Start & Stop Manually?

[PaulGP]

Some new cars have automatic start & stop that stops the engine when at traffic lights to save fuel. Would it be useful to stop and start the engine yourself on Aygo? Maybe switching engine off when stuck on traffic lights about a minute would be worth it? Or would the savings on fuel be too little for the trouble?

I'm not a technical expert by any means but would switching on & off at every traffic light cause more wear & tear on your starter motor or other related bits & pieces?

[Cyker]

If the powers that be want to encourage motorists to do this then they should have a time display on traffic lights and level crossings.

That's something I really like in Germany: when the light is Green it changes over to Amber before it goes to Red,

but when it's Red the Amber light comes on WITH Red for about 4 seconds and THEN changes to Green.

Those 4 seconds are ideal for starting your car, putting it in gear and releasing the parking brake...

The traffic lights in the major cities in China are nifty like that; The traffic lights have a count-down next to them and the lights animate with the countdown (The 'lights' are just a grid of LEDs). I thought it was the coolest thing ever!

[Guest]

The traffic lights in the major cities in China are nifty like that; The traffic lights have a count-down next to them and the lights animate with the countdown (The 'lights' are just a grid of LEDs). I thought it was the coolest thing ever!

You need to get out more!

[Rotten Ali]

If you have the choice of say two typical routes that get snarled up with trafic - but one is a slow down hill one, (then with care to leave more room to brake) just roll along in the jam without the engine running.

[Red Yaris 54]

If you have the choice of say two typical routes that get snarled up with trafic - but one is a slow down hill one, (then with care to leave more room to brake) just roll along in the jam without the engine running.

THAT IS A VERY DANGEROUS PRACTICE!

Rolling without the engine running will not give you the servo assistance on your brakes resulting in you needing much more pressure on the brake pedal to stop and if your ignition switch is not in the correct position you will possibly lock up the steering column.

If you had an accident, it could be seen that you were not in full control of your car.

NEVER ROLL WITH THE ENGINE STOPPED................(It is not even a good practice to coast with the engine running)

[T V O R]

I'm not a technical expert by any means but would switching on & off at every traffic light cause more wear & tear on your starter motor or other related bits & pieces?

Yes. Dedicated Stop/Start cars have a secondary starter motor that is permanently engaged, a higher powered Battery and fancy electronics. The re-start is less than 0.4 of a second (so a different set up to the normal procedure of starting a car first thing in the morning) I wouldn’t recommend doing a manual stop/start unless you are stuck for ages on a road due to an accident for example.

You might even end up using MORE fuel for the continued initial start up as it’s a different set up.

[Rotten Ali]

If you have the choice of say two typical routes that get snarled up with trafic - but one is a slow down hill one, (then with care to leave more room to brake) just roll along in the jam without the engine running.

THAT IS A VERY DANGEROUS PRACTICE!

Rolling without the engine running will not give you the servo assistance on your brakes resulting in you needing much more pressure on the brake pedal to stop and if your ignition switch is not in the correct position you will possibly lock up the steering column.

If you had an accident, it could be seen that you were not in full control of your car.

NEVER ROLL WITH THE ENGINE STOPPED................(It is not even a good practice to coast with the engine running)

Points taken, but sorry, in these situations I do leave more than adiquate room to brake without the servo, and always with the steering lock in the off position. I see it as a much more dangerous practice to keep your engine running and polluting the atmosphere for no good reason. If I can roll in while still in control, without affecting other road users, then I will continue to do so.

[T V O R]

I see it as a much more dangerous practice to keep your engine running and polluting the atmosphere for no good reason. If I can roll in while still in control, without affecting other road users, then I will continue to do so.

You will save more money by other methods than coasting in your car. Regular servicing, keeping tyres at the correct pressure, emptying your boot of unwanted bits and pieces, not using air con or other electrical gadgets, driving at efficient speeds, using the right gear etc

Coasting with the engine running and in gear the ECU will cut off the fuel supply as the engine will continue running as its being driven by the wheels. Coasting in neutral uses more fuel as fuel is needed to keep the engine running!

The problem with your mentality, which is potentially dangerous and reckless, is that you don’t have full control of your vehicle. Safety and preventing crashes over ride a thimble full amount of fuel, you will have one pump of the brakes in the event of any unforeseen situation.

This Months Darwin Award goes to:

'Rotten Ali'

[adilmon]

I have to agree that killing the engine while moving is a false economy and I'll explain why:

When coasting in gear and there is no load on the engine, the engine's computer (ECU) completely cuts fuel until the revs drop below the idle rpm and the 2009 Aygo mods also cut fuel under even more conditions (e.g brake and clutch pressed, downshifting to slow down).

When coasting in gear, try moving up a gear to reduce the engine braking effect and coast for a longer distance.

I thought the dangers of killing the engine were obvious (as if removing any margin of safety can be considered a good idea), but here's a few other things to think about if you kill the engine while moving;

-not only do you loose the server assitance on the brakes, but you also loose the ABS and EBD, which is controlled by the ECU

-loss of power steering

-loss of airbags

-loss of concentration as you have another factor to think about

-accidentally locking the steering wheel

There are the facts. You decide if it's worth it