Winter Question!

[brianpavlovic]

Now that the weather is changing, is it a good idea to start the car and let it run for about five minutes until it gets warm before I start driving? Some people have told me that I should not do that and some people said that it does not matter! I am never sure about that!

[kcpth]

hey brian... someone just asked the same question So i'm going to paste wut i wrote here too.

Ok... well its always a good idea to warm up ur car whether if it is a Kia or a Lexus. When it's cold... most cars as u know are going to b a bit sluggish. The oil takes longer to circulate and the engine takes longer to reach operating temperatures. If ur not careful, some parts in the engine can be left unprotected. If u need to get an oil change soon... i forgot if its a lighter oil in the winter or thicker. U might want to ask a mechanic. I think its lighter oil for the winter.

But brian... this is only my opinion. I wouldn't c y u wouldn't want to warm up ur car since it'll hit a certain temperature n e wayz and the engine has a certain operating temperature. This is also why some people install the REMOTE STARTERS for. Instead of waiting outside in the car for it to warm up and being freezing cold during the winter, they rather be inside their home... just waking up n starting it from the nice warmth of ur house. It would be a good idea to have the heat set on when u start it up... so the cabin of ur car will b nice n toasty warm during the snow storm... n it might help defrost the ice on ur windshield. B)

Hopes this helps and hopefully the next person will shed some light on this subject for u. Take care.

[DKRC-2003]

well its always a good idea to warm up ur car whether if it is a Kia or a Lexus.

I guess "Kia" has finally officially replaced "Yugo".... lol

[vcv10guy]

you only have to let the car idle for about 10 seconds or so before it's ready to drive. no more than 1 minute actually because the idea that your car warms up faster if you're actually driving it than letting it idle and besides idling the car too long is bad. when you first take off drive gentle (no hard accelerations/racing the engine) and the engine will quickly reach normal operating temperature within 2 minutes roughly. if it's below freezing then letting the car idle for few minutes is okay to get the oil warmed up. your owners manual provides some information on this. hope this helps.

[Senna4ever]

Idling the car more than 2 minutes is waste of gas, IMO.

[kcpth]

Well i didn't mean to idle so that the Temp needle reaches middle :P . VCVGuy is right though... it just takes a few seconds to get the oil moving around and for the oil pressure to go up too... just don't apply gas during the first 10 seconds cause thats where most wear is going to b.

But idling it to about 1250 - 1500 rpms compared to almost 2k rpms (which is probably goign to take about 30 secs or so since Plattsburgh is in the 30's already) isn't gonig to b bad in my opinion.

[SW03ES]

No, never let the car idle cold. Let it run for a few seconds until the oil has a chance to reach all points of lubrication and then drive gently until it reaches operating temperature. The engine is its most inefficient when its cold and it recieves its most wear. Driving gently helps the engine warm up quicker.

[kcpth]

here... in summary... i believe this states wut everyone mentioned

Vehicle Warm-up

When starting a vehicle in cold weather allow the engine to idle for a few seconds before driving off to insure proper oil flow and lubrication. Do not allow engine to idle for a prolonged period after start up in cold weather. This practice wastes fuel and does not warm up drive train components. After starts, drive easily for several miles to ensure proper vehicle warm-up.

This was taken from

http://www.exxonmobil.com/Corporate/Newsro...m_nr_041103.asp

Drive safe this winter... n stay warm... n becareful of the FLU

[SW03ES]

Thats perfect! ;)

[NeiLtYmE]

sounds about right.... when very cold... i generally warm about a minute... then drive off extremely gently.

I hate !Removed! winter.