so i've been wondering and reading around about different people allowing their cars to warm up before they drive. However, it also seems that that majority are in hellavula cold temps like 20 below......

.....so i'm wondering if its absolutely necessary to warm up ur car....especially if your engine is up in the years.{around 150,000}....but its not very cold here in jersey....i'd say around 30'*-40'* lately.....

...for now, when I first start up in the morning {and after school} it'll start up to about 1500 rpms and then i try not to move till its around 1000rpms.....totally warm the engine runs around 600-700rpms..{but that'* after you've been driving}....so is it good to warm up? or is it a waste of time/gas??

i never juswt jump in the car and go. I usually wait at least a minute, after starting the car in any weather

It'* really only necessary to allow the car to warm up for 1 or 2 minutes at most. Just enough to get the oil flowing.

I am probably one of the folks you saw that warms thiers up forever. But I am not warming up the engine. I'm warming up the cabin. I'm a big ol' wussy when it comes to cold, so I'll waste the gas and risk the "wear and tear" so I don't have to shiver while driving.

If it'* really cold I'll wait a few mins. In a mild or warm temp, I won't wait. However, I don't let the car rev over 3000 RPM until it'* warmed up a bit.

I remember reading (a few years ago) that 30 seconds to a minute is enough time for most late-model autos. As long as you don't push the engine too hard (until it reaches normal operating temp), anything after that is just wasting gas.

Now on my '69 Executive it takes a good 5 minutes before it is running smooth enough to drive, but that'* another era.

Some mornings I allow it to run for 5-10 minutes, but thats only to warm the cabin and defrost the windshield (my gets icy on the inside, it'* a PITA :( ). And as said before, I don't push it past 2500-3000rpm'* till it nice and warm.

^ agreed

You wuss! Get yourself a seat-heater. Keeps you nice and roasty toasty while you're waitng for the cabin to heat up. (Course, in my Park, there'* two levels of heat for the seats. Bun-warmer , and contraceptive mode! )

Agreed. There is no reason to let the car warm up after you first start it in the morning unless you want it nice an toasty inside before you drive it. I guess that'* why they are starting to include Remote Starters in cars today.

I remember my father'* 1961 Star Chief had a COLD indicator light. In a way it was a good idea for those times when you had a passenger that said "Turn on the Heat" so they could physically SEE that the engine was still COLD!!! In fact, my friend'* VW New Beetle has a COLD Indicator light. I use to have a Tornado that had Automatic Temp HVAC and would not turn the fan ON, in the winter, until the engine was somewhere around 120 degrees F

i let mine warm up for about 7min or so before work but only when its cold out and it to get the ice melted off the windshield. yeah it burns a lil bit more gas but it beat getting to a freezing cold car.