Warming Your Car Up On Cold Days Does More Harm Than Good: Video
Sponsored Links
As chillier temperatures set in across most of the United States, many are likely stepping outside to warm their vehicles up for a bit to ensure it’s ready to go and hit the road in the cold.
But, it actually does more harm than good. We thought it would be an appropriate time to discuss warming a car up as winter officially arrives.
Engineering Explained does an excellent job at explaining why warming a car up isn’t the best idea with modern cars. The notion we must start the car and let it run for five or ten minutes is actually outdated and comes from the days of carburetors. Carbs needed a couple minutes to reach an optimal temperature in order to operate normally.
But with fuel injection, the ECU is able to reach optimal idle conditions in just a few moments. Letting your car sit and warm up can also allow gasoline to seep into engine oil, which in turn breaks down the oil’s lubrication properties. Warming your car up can potentially cause more wear and tear.
And nothing will warm a vehicle up faster than gently driving it around until the engine reaches its sweet spot on the temperature gauge. Then, it’s nothing but warm heat coming from the blowers and a toasty drive in.
Have a look at the entire video up above to get further insight on the myth.
- Sweepstakes Of The Month: Win a 2022 Corvette C8.R IMSA GTLM Championship Edition. Details here.
Sponsored Links
I don’t think vast majority of people’s reasoning for warm up their vehicle is to keep it form any sort of breakdown. I think the reasoning is to have it warm and comfy when we sit inside. That alone outweighs any potential harm we do to our vehicles.
I agree. When it’s 20 degrees or below I want the car warm when I get inside. I’m not warming the car up for the engine.
Use recommended oil grade, and synthetic oil, and you won’t have an issue.
I’ll start my truck up in the morning when it-s -20C (-5F) just before I put on my shoes and jacket (and also if there is snow to clear off it) because I get on the highway within 3km and typically only drive 10km to work. The engine has just barely reached operating temp and I’m turning it off again.
I bet a truck that hit operating temp on the way to the highway and was at op temp on the highway would last more miles than your truck.
Would take idling for 20+ minutes for that to happen, actually longer. And running a high end oil, Pennzoil Ultra Platinum, lubrication isn’t really comprised. At a 5min warm up the oil is pumping and isn’t sludge had it be conventional 5w30. That’s the purpose of multi-grade viscosity oils, even more so the benefit of synthetic.
Sure the engine itself, the steel and aluminum isn’t at temp, but sitting idling in my driveway for 5min vs 30min the rest of the power/drive train isn’t getting any warmer.
I can’t stand Engineering Explained.
I don’t know this So called engineer at our work General Motors anyone that says you don’t need to warm your car up in cold and x specialy cold are morons don’t care if it’s synthetic oil or conventional oil you warm it up for a few minutes not 10 or 20 a few 3 minutes and drive easy oil has to flow through intire engine fuel injection just eliminates pumping the gas petal setting the choke also it gets the car quickly into closed loop sorry getting off the subject as you can see at the end of his video he tells you not to drive hard daaa but you said doesn’t need warm up YES YES IT DOES you have transmissions some won’t shift correctly some are Manuel they will be hard pulling on the stick or cane you want longevity warm your vehicles thanks RSM S.T.G. G.M.
The guy in engineering explained is a mechanical engineer specifically automotive. Credentials or not, he knows what he’s talking about to the point that he can make otherwise complex topics simple for average people – that in itself is a mark of understanding and knowledge.
You should try Google Translate, your English wouldn’t sound as broken. Im not entirely confident which side of the argument you’re on.
OMG your use of the English language is atrocious! Please use some of your GM training money to go take some English courses at a local community college. I shudder to think what your work communications look like!
I know some engineers that I myself scratch my head wondering what just transpired must have defferent engineering degrees,
Ok when I’m talking about cold I’m talking 30F degrees and lower you should let it warm up like I said for a few minutes not 20 15 or 10 even in the cold 3 to 5 minutes tops drive accordingly,if it’s warm year round 30 seconds if engine hasn’t run that day or night this is my specialty engines and the one guy was right I have seen cars beat that shouldn’t even run but they do Let’s not forget the famous line that all us builders cringe at new engine brake in run it like you stole it wide open beat it drag it road race it miss 8000 rpm shifts it’s ok they’ll run that fast if you break them in fast and hard.I watched grown men cry when they spot one of there new babies out there at a drag strip back a few years ZR1 crane did valve tran Hurst did it’s thing we did ours he blew there engine with 20 miles on it anyway were a little protective over our products thanks for letting me rambal RSM
This video is a bit misleading…
If you have a boosted application and its 5 degrees outside I’m not sure you would want to hop in and start driving right away. Not everyone has the option to diddley-daddley while the car warms up, some live right off a main road way or not far from an on-ramp.
