Do Cars Need to Warm Up?
2 Answers
Car needs to warm up, but pay attention to the engine speed after starting. If it exceeds 1000 rpm, you should wait until it drops below this speed before driving. If you insist on waiting for the normal idle speed, it may take a long time before you can drive. Listen to the sound from the engine compartment. If there is loud noise and a ticking sound, you should still warm up the car before driving. After the car has been parked for a long time, the engine oil will flow back to the bottom of the engine due to gravity, leaving the upper part lacking sufficient lubrication. After starting, there will be greater friction and impact sounds. The process of warming up the car is the process of circulating the oil to the lubrication parts, so sufficient time is needed for the oil to lubricate the relevant parts.
I used to think that warming up the car was a must in cold weather, but after driving different vehicles, I realized modern cars aren’t that delicate. Take my newly upgraded direct-injection engine, for example—the manual explicitly states not to idle for too long. However, when temperatures drop below -10°C in winter, I let the car idle for about 40 seconds until the RPM drops from 1200 to 900 before moving. This is because engine oil becomes too viscous in the cold and needs time to lubricate precision components like the turbo. But idling beyond a minute does more harm than good—fuel consumption spikes, and incomplete combustion leads to stubborn carbon buildup on the back of the valves. The most scientific approach is to warm up the car by driving slowly, using second gear to crawl for 2-3 kilometers, which protects the engine while allowing the transmission to heat up evenly.
