I saw this interesting video regarding warming up your vehicle before driving. I've always let my cars, new or old, warm up for about a minute or so before taking off. The comment section in this particular video is interesting too (as are many YouTube comment sections).

What do you think?

 

I don't warm up.

 

I have always let my vehicles warm up before driving. With my Jeep I let the coolant temp get up to around 100*F to allow the engine core come up to operating tolerances.

 

I let my mine warm up, but not intentionally. I sit for about 3-5 minutes trying to figure out what music I want to jam out to.

 

im on a back road so i drive slow to the highway,3 miles. i pull over if im slowing others down, no rush. ive heard that its just as good to be moving.
at -20 ill wait a while!!
if i can drive at/close to idle rpm its ok.

 

On cold days even my new cars i let warm up a bit and take it slow for the first few minutes. My thinking is that by giving the oil some time to warm up it will do its job much better. Have you seen the difference between cold oil and warm or hot oil?

 

I live in Minnesota. Spring summer and fall with moderate temps, I let the engine run for about 20-30 seconds after starting.

With winter temps (which can be down to -30 F), I let engine run for up to 2 minutes after starting, depending on outside temperatures.

I then drive the vehicle "gently" until engine comes up to temp. (this may be the most important part).

With the above strategy, all fluids all get moving appropriately for conditions.

 

I warm up.

I run an OBD2 digital dashboard. One of my data points is the coolant temp sensor reading. I have an alert set on that indicator that blinks the number until it reaches 90f. It goes solid after that. I try to let it hit that number before taking off. If I need to go sooner than that, I drive gently while it warms up.

(I grew up in Northeast Montana, where it can get seriously, dangerously, cold. Getting on a vehicle hard before it has had a chance to warm up will break stuff. Not just the motor, but other metal components that become especially brittle. The motor helps to warm up everything in the engine compartment. Not uncommon for folks to snap steering components by wrenching on their steering wheel on a cold morning, without enough warmup time).

 

None of what was in the video was helpful. There was no analysis of wear metals in the oil from cold starts versus warming up, no definition of outside temperatures etc. Just a lot of anecdotal stuff. Squirting gas in a piston that's at room temp open on a bench is not a simulation of an engine running at -20. At some point, the engine is cold for a few minutes what ever you do. I still warm up for a few minutes -can't imagine just starting an engine and then driving it at cold temps.

 

Carburetor can't compensate for low temps? That dude is a total tool, it's called a choke.
Hence, start engine, clear windshield, drive.
An idling FI engine may never warm up as "fast idle" died with the carburetor/choke. I don't beat on my drivers period, so that whole wear/accelerated wear point is moot.
The vehicle I do beat on only sees sunny, warm, windows down, summer days. I've been beating on that one and putting it away for 31 years, so yeah.

 

I start her, give her a couple of minutes to get the juices flowing (giggity), and then drive (easily) until warmed up.

OR, my fat *** doesn't wanna be cold, and I let it run for about 10 minutes to get toasty. Lol!

 

i fire it up, put it in drive and take off. the only time i've ever let anything warm up it was on a jack in the pits to bring the trans and rear dif fluid up to temp so i could get a hero pass in after a long cool down.

 

I do and will no matter what they say about it now.My brothers 2013 mazda 3 has a blue light on the dash when its cold and you should let it warm up tell the light goes out before you take off in.

 

Depends on the temperature. Colder temps I give it till the temp gauge hits 100. Warmer temps not so much.

 

My Wife goes out and starts my Jeep for me so that it is nice and warm to get into on those cold Michigan mornings.

It's good to be the King.