Why You Can’t Warm up Your Car for More Than a Minute
Many of us remember early mornings in a cold car, waiting for the engine to “warm up” before moving off. And then it made some sense. But if you’re warming up your car for more than a minute today, you’re probably just wasting gas, money, and time.
How long should I warm up my car?
According to the US Department of Energy, most vehicles manufactured after 1980 do not need to warm up for more than 30 seconds. In fact, they say that at idle, your car can “use anywhere from a quarter to a half gallon of fuel an hour, depending on engine size and A/C use.” The 30 second rule is also recommended by most manufacturers.
The car’s engine will actually warm up faster while you’re trying to get to your destination while driving rather than idle. If your car is idle longer, you will not get any tangible benefits – you will just throw away your hard-earned money, wasting gas and time. It may even damage your car.
“Excessive idling can damage engine components, including cylinders, spark plugs and exhaust systems,” the Utah Department of Environmental Protection said in a statement . “Many vehicle components, including wheel bearings, tires and suspension systems, only heat up while the vehicle is in motion. You need to idle no more than 30 seconds to keep the oil circulating in the engine.”
Where did the idea to “warm up the car” come from?
When I first started learning to drive in Florida, it was my parents who told me to warm up my car during the “cold” Florida winters. And as a good son and responsible driver, I had no doubt about it. Most modern drivers probably have a similar history. The thing is, most of our parents probably learned to drive cars older than 1980, when most cars had carbureted engines . These types of cars needed to be warmed up to run well or the engine would stall, according to JD Power , so most of our parents would have to sit in their cars for about 10 minutes waiting for it to warm up. And in winter, the oil they used moved slower and took even longer.
Cars today are equipped with fuel injection systems that take very little time to properly lubricate. Just remember not to rev the engine too much until the temperature gauge is off the cold reading, according to Consumer Reports .