Dear CarTalk,
Who is right? We have a 2003 Honda Odyssey & a 2007 Nissan Frontier. I try to let the Frontier warm up a couple minutes, but my wife insists that our cars don’t need warming up. I argue that the warm up cycle (higher rpm for a few minutes) is there to help the engine last. Who is right?
This might have been true 40 years ago . All that is needed now is the time from starting engine ( no high revs needed ) put on seat belt and drive on . I start vehicle back out of garage and wait for garage door to close while putting on seat belt . You are worrying to much.
Your wife is right.
Always…
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As mentioned, your wife is right.
In addition, if you’re worried about wear, you do want to drive more gently until everything (not just the engine) is fully warmed up. I try to avoid any heavy acceleration during the first few minutes of my drive.
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We had this discussion before, and your wife is right nearly all the time.
Basically all you need is enough time for the oil to circulate to the valve gear of the engine and that only takes 15 seconds on a warm day.
In colder weather, it might take a little longer, but the only time for “warm ups” to clear the windows in the winter so you can safely drive off.
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Your vehicles warm up as you drive them. Drive gently until the engine temperature gauge shows that the engine is warmed up.
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do you live on an off ramp? you start car, drive to corner. go down 2-3 blocks to thorough fare and than speed up to 40mph? my wife likes to hit 30 mph by street corner that is 144ft from our driveway. but she drives new cars.
My Silverado has about a one minute period of high idle immediately after a cold start. This is actually to get the emissions control equipment up to operating temperature quickly. So, with this in mind, I start it and let it come down off its fast idle before driving. I think its better for everything. Would you normally have one foot on the gas revving the engine and one on the brake as you shift into gear? I think not. I’m sure it will work fine to disregard it, but I like to keep my vehicles 200k plus. I figure every bit of harshness I keep from tranny the better. I reiterate, the warm up cycles we see now are primarily to get emissions equipment to operational temperature.
I buckle up before starting to avoid the dinging. Otherwise pretty much the same.
The wife is right. And you also don’t have to let a car warm up. It won’t it if you opt to though. Here’s why.
Of course the wife is always right. I usually ‘warm up’ my car a bit. I let the idle drop from 1500 rpm to 1000 rpm. In warm weather like today (75F) it takes about 5 seconds. In 25F weather it takes about 20 seconds. At that point I just drive normally. I know I don’t really have to but I am 67 and driving since 13.
Good point! Years ago when I was single I lived in an apartermnt 1 block off a freeway. I had a Dodge Dart which used 10W30 oil in the summer, 5W30 in the winter, and I wa hesitant to get up to 70 mmph after just starting the car. So I drove around the block or let the engine idle for a while before hitting the freeway.