Hi, I drive a Rsx-s 2002 about 63,000 miles, I had a question about Warming up your car in the winter with a temperature of about 20 to 30 degrees. I decided to one day read the manual while warming up my car and it states that i only have to warm up my car for a minute and then i can drive no matter how cold it is outside and it is better for my car and fuel economy. I wanted to know how true that is. What are the positive and negatives of warming up a car normally for 10 minutes or so or just warming it up for a minute and just driving.
RsxWIFE
Welcome to the site! It's always great to see new members from my great homestate of IA 
The manual is indeed correct. The important thing is to make sure that oil is everywhere it can be before you take off. once it's where it needs to be the engine's set. Now in IA since its so damn cold you hit the barrier of when it feels comfortable to drive. When i'm back home I like to let mine warm up for 5 mins or so, but it really is up to you as far as how long you let it warm up.
The manual is indeed correct. The important thing is to make sure that oil is everywhere it can be before you take off. once it's where it needs to be the engine's set. Now in IA since its so damn cold you hit the barrier of when it feels comfortable to drive. When i'm back home I like to let mine warm up for 5 mins or so, but it really is up to you as far as how long you let it warm up.
He means that once you turn on your car the oil is getting "thrown" all around the engine, and lubricates all the parts it needs to. once you turn your car off the oil all settles till you turn it on again and get the "oil where it needs to be" meaning on the moving internals of your engine.
Depends on the oil you are running. For example I have ow-30 in my car. I start it up and take of right away. I won't rev too high till i see some temps come up though.
This is discussed extensively on the oil forum I frequent. The general consensus is conventional oils 15-30 seconds max. 0w synthetics does not matter.
with a 5w oil you should be fine until negative 20f-30f's. Its the 10w guys that have to watch the cold cranks.
if your interested to learn more. Google: bobtheoilguy
My 94 integra ls has 170k miles on it. running synthetics since 105k, have never let it warm up. Engine runs perfectly.
The negatives of letting a car warm up is fuel dilution of the oil (causes) excessive wear and moves the oil out of "weight". on moving engine components. These modern 2000+ engines have very tight tolerances, designed to run with out warming up, and designed to fire your cat as fast as possible. At idle you are in the severe oil usage category. Oil pressure is the main cause for concern.
This is discussed extensively on the oil forum I frequent. The general consensus is conventional oils 15-30 seconds max. 0w synthetics does not matter.
with a 5w oil you should be fine until negative 20f-30f's. Its the 10w guys that have to watch the cold cranks.
if your interested to learn more. Google: bobtheoilguy
My 94 integra ls has 170k miles on it. running synthetics since 105k, have never let it warm up. Engine runs perfectly.
The negatives of letting a car warm up is fuel dilution of the oil (causes) excessive wear and moves the oil out of "weight". on moving engine components. These modern 2000+ engines have very tight tolerances, designed to run with out warming up, and designed to fire your cat as fast as possible. At idle you are in the severe oil usage category. Oil pressure is the main cause for concern.
Warming up a car excessively harms more than it helps. It's harder for the cat to work when it's cold and there is a lot of fuel being put into the exhaust stream (on cold start, for example). Also, your engine is operating for more time. Remember that maintenance schedules and expected engine life are based on mileage...not run time. That means you end up with a low mileage engine with higher than normal wear. Cold idles aren't good for the engine's overall condition on top of that.
Get in. Wait maybe a few seconds (up to about 1-2 mins for arctic conditions) and drive away conservatively. Drive normally when the engine warms up.
Get in. Wait maybe a few seconds (up to about 1-2 mins for arctic conditions) and drive away conservatively. Drive normally when the engine warms up.
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