Warming Up Your Car: Good for You, Bad for Your Engine
Not long ago, Popular Mechanics posted an article about something we tell our customers all the time (and most don’t believe us): warming up your car by letting it idle when cold out certainly helps your car get comfy, but it’s bad for modern engines. In fact, the method that we all use today originated back when engines were carbureted and is completely outmoded today. Says Popular Mechanics:
Warming up your car before driving is a leftover practice from a time when carbureted engines dominated the roads. Carburetors mix gasoline and air to make vaporized fuel to run an engine, but they don’t have sensors that tweak the amount of gasoline when it’s cold out. As a result, you have to let older cars warm up before driving or they will stall out. But it’s been about 30 years since carbureted engines were common in cars.”
Today’s cars have computers (ECUs) controlling fuel injected engines, so there’s no concerns about feeding your car the correct fuel/air ratio. The computer handles it all by adding more gas to the mixture when cold, and then tapering the extra gas off to normal levels by the time it reaches 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
But what about today’s cars that have remote start? It’s there for a reason, right? And that reason is to let you warm it up outside while you finish your cup of coffee so you don’t have to get into a freezing car, right?
Well, sort of. That’s great for you, but you should take some precautions for your car if you are going to let it warm up for extended periods in cold weather.
We recommend a simple and inexpensive combination to fight off the negative effects of warming up your car:
- Use Rislone Engine Treatment (or Engine Treatment Concentrate) every oil change to reduce startup friction and wear and prevent sludging.
- Use Rislone Complete Gasoline Fuel System Treatment to give your engine upper cylinder lubrication and clean fuel injectors.
The best thing about this combo is that both products are proven effective by millions of customers worldwide. Even better? This isn’t a high-maintenance plan. Simply use the Rislone Engine Treatment at every oil change, and use the Rislone Complete Gasoline Fuel System Treatment every 5,000 miles (or 8,000 km) for best results. Affordable, easy and guaranteed to make it easier on your car on those cold winter mornings when you let it idle to warm up.
