Saving fuel at the traffic lights

[indyblue]

I've had several people suggest the following ways of saving fuel while sitting in traffic or at the traffic lights. What are other people's thoughts?

1. Change to neutral.

2. Turn the key to "accessory" (not off) and change to Park.

I realise these would probably apply more to autos than manuals, but what would turning the key to accessory achieve while waiting at the lights? Surely when you start the engine again, the big gulp of fuel it takes would make this exercise worthless? Or maybe I'm misunderstanding it.

And whats the difference between turning to Accessory and turning to Off when it comes to saving fuel? They both stop the engine, don't they? And the electrics available in Accessory don't run off fuel...

Indy.

[rattattack1313]

I think they are pulling your leg,mate....... turn the key off to acc....loooool.......

[minux]

I've had several people suggest the following ways of saving fuel while sitting in traffic or at the traffic lights. What are other people's thoughts?

1. Change to neutral.

2. Turn the key to "accessory" (not off) and change to Park.

I realise these would probably apply more to autos than manuals, but what would turning the key to accessory achieve while waiting at the lights? Surely when you start the engine again, the big gulp of fuel it takes would make this exercise worthless? Or maybe I'm misunderstanding it.

And whats the difference between turning to Accessory and turning to Off when it comes to saving fuel? They both stop the engine, don't they? And the electrics available in Accessory don't run off fuel...

Indy.

lol, yeah turn the car off at the lights so that when you quickly need to plant your foot to avert danger you cant move. Trust me, ive been in a situation where i had to red light simply because i didnt feel like being road kill by a Ford B triple. Fuel usage at lights is minimal, just fix how you accelerate and it will fix all your problems.

[VTSSDUDE]

I agree, if no one is behind you and no one approaching yeah put it in neutral. But keep an eye out in your reverse mirror.

[rattattack1313]

I have even seen people put their manual car in neutral at lights....extremely dangerous, in my opinion..... you need more time to re-engage the gears etc etc......rather that Ford B triple missed me, tooo ....

[indyblue]

I've been reading the NRMA Open Road on and off today, and they've actually got a page that mentions this same thing! They suggest turning the key to Acc while waiting at the lights to conserve fuel!

Surely there's got to be some reason why so many people are suggesting it?? I can't see it myself though.

Indy.

[minux]

I have even seen people put their manual car in neutral at lights....extremely dangerous, in my opinion..... you need more time to re-engage the gears etc etc......rather that Ford B triple missed me, tooo ....

lol, i always do this when i take my VN SS out. Ever driven one of these when it has a clutch that needs to hold 430 odd fly wheel kilowatts? Try driving in peak hour, neutral become my friend, its why when i bought my VT new i bought an auto .

[Patrio7]

i think acc instead off right off simple because its a whole "click" less you need to give it a kick in the guts. shorter response times and less beeping, less road rage less tailgaters maybe. but personally i like to just hit the air-con on to hold down the temp guage and just wait.

[Zharklm]

steering lock?

[Bax]

Whaat? Wouldn't moving it anywhere other then ON turn the engine off. Which therefore doesn't matter whether its Acc or OFF.

Whats the car idle on at the lights anyway, 2-4l/ 100km - I wouldn't fuss. Take off slower and coast when you can, instead of accelerating hard and braking hard.

[Boonz]

doesnt it use more fuel when you start your car anyway????

[walesy]

but if you just put it to acc it wouldnt pump extra fuel into the car? if you turn it to off then to acc you hear your fuel pump kick in, so maybe thats what they mean i dunno its stupid, as someone else said fuel usage at the lights is extremely minimal so work on accelerating without stomping it and that should help

[Boonz]

lol nah what i meant was when you restart your car it runs it a bit richer or sumthing because i always look at the fuel usage when i start new cars in the morning at work and it goes up to like 30L/100kms for about 10 seconds

[Zharklm]

*begin shit talking*

The reason why the car would idle higher is because it is cold and the EFI is adjusting the idle to get it warm up and circulate the oil and what not

The NRMA would say that it is telling you to set the cars to ACC so that the steering is not locked in case someone rams your ass or some very obscure situation

The real reason the NRMA is telling you to set it to ACC is so that you will kill your battery quicker in the concrete jungle and they can flog more batteries.

*end shit talking*

yeah I dont know facts about anything in the thread.

