Why does it take our cars so long to warm up?

[Black1987Stang]

I can go a good 5 minutes of driving to fully get to 195 degrees, (195t-stat)(electric fan turned off too). But it takes my brother's 03 honda accord 2.3L like 3 minutes at an idle to fully warm up. What's up with that?? the engine's even half the size of ours .

 

[bloopbloob]

lower rpms & a lot more metal & fluids that need to heat up to operating temp perhaps?

 

[Mustang5L5]

My 2003 GT's engine warms up fast too. It can be 20 degrees out, by the time i'm two blocks away if i turn the heat on it will already start to blow warm air.


The 5.0's just been known to take a few to warm up

 

[90_Red_LX]

My setup now runs borderline needing a 160 t-stat in the hottest days of summer, and now with it being 30-40 degrees I can fire it up, drive around 8 miles to school, and the needle barely budge. Air still blows cold too.

 

[Mustang78]

same here, it takes 10min on a 70* day to warm up, but since it's about 30* at night lately, it can be a half hour of normal driving before the needle hits halfway.. it will blow semi-warm after about 5-10min though, i dont care much for heat because i always have the window down

 

[v8only]

I suspect maybe it's the cast iron block.

engines with aluminum heat up and cool down much much faster.

 

[2Tone5.0]

i would say the cast iron has somthin to do with it also over the aluminum block..

 

[rd]

A 5.0 engine is not highly loaded in normal driving, and they take a few miles to warm up.

My 79 works best with a 190 tsat in winter and a 160 in summer. I don't always change every season, but I did go most of one winter in SC with marginal heat. The new tstat fixed it.

 

[PUNISHER RACING]

that Accord has a rad the size of a Saltine for Gods sake

 

[Shakerhood]

Newer Cars are ment to warm up faster because of Emissions, I was reading about some newer VWs that keep the Coolant warm for 3 Days after you shut the car off so that it can warm up right away.