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+--- Thread: Twofold questions: Short drives and Long Drives (/showthread.php?tid=7578)
Twofold questions: Short drives and Long Drives - Feersty - 08-22-2008
So this morning with it about 80 degrees I wanted to move my car 25 feet. It hadn't been used in more than a day. Is it bad to only drive a short time in the summer and then turn it off before the needle is in the middle of L and H. I seem to remember Chris talking about it. Like it is better to have a longer commute with highway driving because then it allows the car to warm up before you turn it off. To try and let it warm up I drove it around my neighborhood, but only got up to 30 mph. The needle only rose a little bit.
As you know I am moving to San Antonio, and will drive there. It is ~1600 miles. I am about 1300 miles from an oil change, so I know I should get that done. Is there anything else I should do? I just put on my more sturdy all season tires that sat in my storage room from March 8 to last Monday, do I need a balance and alignment after putting them on? TIA
Re: Twofold questions: Short drives and Long Drives - .RJ - 08-22-2008
Feersty Wrote:So this morning with it about 80 degrees I wanted to move my car 25 feet. It hadn't been used in more than a day. Is it bad to only drive a short time in the summer and then turn it off before the needle is in the middle of L and H.
The only danger of doing this, is doing it repeatedly over long periods of time. By not letting the engine warm up fully the oil doesnt work as well, and moisture/condensation doesnt burn off of the exhaust and crankcase. Once in a while is nothing to worry about, and 10 minutes of driving is enough time to get everything warm enough.
For the long trip, make sure your spare tire is inflated, the jack works, and the lugnuts arent torqued to 300 ft-lbs. Wouldnt hurt to bring a few tools and a first aid kit too.
- Apoc - 08-22-2008
I don't like starting vehicles, any vehicles, without giving them a chance to warm up. It has a tendency to foul the plugs and depending on how quick the oil gets moving around, can lead to unnecessary wear.
Do the maintenance now and get an alignment on the wheels. I'd suggest having someone look over your car before the drive if you're not comfortable doing it yourself. I know a lot of people won't bother but that's a long way to go and a half day spent trying to avoid any issues is worth it IMO.
I'd add a flashlight to the list of things to bring.
- Mike - 08-22-2008
an alignment after putting on new wheels? :?:
- .RJ - 08-22-2008
Mike Wrote:an alignment after putting on new wheels? :?:
If the alignment is off, 1600 miles is plenty long enough to shred the tire to the cord and cause a blowout. Doesnt hurt to have it checked.
- WRXtranceformed - 08-23-2008
You have to get your car realigned when you change wheel size or change the ride height of your car.....
- Evan - 08-23-2008
no, you get an alignment when you change the suspension ride height, as you are moving the suspension and changing the angles. bigger/smaller wheels or fatter/thinner tires do not change your alignment.
- balactm - 08-23-2008
alignment has to do with camber, toe, and caster. not the size of wheels or tires. It's the angles that you change with the suspension. wheels and tires can be balanced, not aligned. do a google search and find out for yourselves. so, if your suspension was aligned before you swapped the tires then don't waste your money on another alignment.
evan was right. kudos to you evan.
- WRXtranceformed - 08-23-2008
Huh, that's new to me. I've always gotten an alignment after a wheel size change just to make sure my brand new tires don't get worn out too quickly. Peace of mind I guess. Plus, both times I've done it my car has legitimately needed an alignment.
- Ginger - 08-23-2008
Isn't it annual, or bi-annual, anyways? If it's been a while it probably needed done, regardless.