Warming up the 8
 

Its been a little cold out and whenever i start that car, the temp meter is like 1/2 inch below cold. How long should i warm the car up before being driven.

thanks

it's no different then any other car.
Just remember to keep the RPM's low until the engine is completely warm. (5+ minutes after the needle settles)

alright sounds good, thanks

warm till the needle start to move then keep the rpm below 4k until the temp reaches middle.
also avoid lugging the engine by keeping the rpm above 2k with light throttle pedal application, downshift accordingly.

I agree with the above posts.

The temp meter being 1/2 inch below cold is normal... As I have noticed on my 8, as well.

I usually wait 2-3 minutes before driving the car, though I have to admit that I tend to carry the bad habit of being a few minutes late to work, therefore I may not have much time to wait. And in that case, I simply drive carefully until the temp is up to par. :)

I don't warm up my rx8, even though it's very cold. Do you really have to warm it up before you go? I never had problems with the car without warming it up first.

you'll be a part of the new engine club sooner than you think:evil_laug

Warming up a minute or two wouldn't hurt (as far as I know), since this small engine has a very athletic, high-revving personality.

Maybe it's just me, but I notice/feel smoother and less restrained engine performance after warming up for a couple minutes.

Or this could all just be a part of my imagination, so don't knock me for it, haha. :scratchhe :D:

I want a new engine anyway ;)

and they could fix my engine mounts vibration in the process at the same time.

I agree with texas Rx8 R3...
For some reason it does feel smoother after warming it up a little

I just turn it on and go. Light load, low rpm. It'll warm up faster that way than just sitting there.

Doesn't the OMP inject almost no oil at idle? So wouldn't you want to avoid that?

I wait until the air pump turns off until I drive off. I cant wait too long because I dont want to flood the basement with exhaust. I have always been a firm believer in letting engines warm up alittle before I drive off. Call me anal (or something else) but anytime I see someone jump in a car and drive off I cringe. Just my 2 cents.

There seems to be some confusion as to who is talking about warming up before even driving the car, or warming it up before driving it hard.

You shouldn't have to worry about driving it right after starting it up.. just wait until its warm before flogging it.

Simple.

+1 having to wait for my car warm up has resulted in a few lateness to work LOL.

If its not too cold... turn on, drive slowly, rpms below 4k, untill she warms up.

If its abasolutely cold.. turn on, wait till needle moves a bit, then start drive but still keep under 4k, until she warms up.

Its better to warm up the engine under load (in other words, driving it then letting it sit there to fully warm up).

Have a nice day :cwm27:

But sometimes when i warm my car up, later on it smells like something was like caught on fire when i step out of the car, idk if that is an issue but later on when i start driving the car is fine, its like back to normal.

Has this ever happened to one of you guys cars???

definitely not normal.. get that checked out.

Or maybe youre just smelling gas. Premium fuel tends to smell strong when it burns :P

yeah thats what i was thinking about doing. Cause i didnt know for sure what was going on cause its been smelling like that eve since i got it and it might just be when i turn the car on in the garage but the garage doors are open so im not so sure.
thanks for your help though.

Even though water temp heats up pretty quickly oil temps take 15+ minutes or more for me to reach a nice level so I typically let it idle at least until the air pump turns off then stay out of boost and below 4k RPMs for the first 15 minutes of driving, sometimes more if it's colder out.

My 2011 owners manual says to let the car idle for 15 seconds after it is started cold. I typically wait somewhere between the 15 and 30 second mark, which allows me time to put on my seat belt, put whatever in the glove compartments, and push in the clutch, and select first gear.

Then the first light goes out after about 3 minutes, which I keep the rpms under 4k. The second light goes off when the temp gauge is right smack in the middle position, meaning that the coolant is up to normal operating temp.

If I had a scan tool, I bet that would be some place between 160 and 180 degrees.

After that, its all about getting the most enjoyment on your drive.

BC.

just wait 15 seconds and drive.

back when i started learning stick on this car, i let warm up all the way before i started driving it around. i was paranoid about flooding it by stalling. i sometimes still do that [force of habit] but if i dont let it warm up for 30 sec to min at least [if im really late for work or school] its a bit jerky while still under the 3k point.

Pretty much agree with this. The longer it idles cold, the more fuel is used, and the more carbon is built up. Driving conservatively when cold will warm it up faster, use less fuel, and generate less carbon. Light throttle under load will probably cause the OMP to lubricate more than at idle too...

I always let mine warm up completely before driving it. I'm not even close to the best at driving it lightly, haha. Especially living out where roads get windy..

But letting it warm up lets the oil warm up and help lubricate better. Yeah, multi-viscosity helps with that, but oil isn't entirely ready to lubricate the moment you start the car. At least waiting a minute helps, it's better than turning the key and going.

Plus, the fuel economy and the emissions are at their worst until the car warms up enough to go into closed loop.

if you warm up by idling, the transmission doesnt get warmed up at the same time.

But warming the engine up by driving it immediately increases wear on the engine, since the oil isn't quite up to temp.

In all reality, to get the best performance, with least wear, you do need everything all warmed up, but you don't need to floor it out of the drive way as soon as it's engine's warmed up. Heck, the rear end wouldn't be warmed up either.

^ Ive always warmed up the car by driving it since most people say thats the best way to do it. But MS addict does raise a good point. So which one is better :dunno?

Warming by driving gently gets the engine up to temperature faster than warming by idling. Plus it warms the transmission and rear end.

Multi viscosity oils address the problem of cold oil being thick. If you run a single weight oil, then warming by idling makes sense. Warming single-grade oil before starting the engine makes even more sense.

Ken

I'm not sure if it's the same between s1 and s2

But my scanner is reading about 160 when it reaches the dead zone on my 04.

-Shawn

Even when the factory coolant temps says things are warm your oil is not even close to operating temp. I never go anywhere until my oil is at least 130F and usually I play a game of COD while my car warms up so it's typically fully warm by the time I walk out.

Remember the additives are not even working until the oil reaches a certain temp. Driving a car cold is abuse as far as I am concerned but if you must keep RPM around 3,000.

And he plays on PS3 so everyone camps and the matches go the full 10 minutes.

:lol: They don't camp for long with me playing.

I think that CoD is a good solution. That way you are distracted from all the fuel dilution that you're causing.

I think cold starts are just a curse either way. The good news is that the seals will always go first, so it doesn't really matter.

No fuel dilution here, I drive my car hard when warmed up. Plus according to my oil test results the Mobil1 is near perfect after 3,000 miles.

Score another one for COD

+1. And you're so polite, Rotary-RX8, lol

I turn it on, wait 30 seconds, and go. I leave it under 2500k if I can until it is warmed up. Pretty easy to do cause it is so flat around here.

No idea why people would just leave it sit there and idle for 5 minutes before going anywhere, seems like a total waste.

Cars suck alot of gas when driven cold because they are in full choke mode. Rx8s are no exception. So I try to warm it up a few minutes before I drive it. Warm up at idle saves gas. I hope.

If your just idling in the driveway your getting 0mpg.


I wait till the air pump is done then drive off, keep the rpms below 4k till she is warmed up to the dead zone, about 10mins after that I drive how I feel.

If its really cold outside I might let it idle for 2 mins before driving off.

Everyone is an expert.

Everyone also lives in a different climate. If I lived in Canada, I'm sure I would let it warm up longer.

I always wear the same socks when I drive my 8, and I've never washed them.

^ ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!