Short trips bad for engine?

[gmookher]

Sunday drive it, man!

[Shagaliscious]

Originally Posted by dun3

Man.. Every time I start up my car in the mornings (cold mornings lately), I let her warm up until the temp guage reaches the very bottom line. (it's usually below it when idling to warm up) And so far, it takes approximately 10 minutes or more to warm up. Just got over 1k on her too (fyi). Takes forever it seems, but I've always warmed up my cars, and have had no real issues. Am I waiting too long? It's like, DAMN sometimes, especially when I'm late for work.. But I still wait for her to reach the temp I'm comfortable with

You are waiting too long. Someone else on here mentioned that all you need to do is wait for the RPMs to jump up slightly, then back down. It takes about 30 seconds. Doing this, my temp. gauge reaches the first tick mark within 5 minutes of driving.

[jmaryt]

Originally Posted by chenshuo

^ all the suggestions above AND use Shell nitrogen enriched gasoline.

Originally Posted by dun3

Man.. Every time I start up my car in the mornings (cold mornings lately), I let her warm up until the temp guage reaches the very bottom line. (it's usually below it when idling to warm up) And so far, it takes approximately 10 minutes or more to warm up. Just got over 1k on her too (fyi). Takes forever it seems, but I've always warmed up my cars, and have had no real issues. Am I waiting too long? It's like, DAMN sometimes, especially when I'm late for work.. But I still wait for her to reach the temp I'm comfortable with

better off to get "pressure in the boat" about 10 seconds ,then drive it easily
(revs down) until it reaches operating temperature. it will reach op temp a lot faster if you drive it..this procedure will keep wear on the internal engine components to a minimum. just sayin'

[titan_rw]

Originally Posted by jmaryt

better off to get "pressure in the boat" about 10 seconds ,then drive it easily
(revs down) until it reaches operating temperature. it will reach op temp a lot faster if you drive it..this procedure will keep wear on the internal engine components to a minimum. just sayin'

Exactly. If you're in a warm climate, and don't need to deal with really cold weather, 10 seconds is all it really needs to be ready to drive. Get in, start it, do up seat belt, check mirrors, and go.

I would still be conservative with the throttle for the first few minutes. No hanging the tail out on the first corner.

[schtebie]

I have a short commute as well and face the same issues. The 2010 cube I purchased new and traded in had 7800 miles (after 2.75 years) when I picked up my BRZ.

Because the short trips are considered "severe" usage, I try to find the "long" way to work which adds just a few minutes and plan to change the oil based on time rather than mileage. And since this car is way more exciting to drive than my previous car, I take it for a weekend drive when time permits.

[whaap]

Originally Posted by dun3

Man.. Every time I start up my car in the mornings (cold mornings lately), I let her warm up until the temp guage reaches the very bottom line. (it's usually below it when idling to warm up) And so far, it takes approximately 10 minutes or more to warm up. Just got over 1k on her too (fyi). Takes forever it seems, but I've always warmed up my cars, and have had no real issues. Am I waiting too long? It's like, DAMN sometimes, especially when I'm late for work.. But I still wait for her to reach the temp I'm comfortable with

Yes you're waiting too long. Start the car, hook up your seat belt and gently drive away.

[jmaryt]

Originally Posted by mooshoepork

Are short distances bad for the engine? My daily drive is only a few minutes. Usually drive because I need the car during the day of work. Is there a way to mitigate this? Or is there even any truth to this wrecking your engine?

Looking for proof either way...not sure what to think

doesn't matter the distance of the drive,what matters is IF the car reaches operating temperature.even if you have a short drive to get to where you are going,the engine WILL reach operating temperature within a very short time,IF you drive it right away. do NOT start the car,and let it idle,as this is detrimental to the vehicle over the long term,as acids can build up internally,causing damage to the engine. allow it to "pressure" up (10 seconds) to get oil pressure,THEN drive off!.your car will be hot after just a minute,or two of driving,AND doing this will minimize wear to the engine.an alternative procedure to this is starting the car,AND raising
(r.p.m.) to a say,around 1,500,or 2,000 revs for a minute or so,as this will allow the engine to warm quickly.you should ONLY do this,IF you have a "very" short drive,as this will allow the car to get to operating temperature faster as well, which is your objective.

[SuperDave]

sounds like much ado about nothing.

[dun3]

Originally Posted by Shagaliscious

You are waiting too long. Someone else on here mentioned that all you need to do is wait for the RPMs to jump up slightly, then back down. It takes about 30 seconds. Doing this, my temp. gauge reaches the first tick mark within 5 minutes of driving.

Originally Posted by jmaryt

better off to get "pressure in the boat" about 10 seconds ,then drive it easily
(revs down) until it reaches operating temperature. it will reach op temp a lot faster if you drive it..this procedure will keep wear on the internal engine components to a minimum. just sayin'

Yeah I figured if I did just wait about a minute or 2, then just drive away, driving would put t to it's normal temp faster, but I've always been comfortable waiting til it reaches the first tick (on new cars anyway). I've been impatient with my last car on a few occasions (2011 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart), and starting the car later would take atleast 3 tries. Makes me feel stupid a car that new wont start up no problem.. Thinking that might be an issue again with the FR-S?

Originally Posted by whaap

Yes you're waiting too long. Start the car, hook up your seat belt and gently drive away.

Man I'm scared to! I don't know, just would rather be safe than sorry? I guess everyone has their own rituals. It is annoying to wait for so long. I usually start her up, get out of the car, smoke a cig, and it's still cold and below the first tick. I think I may just be too paranoid.

[whaap]

Originally Posted by dun3

Man I'm scared to! I don't know, just would rather be safe than sorry? I guess everyone has their own rituals. It is annoying to wait for so long. I usually start her up, get out of the car, smoke a cig, and it's still cold and below the first tick. I think I may just be too paranoid.

I understand. We're all victims of our own personal habits that have been formed over the years whether they're right or not. From my perspective you're doing nothing wrong except for loosing time and fuel. However, without doing a lot of research that I don't care to do, I don't know that my perspective is necessarily correct. The only documentation I can add is I've been a licensed driver since 1950 and I've never (key word being never) had a problem with an engine in any of my cars, motorcycles or boats.

[TOMIMOTO]

Ride a bicycle to work?

If your lazy go get a little Honda Ruckus scooter.

Problem solved.

[itisthumper]

Or get a $1k beater

[Jaylyons1]

No more than any other car. I know you normally end up having to change your oil at smaller intervals than you normally would.