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Do you warm your car up fully before you drive it?

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Old 12-18-22, 12:59 AM
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Do you warm your car up fully before you drive it?

No talking about hitting full boost right out off the driveway, but do you wait for your car to come to full temp before it moves? Why or why not?
Old 12-18-22, 06:44 AM
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No. It just runs rich longer at idle and no reason to prolong it IMO. That said, I don’t sweat it if I have to run back into the shop or house to grab something after backing it out either.
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Old 12-18-22, 08:41 AM
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Get in and drive gently until warm.

Minimizes time that it runs rich.

Do this with all of our vehicles, even the ones parked outside when -40F.
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Old 12-18-22, 11:13 AM
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Originally Posted by the_saint
Get in and drive gently until warm.

Minimizes time that it runs rich.

Do this with all of our vehicles, even the ones parked outside when -40F.
Be honest now, how many cars do you see idling away on driveways during the winter months? Especially where we are. Then they act surprised when some cars get stolen? Lol
Industry doesn’t help either when they provide remote starting right from the factory.
You would think with everyone concerned about gas prices and being “friendly to the environment “, they would tolerate some discomfort during the winter months.
It is what it is…

As I’ve always done, I start the car and move it once the idle gets a bit down. Which is what, 3-4secs? Drive it gently till she fully warms up. Thankfully in the 8 there’s a rev counter indicator telling you when it’s able to get fully rev’ed out. I follow roughly the same time frame when I jump into the FD. Of course the FD will warm up sooner, but I still take it easy for about 5-8min. After about 10-13min I can start to push her.
Old 12-18-22, 11:44 AM
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Another thing I'd consider when deciding to idle until fully warm is the fact that the fluid in your trans and diff will still be ice cold. Just because the engine idled to temp doesn't mean the rest of the car is ready to go.

Last edited by fendamonky; 12-18-22 at 11:55 AM.
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Old 12-18-22, 12:17 PM
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Originally Posted by mkd
No talking about hitting full boost right out off the driveway, but do you wait for your car to come to full temp before it moves? Why or why not?
Nope, just drive off but don't beat on it while it's still cold - i.e., stay off the boost and keep the RPMs on the low side of the tach. Your engine will thank you as it will warm up quicker under load, and you'll spend less time running with warm-up enrichment. Saves gas & less fuel dilution in your oil that way.
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Old 12-18-22, 01:00 PM
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Originally Posted by Pete_89T2
Nope, just drive off but don't beat on it while it's still cold - i.e., stay off the boost and keep the RPMs on the low side of the tach. Your engine will thank you as it will warm up quicker under load, and you'll spend less time running with warm-up enrichment. Saves gas & less fuel dilution in your oil that way.
100% agree! Best way to get the car to temp quickly is just drive it!!
Old 12-19-22, 10:57 AM
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Also sitting idling after a cold start is a great way to foul out plugs.

This is a car, get in, start it, and go.

Dale
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Old 12-20-22, 09:54 PM
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I always let mine warm up to at least 65 degC (150 degF) before driving it. I usually let it sit until it hits 80 degC (175 degF). A 13BREW with stock ports doesn't have to run rich when cold, but the stock fuel injectors suck and most people are running big aftermarket primary injectors. Mine idles at stoich even when it's cold outside, with smaller primary injectors. I'd like to think RX8 or Ford Mustang GT500 injectors could behave similarly well and still flow 500+ cc/min, but my car runs well enough for now that I'm not changing injectors for a while.

Last edited by scotty305; 12-20-22 at 10:07 PM.
Old 12-22-22, 10:16 AM
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I usually putt around for the 1st 5 or 10 min and then the last 2 or 3 min before parking it again.

