Originally Posted by
Pulse_
I'm pretty much a noob in nitro actually
but a preheater is about 35$ and engines are very expensive in comparison.. you can preheat your engine while doing something else so you don't loose any time. On the track you'll only have to preheat once or twice if you run constantly (which is what I do) but maybe most drivers don't run for so long without making a pause. I'm used to run 6/7 tanks without stopping.
Once your engine is broken in, as far as I know you won't make a huge impact on further wear if you don't preheat. You may put slightly more stress on the conrod, but that's about it. A good engine heater is more than $35, they're more like $90 for Competition Heat or IB Prostart engine heaters, or you can spend $30 on a heat gun, which will reach higher temps but means you have to stand there holding the heat gun. The only reason I use a heat gun is because it's much cheaper.
To cut a long story short, you shouldnt dramatically shorten the life of your engine if you don't preheat it SO LONG AS your engine is COMPLETELY broken in - that is, there is absolutely ZERO mechanical pinch. If you dont preheat it with pinch still present you can actually be wearing your Piston/Sleeve prematurely.