AzPete

Took my '02 5 mins. for the idle to drop to normal with these 25* temps here, when warmer temps out, it drops in 30 secs.

Norm Peterson

Anybody who has ever scratched a windshield with a brand-new ice scraper might think to let the defroster do some of the work.




Norm

BrazenStang

With modern fuel injection you don't need to 'warm up' the car. That is a very old school thing. If you do it for your own comfort then so be it, but the car doesn't need it. As others have said, let the RPM's drop to 1000 and then be easy on it for the first few miles. Even with 80 degree temps, I take it easy until I have driven a few miles. Not needed, but it gives me peace of mind knowing that engine, tranny, rear have been warmed up and fluids circulated a little bit before letting it rip.

Cruzinaround

Still...the electronic assist features tend to go a little wacky in really low temps.

Traction control light indicators might come on, And Electronic Power Steering seems to need time to "warm up". My guess is these Mustangs were never planned as a sub-zero driver.?? ?? ??

But after a few minutes things seem to get back to normal.



...

Norm Peterson

While you don't have the issues with warm-up like you would have had in the days of carburetors and quirky choke mechanisms, EFI does not make the oil flow any better, nor does it warm up the transmission gear oil.


There's more . . .
Warming the engine up by excessive idling still doesn't get wheel bearing grease and U-joint and axle lube warmed up and flowing like they should. Even grease stiffens up when it is chilled (especially in weather like what much of the country has been experiencing over the last few days). Even your tires will benefit from a little easy driving at first.




Norm

Vyacheslav Molotov

I let the idle settle then just drive below 3500 until operating temps set in, which happens pretty fast where I live.

I think that the more you mod cars, the more finicky a car can often get, and my transmission does not enjoy being beat on before it is warmed up. If i get into the boost in the first five minutes when I am in third, the car gets upset with me. But wait six minutes and you will be doing triple digits in a matter of seconds on the freeway if you are not careful, and then you will go to jail.

jRaskell

I drive my car one way, regardless of temps, year round.
Start the car.
Let it run for 10-15 seconds to make sure oil is fully circulating (really just the time it takes me to buckle up and disable AdvanceTrac).
Drive it easy till it's up to full operating temps.
Then pretty much drive it however I want.

I do this whether it's 90º out or -15º out.

AJ06GT

If you have summer tires on in the winter like I do (due to lack of cold temps most of the winter and NO snow/ice driving, you'll know when the tires are warmed up, haha. My Nittos turn into flat spotted rocks when it's below freezing.

But yeah, that's what I was getting at with my earlier post, but I figured people would think I was crazy and obsessive if I listed off everything (and maybe I am!). You can even tell the poly bushings are rock hard by how rough and noisy the ride is for the first mile or two. Just about everything that moves can use a little warming up before you go crazy.