cmaxlen Posted November 19, 2014 Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 How long should a hybrid be started before driving first thing in the morning? avg temp 20-40 degrees F my girlfriend will warm it between 5-7 minutesShe's upset because I take off after about a minuteI told her vehicles nowadays don't need to be warmed up that longi think she's wasting gas what does everyone else do ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plus 3 golfer Posted November 19, 2014 Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 I haven't warmed up engines since my MB 240 D when using conventional oil at low temperatures. I'd leave my home and could barely make it up a fairly steep hill (slow down to around 20 mph) even with a 50 mph running start at the bottom. Once I switched oil to synthetic oil, I had no such performance issues in cold weather. My diesel turned over so much easier also with synthetic. At 20 F to 40 F, there's really no need to warm up a car before being driven. Maybe at -20 F to get conventional oil circulating, it might be beneficial to warm up the engine for a few minutes. But with synthetic / blends, IMO just start and drive. JAZ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottwood2 Posted November 19, 2014 Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 I have never heard about anything special for warmup on a hybrid. In general for ICE the warm up is for the comfort levels in the cab. I have also heard that it is better for the ICE to have load on it during warm up but not heavy load. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevedebi Posted November 19, 2014 Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 (edited) ... Maybe at -20 F to get conventional oil circulating, it might be beneficial to warm up the engine for a few minutes. But with synthetic / blends, IMO just start and drive. At -20F I'd definitely recommend an oil block heater. Edited November 19, 2014 by stevedebi ptjones 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScubaDadMiami Posted November 19, 2014 Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 (edited) How long should a hybrid be started before driving first thing in the morning?Zero time. Suppose that you happened to arrive home with a full HVB on the night before. You press the start button on the next morning, and the battery is almost full (with some decline from the cold overnight). So, you pull out onto your street without ICE running, and you get up to speed on HVB. Now, ICE suddenly comes to life, and you just keep on going without incident. Ford did not design the C-MAX to make it so that you have to sit until a charged HVB discharges enough to require ICE to run, when you first start up in the morning. Just press start, and then go. Edited November 19, 2014 by ScubaDadMiami Redshift 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree63 Posted November 19, 2014 Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 Even with non hybrids I've had over the past 25 years, I've just driven after starting the engine. Even with full HVB, I've found ICE will come on to ensure slight warming of components with winter temps here up north, but not enough to provide cabin warmth. I keep an eye on the coolant temp and when it's a bit above the low line, that's when I start warming up the cabin with Climate on Auto (as I did with non-hybrids basically). C-Max climate control is nice because t delays fan blowing at higher speeds if engine is not sufficiently warm for set temp. Takes about 2 minutes to get there on an expressway, sometimes quite a bit longer if city driving since C-Max is so efficient. Seat heaters and touqes help until then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmaxlen Posted November 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 great info thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobMax Posted November 19, 2014 Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 Read that owners manual and you won't find anything about having to warm it up: http://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/Catalog/owner_information/2014-CMAX-Owner-Manual-version-1_OM_EN_11_2013.pdf It does say on page 132:"There is no need to wait for your engine to warm up. The vehicle is ready to drive immediately after starting." Also says on page 185:"Avoid these actions; they reduce your fuel economy: Do not warm up your vehicle on cold mornings." ScubaDadMiami and ptjones 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jus-A-CMax Posted November 19, 2014 Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 (edited) 48F this morning. First warm up, takes about 400 yards and about 40-50 seconds 0 to about 25 mph in private road. Charging batts due to slopeage and engine so my SOC goes from 1/3 to 3/4 or 2/3, depending. I start in "D" and then drop it to "L", gas it to 20 mph and then go up to "D" after that. Drive in EV for about 5 sec on main road and then I hit the ICE once I get past the speed bumps and that trigger the 2nd warmup, takes about 10 to 15 seconds I sometimes may or may not trigger a 3rd cycle, that one takes about 10 seconds but if I tap the brakes, it will go back to EV. As for gas consumed, if it above 60F, I would use 0.03 before Maxine's ICE is up to running