Last week we covered some common questions we get asked a lot at CSR, but we forgot to answer one: is warming up your car in the winter really necessary?
Whether you warm up your car because you’re afraid it might harm the engine if you don’t or just because you really don’t like getting into a cold car, this may be something you’ve asked yourself. We’ve seen the reports over the last few years, the issue covered by everyone from Global News to Popular Mechanics to The Washington Post, so we figured it was about time we weighed in.
Is Warming Up Your Car Necessary?
We’ve all heard it, either from our parents, our grandparents, or even the local mechanic (hint, hint): you need to warm up your car before you drive it. Warming up your car is something many of us do without even thinking about it.
And we think that’s a good thing, within reason.
There have been some reports, especially over the last few years, that seem to suggest letting your car warm up before you drive it isn’t something you need to do. That with newer engines and superior oil, you can actually get in the car and drive it away without doing any damage under the hood.
We’re firm believers, however, that it IS something you should do, even if only for a few minutes.
And we’ll tell you why.
But first…
Where’d This Belief Come From?
Letting your car warm up for an extended period of time used to be necessary because of lubrication technology. Old-school oils usually didn’t work so well in the cold, and that could damage a car’s engine. Old oil technology meant the consistency changed in lower temperatures, and because of this change they didn’t lubricate so well. However, better technology has given us more efficient modern synthetic oils that can flow well at temperatures as low as -40 C.
That doesn’t mean though that you don’t need to let the car warm up.
You do.
You just don’t need to do it for 20 minutes, or even 10.
Letting your car warm up for 1-2 minutes (yes, that’s about all the time you really need) will:
- give your oil time to loosen up
- help your tires deal with the change in pressure
- protect your battery (it can lose half its starting power when temps are low)
That said, a newer car will warm up quicker when driving. Just be careful, you’ll want to keep your speed low. It takes about 5-10 minutes for your engine to warm up while you’re driving, so just hold off pumping the gas there Mario Andretti, at least until you’ve given it some time to fully get where it needs to be.
Remember: letting your car idle for too long is also bad for the environment. According to Natural Resources Canada, “Ten minutes of idling burns 0.25 to 0.50 litres of fuel and emits 600 to 1,200 grams of CO2, depending on the vehicle and conditions.” For every 10 minutes your car is off instead of running, you’re stopping a pound of carbon dioxide from leaked into the air.
Don’t Forget About Safety
Something to keep in mind: if you’ve decided warming up your car up before you leave the driveway isn’t something you need to do, you could be putting yourself or someone else at risk. If there’s a lot of snow or ice that you haven’t fully scraped off your windows, you may be sacrificing visibility for time spent waiting. And honestly, how many times have you thought to yourself “well that’s good enough,” only to get out on the road and not be able to see a thing?
Giving your windows a chance to defrost can make a huge difference.
What About Older Cars?
Now, if you drive an older car with a carburetor, things are a bit less, well, quick.
A carbureted car needs more time to warm up in very cold weather. If your car is older, you want to get less-viscous oil to as many parts of the engine as possible. You also want to get some heat into all the rubber hoses and connectors since they’re probably not as new as those in newer cars. These cars just need a little more TLC, and that means a few more minutes to get things moving around inside.
So, whether you drive a brand new car or one that’s vintage, give your car just a few minutes, even just as long as it takes to scrape the ice, and you (and your car) will be much better for it.
Have any other car questions or concerns? Just call us. At CSR Automotive, we’re here to help keep you running smoothly.
