Stop/Start

[Carabosse]

How do members with this "eco" innovation fitted feel about stop/start?

As mentioned elsewhere I'm shortly to take delivery of a C207. It will have this facility.

I drove a Mini Cooper S with stop/start for an extended period last year. It drove me nuts!

Do you normally switch it off before commencing your journey?

 

[Peter DLM]

I flick it off, but if I pull up to a set of lights that I know I'll be stationary for 30 seconds, then I'll flick it back on. Then leave it on and make a judgment call on the next stop to leave it on or flick it off.

If stationary for 2 seconds, yes it's a pain, but I can see the benefit of it for long stops

After a little practice it becomes second nature and it's off/on/off without bother or thinking about it. I don't need to look for the button, it's instinctive.

 

[LTD]

I like it now that I am used to it.

It can be a pain in really slow traffic but there is always the 'off' option.

 

[flango]

How do members with this "eco" innovation fitted feel about stop/start?

As mentioned elsewhere I'm shortly to take delivery of a C207. It will have this facility.

I drove a Mini Cooper S with stop/start for an extended period last year. It drove me nuts!

Do you normally switch it off before commencing your journey?

On an Auto box it's fine on a manual it's a PITA, run with it switched off on mine and SWMBO's and it makes absolutely no difference to fuel consumption.

The one journey where you would think it would make a difference is SWMBO daily commute 12 miles in heavy traffic lots of traffic lights very rarely get above 30 mph but theres no difference with it on or off

Just another gimmick to satisfy the PC green brigade IMHO

 

[wemorgan]

Stop/start in a automatic diesel makes perfect sense. The only real trouble is that so few other cars have it, so when stationary all you hear are other noisy engines.

When stationary my trip mpg stays constant rather than falling through the floor.

Thankfully I'm seldom in traffic, so the bigger picture is that it makes little difference either way.

 

[grober]

My concern is with dual mass flywheel equipped cars.The greatest loading on DMF's are during engine start and stop= greater inertial loadings. Use of the stop start system is going to increase the frequency of this high loading situation by a factor at least 5 or more on an average journey. It's possible the DMF on cars equipped with stop start have been "beefed up" a bit for this. Time will tell but if not ?? expect a plethora of DMF premature failures as mileage builds up on cars that use it a lot. Can't go by mileage alone as non stop "motorway pounding" won't stress the system.

 

[flango]

My concern is with dual mass flywheel equipped cars.The greatest loading on DMF's are during engine start and stop= greater inertial loadings. Use of the stop start system is going to increase the frequency of this high loading situation by a factor at least 5 or more on an average journey. It's possible the DMF on cars equipped with stop start have been "beefed up" a bit for this. Time will tell but if not ?? expect a plethora of DMF premature failures as mileage builds up on cars that use it a lot. Can't go by mileage alone as non stop "motorway pounding" won't stress the system.

Volvo beefed up the DMF for this very reason so I would assume other quality manufacturers also did the same, but you never know and it's a very good point, would be worth asking the question next time some one is in a MB dealer

 

[Carabosse]

Guys, that's sufficiently concerning to make me inclined to keep it switched off at all times!

Quite apart from the nuisance factor.

 

[wemorgan]

What nuisance factor is that? It's all automatic, so you drive the car exactly as you otherwise normaly would.

 

[Carabosse]

What nuisance factor is that? It's all automatic, so you drive the car exactly as you otherwise normaly would.

I guess I am judging it more on a manual car than an automatic.

However, even on an auto, I feel it just reduces confidence when (e.g.) pulling out from a T-junction into a stream of fast-moving traffic. Going from engine off to full(ish) throttle seems counterintuitive.

 

[Deleted member 65149]

I'm in the take-it-or-leave-it camp. My 6-potter is so beautifully smooth that the start-up is noticeable as the 3.5 litres gets fired up. But it's not so bothersome that I feel the need to turn it off. And the engine's so smooth and quiet at tickover that there's no mechanical advantage in having it turned on. I agree with those who haven't noticed any difference with it. It'll remain as one of those features that I don't bother with or do anything about.

 

[Deleted member 65149]

I guess I am judging it more on a manual car than an automatic.

However, even on an auto, I feel it just reduces confidence when (e.g.) pulling out from a T-junction into a stream of fast-moving traffic. Going from engine off to full(ish) throttle seems counterintuitive.

I'm rarely completely stationary when at those situations so the stop feature doesn't kick in. I have tried full throttle from engine stopped to see how it gets on - starting and pulling away is instant

 

[W2--]

I had couple of experience on Stop/Start, and I found them very usual in heavy traffic.

One is a E250 CDI Cab belongs to a family which I drive it occasionally . When you come to a stop the car waits for a split second before it cut off the engine, so that if you release the pressure on the brake a little the engine will stay running. When the engine do stop, by the time you are fully off the brake it's already up and running. The only down side is the 250 engine is rather unrefined, so start up can become tiresome. (Loan a 250 CLS SB a few weeks ago and it is a lot more refined.)

I also had an extended test drive of a MINI Clubvan D over Easter, which also have Stop/Start. If I can remember rightly, the stop/start was controlled by the clutch. So when you depress the clutch, the engine spring back to life. and again it will be up and running before you are prepare to move off.
I also amazed at the refinement of the engine in the MINI. There are very little noise and vibration on start up. So the smoother the engine the less you would troubled by the Stop/Start system.

 

[Peter T]

I had an E class auto as a courtesy car some time ago.

The thing I couldn't get my head round was stopping/starting the engine with the transmission in Drive.

Every time the engine fired up there was a jolt from the transmission, which was bad enough but, had it been my car, the thought of what it was doing to the auto box would have driven me nuts!

 

[ioweddie]

Its fine on my auto c220, I also like the hold facility, press the brake a little harder when stationary and hey! presto its applied the brakes on hold, as soon as you touch the accelerator it fires up and moves off even on an incline. I never use the parking brake. You will soon get used to it and begin to actually enjoy it.

 

[mct_cars]

I've had stop start in a load of hire cars and it's fine. On manuals its usually activated by the clutch - press down take out of gear (keep foot on brake / apply handbrake as normal) and the car switched off. As soon as you depress the clutch again to put it in gear, it starts back up. I've tried to beat it but can't so don't see the harm at all - a few more MPG's in traffic can't be a bad thing - all you need to look at is the urban figures for s/s and non s/s models to see that it could make a difference.

 

[Carabosse]

Every time the engine fired up there was a jolt from the transmission, which was bad enough but, had it been my car, the thought of what it was doing to the auto box would have driven me nuts!

Surely that should not happen?

Its fine on my auto c220, I also like the hold facility, press the brake a little harder when stationary and hey! presto its applied the brakes on hold, as soon as you touch the accelerator it fires up and moves off even on an incline. I never use the parking brake. You will soon get used to it and begin to actually enjoy it.

Presumably no jolt, then?

 

[geraldrobins]

I have it on my c200 auto diesel and have no problems other than it being intermittent as to when it works. But apparently it depends on battery condition and temperature etc but I have noticed at times on a warmish day and 30 mile motorway run it doesnt always work.

 

[cinek]

I have a C220 in manual and had no issues with stop/start function at all.
If anything, it ensures rather impressive mpg return, after being stuck in never-ending traffic around London.

 

[big boss]

Just to clarify then; in manuals, the engine stops only when the gear is in neutral as otherwise you foot will be on the clutch, right? Sorry for the daft question, my manual E class is being delivered tomorrow.