In my opinion, If you idle for a couple of minutes, and drive calmly for a bit, the Mobil 1 full synthetic oil is giving you all the protection you need. You are not on the track-for normal driving a s=few minutes warmup and a bit of initial calm driving should be perfectly fine............................

 

i guess damned either way,, cant let idle to warm up and cant do this and cant do that.. :-/

 

What is the consensus on harm of repetitive heat cycles for short durations? Example: using the car as a daily driver on a 15 minute commute where it is only "just" up to operating temp when it is shut down. Only to do the same thing 10 hours later for the trip home. Day after day after day...

 

That, to me, is borderline. I avoid driving it shorter trips than those.

 

Folks you don't idle an engine to warm up because it warms up faster under load. The quicker it gets to full operating temperature the sooner it runs at its best i.e. efficiency, power, emissions, etc.

 

The following is straight out of the owner's manual:

When starting the engine, be ready to drive
immediately. Drive vehicle at moderate
speeds and avoid engine speeds above
4,200 rpm during the first 5 minutes.

Do not let the engine idle to warm up.

 

Here is what the owner's manual states...
*****
Starting the engine
- Turn ignition key to ignition lock position 2.
- As soon as the engine starts, release the ignition key.
The first operation of the starter is ended automatically when the engine starts.
If the engine does not start, subsequent starter operations will not be ended automatically.
If the engine fails to start after 10 or 15 seconds of cranking:
- Wait about 10 seconds before engaging the starter again.
- When starting the engine, be ready to drive immediately.
- Drive vehicle at moderate speeds and avoid engine speeds above 4,200 rpm during the first 5 minutes.
- Do not let the engine idle to warm up.
*****
The part that I am puzzled by is..."When starting the engine, be ready to drive immediately." This is a bullet point under the "If the engine fails to start after 10 or 15 seconds of cranking:"
My question is, does the start and drive immediately only applies to the car starting after failed attempt(s)? I have been letting my 997.2 GTS warm up for 1 min before taking it out of P.

 

Don't let the publication formatting confuse you. Start and drive, no reason to warm up at idle especially in Texas. Just keep rpms below 4,000 until oil temp comes up.

 

I've noticed that when my car first starts up, the idle is slightly higher (1100)….. Then drops to 900 after 45 sec or so. Is that the norm?

 

Normal.

 

I usually wait about a minute after start up for the idle to drop to around 900 rpm. Then I shift around 3500-4200 rpms until oil temp is up around 200-225F (10 to 15 minutes depending on ambient temperature).

I don't use the water temp gauge as that is not really accurate. It has three settings: cold, normal, oh sh*t!

 

Start it up, let it idle 5, 15, 30, 45 seconds while you are fildling around, then - as said above - keep it below 3500 RPM until the oil temp is above 160 or so. I've got scads of miles on mine and it still loses less than 1/2 quart in 4000 miles.

 

Glad this thrread popped up today. I picked up my 911 last week and was unsure how long would be advisable to let the car warm up, if at all. I am typically very impatient and want to start it up and go, but with an aluminum block engine I've been told this isn't a good thing. I usually let it idle for about 15sec in temps above 45 degrees before driving off and avoid revving it out until it's up to temp, so I guess I've been doing it right all along?

Slightly related to this topic; do these engines have Nikasil lining in the cylinders?

 

I always idle & wait for revs to drop after a cold start before taking off, this takes about 90 seconds. Then I keep it under 3000 rpm until oil temp hits operating temperature. Then i drive it like I stole it. I was told every time you drive you should take the engine to 7000 rpm at least once. The engines need this other wise you get stuck lifters.

 

My routine is to wait a few seconds after starting to let the oil start circulating. My fast idle/air injector cuts out after a minute or so. I live in Miami, so my oil gets almost up to temperature in about five minutes. Until then, I take it easy, which to me means no hard pulls.

One of the big reasons that operating temp is so important is for the catalytic converters to work properly. That's not directly related to oil temp. On the other hand, the oil temp needs to come up to get the oil to run the Variocams properly, as well as burn off any water that's condensed in the sump. At least that's my understanding of how it works.