How short is a short trip?

[ChizdaMasai]

<p>
<!--StartFragment--><div class="bbWrapper">Hello people!
Since i use my bike to go to work, i end up using my car (Kadett on my
sig) only one or two times a week. Sometimes i just utilize it to keep
it running.
This led me to the question: what is a good distance/duration for a
trip?
When i use it for these "maintenance" trips, this is what i do:
1. While i take the cover off, i let it iddle for about 5 minutes for
warming up (the car runs on 100% ethanol).
2. 1 min after leaving the house i am already on the "highway" in 5th
gear.
3. I drive it lightly for about 20 miles, and then on the way back i
give it some 3rd and 4th gear pulls. So the total distance is around 40
miles and takes about 40 min.
4. I never do trips shorter than that, and every time i start the car it
runs at least that distance.
Do you think this is sufficient? Would you do something different?</div><!--EndFragment-->

<br></p>

[VictorButler]

Oh, how I love short trips!

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My wife and I also like to arrange short trips for ourselves. We live in the USA, but we come to Germany several times a year to admire the landscapes there. Kate and I are going to Germany, having previously looked at the train schedule for the train to db auskunft, and we carry bicycles everywhere with us. Kate prepares a supply of food and water, and I prepare tents and bicycles. Our two-or three-day trip is so cool, as if I was just born. My wife immediately stops swearing at me on small things(by the way, try to do this). We drive about 50 miles a day, and in the late afternoon we prepare tents in empty places to get there . I love this life