How long do you let your car warm up?

Masa · 02-20-2013, 07:30 AM

I just wait until the rpm's settle and drive slow until oil temps start rising.

For example I drove in to work today and morning temps were 33 degrees. I let the car idle for about 45 seconds until the rpm settled and kept it under 4k until engine temps reached 180. Only took about 5 mins.

When its warmer I do the same, but obviously the oil temps will reach 180 a lot sooner.

Haboob · 02-20-2013, 08:04 AM

I'm in Phoenix and it's in the garage. I wait, but maybe a few seconds (I don't usually leave myself enough time in the mornings to wait it out like most of you). Start it up and go, but I don't go crazy the second I leave my driveway either.

wstar · 02-20-2013, 08:23 AM

Having an over-cooling oil cooler setup makes this stuff a lot worse. The thermo sandwich plate can only do so much, esp in the winter. Blocking off the oil cooler helps a lot. This winter I went with an ugly but effective solution: for non-track driving, I just blocked off ~3/4 of my front grille with rows of black duct tape, and put on my front license plate (that Stillen one in the tow hook adapter, blocks air).

If I'm not in a rush, and the car's been run the previous day at least, I always wait for the idle to come down to normal-ish (less than a minute, but never timed it), then back out of the garage, then I'll usually let it sit until the idle oil pressure gets down to around 40 psi (which is just a couple more minutes). Then I go ahead and drive to warm up the rest of the way, keeping an eye on the oil pressure gauge to guide how high I push the RPMs as I go (don't move the needle past ~90-95 psi).

If the car's been off for like a week and/or the car was sitting outside on a very cold night for some reason, I'll let it sit and warm up at idle for several minutes, usually long enough for the water temp gauge to reach the normal dot, sometimes even enough for the oil temp gauge to at least move off the bottom.

Mt Tam I am · 02-20-2013, 08:45 AM

My old Jag needs a long warm up. The Z is ready in about a minute.

kenchan · 02-20-2013, 10:03 AM

4F this am, i started my dd and drove off immediately.

no need to warm up a car unless below -40C/F.

nepali · 02-20-2013, 12:05 PM

If I am not in a hurry then I will let the car idle for about 20-30 seconds. If I am in a hurry then I will just start it up and drive.

JungleZ · 02-20-2013, 12:19 PM

Start up and drive is better for your engine in my opinion

Z-Girl 12 · 02-20-2013, 07:02 PM

Wow I am mistreating my Z...I have NEVER let it warm up. None of my rides for that matter ever. It was 29 degrees a few weeks ago. I jumped in hit start and was driving it well into up to 60mph within 20 secs with no real regard for anything warming up.

DEpointfive0 · 02-20-2013, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Z-Girl 12

Wow I am mistreating my Z...I have NEVER let it warm up. None of my rides for that matter ever. It was 29 degrees a few weeks ago. I jumped in hit start and was driving it well into up to 60mph within 20 secs with no real regard for anything warming up.

I'm ok with that

Honestly... I let the oil flow around a bit, but if I don't have the time, or I don't do it, I don't think twice about it braking anything (I wouldn't redline it, but I don't pay much regard either)
And if a car can't take day in day out of start and go without any I'll effects, it's a POS IMO

Enjoy it. Destroy it.

gbrettin · 02-20-2013, 07:13 PM

I remote start my car and get ready in the morning. My car is nice and warm for my mile drive to work. ... so about 15min idle.

Z-Girl 12 · 02-20-2013, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gbrettin

I remote start my car and get ready in the morning. My car is nice and warm for my mile drive to work. ... so about 15min idle.

I am determined to treat myself to that mod by the fall if I still have my Z.

KillerBee370 · 02-20-2013, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gbrettin

I remote start my car and get ready in the morning. My car is nice and warm for my mile drive to work. ... so about 15min idle.

gbrettin · 02-20-2013, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KillerBee370

Heh. Okay, I am serious on all parts of my statement.

It is anywhere between -20 to 30 degrees in the winter. Needless to say it's f'ing cold out so I warm my car up completely. Having the car run for 15 min or so serves a few purposes. 1. The car is defrosted, 2. The cabin is warm 3. The electrical system gets to charge for a bit longer because cold weather sucks the life out the battery quicker.

I really do live a mile from work too... Again, it's stupid cold so I'm not walking.

....

Edit: I take longer than 15 minutes to get ready in the morning. That's just the car's average warm up time.

CDepp · 02-20-2013, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gbrettin

Heh. Okay, I am serious on all parts of my statement.

It is anywhere between -20 to 30 degrees in the winter. Needless to say it's f'ing cold out so I warm my car up completely. Having the car run for 15 min or so serves a few purposes. 1. The car is defrosted, 2. The cabin is warm 3. The electrical system gets to charge for a bit longer because cold weather sucks the life out the battery quicker, 4. The gas used in the 15 minutes and on the 1 mile drive is equal, therefore perfect chi is achieved.

I really do live a mile from work too... Again, it's stupid cold so I'm not walking.

....

Edit: I take longer than 15 minutes to get ready in the morning. That's just the car's average warm up time.

Fixed.

DEpointfive0 · 02-20-2013, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gbrettin

Heh. Okay, I am serious on all parts of my statement.

It is anywhere between -20 to 30 degrees in the winter. Needless to say it's f'ing cold out so I warm my car up completely. Having the car run for 15 min or so serves a few purposes. 1. The car is defrosted, 2. The cabin is warm 3. The electrical system gets to charge for a bit longer because cold weather sucks the life out the battery quicker.

I really do live a mile from work too... Again, it's stupid cold so I'm not walking.

....

Edit: I take longer than 15 minutes to get ready in the morning. That's just the car's average warm up time.

... If you live somewhere that cold, why don't you have an engine block heater? We had those in Canadia growing up

View Poll Results: How long do you let your car warm up?
I let the juices flow then drive (30 seconds)	75	23.96%
I wait for the water temp to move off the bottom	37	11.82%
I wait for the water temp get to operating temp	13	4.15%
I wait for the oil temp to move off the bottom	16	5.11%
I wait for the oil temp to get to operating temperature (man that must take a while)	7	2.24%
I let the juices flow then drive like a granny until everything warms up	73	23.32%
I don't wait for it to warm up but I drive like a granny until everything gets to temp	39	12.46%
Warm up?!?!?! WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU WARM IT UP? THIS AIN'T NO 1920'S CAR, modern technology FTW!!!	53	16.93%
Voters: 313. You may not vote on this poll

02-20-2013, 07:30 AM	#1 (permalink)
Masa A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Annapolis, MD Posts: 2,237 Drives: Family Cars Rep Power: 21	I just wait until the rpm's settle and drive slow until oil temps start rising. For example I drove in to work today and morning temps were 33 degrees. I let the car idle for about 45 seconds until the rpm settled and kept it under 4k until engine temps reached 180. Only took about 5 mins. When its warmer I do the same, but obviously the oil temps will reach 180 a lot sooner. __________________ BMW 340i Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk

02-20-2013, 08:23 AM	#3 (permalink)
wstar A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 4,024 Drives: too slow Rep Power: 3595	Having an over-cooling oil cooler setup makes this stuff a lot worse. The thermo sandwich plate can only do so much, esp in the winter. Blocking off the oil cooler helps a lot. This winter I went with an ugly but effective solution: for non-track driving, I just blocked off ~3/4 of my front grille with rows of black duct tape, and put on my front license plate (that Stillen one in the tow hook adapter, blocks air). If I'm not in a rush, and the car's been run the previous day at least, I always wait for the idle to come down to normal-ish (less than a minute, but never timed it), then back out of the garage, then I'll usually let it sit until the idle oil pressure gets down to around 40 psi (which is just a couple more minutes). Then I go ahead and drive to warm up the rest of the way, keeping an eye on the oil pressure gauge to guide how high I push the RPMs as I go (don't move the needle past ~90-95 psi). If the car's been off for like a week and/or the car was sitting outside on a very cold night for some reason, I'll let it sit and warm up at idle for several minutes, usually long enough for the water temp gauge to reach the normal dot, sometimes even enough for the oil temp gauge to at least move off the bottom. 2xtreme1 likes this. __________________ 7AT Track Car! Journal thread / Car setup details

02-20-2013, 08:45 AM	#4 (permalink)
Mt Tam I am A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: California Posts: 10,709 Drives: 370Z T/S/N 6MT & XKE Rep Power: 3844	My old Jag needs a long warm up. The Z is ready in about a minute. DEpointfive0 likes this. __________________ "Does the carpet match the drapes? NO!!! I don't date bald women." Nissan Motorsports 34R Oil Cooler. Stillen CBE. Hotchkis Sport Sway Bars. KW Variant 3 Coilover System. Stillen Gen3 CAI. Michelin Pilot Super Sport. Stillen Brake Ducts. Carbotech™ XP10/XP8 Pads. Z1 Front Rotors. Z1 Stainless Brake Lines. Two degrees of camber

02-20-2013, 12:05 PM	#6 (permalink)
nepali Track Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 597 Drives: like a maniac! Rep Power: 16	If I am not in a hurry then I will let the car idle for about 20-30 seconds. If I am in a hurry then I will just start it up and drive. __________________ '11 SR/6MT/T/S

02-20-2013, 08:04 AM	#2 (permalink)
Haboob A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Surface of the sun. Posts: 13,159 Drives: '18 GTI Autobahn DSG Rep Power: 1388	I'm in Phoenix and it's in the garage. I wait, but maybe a few seconds (I don't usually leave myself enough time in the mornings to wait it out like most of you). Start it up and go, but I don't go crazy the second I leave my driveway either.

02-20-2013, 10:03 AM	#5 (permalink)
kenchan A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: N/A Posts: 76,801 Drives: N/A Rep Power: 141521	4F this am, i started my dd and drove off immediately. no need to warm up a car unless below -40C/F.

02-20-2013, 12:19 PM	#7 (permalink)
JungleZ Banned Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: orange county,ca Posts: 652 Drives: leased base z... Rep Power: 0	Start up and drive is better for your engine in my opinion

02-20-2013, 07:02 PM	#8 (permalink)
Z-Girl 12 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Florida Posts: 4,105 Drives: Spirited Rep Power: 11717	Wow I am mistreating my Z...I have NEVER let it warm up. None of my rides for that matter ever. It was 29 degrees a few weeks ago. I jumped in hit start and was driving it well into up to 60mph within 20 secs with no real regard for anything warming up. __________________ 2012 Z-SOLD 2014 Nismo #565 Fast Intentions CBE/HFC/Swift/SPC/RJM/H&R-15/20mm/Z1 CAI/Headers/Intake Manifold w/Uprev Tune 328.31whp/263.64tq

02-20-2013, 07:13 PM	#10 (permalink)
gbrettin A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Portage, MI Posts: 2,302 Drives: Tricycle Rep Power: 589151	I remote start my car and get ready in the morning. My car is nice and warm for my mile drive to work. ... so about 15min idle. Last edited by gbrettin; 02-20-2013 at 07:20 PM.

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