RazorGT

people tell me its bad for ur car to be driven when its cold and each time u start it u need to wait a few minutes until the temp gauge is a little warm before driving, but i have never done this and was wondering if i should and what kind of damage not warming it up is causing?

Jersey Stang

On a cold start-up, I wait for the rpms to drop below 1k. Modern oils do a good job protecting the engine while it's cold.

whosniffedme

It's not about whether it's cold or not it's about whether you've got enough oil moving around yet. Just always wait till the revs drop to idle.

grnbayfan

not to mention when you do pull out and start driving i ususally dont accelerate too quickly until i see the temp guage almost at normal.

Andy13186

I think there was a test and you should just start driving immediately and take it easy keep below like 2-3k rpms until at normal operating temp.

thats what Ive always done, and ive never had a problem. I live in florida though.

BWfVA

My unprofessional opinion is just give it a few and let the revs drop. That way under normal driving conditions it won't be warm yet but shouldn't have any problems. Just don't dog it till its almost warm

Ricardo

Worry about oil pressure. Once that gauge shows you have full pressure you can drive off just drive easy for a mile or so. Warm-ups until the thermostat opens is wasting alot of gas. I run Torque Pro and it takes very little time at all for these engines to warm up, even in single digits. Diesel engines are more likely to be damaged by improper warm-up.

edit: Ill go start my car right now in 21* temps and get a few PID screenshots so we can see whats going on.

vixr

I usually sit at idle till I see the temp needle start moving, and won't get on it too hard till I see full temp. Some days in the Florida summer, the temp needle is already a quarter of the way to full operating temp when I start it...

Ricardo

Ambient temp is 14* farenheit right now. Coolant registered 14* prior to start. Here is a screenshot of 15 seconds after startup. Look at the coolant temp. The RPMs havent even settled to idle. The aluminum soaks the heat in like a beast.

dcarlinf1

I voted no. You can begin driving immediately. Just take it easy until it's warm.