[redline14]

I was wondering how long everyone warms up their car and if it makes the car drive any smoother.

 

[IeatRice]

I was wondering how long everyone warms up their car and if it makes the car drive any smoother.

until the gauge tells me its warm, and yes

 

[dazednconfused75]

I wait till it gets to nearly operating temp. Yes, it's fine.

 

[unknownsuperhero]

I am to friggen impatient, I leave my house at 0300 to get to work, i don't sleep as it is, and 10 minutes makes about a 25 minute differnce in traffic. So i am lazy, at least I don't take it over 3k.

 

[Vita]

i smoke a ciggarete before i go anywhere, runs fine, if i'm in a hurry, and don't let it warm up, i notice the difference. remember, if it's cold, your other components need to warm up too, so still take it easy on her for the first few minutes of driving

 

[jmichna]

I give it about 30 seconds, maybe 60, before I drive away. I keep shift point low until engine is up to normal operating temperature. FWIW, I've always driven every one of my vehicles this way... minmal warmup, drive easy until things warmed yp.

Winter time, I did longer warmups, but that was to let the defrosters do their thing.

 

[bbrazil]

i smoke a ciggarete before i go anywhere, runs fine

Just be glad you don't smoke cigars... You be out of gas before you got ANYWHERE...

(it's scary what I call "humor" on a Friday morning)

 

[weasel_j66]

I pretty much start and go. But then I live in Southern Cali so it doesn't get very cold out here. When back home in the winter time (Minnesota), I usually let it warm up as long as it takes the windows to defrost (10-15 minutes)

 

[Sp00ner]

In the winter I try to give it 5-10 minutes, it never really warms up that much according to the temp gauge though. Even if it runs for 15-20 min, the gauge just moves REAL slow until I get in and drive a mile or two. Now that it's been a little warmer I let the thing run until the engine smooths out, and then drive easy, 2,500 rpm shifts, for a minute or two.

 

[gm3saturn]

5-15 minutes. It depends if Im late for work or not.

 

[blkturbo]

... minmal warmup, drive easy until things warmed yp.

QUOTE]


^Exactly^

It's "healthier" to simply drive the car to warm it rather than sit at a cold stand-still "forever" before moving. Just make sure you dont drive hard....keep it under say 3K rpms until the gauge registers normal. Also, shift easily until gauge registers full normal temps.
And yes, drivability it much improved with the warmth.

sean

 

[blkturbo]

In the winter I try to give it 5-10 minutes, it never really warms up that much according to the temp gauge though. Even if it runs for 15-20 min, the gauge just moves REAL slow until I get in and drive a mile or two.

There ya go^

Gotta drive it to warm it better/more efficiently. Its better this way.
Wake up....get in....and drive. Just keep RPM's low for a while.

 

[Sp00ner]

For those of you in the frosty north, have you noticed that these things run pretty shitty in cold weather? I bought mine in January, and this week it has been in the 60s and 70s here, and I thought I was driving a whole new car. I use over $2 a day less in gas, and the thing seems SOOOO much more responsive, the backfires and burbles decreased, etc. Am I alone in thinking that?

 

[rip_vw32]

Summer anytime.......1-2 minutes
Winter anytime.....15 minutes

 

[jmichna]

Sp00ner,
FWIW, I've always seemed to notice worse mileage with the winter-formulated ethanol-gas blend we use in Illinois. This goes back to my last 3 or 4 cars, including my old '97 SW2.

 

[Sp00ner]

Sp00ner,
FWIW, I've always seemed to notice worse mileage with the winter-formulated ethanol-gas blend we use in Illinois. This goes back to my last 3 or 4 cars, including my old '97 SW2.

Yea, we had a discussion about there a few weeks ago, that was like early March or late Feb or something. All of a sudden, sometime a week ago or so, the car felt like a completely different car. It corresponded closest to the temp change, but I was keeping the summer gas factor in the back of my head too.

 

[redline14]

I let it warm up for 2 minutes today before I drove it, and it was smoother than it has ever been...I usually just let it warm up for 30 sec or less then go.

 

[redlineRACER]

wait for the tach to go below 1000 rpms..when it gets to its lowest point and the engine temperature is near half..your ready to go..works great for me.

 

[goofyguy]

Start her up and burn rubber the whole way out of the driveway around the first corner and never shift over 2nd the whole way to work. Most of the time about a minute I start it up go in collect all my daily needed crap head out and drive like normal till 5-6 miles from home then I rag on as much as possible.

 

[Sp00ner]

Start her up and burn rubber the whole way out of the driveway around the first corner and never shift over 2nd the whole way to work. Most of the time about a minute I start it up go in collect all my daily needed crap head out and drive like normal till 5-6 miles from home then I rag on as much as possible.

Yea baby, that's MY kind of warm up!