too dangerous

 

It's a proven method to save gas and help with a big issues in the USA. Pretty sure it's been proven that if you sit for a min or longer you should kill the eng. That's what I do and my eco just keeps getting better and better...lol Some of the comments and debate seem contrary to the Eco of this site Some of the facts like the key ware are ridiculous.



Making general statements about the method without knowing the frequency or the duration is useless.

 

i dont want to bang gears, i want something that gets good gas milage, but i dont have to feel unsafe at highway speeds, and that when i want to, on occasion gun it, and have a little fun.

 

Of course my previous post was an exaggeration, but i find it funny that the first thing to be argued about it was the "key wear".

I will not dispute that a 5 minute light or 20 minute railroad crossing would be a reasonable time to turn off your car, but I don't understand how you can be soooo "eco friendly" one minute, but still want to "have fun" with the car. The way i see it a high performance 4cyl car is a good option for someone that still has to use it as a daily driver, but also likes to be able to take advantage of the performance. However, I don't think i have ever seen someone in a STI, Evo, SRT-4, Cobalt SS/SC, MS3, etc.... turn off their car at a red light.


I am not here to start drama, but this thread makes little or no sense to me. If you are that concerned about the cost of fuel or the environment I highly doubt that you are going to "get on it" for any reason other than safety (getting out of the way).


Again, all these things are my opinion on the subject and should be taken with a grain of salt.

 

Glad you noticed the other driving styles on this thread and the Forms eco area.
I have yet to to anything other that work on better mpg on my 109hp Fit as that was why it was purchased. It looked like the best value and something I could live with as I use less gas.

BTW IMHO I think opinions should be based on ones real life experience with there own Fit, as opposed what one may think is the best way. General opinions are not of much help here. We need my more notes based on Fit ownership results.............not stong opinions based on general asumtions.

 

Too many lights and hills where I live, I'd go nuts having to turn my car off and on for every light. Sorry mother earth and ozone layer.

 

 

Does this stress the battery?

How come the "mild hybrids" cost so much more than the gasoline versions?

BTW mild hybrids are cars that intentionally idle at zero when the car is stopped, and once you let go of the brake, it automatically re-ignites the engine.

I always thought why can't you just do this manually. Note: The mild hybrid does have a bigger alternator among other things.

Just to think about.

 

Sorry if i ruffled any feathers, things just didn't add up to me. Obviously i am the one that is out of the loop. I will keep my opinions out of the ECO Fit area from now on.

Like i said before, i don't search forums trying to start fights, but I seriously thought the purpose of forums was to share opinions and ideas. -to get another person's perspective on things. (among other things of course)

As a side note, and final comment on my behalf: The first time i am running late for work and someone in front of me is holding me up at a red light because they cut their car off for a 45second stop, I will personally get out of my car and bust their windshield with my tire iron on pure principal.

sorry if i offended anyone from my previous posts, I just saw the statements as "apples to oranges".

 

I'm with cavie on this one - it's simply not worth the extra strain on the ignition and starter, and is just a PITA.

 

Why do you still try to ruffle them, then? Reference your below comments...

I'm hoping your statement is an hyperbole. Because if it isn't I wish you well the first time you hop out of your car and bust in someone's windshield with your tire iron. You just don't know how someone is going to react. A few years' ago an old man was cut off in traffic by a road-raging man. The old man flagged him over, reached in the trunk, pulled out a crossbow, and killed the road-raging driver.

If your above statement is not an hyperbole... you are a road raging driver. IF the individual whose windshield you busted out doesn't freak out and retaliate (possibly costing you life or limb) - he/she will call the police (along with every other car watching), and you will be arrested for road rage. If it were me, and you did that to my car, I would push for road rage, assault, destruction of private property, disturbing the peace, and any other charge the equally-upset police officer can think of... all on pure principle...

If you were being serious (which I hope you weren't) do yourself a favor - calm down in traffic. No hypermiler is going to hold you up in traffic.

 

Yea it's also dangerous b/c

1) you risk stalling. what if you run out of battery juice
2) your brakes fluid stops. you can only hit brakes a limited amount of time. this is dangerous if you're on a hill
3) it wears out your battery, which is not designed for heavy duty draining/recharging. There's a reason why mild hybrids (cars whose engine shuts off when the car stops, and automatically starts up when you let go of the brake, essentially an automatic version of what people are mentioning here) costs 1000$ more.

 

I really doubt he was being serious, but heck, I don't know the guy..

 

I'll address these point-by-point...

1a. Risk stalling - the car's already off... just restart it. I only shut the car off @ lights with which I am well familiar (I know the light sequence), and I watch the light sequence with great concentration.

