RE: PH Blog: The curiosities of cold-start driving

[heightswitch]

First thing in the morning when I get up i am generally stiff! My shoulders ache, I cough a bit and generally fart. My eyes are a bit jammy until I have thrown some water on my face. I start to wake up a little after a cup of coffee and a slice of toast, Takes me about 30 mins !! After I have cleaned my teeth I am generally in a position where I can start to be understood legibly...i then set off to work !!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSsM134jSCI&fea...

N.

Edited by heightswitch on Monday 2nd April 17:20

[enroz]

My old Clio 182 Cup would fight me, refusing to let me have revs until it was warm, then it would spring to life like..a spring.

I think it was the Renault boffins making sure you didn't ruin the engine through over revving when cold, which was frustrating but sensible.

[quavey]

My 300zx can be a bit of a pain from cold. Engine starts wonderfully, infact theres nothing actally wrong with it its just awkward to drive from cold. The gearbox in particular, a change as smooth as silk once its warm but what a pig when its cold. Coupled with a high idle makes driving through any traffic with a cold car a chore.

As mentioned though, 10 minutes or so into the journy and its transformed!

Amazing how the personality of a car can change so dramatically, the first 300zx I had was an automatic before I had to converted, oh good god it was a pain. I used to use it for work on occasion, if it was a cold day I could have got to the blackpool end of the M55 from the office on preston new road with a stone cold car, getting that to join the motorway and actually change into 4th/overdrive was a mission. 50mph in the inside lane praying change up you dam thing!

[martyspain]

Another shout for the E46 M3 being grumpy from cold. The gearbox on my old one was extremely reluctant to engage 2nd when cold, and the car was so unwilling to move smoothly from rest that I always drove it very carefully until the oil temp gauge shifted well off the stop. Great car, but required at least 20 mins of kid gloves driving to warm it through properly.

[Gez79]

My BMW 130i seems to have a different throttle map for the first mile or 2 and definitely has less power and more reluctant to rev. Seems that other owners have the same experience so I assume it's a feature rather than a fault.

[shawn 968cs]

My last 5 series was like this, I put it down to continental tyres needed to warm up.
Also glad to here I am not alone with my porsche's second gear when cold

[DB89]

My FN2 Type R does not like moving from cold. Gearbox is notchy and does not like to rev much. You also have to very quickly prod the throttle to 50% to avoid looking like you have not clutch control.

[edinph]

I have an Alfa Mito which usually sounds, and feels, as if it's running on three cylinders for the first ten/fifteen minutes of a cold start morning! Not EVERY morning, but pretty often. Go figure.

[M666 EVO]

Bohally said:

The wife.

Ha ha ha brilliant...

My Delta used to take miles to warm up, it would stall, cut out, bang pop and just generally be a real pain. Then one day, it was fine and since then it hasn't put a foot wrong.

I don't have a clue what it was, strange.

[georgetuk]

My Citroen C2 VTR with Sensodrive semi-automatic was truely woeful when you first started out and about 10 minutes in with with oil warmed up (?), it was great!

OK slowish gear change but handled great!

[tommy vercetti]

Bohally said:

The wife.

lol

[PhillipM]

Cheap damper oil ftw.

[davey68]

None of the honda's i've had ever gave me cold start problems, Ep3/FN2 type r's or my current S2k. They rev a bit high on initial start up as if on alot of choke but no problems at all. Always had to nurse my TVR 4.3 V8 though, it was quite grumpy when cold/wet.

[phil1987]

My Audi S3 just won't change from 1st to 2nd or 2nd to 3rd without clunking and half bunny hoping the car for the first 5-10 minutes of every journey - I swear the best clutch control in the world would not be enough to get a smooth change...

But i do much prefer the exhaust note when the engine is cold - much more throaty

[AndyBrew]

Our Clio 197 Sport was a bloody liability in the morning it would suddenly lose all power and refuse to rev for the first few minutes, or kangaroo down the road in a comical fashion!

Renault said that's how they are!!!

[Paul v8]

On my monaro any many others get whine from belt for 1st few mins until warmed up

[ArosaMike]

Boonster said:

I know what you mean as my XF does the same. My view is that it is the runflats, as I had similar experience on previous BMW's. The colder the weather the more pronounced which supports a lower tyre pressure theory.

No Jag has run flats from the factory....

[Swervin_Mervin]

NBRS2K said:

Our Renaultsport Clio 200 (20th Ed) is unbelievably grumpy when cold - grumbling, farting and refusing to rev much over 2400rpm until warm through. I'm reliably informed that this is absolutely normal...that and the fact that it is an absolute peach once warm!

I wonder if its an ECU mapping issue? Or the relatively wild cam?

For the record, my S2000 (even more highly stressed N/A, 2 litre, 4cyl) has no such problems and is smooth as silk at any temperature...

Interesting

Apparently the very early 197s, which have a slightly higher CO2 banding, don't have this cold start trouble. My later 197 does though. Total swine for the few couple of minutes, then it seems to smooth out. Even then it doesn't give sharp throttle or revs until it switches fully to the warm map.

[bagseye]

yep, my renaultsport twingo refuses to give you everything until it is warm.

but apparently its programmed into the ECU for protection

[jl34]

christ if this is the most inspiring article harris can come up with i think they should hire me!