[K9GunSlinger]

Hey all,

I was at the gym and talking to one of my buddies with an 08 M5 and he was telling me about how it is still necessary to "warm up" our cars for like five minutes before driving it protect the oil sump or something. Can someone shed some light on this? I have a 17 M240 and I thought with new technology the way it is, warming up is no longer required.. I mean obviously don't be bouncing off red line as soon as you turn on the car but I've alwaysnjust driven it easy for the first 2-4 minutes before I drive normally. And again, it's not like I drive crazy I don't shift at redline I usually always shift between 3k-5.5k.

Any input would be appreciated!!

[snaketh]

Originally Posted by K9GunSlinger

Hey all,

I was at the gym and talking to one of my buddies with an 08 M5 and he was telling me about how it is still necessary to "warm up" our cars for like five minutes before driving it protect the oil sump or something. Can someone shed some light on this? I have a 17 M240 and I thought with new technology the way it is, warming up is no longer required.. I mean obviously don't be bouncing off red line as soon as you turn on the car but I've alwaysnjust driven it easy for the first 2-4 minutes before I drive normally. And again, it's not like I drive crazy I don't shift at redline I usually always shift between 3k-5.5k.

Any input would be appreciated!!

The way you describe what your buddy does is that he lets the car idle for 5 mins before driving. That's not a good way to 'warm up'. You should let the engine come up to temp before hitting it hard though. Usually that's around 10 minutes. I stay under 3k until 8-10mins has passed.

If you don't the engine will wear quicker.

[9t2hoo]

I asked a BMW tech this question a couple weeks ago. He said that modern BMWs get to operating temperature very rapidly. He defined that as 2-3 minutes of driving. To be on the safe side, I usually wait until I've driven for 5 minutes before I rev the engine past 3,500 RPMs.

[Ron Jeffries]

I believe the instructions for my 135is were to drive sensibly until the temp gauge came off the post. That usually took about a mile and a half except in quite cold weather.

[B58togo]

All things being equal, the B58 in your M240i will warm up much more quickly than the S85 V10 in your buddy's M5.

"BMW has also stressed temperature management in the B58, more so than in the N55. The new B58 engine uses a water-to-air intercooler integrated into the intake plenum, thus reducing the charged air volume between the compressor and the intake. This increases performance by maintaining more even temperatures inside the intake. BMW has also incorporated an engine-mounted encapsulation system, which allows the engine to retain much of its heat for up to 36 hours which helps to reduce emissions and wear and tear during start-up, especially in colder climates."

http://www.bmwblog.com/2016/01/04/bm...-best-engines/

[aerobod]

I have found that the B58 in the M240i is the fastest warming up engine in any car I have ever owned, based on the oil and water temperature read outs in the hidden OBC menus. Starting at an ambient temperature of 10°C, it only takes about 1.5km / 2 mins for the oil to reach 50°C, compared with about twice that in our Golf R or other cars I have previously owned. 100°C oil temp takes less than 6km / 10 mins of gentle driving. The water temperature also tracks only 5°C or so ahead of the oil temperature during warm up, a very tight difference compared with other cars I've had.

[K9GunSlinger]

Originally Posted by aerobod

I have found that the B58 in the M240i is the fastest warming up engine in any car I have ever owned, based on the oil and water temperature read outs in the hidden OBC menus. Starting at an ambient temperature of 10°C, it only takes about 1.5km / 2 mins for the oil to reach 50°C, compared with about twice that in our Golf R or other cars I have previously owned. 100°C oil temp takes less than 6km / 10 mins of gentle driving. The water temperature also tracks only 5°C or so ahead of the oil temperature during warm up, a very tight difference compared with other cars I've had.

What are the hidden OBC menus?! I would love to find out my oil temp. It shocks there isn't one stock that I can find!!

[CAMOETO]

If only BMW could come up with some doo-dad that they could stick on the dash board, and would show the engine oil temp. Oh wait, I know! They could call it the oil temperature gauge!

[K9GunSlinger]

Originally Posted by CAMOETO

If only BMW could come up with some doo-dad that they could stick on the dash board, and would show the engine oil temp. Oh wait, I know! They could call it the oil temperature gauge!

Yea I wish, My buddies 440i has one, really don't understand why ours does not.

[omera60]

When I do a cold start I wait at least 30 sec before I start moving and try to keep the revs below 2.5k . As you can see from the user manual BMW advises to set off quickly as this warms up all the components like the transmission etc together which helps with the fuel consumption as well as component wear. If you sit and wait your engines going to warm up but the transmission, brakes and all other components will remain cold. They advise the 30 sec so the engine will “wake up”, in this time you can also observe the rpm going down slowly to its idle value.

[3rdcoast228i]

You should let any car come down off of "high idle" before moving. As sated above, you will see the RPM come down and level off.

Allowing the coolant and oil come up to temp slowly is a good thing... Letting everything heat up and expand evenly is a good thing from a metallurgy standpoint... but realistically how much does it matter? Most of you won't keep your car past 50k miles and even fewer past 100k miles.

For me I'm pulling on to the highway soon as I leave home. Not much time to take it easy, so I tend to let the car warm up a few minutes and let the cab cool down.

