Work commute cut to just 1.5 miles... Should I be concerned with constant cold tranny?

[chorky]

Sounds like the first two posters should just buy a bike. Or walk. It will do you good. Get a nice full tumbler and hit the road.

I'm not really kidding. I don't know how old or fit you are, but just about anyone will benefit from a 15 minute walk twice a day. In the summer when it's hot, ride a bike so you don't sweat. In the winter, when riding a bike might be miserable, walk.

I know you aren't kidding and I agree. I can't any more - age and health, but I used to walk 4 miles in an hour.
And before I retired, the number of people that rode really nice bikes several miles to work was amazing. It's healthy, cheap, and more.
LOL - I used to work for a guy who did RAGBRAI every year. That's a ride across Iowa, river to river in the heat of summer, hills and all.
He'd load up his bike on his car, drive to the END of the route, park his car, then ride his bike east to west across Iowa and get there in time to start the official RAGBRAI ride - then he'd make the trip with the hundreds of other bikers and his car was waiting for him at the end.
(looking at him you'd swear he never got any exercise and 10 miles on a bike would kill him - but he did fine)

totally agree with these two. Although with winter temps, walking and biking is not an option. Too old and broken for that. I did walk last winter, and fell really bad half a dozen times. Haver a second brain surgery in august Im not risking that…. pretty sure the OP also has cold temps!

I hear there are other ways to warm up a tranny, if you’re into that kind of stuff. Seriously though, no one has mentioned that on a short trip like that, your exhaust won’t get hot enough to get rid of the water created by the combustion of the gasoline. Your muffler life will suffer too. Buying a beater to drive is not even economical thanks to our crazy economy. 5000$ doesn’t go very far in todays used car market. To me, that is a ridiculous amount of money for a beater. You may have answered your own question with your second sentence, if it weren’t for Mother Nature. Hop and skip! My suggestion is take the scenic route If you’re going to drive.

sometimes thats not super helpful Though. It depends on ones route. A scenic route for a 5 mile drive would basically be just a joy ride every day. thats kinda needless miles tacked on especially if OP has salted roads.

Around here a beater if what you buy from a private party for <$1,000
You may need to make it run.....

Man around here one would be lucky to find a beater sub 5K! Personally I alternate between commuting in the gladiator and my TJ simply since I have 2 vehicles. I think in these types of cases though a hybrid vehicle would be optimum. if the extra cost (and parking for those in cities) wasnt an issue.

Sponsored

 

[XraytecH]

I also have a short commute. I stop by a really busy Starbucks drive through to get my morning coffee. Engine idles for about 5mins sometime longer waiting in line. That may not be enough even for sunny California weather so I've shortened the oil change interval.

As for the Transmission fluid, I may consider changing sooner than 30,000 miles.

 

[PsyRN]

I work literally 2 miles from home and it takes 5 minutes if I drive. In almost 3 years of ownership, I haven't had an issue. That said, I do drive it around for errands and such in the evenings and weekends. And the occasional trip out to the coast or next town over about once a month. But in 3 years, i'm barely hitting 30k miles.

 

[PsyRN]

Sounds like the first two posters should just buy a bike. Or walk. It will do you good. Get a nice full tumbler and hit the road.

I'm not really kidding. I don't know how old or fit you are, but just about anyone will benefit from a 15 minute walk twice a day. In the summer when it's hot, ride a bike so you don't sweat. In the winter, when riding a bike might be miserable, walk.

This is what I do when the weather is nice, and sometimes not so nice. I'll ride my bike or MC to work. Better for the body, and everything else - environment, wallet, stress, etc. It also helps that I have a MUT basically from my door to my work, so I don't even have to deal with cars or traffic.

 

[shokker70]

Do what now?

That was my 1st thought. But I'm in Texas. You sweat as soon as you walk outside. I guess NYC it might be possible.

 

[4-Play]

Follow up out of curiosity: After about a 30 minute drive today, stop and go, no highway, at 45 degrees, transmission temperature reached 140. Sat for an hour and same drive back got it to 165. Oil and coolant temps reach 197 pretty quickly. Transmission takes a while to get warm!

 

[Ogre_FL]

1.5 miles......

 

[eeTwidget]

4xe or electric bike would be perfect at that distance

 

[j.o.y.ride]

There's sites out there if what you're looking for is a hot tranny.

 

[dcmdon]

Sounds like you need to get into a plug-in EV… save the JT for the weekends.

4xe or electric bike would be perfect at that distance

4xe would be great, but buying a $60k Jeep to best manage a short commute is insanity.

 

[XraytecH]

4xe would be great, but buying a $60k Jeep to best manage a short commute is insanity.

Don't the 4xe and the JL/JT share the same AT transmission?

 

[FitfulGoat]

He may want to start going to the donut shop before work each morning to add a few miles.

The extra weight gain will only increase load on the engine and transmission making this a win win!

 

[InvertedLogic]

1.5mi is walking/biking distance. I'd probably do that unless it were really really nasty out. There's a saying "there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing".

 

[Elff]

I used to work 3.5 miles from home.
Never had an issue with my car after 5+ years.
Is it ideal, no, will it survive, most likely yes

 

[The Welsh Griffin]

4xe Mon- Fri.
Diesel on weekends.
Once a month we take the 4xe to Costco , 200kms .

No problems

Sponsored