Shutting down the engine at every stop?

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Shutting down the engine at every stop? (Page 1 of 2)

Posted: 9/15/2010 12:15:14 PM EDT

Coming back from a jobsite today, I am driving through town to get to the freeway. I am behind an elderly couple driving a new Acura coupe. At every stop light and stop sign, the gentleman driving the car shuts off the engine.

Why the hell would someone do that. It doesn't save gas. And if it did, any savings would be so minimal that you would never notice it.

I just can't see any logical reason to do this.

Posted: 9/15/2010 12:16:20 PM EDT

[#1]

That can only be bad.

Posted: 9/15/2010 12:17:18 PM EDT

[#2]

punch them in the face

Posted: 9/15/2010 12:17:32 PM EDT

[#3]

I was always told you gain more wear and tear from starting up an engine then you do, running it. Obviously running it, causes wear and tear, but start ups aren't easy on motors.

Posted: 9/15/2010 12:17:45 PM EDT

[#4]

...because they are a fucking IDIOT. They probably barely know how to feed themselves.

Posted: 9/15/2010 12:17:51 PM EDT

[#5]

Some cars do it automagically, not sure about that model but alot of the hybrids do.

Posted: 9/15/2010 12:18:08 PM EDT

[#6]

Quoted:
That can only be bad.

ah.. thats how a prius works. and i guess other cars (hybrids) too.

seems like i heard some regular cars (bmws) in europe have the ability to 'instant on and off' without being hybrids

Posted: 9/15/2010 12:18:10 PM EDT

[#7]

OCD?

Posted: 9/15/2010 12:18:50 PM EDT

[#8]

Stupid as fuck. Especially if your motor is turbo'd.

Posted: 9/15/2010 12:22:38 PM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:
I was always told you gain more wear and tear from starting up an engine then you do, running it. Obviously running it, causes wear and tear, but start ups aren't easy on motors.

Of course, it's really the cold starts, or starts after many hours that are most harmful, as the oil tends to run off of all the parts. A minute or two is no big deal, as the engine has plenty of oil on all parts.

It does save gas. Hypermilers do this with excellent improvement in fuel economy. A good way to tell how much gas this saves is to reset your MPG computer, then drive in the city. Watch the MPG indication go down as you sit at every light. You will be surprised at improvement by shutting off the engine. You may actually save $1.00 worth of gas per tank. Of course, the starter on a new Acura lists for $589.87 and the labor is 2 hours at $109.00/hr.

Posted: 9/15/2010 12:23:25 PM EDT

[#10]

IIRC if you are stopped longer than 30 seconds it does save gas.

However just because you save gas does not mean you will save money, if you have to buy a new starter because you wore out your old one prematurely that will probably more than eat up what you the money you saved in gas.

I do turn off my car when I am waiting in drive thrus though.

Posted: 9/15/2010 12:31:24 PM EDT

[#11]

I like stopping at freeway entry ramps and wait for a spot to "open".

Posted: 9/15/2010 12:38:06 PM EDT

[#12]

Quoted:
I was always told you gain more wear and tear from starting up an engine then you do, running it. Obviously running it, causes wear and tear, but start ups aren't easy on motors.

This, as well as being unsafe having the car off in traffic all the time.

Posted: 9/15/2010 12:38:37 PM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:
IIRC if you are stopped longer than 30 seconds it does save gas.

However just because you save gas does not mean you will save money, if you have to buy a new starter because you wore out your old one prematurely that will probably more than eat up what you the money you saved in gas.

I do turn off my car when I am waiting in drive thrus though.

The starter probably ate up a lot more money than the gas savings ever did.

Posted: 9/15/2010 12:38:37 PM EDT

[#14]

Quoted:
I like stopping at freeway entry ramps and wait for a spot to "open".

You aren't alone.

Posted: 9/15/2010 12:40:48 PM EDT

[#15]

Quoted:
punch them in the face

BOTH of them.

Posted: 9/15/2010 12:41:21 PM EDT

[#16]

Lets wear out an expensive starter and flywheel. Then add in the labor to replace the parts.

Posted: 9/15/2010 12:44:39 PM EDT

[#17]

Good way to end up with a dead battery too. It takes several miles of driving to recharge the battery the amount it loses from starting the car.

Posted: 9/15/2010 12:46:11 PM EDT

[#18]

Quoted:
I like stopping at freeway entry ramps and wait for a spot to "open".

I fear driving in other states because this is so normal around here that it feels wrong doing it any other way. I assume in some places there are drivers that won't speed up and/or change lanes to block access, but that's the kind of driving I've seen for 40+ years.
I've also heard that there exist places where people stop for red lights, but I find that hard to believe.

On topic, I don't recall Acura having a hybrid (although I could be wrong) and if they do it's supposed to be a little 2-door CRX type thing. So the auto-off engine probably isn't because of that. But I'm more of a Toyota guy and not a big follower of Honda

Posted: 9/15/2010 12:48:37 PM EDT

[#19]

Did they have an Obama sticker on the bumper?

Posted: 9/15/2010 12:52:17 PM EDT

[#20]

A few people I know in Japan do this. But they also shut their headlights off at red lights if there are cars in front of them, which I think would be great to implement here.

Posted: 9/15/2010 12:55:15 PM EDT

[#21]

IMO that is unsafe.

Posted: 9/15/2010 12:58:36 PM EDT

[#22]

when gas was $4.25 a gallon i was doing it, i was getting 10mpg more agallon.

Posted: 9/15/2010 1:00:54 PM EDT

[#23]

My Tahoe Hybrid does that, as well as when you are driving and going down hill.

