question: Do you need to ‘warm up’ your car before driving in cold weather?
comment: 99 cars out of 100, no. starting it and getting yourself ready to drive will be enough to prevent damage. if its -20f and it takes longer to start, and it sounds weirder than usual, let it sit until it sounds normal. old cars won't matter unless you're putting in a heavier oil to prevent oil leakage. i'm counting the days until i get a new car and am putting 20w50 in it in the meanwhile. i do have to let it sit right now at -5f or it'll stall when i move it.
passages: Cold starts are more difficult than starting a vehicle that has been run recently (typically between 90 minutes and 2 hours). More effort is needed to turn over a cold engine for multiple reasons:
  
  BULLET::::- The engine compression is higher as the lack of heat makes ignition more difficult
  
  BULLET::::- Low temperatures cause engine oil to become more viscous, making it more difficult to circulate.
  
  BULLET::::- Air becomes more dense the cooler it is. This affects the air-fuel ratio, which in turn affects the flammability of the mixture.
  
  Section::::Solutions to cold starting.
   BULLET::::4. In the air conditioning test, the ambient temperature of the test cell is raised to 35 °C. The vehicle's climate control system is then used to lower the internal cabin temperature. Starting with a warm engine, the test averages 35 km/h and reaches a maximum speed of 88 km/h. Five stops are included, with idling occurring 19% of the time.
   Research by the Agricultural Engineering Department of the University of Saskatchewan has shown that operating a block heater for longer than four hours prior to starting a vehicle is a waste of energy. It was found that coolant temperature increased by almost degrees in that period, regardless of the initial temperature. Four tests were run at ambient temperatures ranging from ; continued use of the heater for a further one or two, or more, hours achieved a mere 2 or 3 more degrees Celsius as conditions stabilized. Engine oil temperature was found to increase over these periods by just .
   Cold start (automotive)
  
  A cold start is an attempt to start a vehicle's engine when it is cold, relative to its normal operating temperature, often due to normal cold weather. A cold start situation is commonplace, as weather conditions in most climates will naturally be at a lower temperature than the typical operating temperature of an engine. Occasionally, the term also refers to starting the engine of a vehicle that has been inactive or abandoned for a significant amount of time such as months, years or even decades.
  
  Section::::Causes of cold starts.
   As the fuel filter is the first point to become clogged up, most diesel motor cars are equipped with a filter heater. This allows summer diesel with a CFPP of –7 °C to be operated safely in –20 °C weather conditions. The fluid characteristics of winter diesel are also extended allowing a diesel type of CFPP –15 °C to be operated safely in –24 °C weather conditions. Note that a filter heater cannot melt wax particles in the "feed system" so that fuel supply can be problematic at cold start.
  
  Section::::Operation.:Additives.
   SFTO SC03 is the air conditioning test, which raises ambient temperatures to , and puts the vehicle's climate control system to use. Lasting 9.9 minutes, the loop averages and maximizes at a rate of . Five stops are included, idling occurs 19 percent of the time and acceleration of 5.1 mph/sec is achieved. Engine temperatures begin warm.
  
  Lastly, a cold temperature cycle uses the same parameters as the current city loop, except that ambient temperature is set to .
   Section::::Practice.
  
  Practice days are on Sunday and Monday from 8:00 AM till 5:00 PM. In the middle of the day, practice sessions are sorted into 1/8 and sedan classes. No fuel bottles or refueling is allowed inside the fenced-in track area to allow all drivers the chance to get practice. Severe penalties from the officials for breaking this rule include reprimands, loss of fuel bottle or being sent home.
  
  Section::::Qualifying.
   The problem of cold starting has been greatly reduced since the introduction of engine starters, which are now commonplace on all modern vehicles. The higher revs that can be achieved using electric starter motors improves the chance of successful ignition.
  
  Starting fluid, a volatile liquid, is sometimes sprayed into the combustion chamber of an engine to assist the starting procedure.
   Since the heater core relies on the coolant's heat to warm the cabin air up, it obviously won't begin working until the engine's coolant warms up enough. This problem can be resolved by equipping the vehicle with an auxiliary heating system, which can either use electricity or burn the vehicle's fuel in order to rapidly bring the engine's coolant to operating temperatures.
  
