[Guest]

To each their own is about right. It certainly does not hurt to let the vehicle warm up a few minutes, and as a person who knows what -40 feels like, it is never bad to get a little heat flowing before you drive of(although that would take more than a few minutes if you want your interior toasty) but i guess the point is that really long warm up times are not really necessary, and if you drive off and go easy, everything should be OK, but the gear oil needs time to warm up too!

 

[Guest]

To each their own is about right. It certainly does not hurt to let the vehicle warm up a few minutes, and as a person who knows what -40 feels like, it is never bad to get a little heat flowing before you drive of(although that would take more than a few minutes if you want your interior toasty) but i guess the point is that really long warm up times are not really necessary, and if you drive off and go easy, everything should be OK, but the gear oil needs time to warm up too!

so how many minutes then?

5mins is ok?

 

[Guest]

i usually go in about 30 secs to a minute, unlessi have lots of ice to scrape which may take a couple of minutes, but usually 5 easy driving minutes seems to get things working nicely, and i think it ers on the side of caution except on the coldest of mornings. But at minus 40 you can tell that everything is so stiff you can't really drive it hard anyway so you can really feel when things start to "warm up" And don't forget the benefit of synthetic oil to flow more freely as well, it gives me a little extra piece of mind

 

[Guest]

not to beat a dead horse but...

Just came across this on the transport Canada site, seems to sound about right

News Flash! Idling Is Not Good for Your Engine

Perhaps the greatest myth about idling is that it's good for the engine. The truth is that excessive idling can actually damage a vehicle's engine.

Contrary to popular belief, idling is not an effective way to warm up a vehicle, even in cold weather. The best way to do this is to drive the vehicle. Today's electronically controlled engines allow you to drive away after only 30 seconds of idling, even on the coldest winter days.

Excessive idling can be a problem for a few reasons:

First, since an idling engine is not operating at its peak temperature, fuel combustion is incomplete.
As a result, fuel residues can condense on cylinder walls, contaminate oil and damage engine components. For example, these residues tend to deposit on spark plugs. With more engine idling there is a drop in the average plug temperature and accelerated plug fouling. This can increase fuel consumption by 4 to 5 percent.
Excessive idling can cause water to condense in the vehicle's exhaust. This can lead to corrosion and reduce the life of the exhaust system.
There's another good reason for motorists to drive away soon after starting a vehicle. The engine is only one component of a vehicle. Other parts, such as the wheel bearings, steering, suspension, transmission and tires, also need to be warmed up, and the only way to do that is to get the vehicle moving.

Another common misconception is that it's better to let an engine idle than to continually shut off and restart the vehicle. Research has shown that frequent restarting has little impact on engine components such as the battery and starter motor. Component wear caused by restarting is estimated to add $10 per year to the cost of driving, money that can be recovered several times over in fuel savings from reduced idling.

A good rule of thumb for smart, idle-free driving is this:

If you are going to be parked for more than 10 seconds, turn off the engine. Ten seconds of idling can use more fuel than turning off the engine and restarting it

 

[waltrav]

I've heard the legitimate report and I think most people who wait idling in a drivethru or traffic jams in the summer will have more to worry about than a few minutes winter startup.
Having said that I would not argue from anyone taking off in 30 sec. or a few minutes. When below 0 I will always start the car with the heat/defroster on before finishing my deicing and a bit of snow removal. For me a warmer car, clearer windshield inside and out is more safe and comfortable.

Cheers,

Walt

 

[Guest]

I agree, a few minutes to warm up on the coldest of mornings feels good, and certainly won't hurt anything, but the practice of starting and going right away is at least guilt free.

 

[Guest]

Hi all.

It's not only a water temp matter but also oil temp.
For gasoline engines, it is recomended to begin "reving"the engine when reaching at least over 72 º celsious.

But we do not have oil temp meter !! (my former VW golf GTi did)
so we have to estimate that about 10 minutes would be necessary to reach this temp.

But it is not strictly necessary to get stopped until reaching the proper temp., you can run slowly, not reving to much the engine.

BR and I apolgize for my English.
Patricio

 

[Guest]

For me I basically wait until my RPMS start to drop below 2000(they rev around 2000-2400 depending on how cold it is outside when I first start it. After about one minute or so they start to drop and then I know the computer is dropping the rev's as operating temp is being reached. <--- thats what a toyota tech told me the RAV is doing when it revs high on startup. It is trying to reach operating temp fast.

I tried (for a month) to drive off slowly after 30 seconds instead of waiting and I have found I use more fuel doing this than letting it idle a bit more. I lose about 1-2 mpg more driving off after 30 seconds than waiting for the REV's to go down.

For me the answer is, I let the RAV tell me when its time to go. Then I drive slowly to warmup the drivetrain and other components.

I use ethanol fuel so emissions are a little bit less so any extra idling at least is not as damaging. I try to be conscious about it but I wont risk damaging my RAV or getting worse mpg for a minor reduction in emissions due to an extra 30 seconds of idling.

Thats just me