The exact reason the coolant warms up quicker once it gets a little warm versus when it's dead cold. Nothing on any modern EFI car needs warming up. It's all psychological and a waste of gas. There is nothing in the manual that says to not drive the car until it's warm. It basically says to not beat on it.

 

[LiquidX]

Let it idle for about 30 seconds to get the oil circulated. The warm up procedures as explained already were for older cars with loose clearances to help prevent against piston slap. We don't have those clearance issues anymore with better metals and a tighter build process.

There is no sudden heat changes unless you are romping on it after starting the car nor will it cause issues. Just drive easy until the needle is either quarter or half way up the gauge.
Sudden hot to cold is what destroys and cracks materials unless it's glass or another material that is un evenly heated that allows for expansion on one end while the other part is not expanding causing a stress fracture.

Also there is no reason to sit after stopping to let the motor cool off. Just drive easy before you park and you don't have to worry about anything. I have never sat and idled or used a turbo timer to cool off the turbo and the turbo I tore apart was 99% clean of coke.

 

[GRAVEDIGGER]

Warming up something cold quickly is not bad. It's all psychological and a waste of gas.

I'll just keep warming ALL of my cars up for my own psychological well being.
And I'll just have to waste all that gas idling for 10 minutes while you zip down the road at higher rpm's all in open loop with warmup enrichment on a cold engine.

 

[ramsack]

Startup enrichment only last a few seconds. Warm-up enrichment is not a significant use of gas. Why am I in high RPMs zipping down the road? A properly functioning car will be just as drivable cold versus warm.

 

[GRAVEDIGGER]

Startup enrichment only last a few seconds. Warm-up enrichment is not a significant use of gas. Why am I in high RPMs zipping down the road? A properly functioning car will be just as drivable cold versus warm.

Ok, ok... Not trying to

I never said you are in high rpms, just higher than an idling car.
I'm just saying that you will be using just as much if not more gas when operating a cold engine at say 3k rpm than I will warming my car at idle with no throttle or load on the engine.

Yes, a properly functioning car will be just as drivable cold as warm, but I just don't agree that it is no harder on the engine driving a car right away when it's below freezing than letting it warm up a little.

 

[donniekak]

I have forged pistons with a good amount of ptw clearance, combined with 20w-50 racing oil. So, my car gets ran for at least 2 minutes on a cold start before i go anywhere. I don't want to slap my pistons of the cylinder walls, or break my oil pump gears.

 

[ramsack]

I just think 10 minutes is excessive, that's all. I let my car warm up this morning while I swept the snow off it, and I had the defroster blowing on the windshield. I was out there like 2 minutes and it was already blowing warm air melting the ice. Forged stuff definitely needs to be warmed first. I would be letting my car fully heat up before driving if I had forged pistons.

 

[50trimgst]

There is nothing wrong with a 10 min warm up in the winter. 5w 20 is garbage with a big turbo setup the heat just kills it. Imo.

 

[DSMReviver]

Let it warm up for 24hrs then drive it

 

[Blaze4G63]

i give mine like 10 min and then she warmed up and idleing at 1000

 

[SpawnedX]

This thread is so dumb, we have electronic fuel injection, we need 5 seconds for the oil to get circulated and then we go. If you are waiting for any other reason than you are too chicken to get into a cold car, you are displaying a fundamental lack of car knowledge.

 

[1990AWD]

This thread is so dumb, we have electronic fuel injection, we need 5 seconds for the oil to get circulated and then we go. If you are waiting for any other reason than you are too chicken to get into a cold car, you are displaying a fundamental lack of car knowledge.

I'd like to see if you feel the same way when it's -50 outside.

 

[Tyeler18]

Ok, ok... Not trying to

I never said you are in high rpms, just higher than an idling car.
I'm just saying that you will be using just as much if not more gas when operating a cold engine at say 3k rpm than I will warming my car at idle with no throttle or load on the engine.

Yes, a properly functioning car will be just as drivable cold as warm, but I just don't agree that it is no harder on the engine driving a car right away when it's below freezing than letting it warm up a little.

#1 straight out of the DSM wiki on idling vs driving a cold car:
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/articles-miscellaneous/254223-how-save-gas.html

 

[ChiTownHussla]

I heard somewhere that the 4 bolt viscous diff in the back is horrible to run cold. better to warm up, any commens?

 

[SpawnedX]

I'd like to see if you feel the same way when it's -50 outside.

You mean when my oil is still 5 weight...nice try, learn something about cars.

 

[SpawnedX]

I heard somewhere that the 4 bolt viscous diff in the back is horrible to run cold. better to warm up, any commens?

Please explain to me how you let your differential oil warm up?

 

[1990AWD]

You mean when my oil is still 5 weight...nice try, learn something about cars.

You go sit in a car that's been outside all night in minus fifty and drive a car that even though it has 5w30 oil barely starts without warming it up. Until you experience real cold, you can't say shit.