  Section::::Air cooled engines.
   While gasoline internal combustion engines are much easier to start in cold weather than diesel engines, they can still have cold weather starting problems under extreme conditions. For years, the solution was to park the car in heated areas. In some parts of the world, the oil was actually drained and heated over night and returned to the engine for cold starts. In the early 1950s, the gasoline Gasifier unit was developed, where, on cold weather starts, raw gasoline was diverted to the unit where part of the fuel was burned causing the other part to become a hot vapor sent directly to the intake valve manifold. This unit was quite popular until electric engine block heaters became standard on gasoline engines sold in cold climates.
   New for this generation, cabin air filters were installed, and the filters can be accessed from behind an access panel easily accessed from inside the glove compartment.
   Toyota Canada's Cold Weather Testing Centre was established in 1974 in Timmins, Ontario to test vehicles from across Toyota's global lineup to ensure optimal performance in extreme cold weather conditions. With the addition of a cold chamber, Toyota can test vehicles year-round in harsh sub-zero conditions to ensure that vehicles meet highest customer expectations.
  
  Section::::Safety.
  
  In 2011, Toyota introduced the Star Safety System™ as standard on every new vehicle. It features six advanced accident avoidance safety technologies:
   Some cars, such as the second generation Toyota Prius, pump hot coolant from the cooling system into a 3-litre insulated thermos-style reservoir at shutdown, where it stays warm for up to 3 days.
  
  Section::::History.
   BULLET::::- 1984–1995 Continental: convertible
  
  BULLET::::- 1992–1995 Continental Turbo
  
  BULLET::::- 1980–1992 Bentley Mulsanne
  
  BULLET::::- 1984–1988 Mulsanne L: limousine
  
  BULLET::::- 1982–1985 Mulsanne Turbo
  
  BULLET::::- 1987–1992 Mulsanne S
  
  BULLET::::- 1984–1992 Eight: basic model
  
  BULLET::::- 1985–1995 Turbo R: turbocharged performance version
  
  BULLET::::- 1991–2002 Continental R: turbocharged 2-door model
  
  BULLET::::- 1994–1995 Continental S: intercooled
  
  BULLET::::- 1996–2002 Continental T
  
  BULLET::::- 1999–2003 Continental R Mulliner: performance model
  
  BULLET::::- 1992–1998 Brooklands: improved Eight
  
  BULLET::::- 1996–1998 Brooklands R: performance Brooklands
  
  BULLET::::- 1994–1995 Turbo S: limited-edition sports model
  
  BULLET::::- 1994–1995 Continental S: to order only version of Continental R with features of Turbo S incorporated
   Because battery performance varies greatly with temperature, the heat pump supplies cooling to the batteries during charging when necessary. Passive air recirculation is used during the driving cycle to equalize variations in battery temperature. The heat pump can be activated during the driving cycle under extreme battery over-temperature conditions over , typically as a result of extreme battery discharge.
  
  Section::::Sales.
   Equipment designed for use in particularly extreme cold conditions (such as the polar regions) also undergoes a "winterization" process. Many complex devices (automobiles, electronics and radios) as well as common materials (metals, rubbers, petroleum lubricants) are not designed to operate at extremely low temperatures and must be winterized to operate without severe damage from the elements in such conditions. This might involve a chemical treatment process, additional waterproofing/insulation, or even the total substitution of new parts. An example would be the internal combustion engine of an automobile; the installation of heaters on the engine block and battery as well as the substitution of winter-grade coolants and lubricants allows the vehicle to start and run in sub-freezing conditions where a non-winterized engine would quickly break down.
   BULLET::::1. The city test simulates urban driving in stop-and-go traffic with an average speed of 34 km/h and a top speed of 90 km/h. The test runs for approximately 31 minutes and includes 23 stops. The test begins from a cold engine start, which is similar to starting a vehicle after it has been parked overnight during the summer. The final phase of the test repeats the first eight minutes of the cycle but with a hot engine start. This simulates restarting a vehicle after it has been warmed up, driven and then stopped for a short time. Over five minutes of test time are spent idling, to represent waiting at traffic lights. The ambient temperature of the test cell starts at 20 °C and ends at 30 °C.
   BULLET::::2. The highway test simulates a mixture of open highway and rural road driving, with an average speed of 78 km/h and a top speed of 97 km/h. The test runs for approximately 13 minutes and does not include any stops. The test begins from a hot engine start. The ambient temperature of the test cell starts at 20 °C and ends at 30 °C.
  
