I'm a proponent of letting an engine warm up before driving in the winter.

 

Yeah... let's not get confused by the facts or we should ignore them altogether! LOL

 

I start up, let the idle settle to about 800 RPM (about 45 seconds) and set off slowly. Car is warm by the end of the first mile.

15-20 minutes of idling simply "because it's cold?" That's weaksauce...

Invest in some fleece!

 

Yep, a plug in heater will warm the engine up faster. I have a Ford F-150 I plug in when I drive that. I warm up the G because I want the moisture out of the oil pan and exhaust sysem - I drive 5 minutes to work - My 2004 G only has 10,300 miles on it, the "97 Ford F-150 has 62,000 miles (and looks new) - I change oil a Lot because of the low miles I put on my vehicles. I travel/fly frequently. I also use Zaino "wax" on all my vehicles, which I really like. For interior use and tires I use Aerospace (sp?) 303 - never use Armor All Sh-t - it makes your dash/tires brittle.

That was a "right turn" on the warming engine question!

 

just a question for the guys who drive only 5 mins to work: why drive at all?

is there no subway (etc.) type of transit in your region? the wear and tear of such a short commute in cold weather hardly seems worth it. and having to warm up a vehicle 10-15 mins just to be able to drive 5 mins seems backwards. now if there was a longer trip, or errands to run, then taking the car makes sense. i suppose if i was to live in a rural area where a 5 minute commute = 5+ miles distance i may have a different opinion though...

i lived in edmonton for 3 years, brutal winters for 5 months of the year, and could have driven the ~5 minute city commute. instead, i turned the commute into a ~20 minute fast walk. the bonus was it's a great way to get some outdoor excercise in the winter...

 

^no way in hell im walking 20 minutes when its 20below out. Sorry, but that is dangerous and stupid.

 

i have a 10 min comute to work... i just like driving my g35x!

but there is no bus rout where i live either... but i could walk... but i rather drive...

i let my g35 warm for about two minutes before i drive in mornings, and its up to temp before i know it....

 

how is it "dangerous"? if you wear shorts & sandals maybe, but people who live in cold climates typically know how to prepare for such temps. as well they are often more robust and resilient, which is often why they live in such places to begin with. even my thin west-coast skin was able to adapt!

 

I'd have to agree here. Maybe not driving in sub zero temps, but when temps are in the teens and higher, I'd be walking or riding a bike to work if I live within a few miles. We don't have a legit mass transit system here in Kansas City. It gets cold here, but it doesn't really last long. A 5 mile bike ride ain't squat. You're talking 15-20 minutes and won't break a sweat. If I lived closer to work (12 miles away), I'd be exercising. I'm shocked by how many people at my work drive 1 to 4 miles to get to work. That's our society for ya.

 

Maybe if you feel like bundling up so you look like a snow man.

When it is below zero, it only takes a matter of minutes to get frost bit. You are BOUND to have exposed skin when walking, and 20 minutes outside, is just too long.

 

I don't give a damn about any of that. If it's below 32, I don't even like walking from my car to my apartment door. EFF the cold.

 

didnt come to a point yet to monitor my gas mpg but once it goes over 6 or 8 a gallon ill take a look seems normal so far as from the dayi got it

 

6 or 8 a gallon? as in $6???

 

Canuckhead - I only warm my car up when it is like -22F - otherwise I start it, wait 30 seconds and drive - or drive my truck. By the way, at these temps, frostbite occurs in less than 15 minutes - black frozen fingers - complications on any exposed part of your skin.

Here is the newer wind chill chart - -20F wind chill at 10mph is -41

Do you still want to walk that 20 minutes?

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/iln/tables.htm

Ahhh, Minnesota - one day closer to spring!

 

^ fair enough, and i don't mean to sidetrack the thread.

fyi - edmonton winters routinely see -40C (-40F) BEFORE windchill. even on those days i saw thousands of people walking to university along with myself, for up to 1/2 hr. it's no big deal if you dress appropriately. i never heard of any mass-frostbite epidemics either, only a few homeless folks from time to time. don't get me wrong though, i'd still rather be in Vancouver where i can golf almost year round!