Of course... 2-3 minutes and i drive off.

 

Start and drive the heck out of it.

Modern car is computerized fuel injected. It's idiot proof.

 

Yes fuel injection does, but oil temp is no where near optimum when you first start the car. There is way too many cam failures on these cars to risk that.

 

On my Elise and Evora, I would warm it up to 2 to 3 mins also. When I drive right away after start up The Elise will hesitates if I don't warm it up for 2 1/2 minutes. The Evora seems fine and doesn't hesitate like the Elise when not warmed up. Just lower redline til it is warm.

 

I don't think 2 choices is enough. I do let it run a little, maybe 10-30 secs, then drive carefully until oil warms up. But it depends on the temperature. When it's 100 degrees, only as long as it takes to buckle up and check my mirrors; it certainly doesn't take as long to reach normal operating temperature as it does when it's 30 degrees.

 

+1 10 - 30 seconds sounds about right. I get in, Start car, buckle seat belt, adjust radio, check mirrors, get settled. Drive easy until warm.

 

warm up as in drive delicately for several min until everything is up to temp, yesir


warm up as in sit and idle, nosir

 

+1. I just drive it gingerly until she's warmed up and ready to rock. You know, kinda like foreplay.......or so I'm told.

 

I do 10 minutes everyday but with modern cars it is not needed.

 

summer time i let it warm up 30-40 sec. then drive slowly for 2 miles or so. and in the winter time, i let it warm up for at least 1-2 min, and then slowly drive it until temperature shows 180*

 

Pretty much my routine too. I also let it cool down gradually with lower RPMs and easy throttle work the last mile or two approaching home.

 

for about a min then i drive under 3k rpms til i reach the right temp.

 

Under revving loads bearings a lot more than moderate , efficient rpms! Look it up in the literature if you don't believe me.

 

Well, back when I had a BMW 320i, the manual specifically stated to drive the car easily for a few minutes. That is what I do. I don't romp on it until the water temp turns on.

 

I let mine warm up until it sounds like it runs silky. It doesn't take long for the engine to hit the idle revs and then I give it a bit more - not very long mind you but I also don't drive hard on a cold engine (if you can call it "cold" here in Oklahoma still lol).

 

I just get in and drive, but keep the revs low until the temperature shows up on the dash.

 

The oil does not get up to correct temp for about 10 minutes after coolant has.

(as per a couple of 2zz engine builders)

 

The best way to warm up a car is to drive it. Gently.

That said, it's not always practical at an autocross, so before my run group I let it idle in the paddock.

Never drive an Elise hard until you see a temp on the dash readout.


My Suburban has a different indicator: Drive gently for as long as it sounds like a diesel. These engines have major piston-slap until warm.

 

Never drive an Elise hard until you see a temp on the dash readout.

Not quite. Not just any dash temp, i.e. don't drive hard until coolant is up to full temp + 10 minutes for oil temp to get normal.


For the rest of you, note that even if you let the car idle, that warms up only the engine, not the drivetrain.

 

I'm not a fan of how the poll is worded. I don't let my car warm up in the sense that I idle it up to temp, but I do let my car warm up to 190 F (coolant temp) before revving over 3.5-4k rpm

 

True, I should have added, "idle warmup" and "easy driving warmup"

But, the thread got the point across.

 

Idling just wastes gas. Harix is right, with today's cars, electronic fuel injection takes care of the past concerns. It may even plug up your catalytic converter over time since a cold engine emits higher unburned hydrocarbons.

In the long run, you're better off to just start it up, wait a few seconds for fluids to cycle, and drive off gently. Plus, it'll warm up the car faster, and as soon as that happens the fun begins

 

I warm it up for 30secs -1 min while slowly going out from the garage.


Sent from my Autoguide iPad app

 

1-2 minutes. She's not uber happy until temps are up to operating temperature, especially the 2-3 shift.

Hot liquids = my happy girl.

 

Heres what i do

1) get in car
2) turn key to accessories and let fuel pump prime
3) start engine
4) seatbelt, plugin iphone to stereo
5) drive away slowly until water temp has been at 180 for a few minutes

I plan to get an oil pressure and temp gauge shortly

 

I let it sit for about 10 seconds as soon as it starts to let everything kind of normalize, but other than that no. I just take it easy until the engine reaches about 180deg. I try to keep it below 2500rpm during that time.

 

i usually give it around 2 minutes, which is usually the time it takes to connect my phone via bluetooth, take off the car cover and/or soft top.
then, I drive under 4k rpm until the temp gauge shows up.
I also give it about 10 seconds after putting the key in accessory before I start the car (about the time it take for the seatbelt beeping to stop)

 

I also give it about 10 seconds after putting the key in accessory before I start the car (about the time it take for the seatbelt beeping to stop)

So you're worried about the electrons warming up?

San

 

by the time i back out of the garage, get pointed in the right direction and poke out of the courtyard... its about ~2 mins of warming up. and i usually give my car about 10-20 seconds after i start it - mostly because the crap ecu tune doesn't like to idle right off the bat. and of course, drive mellow until temps..

so no, i do not "warm up" before i drive.

 

Usually for 10-15 seconds, as long as it takes to back the car out of the garage and watch it close all the way.

My Exige is much more tolerant to cold starts compared to my Elise. The Elise was an early 05 (#499) and I think the ECU had issues. It would run rough and sometimes stall when I'd push the clutch in at the first stop sign. The Exige starts up and runs fine from the get go. I also have a CharlieX tune on the ECU.

 

I some day want an oil temp gauge. Until I do I do not go over 3-3500rpm until the temp gauge reads 180+. Unfortunately I have only had my car for 2500 of its 32500 miles. There are many many miles where I do not know how it was treated. Ill be checking out the cams soon

 

No need to warm any modern car up before driving off. Letting it do so is a waste of fuel. You should however not thrash it until the engine comes up to temperature.

Elises will not allow you onto the second cam until they are up to temp.

My Lotus generally stay in a heated facility at 65F so they are already warm when I massage them to life.

If I waited for my diesel F250 to warm up before I went anywhere I'd be waiting forever. My old Dodge 2500 took 15 minutes to come up to temp for the heater to work.

 

Who says modern cars don't need warming up? There's a reason why the 2nd cam won't kick in unless its warmed up! Different metals have different expansion rates. Think about piston rings, cylinder sleeves, block...I think all diff metals. I drive slowly to warm up, then let it loose at 190 degrees.