Warm up *before* driving?

    Okay, I know this question tends to divide automotive enthusiasts like Moses did with the Red Sea, but I'm gonna ask anyway...


    Should you warm up your Slingshot before driving in cold weather?

    The two general schools of thought are:

    1. Yes! Letting the engine idle while metal, coolant, lubrication all get up toward normal operating temp reduces wear, lessening the chances of catastrophic wear / damage. Idle time does no harm, so the safe bet is to warm the engine.


    2. No! Driving moderately for a mile or two warms the engine more effectively, does no substantial damage or wear, does not waste gas. Modern engines / ECUs are designed to accommodate this sort of environment, so just get down the road!


    All this said, I've not seen a discussion on this in regard to the Ecotech engine or the Slingshot in particular. I know we have an older engine design, and we (some of us anyway) do tend to drive 'em like we stole 'em.:P Any thoughts from the experts on the forum would be appreciated. Comments from the peanut gallery are also welcome! 8o

    The smarter you get, the funnier I am.

    Quote from Doc&Ruby

    All this said, I've not seen a discussion on this in regard to the Ecotech engine or the Slingshot in particular. I know we have an older engine design, and we (some of us anyway) do tend to drive 'em like we stole 'em.:P Any thoughts from the experts on the forum would be appreciated. Comments from the peanut gallery are also welcome! 8o

    would you let it warm up if you stole it :/

    If I stole it, I probably wouldn't be bragging about it here. ;) If the temperature is below freezing, I will definitely allow my Slingshot to warm up before driving. Not for its sake as much as for mine! Both of us are happiest when the temperature is somewhere north of about 60 F., which is often here in the South. I don't have heated gear, but I'm proud to announce that I have finally learned to "layer up" sufficiently to enjoy Slingshotting when the temps dip down into the high 30s. Don't laugh. I'm from New Orleans, and that's quite an accomplishment!

    Junior Peanut Gallery:


    Yes to questions 1 and 2. If you forgot your wallet/phone/glasses/coat/itinerary/motivation (normal), absolutely go look for them while your engine warms. If not, roll out but do not put your engine under load until reasonably warm.


    I believe there is scientific evidence disputing the need to warm up modern engines ( LargeCar ?)

    Remember folks - this isn't a rehearsal, this is The Show!8)

    SlingLow

    These days, I forget dang near everything, so I guess my engine is safe. I try to keep all my stuff organized so I don't go off to work and forget something important... but then the pretty girl I live with walks into the room and my brain goes to mush! 🥰

    My engine & I both warm up a bit, but I leave all sorts of important stuff behind on a regular basis. 8o

    The smarter you get, the funnier I am.

    My wife gave me a mantra when I leave the house: wallet, keys, glasses phone. I used this for years until my eyesight improved enough to not wear glasses anymore. Now I don't use the mantra and regularly show up in the driveway without my keys and at the store without my wallet. I've been blaming it on increasing age but see the genius in blaming it on your attractive mate. I'm using that from now on!

    Remember folks - this isn't a rehearsal, this is The Show!8)

    the amount of layering I do depends on the dew point or humidity. If it’s high the air will be warmer....if it’s low the air will be cooler....


    then you have to factor in the wind chill.....if you’re going to driving fast....the air feels cooler...


    70 degrees can be warm or cold.

    Quote from Bigdog

    the amount of layering I do depends on the dew point or humidity. If it’s high the air will be warmer....if it’s low the air will be cooler....


    then you have to factor in the wind chill.....if you’re going to driving fast....the air feels cooler...


    70 degrees can be warm or cold.

    Just wondering.... what kind of layers do you use for the engine? 8o

    The smarter you get, the funnier I am.

    It all depends, my daily driver vehicle gets 30sec even in winter(heated garage) and while in the first 5 min of operation I won go pass 3k rpm.


    If a vehicle has been sitting for a few days or more then it gets a several minutes "warm up".

    Is not that I am mean, I just don't sugarcoat what I say.

    I have been reading this for quite some time... Old cars with Carbs needed to be idled... New cars do not...

    Warming up your car in winter before driving it is actually terrible for your engine. According to Popular Mechanics, driving your car right away is the fastest way to warm up your engine, and will actually prolong the life of your engine instead of letting it sit idly before driving. Answering the old question on whether you should warm up your car.

    The reasoning has to do with how modern internal combustion engines work. By letting your car sit to warm up, it's actually putting extra fuel into the combustion chamber, which can get onto your cylinder walls. Because gasoline is an excellent solvent, too much on your cylinder walls can dissolve the oil that lubricates your cylinders, leading to shorter life on crucial components. They also mention the newer synthetic oils not needing to be "warmed" up.

    When the going gets tough.... Downshift.

    Quote from billythekidd

    I have been reading this for quite some time... Old cars with Carbs needed to be idled... New cars do not...

    Warming up your car in winter before driving it is actually terrible for your engine. According to Popular Mechanics, driving your car right away is the fastest way to warm up your engine, and will actually prolong the life of your engine instead of letting it sit idly before driving. Answering the old question on whether you should warm up your car.

    The reasoning has to do with how modern internal combustion engines work. By letting your car sit to warm up, it's actually putting extra fuel into the combustion chamber, which can get onto your cylinder walls. Because gasoline is an excellent solvent, too much on your cylinder walls can dissolve the oil that lubricates your cylinders, leading to shorter life on crucial components. They also mention the newer synthetic oils not needing to be "warmed" up.

    I never even warmed up the old cars with a carb. unless I had to defrost the windshield. Why would you unless there was ice on the windshield. Just a waste of good gas. My first car was a 57 Chev. 3 on the tree, 283 cu. inch with a 4 barrel carb. about 12 mpg above 60 mph in 1966