how strict is operating temperature?

[VR1]

Hey everyone,

Dumb question. I wait till the needle hits 210F before taking her above 3k, but sometimes (especially in winter months), the car sits at 190-200F and won’t hit 210F. Is it fine to start pushing her at this range or not?

Thanks!

[Ximian]

That's fine. You can use the lights on the tachometer for the suggested RPM limits. It's quite high even at low temperatures.

[Helmsman]

I'd personally never went by the tachometer, far too generous for an OCD.... As you say it "never" comes up all the way to 100/210, but after the temp has been just below mid for a while I consider everything warmed up to proper operating temp.
Ths oil itself probably does its job already at 80-85C but I want to make sure the engine/various metal dimensions have stabilized.

[nycplumber]

10w60 oil flows efficiently at 80C or 176F

[VtecforV8]

I'd always heard that you should wait until the "clock" icon appears on the oil level dashboard display (except after a restart when the clock icon seems to appear much earlier). In my experience, the tach is fully up by then and the temp is usually 190-plus. My rod bearings looked pretty good at 65k and (unsurprisingly) no issues in the 10k since.

[Ajolives]

I keep it under 3k until the temp gauge starts moving. Once it’s passed the first tick mark I’ll go up to like 4 or 5k but never really pushing it persay. I never go WOT until it’s close to operating temp - which varies from car to car if you dig around these forums.

In my experience, for the first couple of years my car never passed 210F ever and would chill at 190-200 in the summer and 170 in the ‘winter’ (FL). I replaced the water pump and thermostat and it’s always 210 now. If you’re concerned about operating temps maybe the cooling system needs a refresh.