[XutvJet]

Oil temp is the most critical thing you should be worried about when it comes to engine longevity. Pay absolutely no attention to coolant temp as coolant warms up much quicker. Oil takes much longer to warm up and needs to be at 180 degrees before romping on it. Per my Torque app, a stone N55 in 60 degree weather takes about 8-10 minutes of driving to get to 180 degrees. On a 40 degree day and a cold motor, you're looking at nearly 15 minutes. On a 20 degree day, it takes a LONG time. Last year I drove 12 miles, highway and city, and my oil temp didn't get above 170 degrees on a 20 degree day. If the motor is warm and/or it's summer, the oil will warm up rapidly.

Point is, if you want to go heavy throttle, the oil must be up to temp. Also, heavy throttle also includes going 1/2 throttle at low rpms (sub 2500rpms) and in a tall gear (4th and above). This is called heavy load and spools up the turbo quickly and is hell on the crank and rod bearings. The oil needs to be up to temp to create the most protective film strength.

As for when to start driving, start the engine and let it idle for 10 to 30 seconds (the longer idle for really cold days) and then start driving moderately.

[DailySleeper]

Originally Posted by CAMOETO

If only BMW could come up with some doo-dad that they could stick on the dash board, and would show the engine oil temp. Oh wait, I know! They could call it the oil temperature gauge!

Looks like they listened for 2018!

[CAMOETO]

Originally Posted by DailySleeper

Looks like they listened for 2018!

Nice! Too bad we can't code this in for 2017, and BMW thinks that the same exact instrumentation will suffice for a 114i and a m240i

[aaaaah]

Originally Posted by DailySleeper

Looks like they listened for 2018!

Even though this is at least something, I'd much prefer the temp gauge to be able to be switched out with the instant MPG.

[Dylan86]

Cold start, wait for RPM's to drop down, and go! Don't drive the car hard until at regular operating temp (90*C or higher) is met. Aside from that, the DME will protect against any damage potential, caused by driving the car hard when cold.. So I wouldn't worry too much about it, just don't let the car sit @ idle too long!

[doublevanosrc]

Originally Posted by DailySleeper

Looks like they listened for 2018!
Attachment 1699059

[Ron Jeffries]

Yes found the oil temp setting but I was beaten to the report by DailySleeper. My car was up to operating temp within a mile this morning, outside temperature was around 60. So it comes up pretty quickly.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Warm up not necessary ... You will notice if you have a tune (like the JB4) it wont activate until car reaches a certain temperature

[aerobod]

Originally Posted by K9GunSlinger

What are the hidden OBC menus?! I would love to find out my oil temp. It shocks there isn't one stock that I can find!!

This thread gives you the info on how to access the menus: http://www.2addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=984491

[XutvJet]

Originally Posted by Dylan86

Don't drive the car hard until at regular operating temp (90*C or higher) is met. Aside from that, the DME will protect against any damage potential, caused by driving the car hard when cold.

Yes, the DME is smart, but you really should hold off on beating on the car until the oil is warm. Based on my data from my $5 Torque app, coolant warms up TWICE as fast as oil on the N55. When you see 90*C (~200*F) on the coolant, your oil is only at around 130-140 degrees. That is not warm enough for oil provide it's protection. The oil chains change as the oil warms up, giving the oil it's protective film strength. Put excessive load on the motor when the oil isn't warm enough could potentially lead to hammering of the rods through oil film and into the bearings (i.e., a spun bearing). The DME isn't going to save you from this unless knock is occurring at that point. I've verified that the DME will allow for full boost at oil temps in the 150*F range. Yikes. People with tuned turbo BMWs should MOST definitely adhere to fully warming the oil before beating on the car as tunes significantly increase power in the low to mid rpm range. A very dangerous situation on cold oil.

[shark715]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

Oil temp is the most critical thing you should be worried about when it comes to engine longevity. Pay absolutely no attention to coolant temp as coolant warms up much quicker. Oil takes much longer to warm up and needs to be at 180 degrees before romping on it. Per my Torque app, a stone N55 in 60 degree weather takes about 8-10 minutes of driving to get to 180 degrees. On a 40 degree day and a cold motor, you're looking at nearly 15 minutes. On a 20 degree day, it takes a LONG time. Last year I drove 12 miles, highway and city, and my oil temp didn't get above 170 degrees on a 20 degree day. If the motor is warm and/or it's summer, the oil will warm up rapidly.

Point is, if you want to go heavy throttle, the oil must be up to temp. Also, heavy throttle also includes going 1/2 throttle at low rpms (sub 2500rpms) and in a tall gear (4th and above). This is called heavy load and spools up the turbo quickly and is hell on the crank and rod bearings. The oil needs to be up to temp to create the most protective film strength.

As for when to start driving, start the engine and let it idle for 10 to 30 seconds (the longer idle for really cold days) and then start driving moderately.

could not agree with you more, except I would use 200° instead of 180°. Well said.

And it’s just as important to note that part of the issue is that different engine components heat up at different rates. This means that different components may not fit together quite as well as the way your engine was designed until it reaches full operating temperature.