Do engines run better in this weather?
 

......

Just got into the office and a guy he wa telling me that his car is running bad due to the cold weather.... This is a new 530D. He asked me what my MPG was and said.. "40ish, but the car is running well at the moment due to be cold etc..."

That was it... he went off on one saying that cars run better in the summmer....

I thought that they run better in the colder weather... I'm confussed!

Can someone shed some light.. :D

I think most cars run better when the air is denser (ie cold days in winter).

In effect I think your compression ratio is slightly increased and the extra oxygen will give you more bang for your buck!!

You'll get better performance in the cold, especially with Turbos due to cold air being more dense and so you can get more of it in the cylinder and thus get better combsution. However, cold can affect battery efficiency and cause problems with various fluids becoming more viscous. The scoob loves the cold, my old beetle hated it.

thats what i thought....

I jsut need to find a website with all this info to push his way!! :D:D

I find cars generally run quicker in the cold but not better. My scooby hesitates a fair bit off boost until she is warmed up. If it's cold though - it flys when she's warm :D

Cold air intake - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

<takes place in line of Scoobynetters waiting in line to slap bloke in G's office, a.k.a "Airplane">

Cheers! :D

But if its a diesel, its a different story. In really cold weather diesel has a tendancy to go waxy, this in turn has problems getting through the fuel system and leads to lumpy running. If the night has been cold and frosty my 2.0TDi can be really lumpy although it appears to run ok.

Older diesels did used to run worse in the cold, mainly because any advantage gained from colder denser air was always outweighed by the fuel being so close to freezing that it wouldn't flow properly, but with modern additives diesels don't have that problem anymore.
My guess is he's just another office w@nker, remember the old cliche about a little bit of knowledge;)

diesels will be a bit sluggish until warm, in any weather
cold air, denser, gives a better bang ; more power
diesel fuels have anti waxing added to them, and diesel engines have a return pipe for unburnt fuel that runs back to the tank, the fuel is hot and so warms the fuel in the tank!:thumb:

Snap, if I want to put the power down its definately faster in this weather (presuming the wheels aint spinning everywhere which it normally does) but trundling along I got lots of hesitation but thats because of the large FMIC and carb freeze.

They answered this in Evo a few months back, basically said you'd not notice any difference.

Now, I'm pretty sure my car runs better in the cold too??

Intercooled petrol turbo engines will run better in the cold. Worse in the hot.
Diesel engines can wax up as stated, but has to get rather cold TBH - in the UK its not often that you get it cold enough to be a major problem (i,e car wont start) but it can lead to engine running a bit rough.

Once mine has warmed up i find mine always runs better in the cold (306 Dturbo) Just seems to have more of a kick!

Cold air in the intake will always provide more power, when the engine is up to normal running temperature.

Les

true!!!

i will have some unkind words for anyone who cranks up their subaru on A cold winter morning and immidiatly goes WOT(wide open throttle) that is how you pop a motor and blow seals..... my baby idles in the garage for 10 minutes plus before i even move it.... then i go easy on her for another 5-10 minutes... just because the temp says warm.... thats the water/antifreeze in the engine, not the oil.... and that is what will blow a seal....

just my 0.02

Had a remap on my previous Scoob done in February topped out at 262 BHP, intake temp was 9 Degrees C. Went on an RR Day in the May Intake temp was up to 19 Degrees and I was down about 12 BHP.

At altitude jets use more fuel because the air is thinner. But, at ground level they use less, same really but different:D

Well that's a load of crap! Anyone that can't tell the difference between the same Turbo petrol car at -3 degrees and 30 degrees needs their head seen to! The difference is considerable :)

But faster doesn't mean better which was the question in the thread. I find cars generally run better in slightly warmer conditions.

Has anyone ever stopped to wonder why they call it an intercooler :wonder:


Clus is in the question :)

Kenny, maybe the car doesn't run too well because it's auld !! :lol1: ;)

That too :D

I gather you might get better fuel economy in warmer weather at cruise.

that was my first point this morning.... :thumb:

I bet you didn't mis-spell "clue" though :razz:

:lol1:

;)

[QUOTE= At altitude jets use more fuel because the air is thinner. But, at ground level they use less, same really but different:D[/QUOTE]


Sorry to go off track, isn't the other way around? Thought they flew at high altitudes as there is less resistance and therefore better fuel economy? :wonder:

that is why an f-15 with 2 aux fuel tanks can make it from NY to iceland then to germany with no AIR REFUEL... they climb to their service ceiling where the engines are more efficient,

Thought so, cheers

Maybe Graham's colleague is a typical BM driver and drives everywhere foot to the boards. Yes the engine will be running better, but so too will the traction control, because the roads are slippier;)

Maybe the muppet thinks the his car's got a misfire, when in fact it's just trying to stop him from killing himself:lol1:
I'm not sure how BMWs work, I know the flashing lights on the outside are optional, are the ones on the dash too:wonder:

Thats the correct answer! hehe :lol1: