By Edward Niedermeyer
July 24, 2008 - 14 views
With Hail Mary PHEVs and two-mode V8s leading the American automakers' charge towards fuel-efficiency, its easy to call Detroit's executives out of touch. But it turns out that the idea of applying simple fuel-saving technologies across product lines is finally taking hold in the corporate offices of our domestic auto firms. The Detroit Free Press reports that executives at Ford, Chrysler and GM predict that stop-start technology will find its way into every domestically-produced vehicle within the next five to ten years. Speaking at NextCruise, the eco-friendly sister event to the Woodward Dream Cruise, Detroit's finest fell over themselves trying to prove their companies' commitment to adding this (relatively) low-tech, fuel-saving technology. GM's Micky Bly went one further, saying future GM vehicles will incorporate weight-saving materials currently found in hybrids. Careful on that limb, boys.
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July 24th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
My car has start-stop. When you drive something with start-stop, you wohnder why it isn’t in every car.
July 24th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
What is it?
July 24th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Chevy should get right on this. The LS engines supposedly don’t really even need a starter.
July 24th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Toxicroach: see the discussion here: http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/03/08/bosch-introduces-new-start-stop-system/
July 24th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
This is nothing new. I had a mark IV cortina that had stop start. Everytime I took my foot off the accelerator it stopped and I had to restart it. Never did buy another ford
July 24th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
@Video:
HAHAHAHAHA! Ahhh.
July 24th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
I’ve got stop / start…just turn key to off at long light and start up before getting going. It is really easy when you have a manual (don’t have to shift to park to restart).
July 24th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
I thought that the majority of wear and tear on the engine was at start up. Maybe I fell for a Quaker State commercial. If so, would this cause more maintenance and/or shorten the life of the engine?
July 24th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
That’s not healthy for your ignition system. The mild hybrids that do this (GM BAS, Honda IMA) do benefit from it: the transition is quick, fairly seamless and doesn’t kill your starter.
And yes, every car should have this system.
July 24th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
That video rocks! Hilarious! Thanks!!!! :-)
July 24th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Y’know, VW was talking about standardizing a stop-start system on their U.S. cars in 1985.
I’m left to wonder if the delay on this is what happens when CAFE is frozen for twenty years.
July 24th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
It is really easy when you have a manual (don’t have to shift to park to restart).
I have a shift lock on my I30, but it didn’t stop me from stopping and starting while in motion a few days ago.
I was cruising in neutral and turned off the engine, then snapped the key back into the “on” position. After coasting for as long as I thought I could get away with, I started the car. The “Overdrive” light on my dashboard went apoplectic and blinked something crazy, so I haven’t tried it since and probably won’t ever again.
As for engine wear at start-up, I thought that was because the oil had seeped out of your engine. If it’s been running for 10 minutes, a stop-start cycle shouldn’t be that bad.
I still wonder how much wear I’m putting on my transmission by shifting into neutral for long downhill regions.
July 24th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
I still wonder how much wear I’m putting on my transmission by shifting into neutral for long downhill regions.
Why would this cause any wear? I do it all the time.
July 24th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
I know how long certain lights are and turn off at them. Some run up to 120 seconds in Boston waterfront, I believe to discourage driving.
I also coast in nerutal on long downhills. Silent is cool. Leave engine on and hand on controls.
Hot start is no big deal, I believe there is plenty oil film around in there, as opposed to dry from overnight sitting.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
COLD starts are what is hard on the engine like the first one of the day, try 20 below 0 .
July 24th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
I’m just glad we get to read better written blog posts than that horrid piece of dreck on Autobloggreen that was linked to by one of the B&B.
July 25th, 2008 at 12:54 am
I believe what you are going to wear out is your starter. Depending on the cost of repairing it in your car, you might still be ahead, but I doubt it.
OTOH, if you plan to dump it before the warranty is out, then maybe it makes sense.
July 25th, 2008 at 2:32 am
Nonce, I have an I30 too. Click the O/D button off (light on) before you shift to neutral so that the lock up clutch (torque converter) is disengaged. I’ve coasted down Spooner Summit (a 10 mile 7-8% grade) between Tahoe and Carson City, NV several times and, knock on wood, still have a good transmission.
Also, the O/D light is used to flash codes for transmission errors. I’m not sure if you have to get the code from a dealer with CONSULT or if you can trip the computer, though.
July 25th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
I think that if you try to roll your own manual stop-start system, you may find yourself hurting your FE instead of helping. I believe that your engine control strategy will go into a fuel enrichment mode upon startup and stay there for a pre-defined time. You might find that the extra fuel you dump in after restarting more than overcomes the fuel you save from sitting at idle.