Freezing weather
 

So my baby is garaged, but down to high 30's at night.

How long do you let your B'ster warm up before driving off?

I'm no expert, but I always wait until the air pump (I think that's what it's called) stops running. About 45-75 seconds.

Hi,

I start it and wait for the revs to drop to 700 or so, then go, but keeping the revs under 4k til its at normal temp (maybe 5 min or so)

Have been doing that for 6 years and no problems.

No need to warm up..... the faster the engine warms up the better. Idle when cold runs very rich and the gas will wash off the oil in the cylinder walls and also gets in the oil. Investigate a bit and come to your own conclusion. Not to mention the environment.

JMHO.

Agreed on the enviro issue. New Porsche owner. Don't want to hurt anything.

I normally just wait 30 seconds for the oil to circulate before moving off and putting any load on the engine. Then keep it below 3.5k for about 10 minutes when the oil is up to temperature.

The recommendation in the owners manual concurs with Andy and Nimbus. Start it and drive away immediately, limit revs until warm.

There have been a few discussions on this topic. Do a search and you will find several more opinions that will basically lead you to the same conclusion.

About 5 seconds. I just try my hardest to keep it under 3500rpm until it warms up.

+1. Start it, drive off, keep RPMs below 3500 for a couple of miles. Idling is bad for a motor.

I avoid local roads with many traffic lights whenever possible after start up. The sooner I can get on the highway the sooner its up to temp.

Its not the motor that has to warm up, its the transaxle.

This thread makes me completely reverse my warm up. I would let the car warm up for a few minutes and drive low RPM until Temp was stable. I think that I was wrong. The manual clearly states: "Do not let the engine idle to warm up" - "When starting the engine, be ready to drive..." The low RPMs until temp is up is correct but start the car and go.

I wouldn't be happy moving off immediately, got to give the oil pump chance to get the oil circulating a bit. I normally start the car then fiddle around putting the seat belt on, about 30 seconds feels right.

The company I work for design and manufacture the Chevy engines in Indycar. The oil and water have to be to temperature before we start them as the tolerances are so tight

Rather than worrying about the environment, or how long the engine should run before driving off in sub-freezing weather, you should be more concerned about the fact that most of these cars are on tires that should not really be used below 40 F................

I keep hearing that, but I don't know what all the fuss is about. My Boxster came with Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires. I bought it in November, and haven't driven in any temperatures above 40 degrees F. yet (hopefully it'll get above 40 here before the end of March ;)). I've used it in temps as low as 8 degrees F, on dry pavement, and the tires were fine. It's the same concept as using all-season or snow tires on snowy or icy roads. You have to use some common sense when accelerating, braking and cornering, just like you would on snow or ice, even with the best snow tires. Does that mean the tires work as well as they would above 40? No. So just slow down and enjoy your Boxster. Sorry about the thread hijack, since this was originally about warming up the engine.

True, if you're using high-performance summer tires all year long. But I couldn't stand not driving my Box, so I got some all-season radials and a second set of rims and swap 'em out each fall and spring. I suspect a lot of people do something similar.

Many "summer performance" tires turn nearly dangerous at temps below 30F; we have had more than one customer do significant damage to their cars when summer tires suddenly lost grip ("like being on ice" is the typical comment) on clear, dry roads in the cold. It is no small thing, and one of the reasons tires have temperature usage ranges as well as load ranges.............

As we service the cars year round, I can attest that the tires do tend to break away suddenly and without warning when driven in the cold.

Like I said, drive them like you were on slippery snow or ice with snow tires, and you should be just fine. Push them too hard in the cold and they'll break loose and slide.

Nimbus,
I find it interesting that you have a quote from American journalist Ambrose Bierce writing about the horrific times during the U.S. civil war (War is God's way of teaching Americans about geography. -- Ambrose Bierce). I can only imagine the endless miles he traveled, mostly walking, carrying a rifle and backpack, and enduring the wicked hot and freezing cold climates. Obviously he was a religious man that believed God created that war. So why are you touched or fascinated by his quote?

Generally I allow for the revs to settle before I take off after the car has been sitting a while. Normally it's 30-90 seconds or so.