moinmoin
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As long as your car's windows are clear, your car just needs about three minutes to effectively warm it up
….absolutely no combustion vehicle on the road today has an emission system that operates when the engine is idling.
If this isn’t the water-cooler debate to end all water-cooler debates, I don’t know what is. It’s always divided into two distinct groups – the ‘get in, turn the key, blast out the driveway’ faction and the ‘let it warm up until the vents are too hot to touch’ camp. But how much idle time is correct, and what are the consequences of too much and not enough?
If you’re an environmentalist, zero idle time may be your choice. After all, absolutely no combustion vehicle on the road today has an emission system that operates when the engine is idling. That’s right – none, zero, zilch. Doesn’t matter if it’s a $100,000 luxury sedan, an entry-level subcompact, or a lowly winter beater. At idle, it’s spewing raw, untreated emissions out the tailpipe. And with modern fuel-injected engines, the idle quality and cold throttle response is usually silky smooth, no matter how hard outside temperatures fall. So, why idle to warm up at all?
Well, safety first. If you can’t see out of all the windows, let it warm up – and peeking through the porthole-sized patch of glass at the bottom of the windshield doesn’t count. It may take only three minutes or it may take 10, but you don’t belong on any road if you can’t see out of your ride. Read more...
….absolutely no combustion vehicle on the road today has an emission system that operates when the engine is idling.
If this isn’t the water-cooler debate to end all water-cooler debates, I don’t know what is. It’s always divided into two distinct groups – the ‘get in, turn the key, blast out the driveway’ faction and the ‘let it warm up until the vents are too hot to touch’ camp. But how much idle time is correct, and what are the consequences of too much and not enough?
If you’re an environmentalist, zero idle time may be your choice. After all, absolutely no combustion vehicle on the road today has an emission system that operates when the engine is idling. That’s right – none, zero, zilch. Doesn’t matter if it’s a $100,000 luxury sedan, an entry-level subcompact, or a lowly winter beater. At idle, it’s spewing raw, untreated emissions out the tailpipe. And with modern fuel-injected engines, the idle quality and cold throttle response is usually silky smooth, no matter how hard outside temperatures fall. So, why idle to warm up at all?
Well, safety first. If you can’t see out of all the windows, let it warm up – and peeking through the porthole-sized patch of glass at the bottom of the windshield doesn’t count. It may take only three minutes or it may take 10, but you don’t belong on any road if you can’t see out of your ride. Read more...