1b. What if you run out of battery juice? Won't happen. I turn everything (radio, heat/air conditioning) off - but leave the car in Accessory-II so the airbags will still deploy in event that someone hits me. At night I leave the headlights on, of course... but one would have to be stopped a LONG time to drain the battery that much.

2. The brake fluid stops. No it doesn't... just the power booster for the brakes. It essentially becomes a car with manual (non power-assisted) brakes. No biggie - you still have brakes, they just require more effort to push in - which isn't a big deal in such a little car. I used to have a 69 Camaro with manual brakes... that wasn't even a big deal. Moreover, the brake system is closed-loop - the brake fluid isn't going anywear - it's hydraulic. WORST CASE SCENARIO (loss of brake fluid pressure - due to line rupture or something similar) - use the e-brake. It's cable actuated and will not fail unless the cable snaps (which would be due to corrosion - not strain).

3. It wears out your battery faster. Yes, it does. But I more than make up for it in a few months' worth of driving. I can get a nice new battery (with a lifetime warranty) for only $100.

That's less than 30 gallons of fuel. I've seen an improvement of 10 MPG so far. I drive about 15,000 miles per year. I've done the math in a previous post, but I could pay for a new battery in no time.

To me, hypermiling brings the fun back to driving as I am competing against myself to continually strive to get better fuel economy. I used to have a blast racing around (literally - I used to street race my old Camaro)... but that can lead to tickets. Hypermiling is perfectly legal and just as much fun.

I still miss racing around - but that's why I'll buy a track car (probably a Miata) someday to go have fun on the weekends at a real race track.

 

Great response AppleMac
I guess I'm guilty of folding up my cards with these clueless challenges to some of the verified methods US Eco Honda Fit users freely share on here.

Having a SG, it's very clear when you see your hard earned MPG gains on a trip clicking a way, when you sit at a long light at idle and .2 GPH fuel wasted.

 

I don't think I would stop my car at a light. To be honest I have never seen anybody do this. The only time I have seen someone turn off their car at a stop light is when they don't have a choice in the matter and their car turns off on them.

 

1) I was also referring to #2) it may not start up again. That's what I meant by stalling, where it goes rororoorororor. You can't rely on the fact that the fit is new that it'll start up. On older cars, or when the fit gets old, this is a dangerous technique.

3) I think you're wrong. There are times I wanna park downhill, but I need an adjustment, so I say 'why turn the engine on when I can go neutral'. You can only brake around 2 times before the pressure builds up. I can squat 375lbs (not leg press, squat. I'm a wrestler, and I bodybuilded in HS). After braking 2x, the brake will get stuck at the highest position, no matter how strong you can push with your leg.

My bro's s2000 once couldn't start after being parked on a *slight* hill. He even told me he got lucky he backed out in one try, b/c he could only brake twice. After, he just used his e-brake.

And I'm not sure how you save 10mpg fuel. I don't think it's that high. If you look at the malibu, the i-4 mild hybrid gets only 1 mpg advantage over the V6 gasoline--heck that 1mpg improvement may have been just from the smaller engine. I don't think doing it manually isn't any much better.

Fact fo the matter is, it's not worth it, whether you consdier the risks (safety, battery wear, more effort to drive) or the rewards (trivial mpg improvement).

 

No - try it in an empty parking lot if you'd like to find out and know for sure. I have first-hand knowledge that the brakes keep on working. You only lose power assist when the engine is turned off. Try it

I have improved my fuel economy significantly; I have gone from 31 MPG to 41 MPG, and continually improving - just from changing my driving technique, and turning off my car. Certainly, the whole improvement isn't just from shutting off my car at long red lights, but everything about hypermiling. Read about hypermiling - cleanmpg.com

Not worth it to you - that's fine. But a 10 MPG difference (a 32% increase) is not trivial to me. I see the difference in my wallet for sure.

BTW - I'm not trying to indoctrinate you into hypermiling... we each drive our cars to our own pleasure. But notice the forum in which this is posted Eco FIT.

 

Cars in general are ment to last 100000 miles. The manufacturer knows how much oil a car will need in that time. Its not about oil or gas, because electic and hy-bread cars use twice the oil in the making and maintaining of those cars, it is about where you use and spend and profits to more than a few companys and keeping mechanic working. Restarting a hot motor is not good the rings will wear out faster and burn more oil and more maintance. Just use the best oil and gas and you will save money.

 

I understand your argument there but, I also understand his. You may be getting more gas mileage and more money up front but in the long run you are probably going to have more car fixing costs etc... which he does not want to have.