Lets face it, if there is one thing we all despise about winter, it’s sitting in our cold cars, shivering as we wait for the car to warm up. Interestingly enough however, this is certainly not the best way to heat up the car. This not only burns gas, but is also a waste of your time. Thanks to brilliant engineers, it is no longer necessary to turn on the engine and wait for the car to warm up. With engine computer units and fuel injection systems, a properly functioning car should take approximately one minute for the engine to fully warm up. According to mechanics, most cars are engineered to warm up faster if you drive them then if you have them sitting in your driveway.
According to tiphero.com, there is a much better way to start the car. First, hop in your car; turn the ignition on without starting it. After five seconds, you should hear the fuel pump priming the engine. Once you hear this, you’re ready to start. Don’t wait longer then 10-15 seconds, as this simply wastes fuel. When you pull out, ease it down the driveway as you should give it a bit of time before making any aggressive maneuvers. When you first start driving, against your instinct, don’t turn the heater on. When you get to your car, your dealing with a cold engine, which is going to pump straight cold air from the heater core. The cold air will actually keep the engine from getting hotter, which in the end is simply counterproductive. After about 2 minutes of driving, you should be good to go to start heating up.