any - stop start

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Thu 20 Oct 2011 21:59
any - stop start - barney100

Stop start technology must be very irritating, if not not dangerous. I'm all for doing my bit for the planet but surely the driver must be in control of when the engine is turned off.

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Thu 20 Oct 2011 22:05
any - stop start - daveyjp
I have a stop start car, expand on what you are concerned about and i'll provide detail on my experiences.
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Thu 20 Oct 2011 22:29
any - stop start - Bobbin Threadbare

My B-i-L has a Yaris with a stop-start type feature. All you have to do to wake it up is lightly press the clutch. It only works when stationary, and if the battery charge is higher than a certain level. Seems ok.

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Fri 21 Oct 2011 11:13
any - stop start - Chris79
We have an Audi a4 with stop start and the system works very well, not to sure how much fuel it saves but it has never placed me in a dangerous situation.

What is dangerous is the fact that if you let the engin revs drop below a certain point the car will effectively stall itself in order to try and protect the dmf, on regular occasions I have been in second gear on a flat road approaching a roundabout at approx 5-10mph and gone to pull of only to have the car cut out. Nit te best bit of design!
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Fri 21 Oct 2011 11:59
any - stop start - Auristocrat

I'm all for doing my bit for the planet but surely the driver must be in control of when the engine is turned off.

I've got an Auris 1.33 with stop/start technology with six speed gearbox that was bought new in October 2009. Absolutely no problem with it. Compared to my previous 2006 Corolla 1.4, it produces the same power and gives me up to 48 mpg (43 for the Corolla). The 1.33 engine is a bit of a gem.

In fact in town (which is where I do most of my driving) the stop/start facilty is a boon - when stationary in traffic and the car in neutral, with the stop part of the technology in operation, you don't have the engine noise, etc. To re-start one depresses the clutch and the engine restarts - any delay is minimal. The system only operates when the gearbox is in neutral, the car stationery, and is producing enough charge. If one wants, the system has a button to turn the stop/start off - although I'm not sure why anyone would want to do this.

Not quite sure what you mean about the driver must be in control when the engine is turned off. Surely the driver has the same control in whatever car when the engine is off. With the stop/start system operating, the engine restarts quicker than if one had physically turned the engine off and then had to restart,

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Fri 21 Oct 2011 12:52
any - stop start - Bobbin Threadbare

If the engine is off, you aren't strictly in control of the car! You just happen to have the ability to steer a large metal box....

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Fri 21 Oct 2011 17:01
any - stop start - PhilDS

It's the equivalent of being parked if you have your handbrake on. If you don't and start rolling forward then my 320i restarts anyway without having to depress the clutch

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Fri 21 Oct 2011 17:40
any - stop start - daveyjp

You are still in full control - power steering and brake servo all still work to the same level as if the car was running, that's where stop start is fundamentally different to turning the car off.

You can roll downhill (handy in slow moving traffic jams on hills), but as soon as the car reaches about 8mph the engine starts up again.

Mine will only stop if the car is in neutral, the clutch is fully out and speed is below 5mph. It certianly wouldn't turn itself of on the approach to a roundabout.

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Fri 21 Oct 2011 15:51
any - stop start - Buster Cambelt

Only ever had one problem - a (hired) Yaris that refused to restart at a roundabout and needed a tow truck.

Apart from that it doesn't really worry me and most seem to be well-sorted even if the technology seems like an answer looking for a problem.

Probably a good idea to turn it off in start-stop traffic or you'll be endlessly stopping and starting.

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Fri 21 Oct 2011 18:30
any - stop start - Roly93

I have a new A4 Avant with start-stop and I couldn't say its in any way dangerous, in fact if you stall at a junction or roundabout it will automatically re-start the engine. Although I will say I think it is a 'silly' feature that is only really intended to circumvent EU emissions banding.

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Fri 21 Oct 2011 18:38
any - stop start - Bobbin Threadbare

I will say I think it is a 'silly' feature that is only really intended to circumvent EU emissions banding.

Yep! It does seem a little odd to have it on a large Audi like that.....they're not advertised as a nippy little eco-box!

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Fri 21 Oct 2011 22:25
any - stop start - Avant

I think most cars with stop-start have a switch which disables the feature if you don't like it. SWMBO's Mini has it. Or you can do as she does - keep your foot on trhe clutch when stopped.

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Fri 21 Oct 2011 22:39
any - stop start - outlier

How much fuel does it really save? It is duff idea for diesel cars in winter... far from saving fuel some people would rather have a pre-heater to burn the fuel and warm the engine and the car.

If you can switch it off I wonder what the point is. Maybe manufacturers can make a 12 cylinder engined car that runs on 4 cylinders to get a good CO2 rating, but then give you a switch to active the remaining 8 cylinders.

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Fri 21 Oct 2011 22:58
any - stop start - daveyjp
Re diesels, stop start only kicks in once the engine is up to operating temperature, so cold mornings aren't an issue.

You can switch it off when there is no prospect of you stopping. Mercedes have an 'econ' button which as well as turning on stop start also reduces aircon use to save fuel.

The point is to save fuel in busy environments. It's quite alarming how quickly average fuel consumpion goes down, even after a short time of burning fuel and going nowhere. Every penny saved in fuel is a penny more in my pocket. In 5 years time it will be standard fit on all mainstream cars and no one will question it.
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Sat 22 Oct 2011 00:23
any - stop start - bathtub tom

It's a measure to reduce the emissions to a lower VED level. Nothing more, nothing less.

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