Originally Posted By: Trvlr500
Originally Posted By: NateDN10
This is not entirely true. Obviously doing all highway driving is best, but that's not realistic. Many times people have to do short trips.
And once the engine is warmed up, turning it off and back on isn't bad. In Europe, many cars are being built with start/stop systems where the engine automatically shuts off at stops, then restarts once the brake is released.
Your police car example is duly noted, but I have a counter example. UPS drivers always shut of their engines when they have to get out of the truck to deliver a package. Summer or winter.
Further, letting a car idle to warm up isn't a good idea. It doesn't really ever get the oil up to operating temperature, and increases fuel dilution. It's best to put a load on the engine. Just go easy until it's warmed up.
I understand that most people don't have any choice but to drive short distances. I was just making the point that longer drives are better. I have actually taken the long way to work in the past if I lived too close.
Excessive idling may not be good in some cases but if you live in a very cold climate as I do I can't see turning the car off for 5 minutes at a store. It's just more wear and tear on the starter and other parts. But that's just my opinion.
As far as the UPS drivers are concerned. Where I live I've never seen one of them turn off the truck. I would think with as many stops as they do in a day starters wouldn't last as long as they do and I'd doubt they would get as many trouble free miles out of their trucks as they do if they just leave them running. New York may have a law that forces them to shut off the trucks or it could be that UPS has a policy depending on what part of the country they are operating in.
I think the main reason they tell everyone not to idle isn't really because of what it does to the engine. It's because of the "green movement" they are pushing.
Germany (Europe)is way ahead on that issue which is probably why Mercedes and many others put that in their owners manuals. Ferrari and others are even putting the C02 output of their cars on their spec sheets. It's pretty ridiculous.
If I had to by a car that would start up and shut off on it's own. I'd disconnect that system. It's just one more electronic gizmo that could potentially cause a safety issue. There are already too many "automated" systems on the cars these days and they cause a myraid of problems if and when they go on the blink.
Ups trucks by us always turn off.
As I recall,'a startup takes as much fuel as 10-30 seconds of idling.
My 1982 diesel gave emissions content rates on a sticker on the window. It's not that ridiculous. IMO tonnage is a smarter way to define both economy and pollution. It is ridiculous that in this country, a 50 MPG diesel is a gross polluter while a 12 mpg expedition is a partial ZERO emissions vehicle...
