When temperatures dip, especially below 30 degrees, many wonder if they should warm up their car or how long it takes to properly warm up their car. There has been a lot of debate about this, especially last winter when several sources declared that modern cars only need to be warmed up for 30 seconds.
So, is it true that you need to warm up your car? Again, there's been quite a bit of back and forth, but we’d say it really depends on a couple of factors. First, unless you drive an older car (early ‘90s or older with a carburetor), then there is no need to warm up your vehicle for 5+ minutes. If you own a newer car (late ‘90s and beyond with electronic fuel injection), you don’t need to warm up your car longer than a minute or two at the very most and you can even idle for less time than this depending on the next factor.
In addition to vehicle age, what can help you determine idling time while warming up your car is your car’s motor oil. During winter, lower viscosity motor oils won’t seize up in the cold. There are many oil products that will actually flow at temperatures of -40 degrees Fahrenheit. When you’re using low-viscosity oil and have a newer vehicle, warming up your car for 30 seconds is safe, though we’d still suggest that you don’t accelerate too quickly the first few minutes of driving.
If you’re still worried that 30 seconds isn’t long enough, idle for just over a minute and it should be fine to drive. Just remember that for those with more modern cars, old-school 5+ minute warm ups waste fuel and cause more pollution. Plus, we’re sure most people would enjoy being able to hit the road sooner. Just get yourself a scraper to clear windshield frost and you’ll be good to go.
If your car is due for an oil change, bring it to Crown Nissan and our guys will get you in and out fast. Our advisors can also answer any questions you have about motor oil.