Putting car immediately into reverse upon cold start

[JustThatPenguin]

I was told a long time ago not to put the car immediately into reverse upon cold start. Is this still relevant in today's cars?

The reason I ask is, with my new exhaust. It's very loud upon cold start. And putting it immediately into reverse quiets it up instantly. Trying not to wake all the neighbors.

 

[Never thought]

I was told by the dealer in regards to my 2013 Optima Turbo to try to wait for the revs to come down close to 1k before driving. I’d wait.

 

[Kazz]

I was told by the dealer in regards to my 2013 Optima Turbo to try to wait for the revs to come down close to 1k before driving. I’d wait.

And I'm finding it takes about 20 seconds for the revs to start to drop in my 3.3TT. My rule of thumb is 30 seconds. But I understand your pain. I have a car that's loud and buzzes the whole house just about. LOL

 

[Mike_TX]

Glad you didn't ask my wife. As soon as the engine catches she has it in reverse and is backing out of the garage. Doesn't understand why not.

 

[Clearly Canadian]

You kind of don’t have a choice in northern climates. I don’t have five minutes to waste in the morning.

 

[Kazz]

Glad you didn't ask my wife. As soon as the engine catches she has it in reverse and is backing out of the garage. Doesn't understand why not.

I feel your pain. Of course, that's her car, so...

You kind of don’t have a choice in northern climates. I don’t have five minutes to waste in the morning.

That's when it's even more important, unfortunately. One reason I wish they came with a remote start.

 

[SteveCo]

I've always allowed for a brief warm up period after a cold start, to let oil pressure stabilize and build at least some heat in the engine and transmission. It's often a requirement during the winter anyway, to let the windshield clear, but even in the summer I'll give it at a minute or so before driving off.

I've never had a vehicle with remote start until now (sorry, US folks), but in the winter I've also never been one to let the car warm using engine heat while idling - I generally drive away as soon as I can safely see. We'll see if UVO's remote start and temp setting capability spoils me, but I suspect not - the seat and steering wheel heaters are likely enough ...

 

[Soca Boy]

You kind of don’t have a choice in northern climates. I don’t have five minutes to waste in the morning.

Oh Canada, I try to give my cars 2mins if I have to go. Nice thing is that with the Stinger you can use the UVO app on your phone and let it run for a bit.

 

[Aquadog]

I was told a long time ago not to put the car immediately into reverse upon cold start. Is this still relevant in today's cars?

The reason I ask is, with my new exhaust. It's very loud upon cold start. And putting it immediately into reverse quiets it up instantly. Trying not to wake all the neighbors.

Quick solution move to a retirement Community their hearing isn't all that good anyway I don't think they will even notice LOL

 

[Terra]

I have the solution...... Put it straight into reverse (now quiet) and don't drive anywhere until your satisfied it's warmed up enough.

 

[JustThatPenguin]

So it's just to make sure the oil is circulating before driving? If so, I guess I can try the reverse till warm up. Unless it also affects the tranny.

 

[eflyguy]

The fuel can't vaporize as well until the cylinder comes up to minimum operating temperature - something like 140ºF. You also have more friction in the system until the engine warms up in-general. For these reasons, the engine needs to run at a higher RPM, not only to warm up, but also to ensure clean fuel burn (from higher intake velocities).

So putting the car into gear before the RPM drops is forcing the vehicle to run under less than ideal conditions from cold startup.

 

[Marc Collins]

So it's just to make sure the oil is circulating before driving? If so, I guess I can try the reverse till warm up. Unless it also affects the tranny.

Of course it affects the transmission...it's cold, too, just like the engine.

You should never sit to let your car warm up unless it's needed to clear ice or snow. Just drive away very gently after 10 or 15 seconds. The car will warm up much faster (like 10 times) with the engine under even a light load than idling. Since the pollution is multitudes worse until the engine is warm, it is also better for the environment. All parts of the car need warming up, not just the engine, which is the only thing idling is helping. Be gentle until the engine temp reaches normal and all will be good with all moving parts warming in the process.

Remote start is terrible for the car and environment, but increases occupant comfort if the car is already "room temperature" by the time you get into it. In the olden days, we'd just open the car windows for a minute until the A/C really kicked in and pushed the ambient hot air through the vents. Now we need A/C and cooled seats on in advance, so there is no chance of even a drop of perspiration when we run between air conditioned home, car and work.