Warming up your car

[Firaxis]

Originally Posted by Desmo85

Interesting. Seems almost everyone on this thread is an Engineer.
The only way to warm up your engine without increased tear and wear is by having auxiliary heating installed. (another benefit is that your car is warm and ice-free)

Everything else is bogus and tends to make no significant difference. Period.

You don't have to be an engineer, just have basic common sense. Oil doesn't lubricate as well when cold, engine bits move faster when pressing loud pedal down..

Not exactly rocket science..

[Desmo85]

Originally Posted by Firaxis

You don't have to be an engineer, just have basic common sense. Oil doesn't lubricate as well when cold, engine bits move faster when pressing loud pedal down..

Not exactly rocket science..

The Oil Temperature is not as important as you might think in that matter. It takes up to 10 seconds for regular oils to lubricate the whole cylinder.
When it is cold this process takes about 20% longer. Thats the main difference, this is where the higher wear and tear occurs (compared to warmer temperatures). Now even in summertime, the oil temperature should be around 180°F / 80°C before reving the engine. Yes this will take longer in winter but the tear will be insignificant higher.

Get in the car, start, buckle up, turn on the radio and drive off gently, stay under 2000/min.

What really matters is the cooling liquid temperature. Why?

If you imagine an engine block you have different materials with different thermal expansion coefficients. Piston heats up faster than the the cylinder, and there is this lazy,lazy cooling liquid around the cylinder in the engineblock.

For non rocket scientists:
Its basicly a phallus getting bigger and bigger much faster than the counterpart, you can put as much high performance lube on it, it will still hurt.

The only way to prevent this, is by installing a auxilary heating, and those are really not expensive. I have it in my 530D, and will never go back. Webasto for example are very good systems, and are the OEM sytem supplier for BMW. (Among sunroofs, climate systems, and the Roofs for BMW Convertibles such as my E89)
http://www.webasto.com/us/markets-products/car/

[jgoens]

Originally Posted by Ali Shiralian

I don't think people who live in moderate climate get what we go through in the middle of winters here, no sense in discussing this any more...

Yeah..don't know what you guys are talking about or why you would want to live in a place where ice cubes live. When I go out in the morning on a really, really cold day, like 45F., I turn on the heated seats and steering wheel and just drive off.

[murph914]

I saw this on facebook. I feel like waiting a few minutes when the engine is below freezing is smart. An engine warming up slowly at 700 rpm sounds a lot nicer than one trying to warm up under load at 3,000 rpm.

[Ali Shiralian]

Originally Posted by jgoens

Yeah..don't know what you guys are talking about or why you would want to live in a place where ice cubes live. When I go out in the morning on a really, really cold day, like 45F., I turn on the heated seats and steering wheel and just drive off.

I'll be moving south when I retire, until then it's snow and ice for me

[Desmo85]

Originally Posted by murph914

I saw this on facebook. I feel like waiting a few minutes when the engine is below freezing is smart. An engine warming up slowly at 700 rpm sounds a lot nicer than one trying to warm up under load at 3,000 rpm.

Don't. You will harm your engine. stay below 2000rpm and you will be fine.

[skua]

I always warm mine up for at least a few minutes.

One time I turned my 335 on and drove it straight away cold and may have driven it a bit too aggressive and had to replace a solenoid LOL

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Law

Read my original post. I'm not endorsing one side or another.

Two sides to everything is my point.

Not really. There are not two sides to every point.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Firaxis

You don't have to be an engineer, just have basic common sense. Oil doesn't lubricate as well when cold, engine bits move faster when pressing loud pedal down..

Not exactly rocket science..

and cold bearing clearances vs. warm bearing clearances...

[SakhirM4]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Not really. There are not two sides to every point.

Actually, there are at least two sides to every point. There is a right side and a wrong side at a minimum.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by SakhirM4

Actually, there are at least two sides to every point. There is a right side and a wrong side at a minimum.

Being wrong is not a point; it's just incorrect.

[SakhirM4]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Being wrong is not a point; it's just incorrect.

You have a point, even if it is incorrect.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by SakhirM4

You have a point, even if it is incorrect.

But it is correct.

One may have a side to a point that he might survive jumping off a 50 foot bridge on to a concrete roadway with semi truck traffic travelling at 70 MPH on it, but he'd be wrong.

[SakhirM4]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

But it is correct.

One may have a side to a point that he might survive jumping off a 50 foot bridge on to a concrete roadway with semi truck traffic travelling at 70 MPH on it, but he'd be wrong.

That is exactly what I said in the first place - two sides to a point - one correct and one incorrect. In your example, the correct side would be that "he might" NOT "survive jumping off a 50 foot bridge on to a concrete roadway with semi truck traffic travelling at 70 MPH on it."

I'm done here.

[mojobmw_e90]

Depends. My house is 2blocks off the expressway. I leave for work at 5am everyday. To get onto the expressway I have to press the gas.doing this on a cold engine that's been turned on in the last 30seconds feels very very bad, and the csr doesn't like it. I prefer 5-10min of idling before this happens