Example: Should you warm up your car in the winter?
Today’s post is by Troy Lowe; Vice President of Development at SafeSourcing.
With winter here, the days getting shorter and temperatures dropping you may think that it is a good idea to start your car and let it idle for a while before you get in and drive to your destination. If you are like me this is something that we did all of the time when the temperatures were extremely cold. This was common practice back in the day when most cars had carburetors. The carburetors regulated the fuel/air mixture within the engine and were not very accurate when adjusting the air to fuel ratio in the cold weather. In colder temperatures the carburetors could not vaporize all of the fuel that it let into the engine and some of that fuel was not vaporized would cause the vehicle to stall out. For this reason it was common for people to start their cars and let them sit for about 5 minutes before getting in and driving. According to the manufacturers this is no longer necessary because the cars now days have electric fuel injection systems that help maintain the correct fuel/air mixture needed for combustion despite the outside temperatures. With this type of fuel injection system, vehicles can be driven immediately after being started and no longer need to be warmed up. It is recommended by the EPA and DOE that you not let your car idle more than 30 seconds before you start your driving during the winter. Letting it run any longer is just a waste of fuel and emissions. Not only is idling your car not needed it can also cause damage to your vehicle by stripping oil from parts of the engine that help the engine run smoothly. Below are some other reasons not to let your car idle this winter.
- Engine Takes Longer to Warm Up
- Fumes are Very Unhealthy
- Prohibited by Law in Areas
- Theft
- Wastes Fuel
- Bad for the Environment
Interested in learning how SafeSourcing can help your company save money maintaining your fleet. If you would like more information on how SafeSourcing can help you, please contact a SafeSourcing Customer Service representative. We have an entire team ready to assist you today.
