Originally Posted by AC1DD
Originally Posted by Or
This is close to the "ideal" that I've heard from knowledgeable sources on this forum and others, and pretty much what I do, too.
I let mine warm 30 seconds, then go but keep it under 2k and very gentle until the water temp is swinging towards normal (getting close to 180F). Minimizes the fuel dilution, which can be quite pronounced in the cold (and which also maximizes wear since the fuel is washing the lube off the walls), and maximizes warm-up speed.
Bingo! Correct answer.
I agree ^^^^^^
Strangely enough in the past 5 years my area has seen near 0°F or in fact below 0°F temps in those wintees... Interesting how long it takes the water temp to come up to normal in temperatures that cold .. Versus say temperatures in the upper 10s and low 20s... It is a very noticeable difference in time it takes.
Coldest temperature I observed was -7°F just want of Richmond... That was the coldest my area has seen since January 1985... I put gas in my car at -5°F near the Rte 249 exit and I was like wow... This is quite chilly.
Deep snow and moonlight night and no winds... Are obviously optimum for best thermal drop in temperatures. Same was true in January 20-21, 1985.. . My area had 7 inches of fresh fallen snow, a massive Arctic front had come through that Sunday am at around 2-3 in the morning... I got up at 430 really excited to see if it was finally snowing.. saw a bit of snow on the leaves near the Beech tree with the outdoor light shining on it. Ran downstairs turned the back light on near the living room... Sure enough it was snowing pretty good. Ran up the steps checked the temperature and it was 28 degrees... So I knew we were good to go. Snowed all day... Not super hard... Just pretty good at times. Temp was 19 degrees by 10 am. Temp was 9°F by 230 pm... I was outside at around 530 pm and it was 0°F... Even though I was in 3rd grade I knew it was exceptionally cold in my area... Went inside to watch the start of the Super Bowl between the 49ers (17-1) and Miami Dolphins (16-2)... 49ers dominated after the 2nd quarter in a 38-16 win. Got up the next am and had to ask my mom how cold it was when Dad had left for work... It had dropped all the way to -15°F... The coldest nights in my region's recorded history.