Warm up the engine and spool down the turbos.
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Old 12-24-22, 02:12 PM
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I was just thinking, as cold as it is today, if there was a block/oil heating system where you just plug it in for a bit before you start it, I'd be in to that. It's a bitch getting any temp in my car on a cold day since its so optimized for cooling, I'm lucky if I get a little warm dog breath out of the heater.
Old 12-31-22, 08:11 AM
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Lightbulb

Originally Posted by ptrhahn
I was just thinking, as cold as it is today, if there was a block/oil heating system where you just plug it in for a bit before you start it, I'd be in to that. It's a bitch getting any temp in my car on a cold day since its so optimized for cooling, I'm lucky if I get a little warm dog breath out of the heater.
Another reason to switch to Evans NPG+, my '95 FD gets up to operating temp very quickly whether idling or getting out on the road. I should time it the next time I take the car out on a cold day. For the record, I'm of the 'get in and drive' camp in most cases
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Old 12-31-22, 11:02 AM
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Originally Posted by GoodfellaFD3S
Another reason to switch to Evans NPG+, my '95 FD gets up to operating temp very quickly whether idling or getting out on the road. I should time it the next time I take the car out on a cold day. For the record, I'm of the 'get in and drive' camp in most cases
^That's an interesting observation.... And if it's quantifiable & true, it means that in comparison to a conventional anti-freeze mix, the Evans stuff has a slower rate of heat transfer as a coolant medium, all other factors being the same (cooling system mechanical/thermal design, etc.).
Old 12-31-22, 11:25 AM
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Originally Posted by Pete_89T2
^That's an interesting observation.... And if it's quantifiable & true, it means that in comparison to a conventional anti-freeze mix, the Evans stuff has a slower rate of heat transfer as a coolant medium, all other factors being the same (cooling system mechanical/thermal design, etc.).
I remember >10 years ago that your above conclusion that Evans would not be the best for cooling in high demand situations was verified in several threads.

Lower cooling efficiency is also a major reason that running 100% green (Ethylene-glycol) antifreeze (similar to Evans) is not a good idea if optimum cooling system performance is required. But slower heat transfer may not be the cause. IIRC, it's the Evans' and pure AF lower heat capacity, which means it warms and cools faster, and so cannot as efficiently transport heat energy out of the engine as a water mixture. That's one of the reasons that faster coolant flow is more efficient than slower, i.e., maintaining a more constant coolant temperature throughout the cooling system results in better cooling.

I race cars, and most of us don't run any AF for the same reason - plain water with some low % of anti-corrosion additive (Water-wetter, Valvoline Super-Coolant, etc.) cools noticeably better than water with any significant % of AF.

A post that sums it up: https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generati.../#post11205435

Last edited by DaveW; 12-31-22 at 02:39 PM. Reason: added more info
Old 12-31-22, 01:20 PM
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I absolutely love Evans NPG+ and the zero-pressure nature is not to be discounted when thinking about stresses on the coolant system as well as your chances of being left stranded on the side of the road due to a failure. FDs have a pretty well-deserved reputation for lack of reliability and IMO this helps clear up one of the biggest perpetrators of the cars being stuck on the side of the road with their hoods up. Don't want to derail the subject of this thread, but for the bulk of modified higher-powered FD street cars it brings a lot benefits.
Old 12-31-22, 03:57 PM
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I always warm it up w/ foreplay

It gets the juices flowin
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Old 12-31-22, 04:21 PM
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Originally Posted by GoodfellaFD3S
I absolutely love Evans NPG+ and the zero-pressure nature is not to be discounted when thinking about stresses on the coolant system as well as your chances of being left stranded on the side of the road due to a failure. FDs have a pretty well-deserved reputation for lack of reliability and IMO this helps clear up one of the biggest perpetrators of the cars being stuck on the side of the road with their hoods up. Don't want to derail the subject of this thread, but for the bulk of modified higher-powered FD street cars it brings a lot benefits.
All good points as long as the cooling system is not operating near its maximum capability. For street use with enhanced cooling capacity, I agree with you.
Old 01-04-23, 07:17 AM
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Originally Posted by GoodfellaFD3S
I absolutely love Evans NPG+ and the zero-pressure nature is not to be discounted when thinking about stresses on the coolant system
I’m absolutely not against Evans, but for anyone exploring such options, AI…particularly WI, will also reduce load on the cooling systems, and you get knock suppression and control carbon with it.
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