If the gas engine is not needed, it turns off and the vehicle runs on the batteries.

It gets about 4 MPG better then my regular Tahoe.

Posted: 9/15/2010 1:01:56 PM EDT

[#24]

super easy on the motor/starter to do that too

Posted: 9/15/2010 1:01:59 PM EDT

[#25]

Getting old sucks...

Posted: 9/15/2010 1:02:54 PM EDT

[#26]

Signs at the Peace Arch Border Crossing (B.c. Canada/Usa) say to shut off the engine while waiting. I didn't, and I didn't see anyone else.

(This was on the bagged milk side. The signs were touting "green B.C.")

Posted: 9/15/2010 1:03:31 PM EDT

[#27]

Quoted:

Coming back from a jobsite today, I am driving through town to get to the freeway. I am behind an elderly couple driving a new Acura coupe. At every stop light and stop sign, the gentleman driving the car shuts off the engine.

Why the hell would someone do that. It doesn't save gas. And if it did, any savings would be so minimal that you would never notice it.

I just can't see any logical reason to do this.

I couldn't give two shits if they want to destroy their property...

But watch after 2yrs of damaging this car, it ends up at a dealership "Only One Elderly Owner!!!"

Posted: 9/15/2010 1:05:16 PM EDT

[#28]

Probably works for UPS.

Posted: 9/15/2010 1:06:45 PM EDT

[#29]

they told us we were suppose to do that with our hmmwv's in germany, yeah right! Once you get those things running you never shut them off.

Posted: 9/15/2010 1:07:07 PM EDT

[#30]

What an idiot.

Posted: 9/15/2010 1:08:34 PM EDT

[#31]

Quoted:

I like stopping at freeway entry ramps and wait for a spot to "open".

You're on my fucking list now...

Posted: 9/15/2010 1:08:54 PM EDT

[#32]

I always thought starting an engine took more gas than idling for five minutes.

Could have been a hybrid. Those things shut down at every stop.

Posted: 9/15/2010 1:09:54 PM EDT

[#33]

I've heard it puts more wear and tear on the starter than its worth.

I was reading an article once about a hypermiler. A guy that does everything he can to save gas. He even was driving a friend's Civic hybrid and shut off the engine and merged off an expressway offramp.

Cars behind him and the owners of said Civic were not pleased.

Posted: 9/15/2010 1:12:00 PM EDT

[#34]

Quoted:

I like stopping at freeway entry ramps and wait for a spot to "open".

.....you fucking do WHAT?!

Posted: 9/15/2010 1:12:01 PM EDT

[#35]

Maybe they're from Europe.

That's what they do over there.

Posted: 9/15/2010 1:12:32 PM EDT

[#36]

Just checked Acura's website. The car was a brand new TL, and it is not available as a hybrid.

Posted: 9/15/2010 1:13:23 PM EDT

[#37]

google hypermiling.

Posted: 9/15/2010 1:15:29 PM EDT

[#38]

He's doing it for the children!

Posted: 9/15/2010 1:15:49 PM EDT

[#39]

Quoted:
I like stopping at freeway entry ramps and wait for a spot to "open".

Posted: 9/15/2010 1:16:55 PM EDT

[#40]

Quoted:

Quoted:
I like stopping at freeway entry ramps and wait for a spot to "open".

.....you fucking do WHAT?!

No shit. I'm guessing that Angelshare1 was kidding but I see people pull this shit all the time.

Posted: 9/15/2010 1:17:46 PM EDT

[#41]

Quoted:

I like stopping at freeway entry ramps and wait for a spot to "open".

Posted: 9/15/2010 1:18:20 PM EDT

[#42]

The posts by the kids when you, OP, are old and stupid will be just as funny.

Posted: 9/15/2010 1:23:18 PM EDT

[#43]

The ONLY reason you would do that is because your engine's cooling system wasn't doing it's job, and your motor was overheating at stoplights, and you were trying to nurse it to a parts store or mechanic.

But I'm going to go with "stupid".

Posted: 9/15/2010 1:37:17 PM EDT

[#44]

Quoted:

Quoted:
punch them in the face

BOTH of them.

Yep

Posted: 9/15/2010 1:56:20 PM EDT

[#45]

Hypermilers do this stuff. They take a car like a VW Jetta TDI that gets an advertised 49MPG and stretch that out to around 60MPG by doing stuff like turning engine off at lights, momentum driving, etc. Some are pushing 700-800 miles out of each 14 gallon fill up.

60MPG/900 Mile Club/1000 Mile Club

Posted: 9/15/2010 2:30:47 PM EDT

[#46]

You only get so many starts out of a starter....

Posted: 9/15/2010 4:23:48 PM EDT

[#47]

Quoted:

A few people I know in Japan do this. But they also shut their headlights off at red lights if there are cars in front of them, which I think would be great to implement here.

you mean as in a law?

Posted: 9/15/2010 4:25:07 PM EDT

[#48]

seems like a great way to kill your starter.

Posted: 9/15/2010 4:28:04 PM EDT

[#49]

If the car is up to temp, why is this a bad thing? In the days of carberators it was really bad because of carbon build up. The only bad side of this now is excessive starter wear and probably catalytic converter damage as well due to rich conditions on a cold exhaust (if not up to temp). They probably will get rid of the car way before this damage is seen, so the ten dollars a year they save will really help them at Golden Corral.

Posted: 9/15/2010 4:30:04 PM EDT

[#50]

Quoted:

Quoted:

I like stopping at freeway entry ramps and wait for a spot to "open".

.....you fucking do WHAT?!

Awesome.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Shutting down the engine at every stop? (Page 1 of 2)

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