Turning off a car at lights.

dashcamdanny

Im noticing this more and more these days.

I am well aware that there are cars out there that are designed to stop the engine and restart it when the throttle is opened again.
But I have been seeing people in bangers do it more and more these days. Old cars that don't have the feature. I drive a large vehicle and can look down at people turn on and off the key.


My question would be "is it worth the wear and tear on your battery and starter to save very little fuel"?

markpb

If I'm at a busy junction, have just missed the lights and know there'll be 6-7 minutes before I'l be moving, I do it occasionally. I wouldn't do it for any less than that though.

MadYaker

I don't do it and I always thought a stop start system would wreck my head but my uncles car has one you'd barely even notice it if you weren't listening for it.

wildefalcon

I wonder will we see a rash of starter failures in a few years, once these cars are 6 - 10 years old, and worth very little? Though I think starters are now quite robust and will take the extra wear and tear.

dashcamdanny

wildefalcon wrote: »

I wonder will we see a rash of starter failures in a few years, once these cars are 6 - 10 years old, and worth very little? Though I think starters are now quite robust and will take the extra wear and tear.

Maybe on cars designed to start stop like the i30 and so on, but in a 10 year old mondeo or and rusty old starlet?

How much fuel is wasted by idling, must be very little. A new battery on the other hand can be pricey.

I think it may be a false economy personally .

animaal

Interesting topic.

I've played with turning off the engine in heavy traffic, but found it wrecked my head.

What do people do at night in cars designed to stop/start? I can only imagine being in heavy trafic in the dark (which can be rush hour in winter), the engine would be off more than on. Do the headlights stay on? I imagine this must strain the battery a bit.

Henry Ford III

animaal wrote: »

Interesting topic.

I've played with turning off the engine in heavy traffic, but found it wrecked my head.

What do people do at night in cars designed to stop/start? I can only imagine being in heavy trafic in the dark (which can be rush hour in winter), the engine would be off more than on. Do the headlights stay on? I imagine this must strain the battery a bit.

Headlights and all electrical systems stay on. The car will restart all by itself if the battery needs charging.

Del2005

dashcamdanny wrote: »

Im noticing this more and more these days.

I am well aware that there are cars out there that are designed to stop the engine and restart it when the throttle is opened again.
But I have been seeing people in bangers do it more and more these days. Old cars that don't have the feature. I drive a large vehicle and can look down at people turn on and off the key.


My question would be "is it worth the wear and tear on your battery and starter to save very little fuel"?

Had similar thought myself the other day when I heard someone beside me doing it. An old carwwith a tired battery would easily kill both the starter and battery doing this m

Now not only have we got the dodgy diesels the bangers are a higher risk due to people with no mechanical knowledge being told stuff by a man in the pub

Esel

markpb wrote: »

If I'm at a busy junction, have just missed the lights and know there'll be 6-7 minutes before I'l be moving, I do it occasionally. I wouldn't do it for any less than that though.

I think you need to work on your time estimation.

LostDamo

Esel wrote: »

I think you need to work on your time estimation.

I don't think they do, anywhere in r around city centre traffic between 4:30 & 6 plenty junctions you'll b stuck at least that

Gumbo

LostDamo wrote: »

I don't think they do, anywhere in r around city centre traffic between 4:30 & 6 plenty junctions you'll b stuck at least that

I've never seen a junction that long in Dublin.

I turn mine off when caught at train tracks though.

_Kaiser_

kceire wrote: »

I've never seen a junction that long in Dublin.

I turn mine off when caught at train tracks though.

Newlands Cross takes ages to get through if you get stuck at the junction.

As regards the OP, no I don't it myself and I could see it causing problems/delays for some in situations where you needed to move unexpectedly (eg: making way for an ambulance). With a car that has this "feature" built-in it's probably different though.

Gumbo

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

Newlands Cross takes ages to get through if you get stuck at the junction.

As regards the OP, no I don't it myself and I could see it causing problems/delays for some in situations where you needed to move unexpectedly (eg: making way for an ambulance). With a car that has this "feature" built-in it's probably different though.

On the newer stuff it's instant. Manual cars, the second you press the clutch the engine springs into life, and on auto cars, as soon as you remove your foot from the brake pedal it fires back up. (BMW anyway).

MuppetCheck

Sitec wrote: »

I've never driven a car with stop/start. Is there a delay when you try to move away from lights etc?

No, but the feeling through the gearstick when you try to nudge it into first as it starts is enough to make you turn it off.

Plus in a diesel it's very noticeable and losing the air con is annoying.

Henry Ford III

Sitec wrote: »

Doesn't sound nice at all. If you're in first gear with the clutch in will it kill the engine or is it only neutral with the handbrake up? Suppose it depends on the car?

Mine is the latter. Fires up again the instant you hit the clutch.

Gumbo

Sitec wrote: »

I've never driven a car with stop/start. Is there a delay when you try to move away from lights etc?

