On cold days, drivers seem to be at a loss as to what to do, and in places where there is frost, there are always doubts about how to treat the engines of our cars. Now that frost is sweeping the country, car experts are debunking the old myths we believe about driving on ice.
One of them, what many drivers have believed for years: that it is necessary to warm up the engine before starting to drive. Surely the image of a car idling for several minutes while the driver blows on his hands sounds familiar to you. Do we know if this is necessary for our cars? We find out below.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that idling causes much more pollution (and unnecessarily) and wastes fuel, so if you drive normally and avoid accelerating sharply, the engine will run much faster than idling. AAA, a federation of motor clubs, says that idling should not last longer than the time it takes to fasten your seat belt, but experts have their own opinion.
Is it necessary to warm up the engine before starting to drive?
The answer is no, or at least, not as it was thought in the past. Until the 80s, carburettors mixed air and fuel, and until then, this carburettor could freeze, that is the main reason why idling the car for several minutes became fashionable, because it was necessary for the fuel to reach the engine, but life has modernized, and of course so have engines. Modern cars do not need to be warmed up, you just need to start the car and drive slowly, because today’s cars have electronic fuel injection instead of a carburettor, so the air mixes quickly with the fuel and the vehicles are ready to go in a matter of seconds (even when it’s snowing).
We know that there are habits that are very difficult to break, and that misinformation is also widespread, and that habits may have been passed down from generation to generation, but it is not something that is necessary today (and that is probably wearing out your engine).
Is there a risk of idling?
First of all, idling consumes fuel without any real benefit. As we have already told you, an engine idling can use up to half a litre of petrol every 10 minutes… Do the math and you will see that it is not economically worthwhile to continue this practice. On the other hand, it also wears out certain parts of the engine much faster, and finally, the environmental impact produced by this action is also unnecessary and reducible, so everything points to you trying to eliminate this habit!
The exception: electric vehicles
Watch out! There is always an exception that confirms a rule, and that is, electric vehicles can actually work better a few seconds after idling, because it is estimated (according to Car Driver) that electric batteries usually work better at 21ºC, and this is because batteries can degrade in low temperatures (and their autonomy is reduced by 10 or 20% when there is frost). So, yes, if you have an electric vehicle and it does not have the preconditioning function, it will be vital to use idling to improve battery performance. And the best of all is that idling in electric vehicles does not pollute or produce harmful gases!
So, when asked whether or not we should warm up the car before driving it in extreme temperatures, the answer is clear: no. Start the car and drive gently for the first few minutes, allowing the oil and other components to reach the ideal temperature for it to work perfectly. This way you will avoid throwing money away by wasting fuel and you will also be reducing the emission of polluting gases. All in order!