"I wait for my oil temp to reach XXX before going full throttle...."
 

I've seen a number of people post this with various numbers... any rhyme or reason to look for a specific number?

That's basically saying wait till the engine warms up before stomping on the gas. That's common sense. When the oil temp is above 200 degrees the engine is probably warmed up.

I like to baby my coupe... I'll pull out of my parking spot at 100 degrees oil temp.. then won't open it up until I get at least a few minutes of easy driving.... The OAT around SoCal right now is about 70 degrees though... so I'm probably just wasting gas...


I think my real issue is the clutch fluid... it seems like my vette it easier to shift when the clutch fluid gets nice and warm..

I've seen 165, 180, and now 200 as good temps.

It takes me probably 10-15 minutes of normal driving to reach 165, and quite a while to reach 200.

If I had to wait for my oil temp to get up to 165 before going WOT on my Z06, I might as well have gotten the V6 with the two barrel carb engine option as I would never be able to use anymore than 150 HP unless it's August and the ambient temp is 95 degrees.

I'm talking LS3 if it matters.

I personally do 160, but I have heard the c5/c6R teams go balls out beginning at 120 F.

I always laugh when I see people starting their cars cold and within 30 seconds are at WOT shooting down the block. I can wait the extra few minutes for the oil to reach a proper level of viscosity before going WOT. I run my cars very hard when I'm racing, but I baby them up until that moment.

i stomp on it as soon as i start it to get it to warm up quicker, then once it's warm they say it's ok to stomp on it.... :crazy:

:rock: There you go.

I don't do WOT, but if I get on it a bit, I wait for at least 185 or so.

Why laugh, do you think they are doing major harm to their engine??!!! Not at all. I worked major highway construction going to college. Hell man, it was fire up those babies and get moving. No time to sit around and wait for temps. In 4 years I newer saw an engine blow.
But I do know of one story or perhaps a wives tale that involved the LT5 engine in C4 ZR-1's:...the story goes that someone in Bowling Green was assigned the task of moving cars around the lot after they were built. Apparently one very frigid morning this lady fires up an LT5 and immediately floors it.....poof, up it goes. Keep in mind that an LT5 has an enormous amount of moving parts including those 4 cams and two timing chains, etc. Still in all, that is the only case I have ever heard of an engine blowing because it was cold!
And yes, most Corvette owners baby their cars and do warm them up....I guess I just do it to any car out of 55 years of habit!

I baby it until 100, then drive normal until 130 or so then I just do whatever

I usually wait for at least 150-160, sometimes even 180 but I'm centri Supercharged if that means anything for you.

I just did a thread on this not long ago:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...ic-number.html

Lets not forget that they will rebuild their engines seasonally if not more often. Most corvette drivers are looking long term engine health.

I think you can warm it up while you drive it but I let mine warm up to around 100 or higher because that's what I am comfortable doing. GREG CARROLL of Carroll Supercharging in NEW JERSEY, and later BLOWERWORKS, of some years back told me 180 and that just stuck in my head for some reason.

Sometimes I can not resist and go WOT before it is properly warmed up.

WOT between 120F to 140F. :steering:

150ish and I used to do this on my blower Vette and it performed perfectly while I had her:rock:

I don't ever go WOT. I won't take the rpm's past 2500 until it is at operating temp 185 - 200.

There was another post where someone said it takes 15 - 20 minutes of normal driving to reach 165. You must be talking when the air temp is -20. It only takes me about 5 minutes just putting through the burbs and she is ready to go.