Quick Starts and drive

[Euro838]

Okay, so here's the scenario. I know some people who basically start their car and then almost immediately will put it into reverse or drive and be on their way. I'm just curious to know if it's necessary to let the car run for like 20 or 30 seconds (or more) before starting to drive. I know when it's like -30 C outside and your car has been sitting for 8 hours it's probably not a good idea. What about if it's much more mild like 10 or 20 degrees out?

Does it also depend on how long the car has been sitting? I mean if you just drove it 5 minutes ago, chances are all the fluids are still hanging onto their respective components. Just thought that someone here could shed some mechanical or scientific light on this topic. Thanks.

[Ashers]

Usually what I do is start the car, turn on the radio, release the ebrake, check that the garage is clear, then pull off. That is about 15 seconds or so. If not, I usually give it about 10 seconds to build up oil pressure and away I go. I remember reading somewhere that is actually better to drive a cold engine than idle... less wear and tear, and it warms up quicker.

In winter I usually start, then do the quick scrape down of the windows (about a minute). When its -40, I start, and rev the diesel to about 1500... it misfires, bucks etc... then when the head has warmed enough it jumps to about 2000 rpm, and I scrape and away I go. On a gas car, I just start and scrape.

Hasn't failed me in 4 years of driving and over 100,000 km's

[avow]

when its warm out, i start the car. and by the time i get the radio going, lights, e brake, check mirrors, a good 20 seconds has a passed and i figure thats good. I dont go bagging on the car right away though until its at operating temperature.

if its cold, i wake up 15 minutes early, remote start my car, go back to bed, wake up get ready and i go out and my car will have already got to operating temprature, turned off, and all the windows have the snow melted off them ;)

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

It's technically bad to let your car idle for longer than a few minutes... wear and tear and such, but a lot of people like to let it warm up. But yea, i'd say wait 20-30 seconds before you go, in order to build up oil pressure... I wouldn't really worry about timing it... I usually just turn it on, release the ebrake, and while i'm rolling outta my driveway, I buckle up, put it in gear, check behind me, and get the rest of the way out.

[Ferio_vti]

Block heater + timer FTW.

[Annoyingrob]

Originally posted by LilDrunkenSmurf
It's technically bad to let your car idle for longer than a few minutes... wear and tear and such,

quick elaboration: Your motor tolerances are designed such that when the motor is warm, everything is where it should be. Thus, when cold, tolerances are looser, and things move around more (con rods shift around on their pins, pistons slap in their bores, etc). This puts more wear and tear on your motor.

The longer the motor is operated cold, the more wear and tear is done to the motor. The best possible way to prevent wear on your motor is to start it, wait for it to build oil pressure (which is honestly like 3 seconds, maybe closer to 10 if your motor is REALLY worn), then drive off, trying to rearch operating temperature quickest, while trying not to cause too much stress on the motor. This means drive the car, but not hard. This is the best compromize in getting the motor up to operating temperature while mimimizing wear.

This is why I will never use a remote car starter in the winter. I mean honestly, if I'm going out in the winter, I have my hat and gloves on already, I can sit in a cold car for 5 minutes. I usually start my car, wait for my wideband to heat up (30 seconds), then drive away, keeping the motor below 3500 and out of boost until I see my oil pressure reaching normal warm cuise pressure (I have no temp gauge)

[ZyaL8R]

^^ This is true, your manual even says idling past 60 seconds/2 minutes is just a waste of gas.

Drive and it will heat up faster.

[jibber]

When I had a remote car starter, I'd usually start it right before I started getting dressed for the weather. By the time I went to drive away, it had probably been running for about 1-2 minutes, but I only did that when it was -20 or colder. I'd prefer to have a remote starter on my car if it ran on gas, and I had to park it out on the street. Then I could warm it up without worrying about someone driving away in it.

Diesels are another matter. Remote starters are useless. I have a wabasto heater on my wishlist... you can turn them on remotely, and it warms up the coolant and the cabin at the same time, using diesel. Even when it's -30, you just hop in your car, coolant is already at 60C, and it's toasty inside, just start and go. Diesels create little to no heat at all while idling, so you need to drive somewhere to warm the car up.

I'll just end up using the block heater to warm up the car, and a small buddy space heater to heat the interior. Then I don't have to worry about wear and tear from a -30 start.

[Jayson]

wow i had always been wondering this info....

When i used to have a car starter i'd let my car idle for like 5-10 min when it was -30 out... good info... thanks guys :thumbsup:

[HiSpec]

during winter days I just start my car and brush off the snow, if its parked outside.

if its in the garage, I start the car, open the garage, check mirrors, radio and buckle up. And off I go.

[Annoyingrob]

Originally posted by JDMSupraTT
When I had a remote car starter, I'd usually start it right before I started getting dressed for the weather. By the time I went to drive away, it had probably been running for about 1-2 minutes, but I only did that when it was -20 or colder. I'd prefer to have a remote starter on my car if it ran on gas, and I had to park it out on the street. Then I could warm it up without worrying about someone driving away in it.

Diesels are another matter. Remote starters are useless. I have a wabasto heater on my wishlist... you can turn them on remotely, and it warms up the coolant and the cabin at the same time, using diesel. Even when it's -30, you just hop in your car, coolant is already at 60C, and it's toasty inside, just start and go. Diesels create little to no heat at all while idling, so you need to drive somewhere to warm the car up.

I'll just end up using the block heater to warm up the car, and a small buddy space heater to heat the interior. Then I don't have to worry about wear and tear from a -30 start.

I'm sure you already know this, but RCTS can hook you up with a heater for your smart car :)

[BoS_DC2]

I usually just sit in my car and let it warm up for a good 1-2 minutes before I go, winter time probably 5 mins?