[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by driving_smartly

Is it Advisable to keep engine Idle till the temperature guage shows that engine has warmed up. I did this recently before my visit to my native place, the ride was smooth throughout. Filled the tank full, then did 363 kms (Return) with almost 60% AC. My Santro took 19.27 litres cutoff at petrol bunk. An average of 18.84 kms per litre with 4 passengers and luggage. Speed was maintained between 80-100.

No, the engine will take longer to warm up this way and why waste so much fuel when the engine can be warmed at move. Just take care not revv the engine hard before to avoid damage.

[aa_asif]

Yes! I do experience the same here.
Supporting to GTO's qoute, Irrespective of the climate, I believe this is the reason why late night (cooler environment) drives always give you more fun as the engine performance is way different compared to a mid-day city traffic drive.

[driving_smartly]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

No, the engine will take longer to warm up this way and why waste so much fuel when the engine can be warmed at move. Just take care not revv the engine hard before to avoid damage.

Thank you.
Yes, Anshuman i normally do follow the traditional method of warming the engine at the move without revving it high. This time just tried to experiment with something different but hence forth will stick to normal method only.

[musicmanaman]

Yes, the engine feels better and the FE too goes up in winters, the engine note too is smoother, and in anycase my Amby is anyways a hothead, does not like summers and loves winters, comes to it's prime in winters, maybe the cool weather turns him on.

[Gansan]

With a nip in the air, the performance is definitely better, even in Chennai winter (!). The difference is even more apparent in my bike as the engine is air cooled.

[goandude]

My Dzire VDI has showed much more peppiness when temp goes <15 degrees celcius. I can monitor this due to the inbuilt OAT readout. Yes the air intake gets colder denser air, but, more importantly the intercooler cools this air more efficiently.

[khoj]

Originally Posted by goandude

My Dzire VDI has showed much more peppiness when temp goes <15 degrees celcius. I can monitor this due to the inbuilt OAT readout. Yes the air intake gets colder denser air, but, more importantly the intercooler cools this air more efficiently.

Hey goandude,
this 'inbuilt' OAT is it an OE fitment or an aftermarket one? I have a swift zxi but except for the analog engine temp gauge there is no other readout. Am I missing something here?

[Maverick79]

Very nice insight started.

I too feel the smoothness of the engine. Also, there is an increase in the F.E too from 17.6 to 18.8 in the same route, same timing and same road and traffic conditions, since the winter started. (Though it started lately here in Pune). I just crank my Carb engine and leave it for 30 secs, while setting my seat belt, Laptop back and selecting the song and then start moving..

[TurboGuru]

Originally Posted by praful

Pardon me for the noob physics doubt!

But denser air also means more drag right?

So shouldn't there be any difference on performance and efficiency as the body of the car has to work harder to overcome wind resistance?

Dense air do offer more drag to the vehicle. But this Drag force becomes noticable once you are ticking 100+ Km/hr.

[indianv2]

Mods, I am not sure if I qualify for this section, but I felt I could share my experience here. Since the thread is about engines and winter, I feel I could share space considering my recent trials with my car.

On an average, my Alto with CNG has returned an average of 18 Km/Kg of CNG. This is with respect to the time I commute in Mumbai to and from office.

First, a little bit of history: While topping up the fluids in my car a few weeks back, I ended up doing a few good things:

1. While cleaning the air filter and the attached hoses, I found that the air intake had been shut by half with insulating tape. I researched a bit and found that it is normally done by some CNG installers/tuners to ensure a smoother idle RPM.

2. I opened the throttle body and cleaned the butterfly valve inside with a cloth. Overall, it had years of grime. The result was a shiny inner surface.

All the good work and then came the shock! On starting the car, the engine just died down. Initially, I felt that the ECU would learn from breathing the new clean air but it was not to be. Switched to petrol and went to a local tuner and got the issue fixed From my experience, this guy is good when it comes to tuning CNG vehicles. My mechanic introduced him to me. He fixed the idling settings on the CNG reducer and it was all bliss.

Now for the facts:

Since the whole throttle body cleaning, air filter breathing hose cleanup, and a short tuning exercise, my average has shot up to 24!! Okay, I forgot to add the winter part... I did not believe it initially. It has been approaching that number consistently over the past fortnight.

I am not sure if the DIY's helped my cause or is it winter or just a magical combination of both.

Regards,

Indian V2

[Concorde]

The cars are happier around this time of the year. Engines are at their peak. I managed 5000 rpm on my punto diesel last week. Clocked 100 in the 3rd! The difference was that the car didn't protest as much and was less vocal too. Even after over a year of driving the punto, I still wish the gearing was better. I feel the difference in performance is more prominent in diesels. So take your cars out and try a 0-100 run at night. Too much fun!

[Hammy]

Originally Posted by anilisanil

though there is increase in mileage in my TDCi, I did observe that it sounds like a tractor in winters, it does take quite sometime to calm down (one of the rare ocassions when things calm down after something heats up!!)

I did not feel any major change in throttle response though!!

Grrr my TDCi completed its 2nd Birthday this Dec 19th and I belt it 50kms everyday to work minus the weekends. Thanks to the denser air and extreme winters in Bangalore its performing like never before. The engine feels smooth like rolling butter on a hot pan once its upto its optimum temperature. No tractor like noises from my hood though .
Please do check if all your under hood oils are all upto the mark

[Rohit Tripathi]

I have not felt much difference in the esteem MPFI which I drive (I am guessing the ECU adjusts accordingly)
but when we drove from Hyd to Pune in my Dad's indica I could feel a kick in the engine. We were driving in the afternoon and the engine felt rough in the heat when we started again at 1900 within 15 mins I could feel that the car was responding better.
This was specially because I had been driving for last 6-7 hrs and you are very tuned to the car's responses after continuously driving the car.

[blackfire_9]

The engine definitely feels smoother & peppier this time of the year, however, early mornings are not so good. It is only after the engine warms up a bit that the chirpyness/sharpness kicks in.

[Utopian]

No doubt, engine feels smoother and rev-happy but only after the engine temp reaches the working temp range.
In my carb Zen, the same is an uphill task in the morning. In extremely chilly weather, one has to ensure a lot of throttle for a min or two to ensure that the engine does not die. :(