Optimizing MPG in the Winter

[DrumAce]

Hello friends,
I park my 22 ST in an insulated garage but I live in Canada so winter is cold. I use 91 octane fuel.
Questions:
1. The manual says the car is ready for driving as soon as you start the engine. Is that actually the case, or should I let the engine run for X minutes before I go?
2. If I have a stop for a few minutes in a cold weather, does it make more sense to turn the engine off (and then it cools down dramatically and might take more fuel the next time I start the engine), or to let it run while the car is parked (e.g., when picking up the kids from school, a typical few minutes stop)?
3. Does using a higher octane helps getting better MPG in cold weather?
4. Does slippery mode consumes more fuel than ECO?

Thank you

 

[BrooseDaMoose]

1. With todays engines, there really is no need to let it warm up. However, I am old school and always wait 15-20 seconds to let the oil cirrculate for a bit.
2. This depends on how long a "few minutes" actually is. I arrive at my daughters school at 2:00 and she gets out at 2:20. I shut off my vehicle while I'm waiting for her and start it as soon as I hear the dismissal bell ring.
3. Yes, my experience has been that I get better gas mileage when using 91 or 93. But, depending on the cost difference, it may not be worth it.
4. I don't believe Slippery Mode would consume a significant difference of fuel.

 

[2020FordRaptor]

It doesn’t matter how modern these engines are, always let the vehicle warm up for a couple seconds. Now, you don’t need to let it sit for a 5-10 minutes, but allowing a the oil get to all the parts instead of immediate metal on metal under load is a must.

 

[BrooseDaMoose]

It doesn’t matter how modern these engines are, always let the vehicle warm up for a couple seconds. Now, you don’t need to let it sit for a 5-10 minutes, but allowing a the oil get to all the parts instead of immediate metal on metal under load is a must.

My point is that, with modern engines, you don’t have to let it warm up like you did back in the day. I’m not sure you could start the vehicle, then put it in drive and start accelerating before the oil has flooded the engine. You’d have to be pretty quick. Todays oil is also different and clings to internals better so you don’t have metal to metal at start up. But yes, you should always wait a few seconds before taking off with any engine.


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