I did a search and didn't find a specific thread on this...

How long do you all let your TCH warm up? 30seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes or do you just jump in the car and go?

I'm specifically talking about when you start the car first thing in the morning or when the car has been sitting a while and the ICE is cold.

 

I hit the start button and as quickly as I can put on my seatbelt, I put it in gear and go. No more than 5 or 10 secs.

 

Warmup is not required for modern cars - it just wastes gas. My heater gets cold within 3-4 minutes of city driving. I use thinner synthetic oil so the engine parts are fine in cold starts.

Start and Go !!!

 

In all my previous cars, I waited 30 seconds. Now I just go on READY. In the mornings, I am backing out of my driveway, which uses the electric motor. That means the ICE has run for 20 seconds or so easily before it has to turn at more than idle speed.

 

Well that's good news and good to know. I thought for sure there would be some warm up time for the ICE.

You hear often that bad fuel mileage happens with short trips because the ICE doesn't have time to get to normal operating temps. I thought if you let the ICE warm up you could help eliminate that problem...guess not.

 

As said above, modern overhead engines do not require any warm-up time as long as you don't race them when still cold. TCH does not draw much power from the ICE when you start - it's all electric in reverse and mostly electric when you move forward if not floored. If you listen you will notice that the car does not rev up for a while when moving forward at reasonable speed and the ICE is still cold. Besides, for a reason I do not understand, I have the feeling that the TCH ICE warms up significantly faster overall compared to other cars. Maybe just me though, i didn't actually time it.

 

I let it warm up for 30 to 60 seconds (60 when below Zero F) - then mild acceleration for the first 5 minutes.

The ICE in your Hybrid is really no different than if it was in a conventional car.

If you'd rebuilt / built as many engines as I have over the years and seen what damage cold starts and hard acceleration really do to engines - you'd be a believer..

 

I go when the ready light is on. I don't believ in a idling engine not helping the car move forward. That is just a waste of fuel. The other problem is, when you are sitting still warming up the engine, the transmission and axles, and brakes are all stationary and not getting warmed up. So if you tink you have warmed up your car by running it in the driveway and ripping out, you could be causing damage to the other components on the car. The best thing to do is start it, and drive slow and steady until all components are up to operating temps, then you can run it a bit harder.

 

Unless the SOC is real low the ICE won't even start up for about 10 seconds. If there were a problem with pushing START and going I would think the ICE would kick in immediately.

 

Thanks everyone. I guess I know what to do when I get my TCH. I'll push the start button and by the time I get situated we'll be backing down the dirveway