Comments on: Follow up to Turning Your Car Off

By: Gas Saving Tips (‘Cause the Prices are Killing Us)

Gas Saving Tips (‘Cause the Prices are Killing Us) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 19:04:57 +0000

[...] guy tested it over a month and saved gas by turning off the engine. The Environmental Defense Fund endorses the [...]

By: poopylollipop

poopylollipop — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 13:28:15 +0000

I didn’t feed my cat, fossilized him many years ago. Now i’m using his remains as fossil fuel in my coal powered truck, and i don’t have that stupid cat anymore!

By: sherman

sherman — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 13:34:43 +0000

Ok but what u also fail to relize is what happens to all the gas in the motor when u shut it off? Ya it gets wasted and dumped in the exhust when the motor returns and u cause a lot of dame to the starter and alt and battery which for almost every vehcicle is expensive. So the fuel increase u get from turnin it of is wasted from the repair bill for the damage the car causes and it costs u more really to turn the car off and on

By: Sean

Sean — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 06:47:46 +0000

I’ve had trouble finding definitive information on subjects as this, but I can tell you from first-hand experience that turning off your engine WILL save you fuel.

I do it on all of my commutes and regularly get 3+ mpg more on average. The myth probably arose when cars were carbureted and/or regarding cars starting up when it’s really cold outside. This site seems to be the most trustworthy that I can find, and even addresses myths about additional wear and tear during startup:

http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/myths/idling.html

By: Eric

Eric — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:49:43 +0000

We need to work on the basic MPG of cars and not worry about ac as much. Try to tell America to get into a car in a traffic jam with their mother in law in August in Houston and they will run from fuel efficency like the plague. we need to make smaller cars with smaller engines and not worry about a car that will go from 0-50 in 5 seconds

By: Eric

Eric — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:45:07 +0000

I think the most effective way to determine fuel usage during idiling would be to fill the car and then let it idle for a hour then refuel it to see how much fuel it has used. You could also do this in different conditions to see if climate or ac made much a substantial difference. I have rented a Prius and it seemed to really hate both heat and cold. have a feeling that its optional operating condition is probably in the 60′s for fuel economy. My Ford Focus hates hot weather with or without the ac and seems to keep getting happier the colder it gets.

By: Eric

Eric — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:39:08 +0000

I think the starters are designed to operate with a expectation of starting a set number of times by the manufacturer. Say once every ten driven miles. You probably would not ruin a starter if u just have the vehicle a few years and bought it new but if you drive towards the full lifetime of the vehicle which is probably about 200000 thousand miles I think you will find a higher failure rate than if you had been starting it normally.

starting every ten miles it would be 10,000 starts per 100,000 miles driven
starting every 5 miles would be 20,000 starts per 100,000
starting every 2.5 miles would be 40,000 starts per 100,000

work the numbers for driving 200,000 miles and you start with 20’000 starts, at the end of it would be 80,000 starts. not sure if anyone designs a starter to reliable work to those numbers.

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By: Himanshu

Himanshu — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:45:09 +0000

If you want to save fuel then don’t wait for a rain storm to check your lights and wipers. Make a habit of checking both at regular intervals, when the weather is good like when you fill up at the gas station. Seeing and being seen are critical anytime, but especially while driving in the rain. Functioning lights are important not only for your ability to see, they’ll help other drivers see your vehicle. Windshield wipers should be replaced at the first signs of trouble, like streaking or noisy operation, in order to provide the best visibility while on the road.

By: John

John — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:46:24 +0000

This is not a good idea. You may save a few pennies in gas but you will make up for it many times over by wearing your engine and starter at a much faster rate.

Startup is the most brutal time for an engine so if you take a car from 5-6 starts/day to 80-100 starts/day you are going to wear the engine out.

Keep it idling and turn off your A/C compressor at red lights if you want to save a little, but don’t start it over and over and over. You’re just asking for trouble.