A car is one of the most expensive things you can buy, and maintenance doesn’t come cheap either. There are also many ways to care for your vehicle without spending vast amounts of money, like warming up the engine before driving off. But given all the technology in cars today, are there still benefits in warming up your car?
There are numerous benefits to warming up your car. Doing so gives the climate control system some time to reach a more comfortable temperature before you drive off. Additionally, a warm-up helps the engine reach its full operating temperature and ensures better lubrication.
Fortunately, warming up your car no longer takes as long as it used to take. Read on to examine the benefits of warming your car up more closely. This article will discuss the advantages of doing so, how long you should do it, and the drawbacks of overdoing it.
The Benefits of Warming Your Car Up
Warming up cars dates back to when many vehicles still had carbureted engines. Cold engines need a higher fuel-to-air ratio than warm engines. The carburetor takes care of supplying the engine with a mixture of air and fuel, but it does not adjust to the cold temperatures. Hence, a five- to ten-minute warm-up was needed to get the right mix of air and fuel in the engine; otherwise, it could stall.
Modern cars now have electronic fuel injection (EFI), which has sensors that help provide the right mixture of air and fuel regardless of the outside temperature. Even if you drive it cold, cars with EFI engines can run smoothly and not stall. However, there are still benefits to letting a modern vehicle run for 30 to 60 seconds before driving off.
Better Lubrication
Motor oil is essential since it ensures that the components of your engine, like the camshaft, pistons, and valves, all work smoothly by minimizing friction within the motor. When you leave your car parked overnight, the oil will drain down to the oil pan.
Once you start the car, the oil pump will distribute the motor oil throughout the engine to ensure it’s well lubricated. The engine will get the lubrication it needs in ten to 20 seconds, probably the same amount of time it takes you to tune into your favorite radio station and put your seatbelt on.
In colder temperatures, the oil viscosity drops, giving it a thinner film to protect the engine. And even if oil can still flow at sub-zero temperatures, its thickness will increase as it gets warmer and will work better in lubricating and protecting your engine.
It’s a good idea to let your car run idle for at least 20 to 30 seconds. If the temperature is freezing, warming the car up for a minute will suffice. Just drive the car gently until the engine reaches its normal operating temperature.
Do not rev a cold engine at high RPM to try to warm it up faster. Revving a cold engine will cause an abrupt temperature change, stressing the engine’s components.
Thermal Expansion
As an engine goes through heating and cooling cycles, its parts expand and contract. Manufacturers consider this by giving some allowance for engine components to change size.
Driving a car before the engine reaches its operating temperature could mean the parts have yet to take their proper form, which can cause friction and unnecessary wear and tear. Warming the car up for a minute or less and driving gently until the engine reaches its desired temperature will prolong your engine’s life.
Warmer Tires
A drop in temperature will also affect how well your tires perform. Tires have less grip when cold, and the tire pressure may be lower since air takes up less volume at lower temperatures.
Warming up your car will help heat your tires to give you a better grip and inflation before you start rolling.
See also: Do Car Batteries Charge While Idling?
Warming Up Your Car for Too Long
Now that we’ve established the benefits of warming your car up and that it only takes a minute to do it in a modern vehicle, let’s examine the disadvantages of allowing the car to run idle for too long.
Engine Wear
Modern cars with electronic fuel injection adapt to colder temperatures by adjusting the air-fuel mixture. So, when the engine is cold, the fuel injectors supply more fuel to the combustion chamber.
The problem here is that the excess fuel can wash out the oil that should cling to the cylinder walls since fuel is a solvent. The reduction of oil on the walls of the cylinders leads to less protection for the engine due to increased chances of metal-to-metal rubbing.
A car’s engine temperature stays cold longer when it’s idle. And since oil is thinner at lower temperatures, the chances of fuel residue build-up are greater. The quickest way to warm an engine up is to drive gently for ten to 15 minutes or until the temperature gauge on the instrument cluster is at operating temperature.
To keep your engine oil from becoming too cold, you can use products like the ABN Silicone Heating Pad. It comes with an adhesive to permanently attach it to your vehicle’s oil pan. You can plug it into any wall socket to provide heat so that your oil circulates more efficiently.
Wasted Fuel
You may think that a car consumes less fuel when it isn’t moving, but since engines require more fuel when cold and take longer to warm up when idle, you waste more fuel at a standstill.
An engine requires less fuel to run as it gets warmer, and driving around lessens the time taken for the engine to warm up. Naturally, your car will still use up fuel when it moves, but at least you get better gas mileage than staying idle.
Harmful Emissions
Engines release various harmful particles into the air, including:
- Nitrous oxides
- Hydrocarbons
- Carbon monoxide
- Carbon dioxide
A cold engine runs less efficiently and emits more pollutants into the environment.
Aside from being harmful to the environment, exhaust gasses from cars contain chemicals that cause illnesses like cancer, asthma, and heart and lung disease. Some states like Connecticut, Delaware, and Texas have anti-idling laws.
The Verdict
Letting your vehicle run idle for 30 to 60 seconds will suffice to warm your interior and circulate the oil throughout your engine. So, unless you’re driving an old car with a carburetor, there’s no reason why you should take more than two minutes to warm up your vehicle.
You can start driving after putting your seatbelt on, adjusting your mirrors, and setting your favorite playlist. Driving the car will allow your engine to reach its operating temperature quickly while saving you fuel.
