02Impressor

I usually warm up the Kompressor for roughly 4-5 minutes ...but what is the standard 'safe-time' before I can zooooom?

604_kpEscoba

i heard the best way is to actually drive the car very slow in the 20 and 30km /hour for a while but i usually warm up until the engine reaches 60 degress or so then i drive the first couple blocks real slow

vinmanc32

I dont hit it until its warm but Im off and driving as soon as I start it. The mechanics will tell you that is fine but, I would not suggest you hammer it till its warm and the oil is running smoothly through the system.

jamesy1010

I just start up and go. Is that bad??

trench

Not at all. Most modern oils are OK to go right away. vinmanc32 is correct however, wait until it's reached a stable operating temperature before hammering on it.

Regards, BT

Blueice

I just took off with slow speed by the time I hit the main street then I start to hit the gas =)

linh

That is too long...buddy. You should drive off right after the RPM drop down to normal idle speed and drive slow until it reach normal temp. The longer you wait at idle, the more carbon will get build up inside your engine and in a long run it will decrease your car performances. Engine now aday recirculated hot air from exhaust at start-up to warm-up the engine faster so it does not polluted the air.

MarkL

I also don't wait more than a few seconds after starting to drive off.

But, people generally say "drive slowly" for a while. I think what they really mean is don't rev it too high -- there's a big difference. You can drive slowly, like 25 in 1st gear and you'll be up around 5K rpm. I don't think that's good for a cold engine. You should just drive moderately for a few miles until the engine warms a bit.

DCX Engineer

Same here.

SoCal240/6

Warming up for 4-5 minutes? Good god! You are very patient and obviously not in a hurry.

Problem is you are undoubtedly wasting time, and if anything, doing more harm than good to your engine. An idling engine takes longer to warm up. The faster your engine gets to operating temps, the better it is for the engine.

RTFM.

Get in, start car, buckle seatbelts, and drive off. Drive gently (keep rpms down) until warm.

vadim

With the Coupe, it's simple: On cold starts, I start driving after the cat. converter has been warmed, for which there is a good audible indication - the engine gets quieter. This usually takes about 45 seconds.

If the engine is warm when I start it, I start driving right away.

02Impressor

Ok thanks for the info guys. And yeah, I do wait 4-5 minutes on average. Usually I start the car and then go back inside to do my business and come out after 3-4, 5 minutes...

But all your statements make sense, so i guess waiting too long is not a good idea after all...

Goggles Piasano

I usually warm up for about 30 seconds, or until the engine idle is ok, which is about 30 seconds.

BrabusCClass

I do the same and usually roll out kinda slow then pick up the pace after my temp starts to go up.

TimmyC230boy

I live in a private gated country club. I live about 1.5 miles from the entrance, and the speed limit is 25. So i figured that gives the oil plenty of time to get warmed up before i drop the hammer

FrankW

when i start the car the engine rev is around 1100 rpm, and i wait till it drops back to the normal idle speed. When the rpm drop to normal idle speed it means that the oil is pumped up and the engine is ready to roll.

Mike T.

The best thing is always to start up, wait maybe 30 s and then drive off gently. The faster the car warms up (provided you're gentle on it) the better for engine longevity. Why? While below the normal operating temperature, the engine runs a rich mixture. This extra fuel cuts the oil on the cylinder walls to a very small degree, which in turn results in slightly accelerated cylinder bore / ring wear.

Drive off and short-shift at maybe 2500-3000 rpm tops, and DO NOT use more than about 1/3 throttle on the Komp engine until the oil is ready. The 230 is easy to drive at low rpm due to its huge low-end torque (with the 2.3 L engine, at least).

Contrary to what was posted above, the oil does not need to warm up to be "pumped up" (you been watchin' Hans & Franz again?) - indeed the oil pressure at idle is slightly higher when the oil is cold, as soon as the engine is started.

But the oil should be at its normal temperature of maybe 90-100 degrees Celsius before you thrash the engine. Since the M-B cars don't have oil temperature gauges, use this rule of thumb: switch on the water temp gauge, measure the time it takes for the water to get to 85 degrees C, double that period and by then you've probably got the oil at about the same temp as the coolant. Drop the hammer at that point, if you must.

FrankW

by saying "pumped up", i was refering to the oil properly lube the engine. It has nothing to do with the actual warming of the oil.

vadim

The oil starts to "properly" lubricate the engine as soon as it begins to circulate, just seconds after the engine starts up. Especially modern synthetic oils, which don't require to be warm to get flowing. Otherwise there would be waaay too many engine failures as most people don't really care to warm their cars' engines - start up and go. A good example - parking garage people, they will race your engine as hard as they can up the ramp, to get your car out of the garage, without waiting for it to warm up. (That said - I have only let garage attendants move my car twice in over 10 months I've owned it , I'd rather circle around for half an hour to find a free spot)

patronus

I totally agree with MikeT. Minimizing the time the engine runs cold is best done by driving, balanced by not loading the engine heavily during the warming period.

PoonerElRay

When you start the car cold, you will hear this rough engine noise. Once the noise quiets down and sounds smooth, you know that the warm up phase is complete. GO!

When you start the car warm, you won't hear the rough engine noise. GO!

BlackC230Coupe

NEVER.

London AMG

Wait for the the
1) Cat to warm up
2) Rough noise to finish
3) Nasty wet fart noise to end
and then enjoy
i.e. BPrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrPPPP...then....NNeeeeeyoooooo oWW

young

from the NYTimes:

Andy Wittenborn of Wittenborn Auto in Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., said he can't persuade his customers to check the air in their doughnut spares because the thick walls of the tires always feel hard to the touch. "And they continue to warm up their cars on cold days," he said, "even though I argue that fuel-injected cars will run better in the long run if you just start them up and drive off."

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/27/au...es/27AUTO.html

kind of a funny article.