temp. Colder days, it may go to 0.04 and really cold days, it may go to 0.05-0.06. Overall, the lower the morning temp, the worse the MPG as even with 48F my once mighty 80+ MPG drive to work is now hovering around the mid to high 70s and I don't expect to get any better as the LA winter comes in and we go on the winter blend gas. I have a grill cover over the main large grill. Top and bottom vents remain open. Edited November 20, 2014 by Jus-A-CMax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FordService Posted November 20, 2014 Report Share Posted November 20, 2014 Read that owners manual and you won't find anything about having to warm it up: http://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/Catalog/owner_information/2014-CMAX-Owner-Manual-version-1_OM_EN_11_2013.pdf ... Thanks for sharing this link for the 2014, RobMax! How long should a hybrid be started before driving first thing in the morning? ... RobMax is right, cmaxlen. Check here for your 2013 Owner Manual. On page 187, it also says that there is no need to wait for your engine to warm up. Rachel cmaxlen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wnuk Posted November 21, 2014 Report Share Posted November 21, 2014 No warm up needed but I am now experiencing the dreaded drop in MPG here in the cold temps. It's been in the teens here the last few mornings. I'm seeing nearly a 10 MPG drop since I do want SOME heat. Now wishing I got the winter package :doh: :cry: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPL Tech Posted November 21, 2014 Report Share Posted November 21, 2014 what does everyone else do ?Exactly 0 minutes. Start and drive. It's well documented that modern vehicles do not need any warmup. JAZ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fbov Posted November 21, 2014 Report Share Posted November 21, 2014 No warm up needed but I am now experiencing the dreaded drop in MPG here in the cold temps. It's been in the teens here the last few mornings. I'm seeing nearly a 10 MPG drop since I do want SOME heat. Now wishing I got the winter package :doh: :cry: Winter has arrived, so I've got several days at 20F now... and I've found a better way to trade off ICE run time against cabin heating - leave the climate control at minimum temperature; 60F. While I still get the ICE running well past it's warm-weather EV point, when it does flip to EV, I have full EV capability, limited only by SOC, which is always very high by this point. If you increase the temperature setting even a little, like to 64F, the ICE threshold in EV mode drops to ~1 bar, making it real easy to get into ICE when you'd rather not. You can still increase the cabin temperature once the engine warms up some, but so far, it's eliminated the annoyance of sitting at stop lights with the engine running. (Boy, that sounds funny... annoyed that your engine is running... hybirds lead you into a whole new world!) HAve fun,Frank JAZ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill-N Posted November 22, 2014 Report Share Posted November 22, 2014 Winter has arrived, so I've got several days at 20F now... and I've found a better way to trade off ICE run time against cabin heating - leave the climate control at minimum temperature; 60F. While I still get the ICE running well past it's warm-weather EV point, when it does flip to EV, I have full EV capability, limited only by SOC, which is always very high by this point. If you increase the temperature setting even a little, like to 64F, the ICE threshold in EV mode drops to ~1 bar, making it real easy to get into ICE when you'd rather not. You can still increase the cabin temperature once the engine warms up some, but so far, it's eliminated the annoyance of sitting at stop lights with the engine running. (Boy, that sounds funny... annoyed that your engine is running... hybirds lead you into a whole new world!) HAve fun,Frank Would simply turning off the climate control system accomplish the same thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmaxlen Posted November 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2014 I have her reading all these great answers (priceless) thanks everyone no more warming up before she takes off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPL Tech Posted November 25, 2014 Report Share Posted November 25, 2014 The only limitation is you need to be genital while warming the engine up. Dont try to climb a 5,000' hill or haul ass across town when the engine is cold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAZ Posted November 25, 2014 Report Share Posted November 25, 2014 snicker... Jus-A-CMax 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fbov Posted November 25, 2014 Report Share Posted November 25, 2014 Would simply turning off the climate control system accomplish the same thing?No, turning off the heat is a) more effective, but b) far more uncomfortable. I'm looking for a middle ground. Setting to 60F gets you some heat, about what the engine control system requires for the ICE anyway (that maddening ICE "normal operation" mode in the energy flow screen). More importantly, it doesn't reduce the ICE-on threshold when EV-ing, so you retain a degree of drivability that's lost otherwise. HAve fun,Frank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.