Does It Really Save Fuel When Your Car Shuts Off When Stopped?
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With gas prices hitting all-time record highs last year, many consumers are finding more ways to save money on fuel. While we can’t directly influence gas prices, we can change how we operate our vehicles to save fuel – meaning having to change our driving style.
With that said, there was a common notion that it’s better to keep your car idling while stopped instead of shutting the engine off and restarting. The idea is that your vehicle burns more fuel with a car shut off when stopped. Keeping your vehicle running/idling while waiting for someone to hop on was considered more fuel efficient.
Is this still the case? Do you actually save fuel during car shut off when stopped?
For today’s post, we’ll shed light on this hotly-debated topic of whether it’s better to keep the car idling or restart during a stop. Let’s dive right in.
Is Idling Better Than Restarting the Engine?
No, at least not for the longest time. Today, keeping your engine running while stuck in traffic is objectively worse than turning it off and restarting it once you’re ready to go. However, it’s true that at one point, it was better to idle instead of the car shut off when stopped. And this has everything to do with the advancement of engine technology.
Carburetors were designed to combine air and fuel to power engines. According to FamilyHandyman, older cars used carburetors to help fuel the engine. However, the most notable quality of carburetors is that they use more fuel when starting up the engine than idling. Hence, people in the past would rather keep the engine idling than restart while stopped.
However, automotive technology has changed since the 1980s, and carburetor engines aren’t used in modern vehicles anymore. The 80s marked the time that major auto manufacturers started using fuel injection systems as a standard in place of carburetors. Although fuel injection engines also combine air and fuel, it does so in a more controlled manner than carburetor systems. As a result, fuel consumption is more efficient since minimal power is used to start the car.
With modern fuel injection engines, more fuel is used while the engine is idle versus shutting it off and starting all over again. For this reason, more vehicles now have the stop-start feature.
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What is the Stop-Start Feature?
The Start-Stop feature that comes in modern cars cuts the engine while the car is stopped to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. With hybrid vehicles, the system may turn off the combustion engine while the car is cruising at low speeds and throttle loads. The engine fires up again once the brake pedal is released or when the vehicle is ready to move or accelerate again.
Toyota invented the very first automatic Start-Stop system in the mid-70s. Later in the 1980s, Audi and Volkswagen introduced their own versions of the Start-Stop system. Together with other advancements in automotive, the Start-Stop feature was designed to improve fuel consumption in modern cars significantly. However, early versions of the start-stop system were different from the contemporary iterations we have.
In the 2000s, a new generation of Start-Stop systems was introduced, and it became more successful. Depending on one’s driving style, Start-Stop technology can reduce fuel consumption by up to 15%.
How Does Stop-Start Technology Work?
Modern start-stop technology uses a computer that detects when the vehicle is stationary, out of gear, or running in low-load conditions (such as with hybrid cars). Then, the system temporarily halts fuel and spark delivery to the engine. The ignition is restarted once the vehicle starts to accelerate, the brake is depressed, or the clutch is pressed.
While the start-stop process happens automatically and seamlessly, most modern vehicles will allow you to toggle this feature using the car’s stop-start button. Look for an upper case “A” button encircled with an arrow to find your vehicle’s start-stop button.
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Stop-Start Technology Concerns
Although stop-start systems are pretty sophisticated nowadays, many owners are concerned that they might cause long-term damage to the engine and other parts of the car. For example, some folks are worried that this feature may accelerate engine wear and lead to long-term issues. Many people hold this belief that constantly stopping and restarting your car could impact the car’s battery and starter.
However, these potential concerns were addressed by modern stop-start systems. For starters, modern oils are now significantly better at providing lubrication and protection to the car’s internal components. The system ensures that all critical oils and fluids have properly coated all relevant parts before activation. In addition, modern stop-start systems don’t engage the engine until it’s sufficiently warm.
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In addition, vehicles with stop-start systems are now equipped with oversized and higher-quality starters to address wear-and-tear issues. Furthermore, the system can now detect if the battery has too low of a charge to start the engine. It always ensures the battery is fully charged, even in stationary traffic. Lastly, today’s stop-start systems can also detect if the A/C system is running.
Does Stop-Start System Help You Save on Fuel?
Yes. In cases where you’re stationary with an idling engine, like waiting at a stop light or in heavy traffic, stop-start will help you save fuel that will otherwise be used while you’re idling and stopped. How much fuel is saved remains a hotly-debated topic, but many experts claim that it could help save fuel by 3-10%. Of course, where and how you drive are important factors in determining how much fuel you save. In addition, not all start-stop systems are created equal, and the make and model of the vehicle also matter.
So yes, stop-start systems will help you save on fuel, so it’s almost always worth keeping it on. As for keeping your car shut off when stopped, it should also help you save fuel, but it won’t affect your fuel economy much. However, keep in mind that older vehicles (10 years or older) will consume more fuel when restarting.
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