There’s a different blend of fuel for summer and winter months, so there’s a lesser chance of oil being broken down.
Perhaps some fuel is wasted during a 5 minute warm up, but the driver who does that is less of a fool than the one who hops in and immediately drives it like its 60 degrees outside…. Plus they can see through the windows and stuff.
My 92 Supra Turbo. Yes, I’m warming that beast up
I have a boosted G8 and let me tell you it most definitely has to warm up.
Ok, I guess I will just start driving before the windshield is defrosted. Sounds safe! And before you say “use an ice scaper”, know that there are plenty of times where that is not enough.
if it is not good for the car why do the manufactures put in the remote start feature ???
The folks that write this stuff have obviously NEVER lived in a cold climate and have had to leave their vehicle outside. For me it’s about getting a little heat into the HVAC system and having at least a moderate level of heat when I start out.
Aren’t engine block heaters an option as well? I agree about the defroster is useless until the coolant gets some heat in it. Guess we all have to build heated garages.
Modern engines run far leaner at idle than they do in any other part of the map. This is total nonsense. If anything higher load causes more oil contamination for many reasons than idling.
Obviously engineering explained is ran by free hugger idiots. The engine will have to warn up if you want to use it period! That is for both running or warming it up. Also, under load would push more gas past the rings than simple idling. Are we not supposed to use cars in the winter? Thank you for putting politics before real engineeering.
1997 Chevy S10 W/4.3L V6….Needs to warm up for a couple of minutes. Otherwise I get a few hard shifts from the transmission. No hard shifts after letting it warm up for 2-3 minutes. Coincidence?
Well there are many factors here that create variables. Because if this it creates a little truth to many points but not in all applications.
Today’s new cars the engine will heat up to normal in only a few miles.
Older cars take longer.
Oils today are as thin cold as hot. Bearings are better and tollarances better.
To be honest long ideal can damage cam followers if they do not see more rpm but even then the car would rust out before failure.
While many sit and wring their hands over this the drive cars well over the recommended cam belt replacement time.
With today’s engine things once true are no longer true as oil life is longer. Break ins are not an issue and warm ups and cool downs are no longer an issue. Some want to hold on to the past and that is fine but it still does not change how new engines need to be treated.
Hell I have seen for years people doing everything wrong yet the car still survives.
The margins of error in most cars is so very wide that failure is rare even under abuse.
To be honest the lack of maintenance is mush worse than driving cold.
Todays engines are so much more durable than the older ones .
When you live in the snow belt everyone is going to warm up their cars before you head off to work . And with so many cars now built with leather seats you want them to warm up , thats when I miss cloth seats because a cold leather seat is not comfortable at all until you can get them heated up with your heated seat and the temperature inside your car .
So driving on a frozen engine in city traffic is better on it than letting it idle for a few minutes to get the oil warmed up?
Driving with this is better than letting the oil warm for a few minutes? I don’t think so….
Ok I thought this youngster was a G.M. Engineer sorry young one I can tell you were you learned your experience at just school again your so miss informed were talking cold weather and real world seneros like I said I myself doesn’t think 40 degrees is cold your down below 32° and colder it is a must to let your car warm up for a few minutes not 10. or 20 below freezing at least 4 to 5 minutes see it involves the whole car now I’m not a know it all but I kept my mind open always learning in 1995 I was 1 of 1,100 in the world that new all our divisions every model from the drawing board to manufacturing the parts to complete assembly and know all the thearyie behind every thing so I’m flat out disagreeing with you.read what our customers are writing in ? if you want to sit behind a desk says stuff ford could use you listen to all desif everything what may be true to the out landish if you saw my post I could let the cat out of the bag but there coming out with the 350 ok 5.7 ZR1 vet engine I had been talking about take care I’m over 60 and still learning, Bob
when corvette came out with the DOHC engine they had problems with the cam journals galling in the aluminum cylinder heads because the oil was not flowing to this area fast enough. this is why they switched to Mobil 1 for the factory fill because it flowed quicker at lower temps.
I know this a few days expired, but legitimate personal question:
I have a turbocharged stock asian car.
I often have no option to slowly drive the car and have to run it relatively hard as soon as I get into it, even if it means certain long term vehicle damage.
Is it better to start the car with my remote starter and get into it 10 minutes later? or get into a cold car and drive it hard instantly.
I know both are equally bad for the transmission, but the prior would seem to be better for the engine?