Saving Fuel

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

Very interesting

 

 

https://www.upworthy.com/every-day-people-spend-16-minutes-doing-this-thing-they-think-is-good-for-the-planet-it-aint-2?c=ufb2

[Fubar512 1,350]

And misleading.  Once an engine is started in cold weather after being left outside overnight, it ideally should not be shut off until it has reached operating temperature.  Failure to do so may will result in accelerated wear.  In cold weather, one should start the engine, idle it long enough to allow the oil pressure to stabilize (usually about 30-60 seconds) and then drive the car very gingerly until the engine reaches operating temp. In the case of my present vehicle, that translates to about 3 miles or 5 minutes.

[Snailman 517]

That's similar to, when someone turns off heating for the night, or for the daytime when there's no one at home....  It takes much more energy to heat up a cold house than to maintain a 18-20C average all day...

[JediMaster 451]

If only all cars had the stop/start switch. I waste a lot of time just idling at traffic lights, more than any other location. Not leaving or arriving at home or another destination, sitting at the stupid lights is where I spend a good 8-9 mins of my 25 min commute each way.

[B52STRATO 215]

Agree with you JM, the system is of great help in large cities where these damn lights swarm. Some months ago while rolling with an uncle  I was surprised by the engine performances, however a HP fuel oil, the startup reaction was instantaneous at intersections.

[Lexx_Luthor 57]

I've read about the new auto cut out of cylinders when idling, new Dodge trucks offer that, or were supposed to.

 

I don't like it, becuase it assumes too much. If I had a real, long lasting real switch** that I could just hit when I was sitting for a while idling, I'd hit it and unhit it when time to go. But taking control away from me in a massive machine is not acceptable. I love to save fuel, in fact I do it the best way -- driving 55mph. Everybody hates me (over here in USA) but I noticed in 2008 when gas prices hit 4.25$/gal in Fla, everybody started driving slower even the BIG trucks on the highway. They always like to drive fast .... until fuel costs out weigh the time costs.

 

I never felt so safe on the highway, can't wait for fuel prices to ramp again, and....everybody dumps their big pickup trucks for pennies not realizing the time to recoup costs is years.

 

--

 

** In the 1940s, RAF pilots noticed that USAAF fighters, like P~47, had real switches that really worked. Something like that, can live for a million switch operations, not these moronic plastic bubble buttons that are always the SAME COLOUR as their mounting plates. What happened to bare metal stereos where you could SEE the (real) metal buttons in low light conditions? lol sorry.

[Nesher 628]

some of the newer cars have the stop-and-drive system that automatically shut down the engine on stop and restarts it to drive

heard it doesn't help that much in fuel consumption and don't forget that you a\c ain't as effective as it can when the engine is up and running

anyway, my "old" car doesn't have this system but I do spend too much time in heavy traffic :\

[JediMaster 451]

It's not about the engine. It's about motion. I can attest that a/c doesn't work nearly as well in a stopped vehicle where the heat just builds up under the hood as it does in a moving one where the air is cooling the system.

 

When it's over 130 inside the car and over 100 around the car (from the other cars near you and the asphalt itself) you want to get moving ASAP!