Warming up engine?
 

Jus as a general rule is it better for my engine If I let it warm up from cold sat on the driveway or warm up under load at v low revs while driving?
Esp as it is so cold at 6am at the mo?

Remember your gearbox, diffs etc also need to warm up and there is only one way to do that.

I personally let mine idle for a couple of minutes first, then i will drive off whilst keeping the revs under 2-2.5k i only really give it some when my temp guage is halfway!

Just get in and drive off boost for a couple of miles until the oil is nice and warm. This takes a lot longer then water temp, so this is not a good indicator of how hot the oil is.
The only way to do this is via an oil temp gauge, remember to let it idle after a hard run as well.

How long should you idle it for??? i tend to stay with mine 30 secs if i've been taking it easy - if i've give it a thrashing i normally make it a couple of minutes at idle!

Thats wt i tend 2 do at the mo. Let the water temp guage reach the bottom of the scale most times and then Drive off boost.

N to avoid torque shuder I try n make sure Im nt ingaging the clutch whilst turning, N then weve a bit goin down road.

I only start "driving" mine after 7 miles minimum. water temp is pretty quick getting to temp but i also like to make sure my oil temp gauge is reading around 30 - 35 degrees. Thats me but i'm fussy

Torque shudder, is this when it jults if you boot is when cold? please explain!:wonder:

Due to the heavy duty materials used for the clutch (so it can handle the amount of grip the car gets), when cold you will notice a bit of clutch judder whilst changing gears when warming the vehicle. Once the clutch warms up the judder goes away.

If you're referring to the water temp guage mate, that's no good; oil takes significantly longer to warm up than water. You're looking at 10+ miles in winter temps I'm afraid.

I leave mine to idle until the idle speed is at normal, the drive it under 2.5 for 10 miles.

Ns04

Oops maybe not doing my engine much good then but i normally drive a few miles before i give it some proper welly!!! but i always cool it down.

Warming it up is the most important thing mate, as the oil is not providing the engine with proper protection untill it is up to optimum temp. Letting the car cool after driving on boost for extended periods (by either driving off boost for a few miles and/or letting the car idle for a few mins before switching it off) is also important for the life of the turbo, but if you don't warm the car up properly before extending it, that's whats going to cause the most significant damage. The vast majority of engine wear occurs when the engine is cold.

NS04

Perhaps not a good future selling quote!
LOL

Seeing as I only keep mine for around 25K miles I see no need for cooling down :) Time is money (and you can look a right **** at petrol stations :p )

You are joking!!!! like i said i warm it up for a few miles, cool it down, Optimax only and serviced at the best garage in the northwest!!!:)

It would be a great car when i come to sell it!

I always drive the scoob straight away, but dont go higher than 2000rpm - it means im crawling at a snails pace for ages, but i get so bored just sitting waiting for it to warm up!! lol!

I always wait for the temp gauge to get around halfway, wait another 5 minutes and then boot it!

Then when im cooling it down, i just drive off boost at around 2000rpm for about 2-3mins, whether i've been thrashing it or not!

Cant do much more than that really!!

Never ever leave my car idling to warm up........Let it get to the 80/90 mark then the fun begins........only ever idle after i've been playing with traffic or when i'm curb crawling......

Is your car sorted after that little off mate?

Unless you kerb crawl on-boost ;) there's little need to let the car idle for a while before switching; off-boost driving serves the same purpose as letting the car idle. What you must do is come straight off the motorway or a good blast down your fav road and turn the car straight off.

Mine always gets left to idle anyway, as I find that by the time I've finished faffing around with the steering lock etc... its a couple of mins anyway. :D

NS04

Hello fella......

Yeah it's back on the road.......and must admit, i'm a little nervous with the conditions etc now....

Booking myself in for a track day soon do get my drifting problem sorted........ie learning what to do if it does!!

hows things your end :thumb:

I was always told to not let the car idle on drive when cold starting, as it doesnt do the plugs any good apparantly. Get in the car and drive off boost for a few miles. I have an oil temperature gauge and never rag it until i'm up to about 75-80degs.

It's up tp you though.

Regards,
Shaun.

I do exactly the same......

so those pretty gages do something then....
they don't just make me feel like i'm in the Fast & Furious

:D

I also take it very steady after first starting in a morning. I leave it to idle for a short time before setting out steadily...

BUT - surely, you'll do your engine more damage by driving in too high a gear to keep the revs low? :wonder: ie, you are making you engine work harder to maintain the same speed in a higher gear than a lower gear? (and when the oils not up to temp, surely this is going to be very damaging?)
I keep my revs below 3k for the first 5 to 7 miles - but I try to keep my revs around 2 to 2.5k in order to keep the load on the engine down.

I'm not a tecky - does this make any sense?

I've just ordered a Blitz r-vit to monitor everything, but it doesn't display oil temp, so probably not that useful for this. I don't want to fiddle with it too much (adding sensors etc) as it's a standard UK MY05 under warranty!

Rich

Must admit, hadn't heard about the plugs, but they're only £40 if they do go. I have, however, heard from some people much more in the know than I that -particularly if you're using a 10 or 15w oil- its a good idea to give the car a few mins on the drive in winter before you set off. With the best will in the world its hard sometimes on the road to make sure you nurse the car at not more than 2-2.5k when you're on the roll.

Ns04

Apparantly it's down to the fact that on cold start it's throwing more fuel in, which isnt very good on idle for plugs or your cylinder bores! ;)

In any case..... what ever is the good or bad to the nth degree, do what you see fit. :)

Regards,
Shaun.

Won't it be doing that if you're on the move too?!? :D LOl I gues the important thing that we're all agreed on is stay off the loud pedal untill the oil is nice and warm, which takes much longer than the water!

LOL my head hurts!! :D

NS04

Yeah right.........................

It would be or it will be a great car ? ? ? :wonder:

Why's that so hard to believe? :) in the year and 4 months I've owned mine, it has NEVER seen anything other than Optimax.

NS04

But when your on the move the fuel is being burnt more effeciently.

This is probably the nth degree for a standard car.... but I presume can be more logical if you are using bigger injectors.

All this was based on my old 500bhp RS500..... so may not be relevant here, even though the same theory seems sound.

To the other extreme, I know someone else who just rags the backside off his Scoob from cold and has never had a problem. In fact when the turbo was inspected (along with the engine) everything was fine! :eek:

Regards,
Shaun.

I know the chief, away from scoobynet. He's a mate of my brother-in-law...I always wind him up by saying he shouldn't put crappy normal unleaded from some out of town, no name petrol station in his car..:)