Bramlok

iTrader: (7)

In the summer months? Start it up, put my seatbelt on and drive away. (driven easy for the first 5 minutes or so)

tmdz28

iTrader: (2)

I turn on the car, wait until all the beeping stop, start the car and drive off. I have to get out of my complex (HOA), so that's a good 30 second of warming up, while moving. Then I almost always have to sit idle waiting for traffic light. Shifts at 1500rpm for the first 5 - 10 min or so.

Gordon0652

iTrader: (4)

Summer: I'll give it enough time for me to put on sunglasses.
Winter: A minute or two.

bad_408_vert

iTrader: (6)

Hmm what's wrong with my car then?

In summer I hit operating temp in 2-3 minutes.
Winters 5 or more.

Fbodyjunkie06

iTrader: (10)

160* thermostat and mine is at operating temp within 3 minutes, but I hardly ever wait. Sometimes and that's if I forgot something in the house and I'm cussing looking for it everywhere.

They salt my roads around here so I hardly ever drive it in the winter.

Now I do let it run for a good minute after I pull into the garage to allow cooler fresher oil to reach the bearings and seals on my turbo. Kinda like a manual turbo timer lol.

Element

iTrader: (5)

Sounds pretty typical, but like Meents said earlier, coolant temp isn't correlated with oil temperature, so while your coolant might be at operating temp, your oil will still be cooler (and thus, thicker).

216StealthSS

well, only the summer is when its driven so i would say put the sunglasses on, let the oil pressure get to peak, let it cycle about a min, then cruise up to 2,000rpm until i get about 120 degrees on the temp gauge, then the hammer goes down

1Psycho

iTrader: (9)

Gotta agree with everyone else. I turn the key and let the pump prime, start it, wait a minute or so when it's warm out, when it's cold I wait a little longer. Drive it easy for the first 5-10 minutes and once the oil warms you can get on it a bit. I always let mine sit when I pull up somewhere though, let it cool down for a minute or so and let some cooler oil flow around the engine before I turn it off.

KILLER-LS1

iTrader: (18)

i let the pump prime (to make sure it starts immediately), and i dont do anything until the oil pressure gauge has stabilized. once thats good, ill start driving like any "normal" person would. Once everything is at operating temp, i unleash the fury

StuntmanMike

iTrader: (2)

Only time I really let it warm up is in the winter, if I have to scrape the windows. First thing I'll do is start it up, then go to work on the windows. I don't drive it too much i nthe witner though, I have my Jeep for that.

No matter what the temp though, I basically follow the same startup routine:

Get in, and turn the key on to prime the fuel pump, and let the chime sound 3 times before starting. Once it's running, I'll put on my seatbelt, mess with the radio, and just generally get myself situated. Unless it's a nice day and I'm takign the tops off, I'm ready to go in 30 seconds or so.

Once I get moving I take it nice and easy so it stays under 2k till it hits op temp. I also park so I just put it in drive and go, I don't need to reverse it at all.

I have no evidence that this is fact, but IMO it stands to reason that the less shifting of the tranny you do when everything is cold the better, so I always park in a spot I can just pull straight out of, and when I park in a driveway I back into it whenever possible. I do this with my Jeep too.

And that 2009 reference makes no sense, I'm going to say that since the mid 80's or so cars haven't needed to really be "warmed up". Anything with fuel injection is basically good to go once you start it.

My '73 Chevy truck with a Holley 4bbl...now THAT had to be warmed up! On really cold mornings I'd start it up and nurse it a bit till it'd stay running, then go eat breakfast, THEN leave for school.

It got about 7mpg too! Thank god that was the mid-90's and gas was only about 1.20/gal.

EDIT: Oh, and yesterday it was so warm from sitting in the sun all weekend it was halfway to op temp after just driving around the corner, AND no piston slap!! It was nice not sounding like a sewing machine for a change!

71novaguy

iTrader: (2)

Pansies. I fire the thing up, check the mirrors and take off. No need to worry about getting up to operating temps. That ***** for the birds

Benjamin Russick

iTrader: (1)

I don't think letting the car sit at idle is beneficial at all. As long as you go easy until everything is at operating temps, I would say you can drive away pretty much immediately. Your oil, cats, rear will warm much faster under light load anyway and will boil off water and other garbage that much sooner...

silversrtman

iTrader: (20)

what about you high lift cam, stiff valve spring guys? I let my car sit at least until the needle starts moving even in the summer time.

71novaguy

iTrader: (2)

what he said

xXSilencerXx

iTrader: (4)

I just get in and drive. It's not like I'm hauling *** through my neighborhood.

WS.SIX

iTrader: (3)

I wait until I have oil pressure, throw it into gear and take it easy until it reaches full operating temperature. I figure idling cold will do more damage than running it gently getting everything warmed up.

For those of you that let it sit to warm up then let it rip... what about the rest of your driveline!?

MattxFatal

iTrader: (4)

Not saying there's anything wrong with the way you do it, however that's not enough time to get oil in both the heads.
IIRC it takes SEVERAL minutes for oil to flow through one of the heads.
I don't remember which one it was though.

KFC_Or_Bust

iTrader: (5)

In the morning (5:30am, cammed, no cats) I start it up, let it idle for a second then pull out of the driveway to the corner of my road. It's all downhill from there and it's about a 90 second ride to the bottom so the gauge is just about off of 100 by the time I make it to the main road. Take it easy for a few minutes, by the time I get to the first stop light it's game time should anything present itself!

jthunderz28

I let it warm up for at least 2 minutes regardless of what the temp is outside.

senicalj4579

iTrader: (41)

When its cooler out fall/very beggining of winter I will let the trans fluid warm up a bit (bypassed radiator) and engine will warm up too. I dont drive it in really cold time of year.