I've driven Mini Diesels with the auto start and it was fine. By the time I had the clutch fully,pressed, the engine was started and ready to go.

My dad's auto F10 has it too. As your lifting your foot off the brake, it's started by the time you press the accelerator. I've tried to catch it out a few times but it's spot on.

MuppetCheck

Sitec wrote: »

Doesn't sound nice at all. If you're in first gear with the clutch in will it kill the engine or is it only neutral with the handbrake up? Suppose it depends on the car?

In both cars I've had with it I've found I'm quicker hitting the gearstick into first than fully depressing the clutch. It's the cause of it, but it wouldn't happen with the car off either. I have found in both you can trick the system out and it sometimes can be a little slower starting. Either way it's not worth the annoyance tbh.

Going Forward

I was always told that if an engine is running you dont mess around turning it on and off until you're getting out of the vehicle. Far too much strain on everything, and for what?

(My days go back to when it was a bit hit and miss whether a car would start at all first thing in the morning).

I believe starters are heavy duty in automatic start stop cars though.....

pablo128

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

Newlands Cross takes ages to get through if you get stuck at the junction.

Exactly 5 minutes between changes if you're going down the Belgard road. I go through that junction every morning.

Roger Mellie Man on the Telly

I never turn the engine off at the lights because I have plenty of money. I couldn't even hazard a guess as to how much a litre of the stuff costs; I only worry about getting the right nozzle into the hole.

allthedoyles

I always believed that if you expect to be idle for 17 seconds minimum , then you switch off engine .

wonski

Sitec wrote: »

Interesting views on stop/start. Personally, (all though I haven't driven one) I don't like the idea of an engine cutting out and restarting on it's own. It would freak me out.

It freaks you out when it happens for the first time;)

I couldn't understand how could I stall an engine in an automatic car, then realized it does it all the time. Drove A4 2.0 diesel and it was very quick to move again as soon as you pressed the accelerator.

I don't think this system uses primary starter, there is a secondary one iirc, you can't hear it when it starts so it must be different design.

wonski

allthedoyles wrote: »

I always believed that if you expect to be idle for 17 seconds minimum , then you switch off engine .

And then 10 seconds later switch it back on - waste of time if you asked me, and makes you slow when moving off.

pablo128

wonski wrote: »

And then 10 seconds later switch it back on - waste of time if you asked me, and makes you slow when moving off.

It is possible to anticipate lights turning to green, especially if you are familiar with the junction.

quadrifoglio verde

Nah if the time comes that I need to save money on petrol, I'll go and buy an ev.

Toyotafanboi

the astra has stop/ start and in fairness its pretty seamless imo, you wouldn't even notice it unless you had the stereo off and the window down. the engine starts in less than the time it takes you to depress the clutch so it doesn't make you any slower off the mark at a set of lights etc.

you still get everything you get with the car on, headlights, a/c etc. and the car is sensible with itself, as in if you are stopped for 5 or 6 minutes with headlights, stereo, heaters and the likes all going, the car will start back up automatically to recharge.

that said, there's a button on the dash to turn it off which i pretty much always do in town, for wear and tear purposes. it's pre-programmed into the car for stop/ start to re-activate every time the car is switched on though which is a little annoying.

i believe that stop start technology is there for emissions purposes and to save the planet, not to save fuel as its main goal. though particularly in city stop - go traffic imo it's doing more harm for you than good in terms of fuel savings. but this is just me on my own bar stool, i could be wrong.

wonski

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

the astra has stop/ start and in fairness its pretty seamless imo, you wouldn't even notice it unless you had the stereo off and the window down. the engine starts in less than the time it takes you to depress the clutch so it doesn't make you any slower off the mark at a set of lights etc.

you still get everything you get with the car on, headlights, a/c etc. and the car is sensible with itself, as in if you are stopped for 5 or 6 minutes with headlights, stereo, heaters and the likes all going, the car will start back up automatically to recharge.

that said, there's a button on the dash to turn it off which i pretty much always do in town, for wear and tear purposes. it's pre-programmed into the car for stop/ start to re-activate every time the car is switched on though which is a little annoying.

i believe that stop start technology is there for emissions purposes and to save the planet, not to save fuel as its main goal. though particularly in city stop - go traffic imo it's doing more harm for you than good in terms of fuel savings. but this is just me on my own bar stool, i could be wrong.

Doesn't it defeat the purpose then? Where else would you use it?

Toyotafanboi

wonski wrote: »

Doesn't it defeat the purpose then? Where else would you use it?

well the buttons existence in itself defeats the purpose of the system. but the fact that it re-activates every time the car is started means that on a long motorway drive etc i wouldn't remember to turn it off.

however in stop start city driving where the car could turn off 4 or 5 times in the space of 60 seconds i think it's a bit too much of a strain on the car.

i'm sure the systems existence is down to manufacturers wanting to scrape an extra few g/ km Co2 off of the official emissions figures than actually being a drivers aid for whatever purpose. like when would it ever be good for your car to turn it off and on again 5 or 6 times in quick succession.