Now im not saying lets go thrash our cars from cold but some habbits I have seen have had me thinking.

Startup. Ive known people to let their car sit for 15 minutes ticking over before setting off. I understand the importance of having a warm engine before giving it any right foot but this just seems excessive. There are cars out there getting into the 200, 000 plus miles club that are started and just get going....does anyone think that maybe the preferences and good practice for what could be described as low tolerance and highly strung cars has trickled down to enthusiats like ourselves.

Cool down. I personally take it real easy the last couple of miles before I get to my destination and then give the car a minute or so before turning off.....but turbo timers set to 5 minutes . Wtf.

Any input?

 

With a 15 min ticking over / warm up , I think my neighbours would be going mental lol I tend to keep it under 2500 revs for a few miles before any enthusiastic driving

 

My routine is start up and drive off. I do have Syvecs with oil temperature limiting the rpm until it gets up to operating temp, but even without that I still wouldn't sit around waiting. Just drive it off boost for a few miles before going lead-footed (if you must).
As above, drive off boost for the last mile or two but then just switch off.

 

Likewise, a minute or so on the drive so everything has a nice fresh coating of oil. By this point idle revs (unless it's really cold) will have dropped to a steady 750.
I can't do anything but drive gently the first few miles due to speed bumps and once the temp has settled to normal I can play.

When near my destination I back off for the last few miles. Pull up and then turn off. Looking through here some owners say the bugeye doesn't need time for the turbo due to the expansion tank sitting over the top of it. Some owners say you should always allow a few minutes before turning off. The two scoobs I've had I've always backed off on the last few miles and never had any problems.

Dave

 

I'm sure I read somewhere that sitting at idle is bad for the car anyway... it gets up to temperature MUCH quicker when under load, so it's far better to pootle out of your town etc as the engine spends less time "cool running".

If you sit on your drive for 15mins, that's 15mins of the engine running with the oil not being up to temperature.

 

I start up and go. Sitting around for 15minutes at a time is doing nothing but fouling the plugs up. I take it steady until the car is warm and sit for a minute after I've got to my destination. Much beyond that is just routine maintenance.

 

I give the car about 30 seconds after firing it up to let the oil move about the engine sufficienttly to coat all the parts properly then I just set off.

I take it easy for the first 5 minutes so the car warms up without me over doing it.

On the cool down I just take it easy for the last few minutes and then shut down as soon as I need to. I think its all about using common sense really.

I live in the middle of nowhere so dont really need to take it easy when setting off. Its country lanes for miles and miles - proper Impreza heaven.

But there is no way I would rag the Impreza when cold. But I wouldn't rag my daily driver either - My 1124cc petrol Pug 106 Beast.

 

i set off pretty much straight after starting it, but take it easy till up to temps... then for cooling down just take it easy for a few mins before i get to where im going and let it tick over for around 30-60 seconds... anymore than that and IMO its just gunna get hotter due to no cold air gettign to the engine..

 

I give it a minute or so to get the oil around and drive low revs for about fifteen minutes, that is perfectly acceptable, anyone that waits fifteen minutes to set off is just a nugget

Then there are those that 'garage' their cars in winter. LMAO. Its a car, and its to be driven, especially considering an Impreza is awesome in snow and ice.

 

By the time i have started her up rolled it out the garage and farted around thats normally about 5 minutes. Then I just take it very steady for 10 mins or so. cool down is around 5 mins slow driving before I get home and a few minutes to ger her back in the garage.

My car is my baby. My wife is on about kids loads at the minute tho so I think my time is limited. Lets get nurberg out the way next year I keep saying ha ha

 

To each there own,I always let my car warm up and cool down before I drive or switch the engine off always have and always will with turbocharged car's. JEN.

 

I live in a town, so driving slowly to begin with is a given. Similarly on the way home it is not fast. Plenty of time on both occasions to warm up and down.

Enjoy your car FFS!

 

Only time i sit around after starting is if the car is iced up, usually start her up and then by the time i've scraped the windows of mine and missus' car it's just about warm air coming out of the vents and I set off. Obviously still take it easy until temps are up to around normal.

5 minutes of sensible driving before home usually too, leaving it sitting there running when stopped is only heating the coolant up rather than cooling the motor and turbo down ... coolant is only useful when there is wind cooling it in the rad ... not happening when stood still so defeats the point of cooling everything down before you stop IMO

 

Sitting idleing with a cold engine will do more harm than good (see bore wash due to rich mictures).

45s-1min on the drive and drive off gently until the oil has warmed up.

The same on the way home, drive gently the last couple of miles and let idle for 30s before switching off.

Sitting stationary for longer periods of time can have worse effects.

 

Get in start and drive. Drive it off boost until the oil is up to operating temperature. Then take it easy for last few miles when you are finishing your journey. The engine will cool better being driven off boost (with airflow) than it will sitting idling. The harder you been driving - the longer the distance to drive off boost.

The engine needs revs to get the oil pressure up so as to distribute the oil. So its better being driven not idling.

Engines are not happy idling. Few minutes is no big deal but 15 mins is overkill. Excessive idling (engine running not under load) will cause cylinder glazing and subsequent piston ring failure.

 

What if you suffer from piston slap on start up (MY00). I dont like the idea of driving off straight away until the slap noise stops?

 

I'm glad I don't live next door to some of the ant-social muppets on here.

 

im pretty sure they are glad they dont live next door to a bellend like you

 

+1

 

You don't need to warm the car up my letting the engine idle on your driveway and pissing the whole street off with the Scooby burble, just drive off normally, the engine will be up to temp by the time you are off the estate and then you will be able too boot it (if that's what turns you on) with impunity. No harm done, just get out and drive the thing and stop mincing around like a girlie.

 

Amen to that

 

Well it would appear that I share the same view as most on here... which is a good thing i guess. Not sure what the 'mincing around' comment is about... no one said that they let the car sit for an excessive amount etc..

Oh well. atleast its nice to see that folkes are enjoying the car and not wasting fuel pi$$ing the neighbours off :-D

 

Put the keys in and let the fuel pump make that buzzing sound!!! Then start the car, and let it idle for about 1-2mins on the drive, then drive slow over the speed humps around my area, and by the time I get to work which is 4 mile away, the oil has warmed up, but its time to turn the car off!!! Usually when at my destination I sort all my stuff for work and then turn the engine off!!!

I think I have the same routine as the Nissan GTR owner I see every morning, as we have a race which includes not using our turbo's and using a maximum of 3000rpm in fear of damaging our luke warm engines!!!

 

I always drive off boost until the oil is warm & I leave my turbo timer on auto mode to allow the turbo to cool down for a couple of minutes. I was talking to my mate who is a total car nut about this the other week, & he told me he never bothers warming up or cooling down, he drives it like he stole it immediately from cold, his reason being that driving slow is boring & for ******. This guy has had Scoobys M3s a string of Porsches Jag XF Focus ST & a few others, yet he never seems to have any problems.

 

Owning a turbo diesel along with a million other reps do the same rules apply? I rag from cold-ish and turn straight off. Then again it is a company car..

 

Turbo diesel company car, now that is a true performance motor, fastest car on the road

 

140 bhp I'll have you know

does your car need to be 300hp+ to be considered?
My question is valid, does the above apply to TD's also?

 

I do Ian, I assure you.

 

You know's it butty!