When cold weather hits, most of us sit in our cars longer, letting them idle to warm up the engine. But is this seasonal habit necessary or is the idea of needing to warm up cars a myth? Recently, several articles have been published on this subject. Some say that newer cars don't need to be warmed up, while others insist that idling is a good idea for both new and old vehicles.
Those Against Lengthy Car Warm-ups
The Washington Post published an article stating that idling to warm up cars is a practice drivers picked up in the 1980s and early '90s, when most cars had carburetors. In cold weather, carburetors can't properly mix the air and fuel in the engine, so warming up was and still is necessary with carburetor-equipped vehicles to protect the engine and avoid having a stall out.
However, for newer cars with smart fuel-injection and other advanced systems that ensure proper oil delivery and engine lubrication, the Post says warming up is a waste of time and fuel. The publication's article cited the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), saying you'll warm up your car faster by driving it and that only a 30-second idling time is necessary to warm up newer cars. But the article stressed that you shouldn't gun it or over-rev when you first start driving after this short idling period, which could harm your car's engine.
To conclude, the Washington Post article stated that idling for long periods of time doesn't do anything for your car, squanders fuel and emits superfluous greenhouse gases. They also added that it would be better for drivers to check their tire pressure before heading on the road, since tires tend to lose air when it's cold out, and underinflated tires are a big driving hazard.
Those for Car Warm-ups
There are other people out there who believe idling shouldn't be skipped whether you have a newer (late '90s and forward) car model or not. As a matter of fact, Jalopnik writer Jason Torchinsky wrote a witty response to all the anti-warming up news that's been going around, presenting some convincing points relating to why idling in cold weather is still an important practice.
Before getting to his reasons, I'll note that a 2009 study found that your average American driver thought a car should sit in idle for more than 5 minutes when temperatures were under 32 degrees out. Now, even in Torchinsky's opinion this may be excessive, but I won't speak on his behalf. He did, however, say that one would have to be "crazy" not to warm up their car for at least a minute or two when it's really cold out.
Torchinsky claims this is because when the engine oil seizes up in frigid climates, the engine starts with no lubrication and it takes at least a minute or so before it starts pumping and greasing up all the engine components. He also used stick shifts as an example: If you drive a car with a manual transmission, you've probably noticed that gear changes feel sluggish on mornings when temperatures are really chilly. Again, this is another reason to let your car "wake up" according to Torchinsky. Idling makes time for fluids to spread around and do their job of protecting all those small (but vital and expensive) components in the transmission and engine.
So whose side do we take? Both make convincing cases, but when it comes down to it, to protect your vehicle from damage, we think it's worth idling for a couple minutes like Torchinsky suggests. And this is a middle ground between the 30-second idling time recommended by the EPA and what most people actually do, if one assumes that the 2009 study is correct.
If you're already sitting around for 5 minutes or more, it may come as welcome news that you can get going a few minutes earlier than usual.
