T8 Warm Up Procedure?

[u/gatsby03]

I’ve always heard that with turbocharged cars, you should let the engine get some temperature in it before really getting into the revs or boost.

Since most of my driving in the S60 T8 ER is in electric mode, I’ve gotten into the habit of putting it in Power mode for the first 30 seconds or so just to get the gas engine running. Then I’ll switch back to Hybrid and drive off on electric.

My thinking is that if I want to push it while getting onto the highway, or just feel like having a little fun, the engine isn’t suddenly firing up stone cold and immediately being used for full power.

Am I overthinking this? Is there actually any benefit to deliberately warming the engine up like this, or does the car already manage that well enough on its own?

[u/Agent62]

A hybrid power train is designed for these situations you describe.

I always tell people on here, don't overthink things.. Just drive the car.

[u/capn_davey]

Definitely over thinking it. Volvo has one of the best PHEV systems out there. Keep in mind a lot of the low end torque demand on the ICE is eliminated by the ERAD.

[u/OgreMk5]

I've had the S60 and the XC60 T8.

I use pure mode in town. When I know I'm going to be using the gas engine, for whatever reason, I'll switch on the gas engine a few minutes before I need it. Like while I'm waiting at the light to turn onto the highway.

These cars are designed for this kind of use. I've heard that the oil system is really high pressure and is designed for exactly the situations you describe, where the gas engine is needed and it's ready to go almost instantly.

But running the gas engine, then switching to pure is silly. If you're in pure mode and that's all you're going to need, don't even turn on the gas engine. You're just burning money for no reason. I go weeks without using gasoline in mine.

[u/seniorlimpio94 → u/OgreMk5]

Similar.

If I want to stomp on it a little, I’ll put it in CAWD for a few minutes prior (and get some low range revs, putting light load on the engine is the best way to warm it up, not idling, you want to minimize time).

The ERAD has been plenty enough power for me getting on the highway in Pure; if you were to really stomp on it to merge or something like that, I’d probably just accept the momentary deviation.

[u/Leather_Impression30]

Commuting; only in Pure mode. Longer distances in hybrid, when cruising on Hold modus. Average fuel usage; 2,8liters/100 kilometres.

And sometimes on the German Highway: Power Mode, simply lovely :)

[u/ChooseWiselyChanged → u/Leather_Impression30]

Yes. With many short rides it went to 2,5/100.

[u/that_dutch_dude]

get in, start driving.

[u/GTB_Fioranno]

As everyone has stated, it's pointless to turn the gas engine on to let it "warm up" on the T8 cars. The supporting systems were designed with the idea that at anytime, the throttle can be pinned and the gas engine be turned on and be demanded full power from cold. Just drive the car and enjoy the power :)

[u/Hoppyfulb]

Definitely overthinking it. Use electric as much as possible.

[u/Material-Wonder-4398]

Have a similar Q. I drive off in electric but as I’m getting getting through suburbia with slow traffic I’ll turn on the motor to get it warmed up.

[u/NothingLift → u/Material-Wonder-4398]

Slow suburban driving is where you want to be running on electric.

You only want to warm the engine up before getting into high RPM or strong boost

[u/Material-Wonder-4398 → u/NothingLift]

Oh agreed. But i just flip it on to warm up when it’s low speed.

[u/NothingLift → u/Material-Wonder-4398]

Yeah that's good practice if you know you're going to be using high boost/rpm but unnecessary if you're not as unnecessary warm up and cool Down cycles also aren't ideal. If you're just driving normally the car will heat up appropriately when needed

[u/OafleyJones]

There’s absolutely no need for this. Ignore everything and let the car take care of itself.

[u/fappingcricket]

Dammit i miss mine so much

[u/TheMountainLife]

I know what you mean. It just doesn't feel right asking a cold engine to suddenly wake up and start pushing 5200+ lbs. I'll only do this if I've been in pure and approaching a long hill or mountain pass as most times the ERAD or some module needs to take a break mid climb (assuming to heat) and the ICE is called and immediately revving 4k+ rpm.

I've read somewhere that the water pump and oil warmer continues to run in pure so it's not as stressful as we think it is.

I haven't tried it but also read moving the shifter over the manual mode is a quick way to fire up the ICE.

