Does anyone warm up their car to get to idle temperatures before driving? Is it good practice or a waste of time and gas?

 

I don't think there is any reason warm the car up to operating temp before driving, On a turbo charged car, warming the car some when ambient temps are below ffreezing is "good for" the turbo and can arguably result in less oil consumption. Since the IS is normally aspirated, no such worries!

 

Driving the car is the best way to warm it up. I wouldn't make redline pulls when the engine is cold, but driving it around like a sane person the first 5 minutes after startup is the right way to do it.

 

Start it up and let it run for 15 secs while you get your belt on check all mirrors and then drive it gently for the first few miles until the engine reaches optimal temperature. Just because the coolant temperature gauge shows normal temp, doesn't mean the engine oil or transmission is warmed up.

 

Total waste of time and gas. Just don't push the engine to hard before it reaches proper temperature.

 

I do around 20-30 seconds in warm weather and a couple 2 minutes or so when very cold.

 

Lol! Warm up. You're in CA no need to warm up. My engine is warm just sitting in the garage.

 

i usually just start it and let it idle for about 20 sec to establish good lubrication then I start driving

 

I read somewhere that with today's modern cars, there is no need and you're just wasting gas. I start it, wait 5-10 secs, and put it in D or R.

 

Unless you have a carburetor in your IS there's no need to warm it up.

 

Times have changed, and so has technology. Lexus, the owners manual, and all other manufacturers do not recommend warming up an engine. It's a complete waste of gas, emissions, and time.

 

no warm up required.

in the words of Rihanna, "Shut up and drive"
shut the door, i meant (=

 

I have a BMW from 1980 and i don't even warm up... the only reason why you would want that is if your windshield is frozen and you can't see.

 

Contrary to most people believe, warming up the engine to operational temperature is the right thing to do. But let me explain why.

All engines (even on a Lamborghini half a million dollar car) that use pistons, need to reach the "operational temperature" in order to work correctly as the piston rings need to expand to seal correctly.

When the engine is cold (or any temperature under operational), the rings are contracted and not sealing completely making your engine loose compression. Once you reach the optimal temperature, rings have expanded to the correct size and now you get full compression.

Lower compression means less power, but that is not the real problem here. The problem is, the lower compression happens as the pressure is released into the crank down to the oil. If you accelerate hard while the engine is cold, you are blowing hot gases into your oil pan, pushing oil into the valve covers which in return, expel some of it into the intake (recirculation process) making a big mess. You also put lots of stress on the seals all over the engine as the pressure tries also to come out everywhere it can.

Of course, modern engines are now more efficient even when cold, and thanks to new technology and new materials, piston rings expand less on heat, making it possible to have a tighter fit, so even when cold, little compression is lost.

For your new IS, you can start driving right away as long you don't step hard on the gas pedal until it reaches the operational temperature (middle of the gauge). Once it reaches it, it is ready to rock...

I personally let the car idle for about a minute or two before I start driving in the mornings, but less time on the day if it has been sitting under the sun (I live in sunny Miami FL, here engines warm up in not time... lol). I take care of my engine, because once I start driving, I push it to the limits multiple times

 

You, others, and the owner's manual have all said it: "As long as you don't accelerate hard while cold, no damage can be done." Therefor, if one follows the instructions of the factory, there's no need to warm up an engine.