Warm up time

[andrew]

Originally Posted by Books

I prefer to waste gas, or at least that's what others tell me. I wait until my tach gets to 1k RPM, which is only a few minutes if it's not too cold. Mine hangs around 1.5k while warming up.

I do the same thing.

[russv]

I like my oil a bit warm and circulating before I drive off.

[tech4pdx]

I fire up the ignition and drive within 10 seconds. I don't start beating on it until the car tells me to. I can't teach you to talk to your car.. It just happens.

[Clembo]

I never let a car warm up unless it is encased in ice that even a scraper won't remove. Sitting at idle you're getting zero MPGs that you never get back. And for the most part, only the engine/exhaust is actually warming. I just start it, then drive like granny until it warms up. Done this for years with every car I've ever owned and never had a problem. And with 0-20 synthetic oil, there's not much need to worry about lack of lubrication today.

Different story with cams, superchargers and other mods that effect driveability. A friend has a highly modded Shelby that will hardly make it out of the garage until it's warmed up. He's up early, the car is LOUD and his neighbors hate him. He wouldn't have it any other way!

[Dake]

I'm curious. A few Toyota automatics out there have a "feature" where it limits the upshifts until a certain temperature is reached. My old Echo did this and my wife's Yaris still does it. If you were driving down the road, it would shift to fourth until the blue temp light went out (unless you got the revs really high).

Does the auto-FRS/BRZ do this?

In any case if I can, I'll let the revs drop on their own after the first start. It generally only takes 30 seconds or so. But there's no danger to just driving off right away. As mentioned it's just good form not to take a cold engine/transmission straight to red-line.

[Porsche]

Originally Posted by ayau

Concrete data? Probably not.

Sure there is.

An actual water temperature gauge, PLUS an oil temperature gauge would give us the very concrete data you request.

I wish we had those. 'Cuz then I wouldn't feel obliged to drive my cars 15+ minutes and/or 6+ miles before I can drive it harder and pick up the revs. I would KNOW when my oil was up to temp.

Oil temperature is the key. Our 1983 VW GTi (the original Pocket Rocket that began the whole genre) had an oil temp gauge. It was remarkable how long it took to bring the oil up to regular operating temps; one usually reached one's destination before it was warmed up sufficiently to wind it out and use full throttle.

[DarkSunrise]

Originally Posted by Porsche

Sure there is.

An actual water temperature gauge, PLUS an oil temperature gauge would give us the very concrete data you request.

I wish we had those. 'Cuz then I wouldn't feel obliged to drive my cars 15+ minutes and/or 6+ miles before I can drive it harder and pick up the revs. I would KNOW when my oil was up to temp.

Oil temperature is the key. Our 1983 VW GTi (the original Pocket Rocket that began the whole genre) had an oil temp gauge. It was remarkable how long it took to bring the oil up to regular operating temps; one usually reached one's destination before it was warmed up sufficiently to wind it out and use full throttle.

Is there hard data showing that you shouldn't use full throttle before oil temps reach nominal? Something like failure rates or engine wear studies? Agree on the rest of your post, but going by that rule, I'd never be able to go full throttle until the last mile or two of my 9 mile daily commute.

[tech4pdx]

Originally Posted by Porsche

Sure there is.

An actual water temperature gauge, PLUS an oil temperature gauge would give us the very concrete data you request.

I wish we had those. 'Cuz then I wouldn't feel obliged to drive my cars 15+ minutes and/or 6+ miles before I can drive it harder and pick up the revs. I would KNOW when my oil was up to temp.

Oil temperature is the key. Our 1983 VW GTi (the original Pocket Rocket that began the whole genre) had an oil temp gauge. It was remarkable how long it took to bring the oil up to regular operating temps; one usually reached one's destination before it was warmed up sufficiently to wind it out and use full throttle.

That's why I have Ecutek data logging for that, soon to be in dash-wired into a Windows 8 tablet. (;

[Porsche]

I see two separate issues here:

1) When is the car warmed up sufficiently to safely drive off from a cold start?

2) When is the car warmed up sufficiently to safely drive it HARD, using large throttle openings and high revs?

**************************


At startup, I allow the engine to idle (no blipping) for around one minute. This is just to allow the oil pump to circulate the oil up out of the oil pan where it has all settled, and to get it up and around the upper oil galleries and the valve train, etc. That’s all that’s needed.

The consensus amongst the experts that I’ve read over many years is that it is perfectly safe to then GENTLY motor off. I keep my rpms below 3000, use small throttle openings, and avoid lugging the engine. That’s the recommended way to warm up an engine (and gearbox, differential, and even tires).

But the car STILL NEEDS TO REACH OPERATING TEMPS to drive it HARD.

Here is where I see so many people benignly abuse their cars. They fairly ROAR off from their parking spot … on a stone cold engine and drivetrain. Yikes!

I don’t wish to purchase used cars, and this is one reason why.

I drive my cars gently for the first 6+ miles and/or 15 minutes before beginning to drive them harder. And by then, I'm often already there... and it's time to park again.

Unfortunately, none of our cars has an oil temp gauge, so I’m just guessing, and trying to be conservative, of course. Remarkably, our 2010 (and now our 2013 replacement) Mazdaspeed3 has NO coolant temp gauge! Actually, on the new 2013 MS3, this one has a little blue light that’s ON when the coolant is still cold; it turns OFF within a minute or so.

Our children are being dumbed down, and our cars are being dumbed down. What’s the world coming to?

Looking to buy a used performance car? Ours is the one you want.

[Porsche]

Originally Posted by tech4pdx

That's why I have Ecutek data logging for that, soon to be in dash-wired into a Windows 8 tablet. (;

Cool!

[Porsche]

Originally Posted by DarkSunrise

Is there hard data showing that you shouldn't use full throttle before oil temps reach nominal? Something like failure rates or engine wear studies?

Would YOU care to fund such a long and expensive study? Not me, mon.

That will have to remain one of Life's Imponderables, I think.

I play it safe, if only out of respect for my fine machinery. You're free to take your chances as you will.

Agree on the rest of your post, but going by that rule, I'd never be able to go full throttle until the last mile or two of my 9 mile daily commute.

Quite so. See my other post...

Life is hard. And then you die.

[ftc~brz]

I let her run a few mins. When its really cold I turn the heat on the floor vents and won't leave till its toasty inside. This car seems to not like the cold and will let you know when she's ready to go hard. The gears are clunky when they are cold. I feel that keeping the heat on the floor vents helps warm up the clunkiness a bit quicker besides, who doesn't like toasty toes?
I won't take off until the idle dips down from start up as my neighbors are older and my car is now pretty loud. More out of respect for them but there have been some late days where I had to start up and go. Just as everyone else has said, don't drive it like it's stolen until it feels ready to go.

[CrazyWookiee]

I normally wait until the needle drops below 1k. Feel like speeding off an extra 30 seconds earlier isn't going to get me to my destination 5 mins earlier.

[DarkSunrise]

Originally Posted by Porsche

Would YOU care to fund such a long and expensive study? Not me, mon.

That will have to remain one of Life's Imponderables, I think.

I play it safe, if only out of respect for my fine machinery. You're free to take your chances as you will.

Quite so. See my other post...

Life is hard. And then you die.

Haha I wasn't advocating that you perform the study, just curious if you had come across anything.

I typically won't go full throttle or redline until a couple of minutes after my water temperature reaches nominal, which is usually about 5-6 minutes into my commute. I would reconsider though if I could find some study showing you should wait until oil temps are fully up to temp, which I suspect might take much longer than that.