im in PA where its really cold right now, so cold that i cant use my e brake because it will freeze and i wont be able to move the car. i let it warm up enough for the rpms to fall back to normal.

 

but i wouldnt beat on it with the motor being cold

 

I let mine idle 5mins, drive it easy get it up to temp, then let it rip

 

Heh, this short warm up time goes right out of the window once you install choppy cams. It'll either behave badly or you'll get the random misfire code CEL. So I let it run for at least 1 minute then I don't get on it until it's to normal temp. Until then, I keep the RPMs as low as I can.

Even before cams, I'd still let it idle for a while.

 

I let the rpm drop to 1000, but don't get on it hard until the coolant temperature is at mid-scale.

 

I start it up, do whatever I need to do before driving (seatbelt, mirrors etc) then drive at a resonable rate until the engine, and oil are up to temp. I don't see any reason to sit there and let any car idle for an extended period of time.

I have a 1990 Ranger that is treated the same way, she has 273,000 miles on the original engine and tranny. I think that speaks for itself.

 

Yeah, same goes for me. I start the car first thing, then put whatever crap away (phone, coffee, misc. stuff) and buckle up, and find something to play on my iPod. By then she's about 1k. And since I live in an apartment complex, I just cruise in first gear til I hit the road, and just take it easy for about 5-10 min. No reason to gun it first thing in the morning...

But even then, I don't baby the car, even in cold temps. Anywhere from 30 sec. to 1 min or so and I'm already off. I think (and we probably all agree) the new tech. and engineering in vehicles today are designed to handle these things better. So as long as you're not stomping on the throttle as soon as you're done turning the key, you should be fine.

Anyone who wants their car/truck to last them should have the sense to take care of their ride...but then again, look at some of the stuff on the roads these days.

 

+1. I do the same thing. Better safe than sorry.

 

I sort of warm up my cars, If I get called out to work I hop in the work truck and go even if its -30 C. Never had engine problems that way with ford or chev work trucks.
In the AM lots of times I'll start it drive 1 block to 7-11 for coffee and just leave it running in the lot the few minutes till I'm done. My wifes done that with the focus for 160K and no troubles yet.
When the stang gets here I will be nicer and let the idle drop first then go easy till the temp is up to normal.

 

[QUOTE=Riptide;6825902]I'm paranoid. I let the car idle for about 1 minute before driving typically. Less if it's been driven that day. If it's been sitting in extreme cold and for a long period of time I'll let it idle for 2-3 minutes before I start driving.

i do the same thing. if its cold out like 30F or under, the car usually starts off at around 1,500 rpm in idle, i usually sit for about 2 min and wait until it gets down to around 1k idle then i go. thats just me though. in the summer, i don't have to wait that long at all to go. maybe 5-10 sec