"Short Trips"

[rraayy3]

I was wondering what constitutes a "short trip" when driving. My commute is approximately 10 minutes to work - and I actually drive around town to warm up the engine up before hitting the highway. I rarely top 2K RPM unless accelerating onto the highway/ramp - sometimes I'll have fun on Sport mode, but only after the engine's been operating for awhile.

Even going the long way, my commute is 15-20 minutes at the most. A blessing, but not so much for my car - anyways ... is there a cut off time for short vs long trips?

I warm my car up before getting on highways and let it "cool down" for 15-30 seconds before shutting off. I'm about to go on 7+ hours of driving over the holiday weekend, just wondering if there's other steps I can take during my week since most of my driving constitutes short trips. I had my first oil change @ 5200 K miles. I guess just keep running full synthetic oil and keeping up with MM is best I can do?

I do a lot of walking around town for several reasons: avoid 1-2 minute drives with my car and also sneak in some exercise when I don't have time otherwise.

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[hobby-man]

I would say a "short drive" is when everything doesn't get the change to hit operating temperature, nothing to do with the actual time it takes. Doing the same 5 minute drive in -30 C weather and 25 C weather would be vastly different.

 

[Schmullis]

I was wondering what constitutes a "short trip" when driving. My commute is approximately 10 minutes to work - and I actually drive around town to warm up the engine up before hitting the highway. I rarely top 2K RPM unless accelerating onto the highway/ramp - sometimes I'll have fun on Sport mode, but only after the engine's been operating for awhile.

Even going the long way, my commute is 15-20 minutes at the most. A blessing, but not so much for my car - anyways ... is there a cut off time for short vs long trips?

I warm my car up before getting on highways and let it "cool down" for 15-30 seconds before shutting off. I'm about to go on 7+ hours of driving over the holiday weekend, just wondering if there's other steps I can take during my week since most of my driving constitutes short trips. I had my first oil change @ 5200 K miles. I guess just keep running full synthetic oil and keeping up with MM is best I can do?

I do a lot of walking around town for several reasons: avoid 1-2 minute drives with my car and also sneak in some exercise when I don't have time otherwise.

I wouldn't worry about it. New cars are pretty resilient. Just don't push it when it's cold. Every now and then, take it out on the highway for 10 minutes or so. Just check your oil once in a while to ensure you're not using any and check your tire air pressure once per month. You should be good to go.

 

[tsupersonic]

Don't worry - 7 hour trip should be fine. You don't need to hit optimal temperature just to get on the highway. If you think your commute is short, I have a commute that is <2 miles one way (all city), and my car has been fine for the 1.5+ years I have owned it.

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