MD Winter Weather: Should You Warm Up Your Car?
ANNAPOLIS, MD — Brutally cold Arctic air is headed toward Maryland this week — expect an overnight low of -6 degrees on Wednesday night — so it’s time to renew the debate over whether you should start your car to warm it up before you start your commute or school run. The main reason is comfort if you have to park outdoors; and one of the main worries is that if you leave your car unlocked while it warms, thieves could help themselves to your ride. Indeed, an SUV owner shoveling snow saw a thief drive away in his vehicle as it warmed up, while a companion watched by Annapolis Police was charged with stealing another SUV, according to a police report.
The polar vortex — that punishing blast of cold air that dives straight down from the Arctic — has fractured, and it’s going to make for hideously cold temperatures in much of the United States, including Maryland. The Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang — not one to hype snowstorms — tweeted: “GET READY…. The end of this month and especially February may be WILD for winter weather in eastern U.S.”
SEE ALSO: Polar Vortex Will Park Frigid Temps Over Maryland
If you have a remote car starter you can stay indoors and sip coffee while your car warms up in the driveway. Although you need to keep an eye out; thieves will strike in the winter by stealing vehicles as they idle, whether it’s in your driveway or at a gas station.
It’s a commonly-held belief that engines need to warm up before you hop in the car on days when the temperature drops below freezing. In fact, a 2009 study from Vanderbilt University found that most Americans think a car should idle for at least five minutes before its driven. But experts say that only applies to older cars built with carburetors. Vehicles with fuel injection systems, which regulate the ratio of air to fuel that reaches your engine, rely on oxygen sensors for that task.
Popular Mechanics says letting your vehicle run while parked is hard on the engine, taking oil away from the cylinders and pistons. “Gasoline is an outstanding solvent and it can actually wash oil off the walls if you run it in those cold idle conditions for an extended period of time,” Stephen Ciatti, a mechanical engineer at the Argonne National Laboratory, told Business Insider.
Driving your car is the fastest way to warm the engine up to 40 degrees so it switches back to a normal fuel to air ratio. “The best thing to do is start the car, take a minute to knock the ice off your windows, and get going,” says Popular Mechanics. Be sure to clear all frost and snow off your windows, as well as from the hood and top of the car, they add.
Engines typically need 5 to 15 minutes to warm up while driving, so baby it as your first hit the road.
Road and Track magazine’s team says fire up your car, make sure all the windows are clear of ice, snow or fog, and drive. “The engine will warm up faster, and therefore you’ll get nice warm heat coming out of the vents sooner, which is what you want anyway.”
In extremely cold weather, the oils that lubricate the engine won’t be fully liquid when you first start your car. So giving the motor a minute to warm up before you hit the road can keep you from harming your engine, say the folks at the DriversEd.com blog.
To make sure the fog is gone from your car windows, which makes for a much safer commute, the blog says you should:
It sounds unorthodox, but you can keep a sock filled with kitty litter near your windshield to absorb extra moisture in the car. You can also prevent fog by covering the inside of the windshield with shaving cream and then clearing it away, the authors say.
But a blogger with CarThrottle disagrees. While there’s no need to let a car run in the driveway for 10 minutes — which is banned in some cities — you should give it a good 30 seconds or so to let the oil start flowing, and let the chilled metal parts in your engine warm and expand to their normal size before driving at full speed.
And the blog author warns that cold tires have less traction until they warm up, so take it easy at first. “In this cold weather, please wait till your car warms up and don’t drive like a lunatic straight out of the driveway. It will be really grateful for it,” says the blogger.
Unnecessarily idling your car also affects both your health and your wallet, say those who argue against warming up a vehicle.
Health Concerns
Every 10 minutes your car runs, it releases one pound of carbon dioxide, according to the Environmental Defense Fund. This greenhouse gas is the biggest contributor to global warming.
Breathing in exhaust is also bad for your health, especially for children, the elderly and anyone with asthma. Breathing the hydrocarbons in car exhaust has been linked to increased rates of cancer, heart and lung disease, asthma and allergies, according to the EDF.
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An idling car also releases carbon monoxide which can be fatal if too much of the gas is inhaled. Never let your car run in an enclosed space such as a garage.
Wasted Money
Cold weather will affect your fuel economy no matter what you do, but letting your car idle only increases the amount of gas wasted. Even with the recent plummet in gas prices, wasted gas means wasted money.
A study from Natural Resources Canada showed that idling a car for five minutes increased fuel consumption by 7 to 14 percent and a 10-minute warm-up raised that number to 12 to 19 percent.
So instead of hitting the “start engine” button before you’ve left the house, start your vehicle the old fashioned way. Your body and wallet will thank you.
Damaged Cars
Idling also causes problems with your car, once again hitting your wallet where it hurts. According to both the Hinkle Charitable Foundation and the EDF, idling for an extended period of time causes problems with the engine. The HCF says an extended idle “forces it to operate in a very inefficient and gasoline-rich mode that, over time, can degrade the engine’s performance and reduce mileage.”
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