What is the lowest temperature when cars can still run properly?
I am considering on UK context only - so assume no winter tyres, no special features on car to specifically tackle low temperature.
If components starts to fail, what will be first sign of failure?
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Reckon minus 30, maybe even minus 50 for a petrol subject to battery acid and coolant. A diesel would have issues with fuel waxing before it got that low.
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See Top Gear and polar journey.
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Type "cold start" into youTube for some wince inducing examples from some of the US states and Canada.
Subaru WRX starting from cold at -28°C for example.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=q05dnoJ7SQA
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It was -30°C in Moscow when I was there in Feb 1992, and that didn't seem to stop the Ladas (although removing the wipers when parked was necessary otherwise they disappeared!). Ice Road Truckers are running diesel trucks at below -40°C - although they never seem to turn them off!
Edited by RichardW on 08/01/2010 at 19:29
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I am considering on UK context only -
forget it, it will never be cold enough here to consider it a problem
(all this talk of minus 20 is rubbish, its measured in well known and very localised cold spots - and few of them at that)
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dont buy your fuel from a has been two bit outfit movilogo
bad fuel has more to do with no start no go situations than anything else
even ive been bit this year by supporting my local dear fuel retailer that hasnt had the decency to clear its forecourt of a foot of slush
you can be sure who gets my business 100% this year rather than my 60% last year
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"forget it, it will never be cold enough here to consider it a problem"
Totally agree - My favourite statistic from the BBC is "Britain is colder than the South Pole"
One night in January in an isolated glen in the north of Scotland being colder than the South Pole at the height of its summer doesn't sound so suprising does it?
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On summer-grade diesel I don't think the temperature has to be all that low for the fuel to start to clog up. But with the appropriate fuel I don't think the temperature really matters very much, in principle.
A car in poor condition will certainly be much harder, or impossible to start, but that's a combination of poor maintenance or bad luck.
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