I notice that most new Toyotas are fitted with a start-stop system that stops the engine when the car is stopped at traffic lights etc.
Is this system reliable? It sounds a bit scary! Any opinions on whether it's worth having?
Chris gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:
It's a Toyota. It'll be thoroughly reliable, but as exciting as a supermarket own-brand white sliced loaf.
Why?
If you buy the "every last gram of CO2 emitted kills a cute polar bear" bollocks, then - yes.
IIRC VW fitted a start stop system to some MK2 Golfs. They definitely fitted it to some MK3s.
I remember it being fitted to certain FIAT Stradas/Ritmos, how long ago was that !?
I have a vague idea that some Passats had it too, but ICBW.
& BMW are heavily advertising it at the moment.
That was just a 'random stop' system, ITYF.
In article , Duncan Wood writes
How can it possibly work? How does it guess how long you are going to be stopped for?
WTF?!
From what I recall, the BMW system cuts the engine when you select neutral and put on the handbrake.
When you then put it back into gear, it fires up again.
All happens so quickly that it doesn't need to 'know' how long you're stopping for.
What I'm getting at is that it must use some energy to start the engine
- and so there will be a break-even time, below which it's not worth stopping the motor. Usually the recommendation is to switch off if you think you're likely to be stopped for a couple of minutes. So - I'm wondering about the theory that's being used. Does anyone here know?
Wwll a quick look at the injection chart here puts break even at
The Energy Saving Trust claims the AA thinks it's 3 minutes, but they have no reference to it.
An old discussion I recall (probably in this NG) suggested it takes
8mins to recharge the battery.On traffic lights I know take their time, I switch off. What cold, we are dressed to be outside in the car, and it heats all the other time. And I don't warm up the car (though I do keep it running while I am defrosting on the outside).
Kostas
There's either a rather larger starter motor, a combined starter & alternator or Mazdas 1/2 compresssed cylinder system on things using it.
You were right to pull me up; it's actually 9 miles that was quoted:
The battery rechargings fairly irrelevant though, it's the fuel that's more significant. You can tweak the charge rate if it's an issue.
Agreed, and for that I have not been able to find conclusive information.
Kostas
AFAIK it's not considered to be an issue, the quoted time to recharge the battery is when it's already nearly ful, but if it's nearly full then it's irrelevant.
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