[jack.mc]

Whats the car idle on at the lights anyway, 2-4l/ 100km - I wouldn't fuss. Take off slower and coast when you can, instead of accelerating hard and braking hard.

Actually, you would be using infinite L/100km, because you will never get 100kays sitting still. Not meaning to offend/annoy, just saying...

[Shounak]

It takes 30 seconds of petrol in normal driving to start a car.. That's what I heard on the radio anyway..

[shaggerz]

lol if you are idling you are actually getting infinite litres per 100km because you aren't going anywhere haha.

Seriously the amount of fuel used while idling is negligible. If you were at the lights for 20 minutes however, i'd suggest turning it off hehe.

Some driving habits you can get into to conserve fuel are;

1. Accelerate very very gently.
2. Use downhill stretches to coast your way up to speed rather than accelerating up to it and then sitting on the brake to keep you below the limit.
3. When approaching a red light in the distance, slow down a long way before the red light so there is a higher chance the light will go green before you have to stop.

4. Remember these 2 important facts:
a) The higher the load or revs, the more fuel you use
b) Braking is wasting momentum that you have just spent fuel accumulating

This does NOT mean you should never use brakes! lol

[Phreddy]

LOL! I agree with Zhark - before too long you'll have a buggered battery, and have to call the NRMA. (or RACV, RACQ, or whatever)

I reckon the fuel used at idle would be absolutely bugger all - and would surely be offset by the "gulp" the engine needs when you start it again. Let's face it - at idle, the engine is under no load and running at the lowest RPM it ever will (apart from when it's actually stopped) And think about the extra wear and tear on the starter motor!

I can remember seeing a thing on telly one time (few years ago) about a new VW Golf which was aimed at extreme fuel ecomony - it had a diesel engine, and no actual "start" position on the key. The engine started when the accelerator pedal was pressed, and shut down every time you came to a stop. One thing that was mentioned though was that the engine had a particularly heavy duty starter motor and battery, purely for the reason that it gets used far more than a "standard" starter.

So, the fuel you might save will be more than offset by the extra you'll spend on batteries and starter motors!

Whichever knob-head at NRMA proposed this should think about the bigger picture....

[maxy0987]

3. When approaching a red light in the distance, slow down a long way before the red light so there is a higher chance the light will go green before you have to stop.

4. Remember these 2 important facts:
a) The higher the load or revs, the more fuel you use
b) Braking is wasting momentum that you have just spent fuel accumulating

hehe, i use that theory around corners and roundabouts, slow down as little as possible so you dont need to accelerate as much, plus its more fun

[jaskel]

well putting it in N or Park would use more fuel as the revs are higher than in D so thats a stupid idea.

Another one is that it actually uses more fuel by starting your car all the time rather than just leaving it running.

[Goose]

When its in ACC the steering lock will stay off.

[Bax]

It idles higher when in Neatural and park because theres no load on the engine I thought.

When you put it in drive its still putting that slight touch of load onto the engine. Thats why the revs drop. Who knows? It's only a minor difference in revs so it wouldn't effect the fuel consumption at all.

I seriously don't think you should worry about it at all.

[shaggerz]

Myth: BUSTED! hehehe

[cunners3]

Myth busted for sure...
On one of those kids afternoon science shows (yeah I watched them in my day) they tested what was better, turning the car off or idling....
The result was that if you are sitting for more than 2 minutes it is better to turn the car off as starting the car again uses the same amount of fuel as that 2 minutes...
hmmmm....
What about taking bends in the road in the service lane to cut down the distance we are driving??? surely this would save us petrol??? haha

[MOTIV8]

Seriously the amount of fuel used while idling is negligible. If you were at the lights for 20 minutes however, i'd suggest turning it off hehe.

Some driving habits you can get into to conserve fuel are;

1. Accelerate very very gently.
2. Use downhill stretches to coast your way up to speed rather than accelerating up to it and then sitting on the brake to keep you below the limit.
3. When approaching a red light in the distance, slow down a long way before the red light so there is a higher chance the light will go green before you have to stop.

4. Remember these 2 important facts:
a) The higher the load or revs, the more fuel you use
b) Braking is wasting momentum that you have just spent fuel accumulating

About as much information needed to acheive optimum fuel efficiency.

Why bother with switching the engine off and on at every red light, stop sign etc.

If that worried about fuel effieciency then go and buy a 20cc micro scooter to get around. That would cost you more then the fuel you would save in a year of turning the engine on and off.