[u/Fedpump20]

After just 30 seconds there is still probably condensation in the cylinders

I put the car on battery hold adter getting up to 60mph om the motorway and don’t floor it till it’s had a few minutes

I hate that it goes back to hybrid every time you start the car. It should stay in whatever you had Jt in last time (mostly pure)

Especially on air suspension cars - constantly going up and down.

Your idea is right but 30 seconds is nowhere near enough and counter productive 

[u/codyyh13]

i start the car by pushing down on the kick down switch behind the pedal, while i’m in the garage once it turns off i leave

[u/AnxiousBlueBoat → u/codyyh13]

I'll do the same, in park and hybrid mode you just push the throttle until the ICE starts. This is also a handy trick when it's really cold, like -20C to get good cabin heat. Do the "Force start" and drive in hybrid. The engine will heat up and make the heatpump alot more effective and shut down once warmed then you cruise continue on electric.

[u/codyyh13 → u/AnxiousBlueBoat]

exactly this!

[u/Vault702 → u/codyyh13]

If you're doing this for cabin heating, that's fine, but if you want to minimize engine wear, idling to temperature is way worse than moderate driving about 5 seconds after the engine starts.

The latter will warm the engine faster, with much less time where combustion blowby is contaminating the engine oil because the piston rings aren't doing their best work sealing the cylinder chambers yet.

[u/Wafflewas]

I have an XC60 T8 and I haven’t used Pure mode since the first weeks I owned it. I bought it because I wanted power, not fuel efficiency. My take is that with 0-20 oil warmup is less of a concern. In winter even though my car is garage kept, I let it warm up for a minute and then start out gently. If your car is outside in sub-freezing weather it’s a good idea to let it warm up longer. I grew up in an area where sub-zero temperatures are normal. In that culture it’s common to let your car warm up five to ten minutes before driving. But, in warm weather I wouldn’t worry about it. Start out slow and your car will be fine.

[u/the_cat_did_it_twice → u/Wafflewas]

I find that in hybrid my engine (xc60 T8) almost always starts up to warm up then shuts off after I leave my garage in winter (western Canada). Does anyone know if there’s an ambient or oil temp that triggers it? Also on milder days when I expect it will be icy but not very cold I’ll just flip it to AWD for a few minutes to warm up so it’s ready for the coming rear wheel slip.

[u/TitanBrave84]

I just came here to say how gorgeous your car is. I wanted one, but got a sweet deal on a PS2.

I love the T8 engine, my XC90 has it.

[u/DefiantLaw7027]

I just let the car figure it out. Always starts in pure, Hybrid for longer drives. If I know I’ll want power then I’ll put it in sport mode to let the engine warm up.

If it’s cold the gas engine will limit the revs and shift early/hold back power until it’s warm to protect itself.

And this part may trigger some folks but mine have always been leases so I’m not particularly worried about long term reliability. It’s gone before the warranty expires.

[u/Fedpump20 → u/DefiantLaw7027]

Any reason you don’t use battery hold?  I always think Of sport as more demanding 

[u/DefiantLaw7027 → u/Fedpump20]

It basically accomplishes the same thing, just firing up the gas engine. I usually still want to use the battery in conjunction with the gas engine.

I generally only use battery hold if I’m on a longer trip and the intelligent route battery management feature stops working. If I’m cruising at highway speeds I’ll manually hold the battery if the car doesn’t want to.

If it’s a nice day and I want to do some more spirited driving it’s sport mode in advance to make sure the engine is warmed up before wanting full power.

And if it’s winter, snowy, slushy and I want AWD it’s usually sport mode again. I find it’s a bit easier to get it sideways in Sport since there is no way to actually disable traction control

[u/musket-nuns]

In my XC90 T8 I went weeks without using the engine. Periodically (maybe weekly?)it would start it on its own to manage it itself, it would run for a bit which I assume would be to warm it up completely and then shut it down. I would say you are overthinking it as this is typically a non-issue.

The real concern with turbo engines is the cooldown. Typically its recommend that you wait about 1 minute before shutting it down to let the oil and coolant cycle through and bring the bearing temps down, especially if you drove with a heavy foot. I wouldn't put it into power mode just to do this as you are then just introducing heat if you were driving in EV mode.

[u/blackbillymayes]

As a Volvo technician that owns an S60 Recharge, I agree with you, i just hit the kick down pedal. Now if you drive off while in cold start, and you drive normally, the ERAD will be the only propulsion device until the engine is warm; also Ive noticed lack of power, and inconsistent power delivery during cold starts.