Warming Cars !!

[Razer]

Hi....I just wanted to share some ideas amongst some owners..... how many of you owners here warm cars in the morning??? Does it protect the engine better in the long run or not?? I live in an apartment so it is pretty hard for me.....any suggestions for me thx....

PS I've also heard of starting cars with some alarms and setting the time to start the car.....please reply

Zdster Edit: Please only use colours in for sale threads

[vtec_jet]

yeh letting it warm up in tha morning for a bit would be a good idea . .

oh and for future reference, dont use colours in threads, only in For Sale threads its allowed!

[Chi]

Usually wise idea to warm up cars in older models.

But with modern technologyin newer cars and better engine oils i think its fine to drive after a small warm up of 1min.

Just dont fang it or push it hard until 30mins later IMHO

[EuroDude]

All cars should be warmed up to extend the life of the engine and to be sure the oil is flowing properly (which takes about 15-30 seconds). Metal expands when hot so thrashing the car when cold can cause excessive wear'n'tear.

Although if you are in a hurry, its ok to warm up the engine for only 15-30 seconds (oil flow), then drive off keeping the revs below 3000rpm. Once the needle is at the normal temp (just below half way) then you may rev higher.

[Mr_will]

Usually wise idea to warm up cars in older models.

But with modern technologyin newer cars and better engine oils i think its fine to drive after a small warm up of 1min.

Just dont fang it or push it hard until 30mins later IMHO

30mins is way longer than you need to wait.


there are only two real factors at play here: oil temp and oil pressure.

you get oil pressure very quickly (<30secs).
oil warms more quickly than coolant, so a safe sign is that once your temp needle has stopped moving, youre safe. the temp reading on the stock guage is from the sensor in the thermostat housing so it is relatively conservative, for this purpose

those are the facts, each to their own as far as specific methods go. heres mine:

idle for 30seconds to get oil pressure
hold first gear change <2000 rpm for as long as possible, ie driving very slowly. low throttle pressure, low rpm <2500 shifts until needle starts moving.

shifting around 3000, no higher till needle stops moving

a minute or two after needle stops moving, shift as you like

[IntegraDc2R]

Is it necessary to also warm down the engine after driving?
Would it be gay to have a turbo timer install in a non turbo car to warm the engine down?

[EuroDude]

not needed for an N/A car.

actually Ive heard its useless for Turbo cars too , since there is no energy/heat produced after the engine is off, therefore the turbo doesnt actually get hotter or anything - it simply just takes longer to cool down.
not sure if thats true tho...

[EG5[KRT]]

usually on track racers its good to warm down the car.. i used to have a NA turbo timer on my car.. the apexi pen type one...

but yeah i usually just run the car for 1 minute then just take it ez until its up to operating temp thats when vtec kicks in as well

[Mr_will]

Is it necessary to also warm down the engine after driving?
Would it be gay to have a turbo timer install in a non turbo car to warm the engine down?

a turbo timer is not installed to warm down the engine.

turbos spin at insane speeds, like 150 000rpm or so (dont flame me on specifics here). as a result the oil around them gets very hot. the function of a turbo timer is to keep the engine running, so that the hot oil can circulate and cool, because if it is left there and allowed to cool at a faster rate, it will turn to sludge, and the turbo will not be properly lubricated, which will eventually make it die.

the point i am making is that you are not warming down COMPONENTS, you are warming down a fluid

normal engine components (ie anything except a turbo) dont get as hot, so this is not as big an issue.

also consider this. when your car is stationary, no air is flowing throught the engine bay. irrespective of whether you have an oil cooler or not, this will give rise to the problem of heat soak, which refers to the fact that components heat up the air around them, and because this air is not moving, it keeps the components hotter, so by sitting your car stationary you are circulating the oil, which is good, but you are also making things hotter, which is bad. even when the radiator fan kicks in, it wont do anywhere near as good a job as regular airflow.

you are much better off just going round the block (assuming you can go at a reasonable speed (40km/h plus, or so) and having a 'cool down lap' so to speak

[Mr_will]

actually Ive heard its useless for Turbo cars too , since there is no energy/heat produced after the engine is off, therefore the turbo doesnt actually get hotter or anything - it simply just takes longer to cool down.
not sure if thats true tho...

incorrect - read the bit in my above post about sludge

[mj3610]

u don need to warm up the car its a waste of fuel, just dont hit the high range rpm till the car is at optimum operating temperature (where the temp needle normally sits)...

[EuroDude]

incorrect - read the bit in my above post about sludge

This site doesnt think so (in regards to modern turbo cars and synthetic oils)~

http://www.max-boost.co.uk/max-boost...eless_mods.htm


Turbo timers

Total waste of space.

Turbo timers are a remnant from days past, when all turbos were aircooled and synthetic oils were not around (or too expensive!)

Switching off immediately after a full-boost run would then cause the oil pump to stop, and the oil remaining in the turbo bearing would carbonise and turn to a form of ash (coking was the term)
Nowadays this cannot happen. The water jacket absorbs all the extra heat from the bearing, and then some. Therefore the oil temps don't exceed 120C even then, and synthetics tend to resist death until over 150C, so there is no benefit from the turbo timer, except unnecessary idling (that does the turbo seals no good, neither the camshafts)

Idle is not good for turbos, water cooled turbos don't need any of this maintenance. Just roll smoothly after a full-boost run, if you're going to switch off immediately, that's all.