Do you need to warm up your car?

As the winter chill begins to grip Australia, it raises the age-old question: do you need to warm up your car before driving?

For many of us, watching our parents sit idle for several minutes after starting their car in the morning is a core memory. The idea was that the engine needed time to become fully lubricated after the oil drained to the bottom overnight, and that warming up an engine allowed all components to reach optimum temperature.

This notion has endured somewhat from the days when engines used carburetors, which did require a few minutes to get the mixture of air and fuel just right for the car to run smoothly.

However, now that most cars have been using fuel injection (as opposed to carbureted engines) for the past 30 or so years, engines no longer require this extra warm-up time

While oil still drains to the bottom of the block when a car is stationary, most modern vehicles have sophisticated lubricating systems that can have the oil exactly where it needs to be in as little as 20 to 30 seconds from the time you’ve started the car.

Modern oils have also improved, providing superior lubrication and better performance, even in cold weather.

This means that by the time you’ve plugged in your seatbelt, made sure your phone is safely connected to Bluetooth and picked your music for the day, your car is ready to drive.

It may not be fully up to optimum temperature, but that’s much less of an issue with modern cars, so you’re not risking any damage to your engine if you simply start up and drive off.

There are, however, some minor benefits to waiting a few minutes before driving off on a cold morning. The obvious one is that by allowing the car to properly warm up, you’ll be able to quickly clear any condensation on your car windows, allowing you to see safely.

This is especially true in colder climates, such as alpine regions or Australia’s southern states, where temperatures can drop so low overnight that the windows are prone to severe frosting.

Having said all that… if you’re driving an older car with a carburetor, then warming up your engine before you drive off is not just a good idea, but almost a necessity. Most cars with a ‘carby’ will also have a choke, which allows for a richer fuel-to-air ratio in order to get the engine running smoother, faster.

Typically, you’ll need to let the engine run for a few minutes before closing the choke and letting the carburetor get into its ideal working range.

For anyone in a modern car, the idea of warming up your engine is a thing of the past – like shoving a cassette into the tape deck – so you can start up and drive away with confidence, knowing that your engine is running fine.

^Disclaimer

^{Viva Energy Australia Pty Ltd (“Viva Energy”) has compiled the above article for your general information and to use as a general reference. Whilst all reasonable care has been taken by Viva Energy in compiling this article, Viva Energy does not warrant or represent that the information in the article is free from errors or omissions or is suitable for your intended use.}