A Warning Against Winter Warm-Ups

Let’s face it. Winters on PEI have never been easy. Most of us start our days by bundling up and shovelling a path to even make it to our cars, and it doesn't stop there. Scraping ice and brushing snow in the brutal cold takes its toll. Usually, the only saving grace is climbing into your nice, toasty, pre-heated interior to regain the feeling in your fingers.

Warming up your vehicle for extended periods of time may seem like a good idea after you’ve been out in the cold, but in reality, it’s outdated advice that’s actually detrimental not only to your vehicle, but also the environment and your wallet.

Carburetors vs. Electronic Fuel Injection

To explain why this is, we’re travelling back in time to the radical ‘80s.

At the time, most vehicles were equipped with carburetors, which were used to regulate the fuel to air ratio within the engine. The problem with carburetors is that they’re unable to accurately adjust this mixture in cold weather, causing your vehicle to stall. So it became common practice to start your engine and wait for things to heat up before hitting the road.

Toward the end of the ‘80s, carburetors began to be replaced with electronic fuel injection systems that rely on sensors to supply fuel to the engine in order to get the right blend of fuel and air. These sensors also monitor and adjust your engine’s temperature conditions, so the only reason you’d have to warm up any modern vehicle is to circulate oil, which typically only takes around 30 seconds or so. 

Why You Shouldn’t Wait To Warm Up

Now, we know what you’re thinking. When it’s the middle of February and it feels like -25° with the wind chill, there’s no way you’re jumping into a freezing cold vehicle without warming it up first.

But doing this is going to cost you. Every second you spend idling is like money flying out of your tailpipe! Your fuel mileage will be greatly decreased, because while you’re sitting there warming up, you’re also burning gas without adding any kilometers to your odometer. You’re also contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and other types of air pollutants, which we all know isn’t exactly environmentally friendly.

Furthermore, this unnecessary step can lead to increased wear and tear on your engine. Idling in the winter can strip oil from critical components (like your cylinders and pistons), creating more friction, resulting in more wear and tear, and eventually leading to a shorter engine life.

What To Do Instead

Now that we’ve covered the reasons against idling your vehicle this winter, it’s time to look on the bright side. There are many alternatives to help keep both you and your vehicle warm and toasty this winter that can save you money and help the environment!

While warming up your car for an extended period of time can be harmful, research from Natural Resources Canada suggests that idling your vehicle for 2-3 minutes is okay. Any longer and you’re wasting excessive fuel (and money), and that only gets worse the longer you let your engine idle.

From there, you’ll want to hit the road right away. The sooner you start driving, the sooner your engine reaches optimal performance, the sooner your vehicle heats up. According to Canada Drives, “most cars today are more efficient than ever with aluminum engine blocks and cylinder heads, as well as smaller displacement with turbochargers, dispersing much of the heat they make.”

And if that doesn’t quite do it, we’ve got a few more tricks up our sleeve.

- Choose a vehicle with heated seats and/or a heated steering wheel.

- When possible, keep your car warm overnight by parking it inside a garage.

- Install a block heater you can plug your vehicle into overnight. This keeps coolant warm and will help your engine start up quickly.