Okay, I think this topic has been covered before.
I found an article that talks about

Eight Facts About Warming Up Your Car in Winter


Eight Facts About Warming Up Your Car in Winter- Yahoo! Autos Article Page


The bottom line is that you don't need to idle. However, if you want to circulate oil, then idle for 30 seconds. I agree with #5. #5 is no no.

• 1. Driving warms the car faster than idling
• 2. Ten seconds is all you need
• 3. Idling hurts the car
• 4. Idling costs money
• 5. Idling in the garage can kill you
• 6. Block heaters beat remote starters
• 7. Quick errands aren't quick enough
• 8. Idling is bad for your health (and your neighbor's health)
  

 

I just wait until my rpms hit 1K. About 45 seconds maybe a minute tops.

 

Yeah, I wait until that RPM's come way down and the motor loses its tractor engine sound (when it is initially cold).

 

Haha I sit there for a little

 

yep, about 45 seconds to a minute...until the RPM's gets close to 1k. It's crazy how much slower 4 cylinder cars are...sat in a friends accord and it literally took over 2 minutes for the car to get out of that (traktor) sound.

 

I let it idle until my exhaust note calms down just a tad and doesn't sound as raspy, its about 30-45 seconds. Then I try not to get it over 4K until the engine temp gets up a little. Not sure where I got this theory, but it is just what I've always done.

 

until the RPMs go down from their high point on start up

 

I always let the car warm up to normal temps before I even get out of the garage. However I keep the garage open and my neighbors are pretty far apart from one another so the noise doesnt bother them. I have always done this and been very careful when driving my car in cold weather.

 

No I turned it on, and by the time I buckle up and turn on the radio I leave. The only time the car sit any longer than that is if I have to scrape ice or clean snow.

 

i warm it up for 5 minutes to get everything circulating, especially the oil in the motor and the clutch to warm up

 

I think that waiting till the RPM drops (engine warming) is not in the spirit of the article. I know it's a drag and a bit unnerving to drive off with that noisey tractor sound but it's not going to hurt your car.

The car will get to temp much faster with a light load on the engine (driving down the road gently).

Also worth noting that it's not actually good to have your engine up to temp and not the remainder of the drive train (transmission). If you drive hard thinking that your engine is up to temp but the rest of the system is still cold, your cold transmission will be stressed. Best to start off cold and drive gently for the first 5 minutes and let everything warm up. Then start driving it hard.....

I'm with the article, let the oil flow then go.... I wait 10 to 15 seconds max.... My old Carmy bought new has over 200K miles on it and it runs flawlessly....

 

Dont have time to warm up for more than about 30 seconds. Sorry but im not waking up early to give myself a couple extra warm up minutes haha

 

I'm with you! Plus, us auto tranny folks will see that if you pop it into gear while it's still idling fast, the RPM's will reduce.

It does it with "N" too. Start car cold... wait 10 seconds, RPM's will still be 1100-1200 - put car in "N". RPM's will drop way down. Then go to "R" or "D" and drive away slowly. Problem solved.

 

Driving the car warms it up faster than idling? No ****. Don't we warm up the car first, so that everything is properly lubricated and there's less wear and stress on cold parts?

 

I don't ever idle. I turn the car on, and drive off ASAP. Like the article says, the best way to warm it up is to just drive it. I keep it under 2500 rpm until the engine temp reaches the mid portion of the gage.