  BULLET::::3. In the cold temperature operation test, the same driving cycle is used as in the standard city test, except that the ambient temperature of the test cell is set to −7 °C.
   All Rogue Sports will come well equipped, with standard features such as keyless entry, power windows and door locks, CVT transmission, 2.0 liter 4 cylinder petrol engine, Bluetooth for hands-free calling as well as streaming audio, and air conditioning. In addition, the Rogue Sport will be offered in three distinct trim levels, all of which feature their own list of standard equipment:
  
  S: Advanced Driver Assist Display, "D-Shaped" Sports Steering Wheel, Siri Eyes Free Technology, Bluetooth Streaming Audio, and Rear View Backup Camera System
   From 1988, all 9000 variants were equipped with a Saab Information Display (SID) which showed fuel consumption, distance to an empty fuel tank, alternator output voltage, outside temperature, and lowest battery voltage during vehicle start. If the outside temperature fell to , the temperature display is automatically selected to warn of possible "black ice" road conditions. A separate pictogram monitored door and hatch opening and exterior light bulb condition. 1988 also marked the introduction of pyrotechnic seat belt tensioners for the front seats.
   To avoid using part of the battery's energy for heating and thus reducing the range, some models allow the cabin to be heated while the car is plugged in. For example, the Nissan Leaf, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Renault Zoe and the Tesla Model S and 3 can be pre-heated while the vehicle is plugged in.
   The car comes with a smartphone app which can locate the car, report on its locking, alarming, and charging status, and start it preheating. The app cannot switch on the windscreen or rear window heaters.
  
  Section::::Industry and media awards.
   All Rogue Sports will be powered by a 2.0 litre, 141 horsepower inline-four petrol engine. Additional features include the "Divide n Hide" in-floor storage system, intelligent cruise control, available Blind Sport Monitoring, available Lane Departure Warning, available Lane Departure Prevention, available Rear Cross Traffic Alert, and High Beam Assist. Both Front-Wheel-Drive (FWD) and All-Wheel-Drive (AWD) versions of the Rogue Sport will be available.
  
  The Rogue Sport went on sale in the United States in the spring of 2017.
   Ford introduces its all new optional "Rapid-Heat Supplemental Cab Heater," only available on Super Duty trucks with the Diesel engine and TorqShift automatic transmission. In the winter, it quickly raises the cabin temperature to a comfortable level until the engine is warm enough to handle the job.
  
  Section::::Second generation (2008–2010).:Trim.
  
  This 2nd generation of Super Duty includes the F-250 Super Duty (starting at $22,380), F-350 Super Duty (starting at $24,025), and the all new F-450 Super Duty (starting at $39,205). The F-250 and F-350 Super Duty basically has the same payload and towing specs as the last generation.
   The United States Office of Defense Transportation implemented mandatory pooling of class RS produce refrigerator cars from 1941 through 1948. World War II experience found the cars spending 60 percent of their time traveling loaded, 30 percent traveling empty, and 10 percent idle; and indicated the average 14 loads each car carried per year included 5 requiring bunker icing, 1 requiring heating, and 8 using ventilation or top icing.
  
  Following experience with assorted car specifications, the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association (UFF&VA) listed what they considered the best features of ice refrigerator cars in 1948:
  
raw_presuppositions: Need to warm up cars before driving.
raw_corrections: You usually don't need to do this unless it is abnormaly cold or an old car.