Mazda's new Motor - Idling Stop Technology

[FstStig]

Hey Guys,

As I was an Apprentice Mechanic last year I was signed up with IAME and I get their Mag whenever they send it out. Found this article rather interesting about Mazda's new motors. Not sure if anyone would be interested in this, but will post it anyway.

The first Mazda equipped with i-stop, the company's award-winning idling stop system, is now undergoing local testing ahead of next year's Australian launch of the fuel saving Technology.

Idling stop systems save fuel by automatically shutting down the engine when teh car is static, and restarting it when the car returns to motion. While conventional idling stop systems rely on a starter motor to restart the engine, Mazda's "i-Stop" restarts the engine through combustion: Fuel is directly injected into a cylinder while the engine is stopped and ignited to generate downward piston force. The result is a quick and quiet engine re-start compared to other systems, and a significant saving in fuel.

Piston stop position control and combustion restart technology enabling engine re-start on 0.35 seconds. To restart engine by combustion, compression -stroke and expansion-stoke pistons need to be stopped at the correct positions to create the right balance of air volumes. Mazda's "i-stop" ensures precise control over the piston positions during engine shutdown - of all the pistons stopped at the optimum positions, the system identifies the initial cylinder for fuel injection and ignites, to restart the engine. Even at extremely low rpm, cylinders are sequentially identified for ignition, making the engine quickly pick up idle speed. As the driver lifts the brake pedal to continue driving fuel is injected directly into the cylinder, atomised, then ignited forcing the piston down. At the same time, the starter motor applies a small amount of additional momentum to the crankshaft resulting in an extremely quick and refined restart of the engine.

So what do we all think? I personally think its a good step towards making the cars more fuel efficient, but at the same time, all the technology and sensors going into it. More things to go wrong and I would think to have these things replaced would be costing an arm and a leg. I also think it would really suck in start and stop traffic, Just can't see how it would be efficient in that type of traffic condition.


Opinions good and bad are welcome

Mumbo

[Pub247]

Umm terrible name whats with all the i #### these days

The technology is nothing new plenty of different manufacturers have and all mazda done has improved the technology.

[nemesis_adrasteia]

pretty sure mercedes has already tried this(i think it was them) good idea though

[sik_dose]

Would be a crappy start to a street race. Two completly silent cars side by side at the lights.

[nemesis_adrasteia]

Would be a crappy start to a street race. Two completly silent cars side by side at the lights.

since when do you start a race with your foot off the throttle?

[FstStig]

Why the hell would you even street race whatever car this is going to be. Can only see it being in one of these little buzz box mazda makes.

[Jesterarts]

Or further more, why the hell would you street race?

BMW have this type of system in their latest M3. There are are few other cars out there that have this.

I think it's a great idea in non-performance vehicles. It would also be great in stop/start traffic etc.

I'm of the opinion that the greatest waste of fuel is when you are stilling at the lights or a traffic jam. So this strikes me as a good idea.

It would be interesting to see the results of a side by side test though. one vehicle with the i-Stop system and another exactly the safe without.

In the country and on highways it would obviously yield no benefits but around the city, I imagine there would be a considerable saving in fuel.

[Darren_L]

sounds like a good idea, although I think the driver should be able to disable the mode (with a switch) if they wish, as I could see it being a pain in peak hour traffic where you start/stop every 30 seconds or so. Even though the startup delay is supposed to be less than a second, it would become annoying all the same with repeated start/stops.

[ari666]

pretty sure mercedes has already tried this(i think it was them) good idea though

yeah merc vans have had this for ages.

[Jecs]

the hino hybrid trucks have this system. pull it out of gear and release clutch an it would shut down an would kick back over when you put the clutch back in. didnt feel right sitting at a set lights not hearing an engine running. but ye its old technology.

[Tsunamix]

From what i understand, the WAY mazda does it is different to everyone elses. No Starter motor involvement.

[Troy711]

Old technology... Last time I drove a golf cart al I needed to do to start it was press the accelerator.

[Pub247]

From what i understand, the WAY mazda does it is different to everyone elses. No Starter motor involvement.

Which is what i said in my first post nothing new but improved on

[UFO]

good idea to save fuel, bad name.

[torch]

cant see it being cost effective for the average motorist, maybe taxis. A typical v6 idles at about 1.4L/hr, or about $2 per hour, or about 3 cents/min.
Out of your total commuting time, how much is spent absolutely stationary for the average motorist? 5 mins?, a whopping 15cents save per day. But we have no details about how long the system takes to kick in, does it wait 30 seconds after coming to rest before switching off, in that case change the estimate above to 8cents per day!

In terms of the total emissions coming from the total vehicle fleet it would be significant and perhaps governments in the future will make it a requirement.

[Pub247]

Its all a step in the right direction i cant wait till more cars come out with KERS

[STEEV888]

i noticed a couple of ppl said it would be annoying in peak hour traffic. it switches on after you take your foot off the brake not when you hit the accelerator how many of you are going to go from brake to accel in less than 0.35 seconds.
and if your that impatient then its the wrong car for you.

[Stressball]

From what i understand, the WAY mazda does it is different to everyone elses. No Starter motor involvement.

...At the same time, the starter motor applies a small amount of additional momentum to the crankshaft resulting in an extremely quick and refined restart of the engine.

There is, but not anywhere near as much as a conventional system would require, I suppose.

[Darren_L]

i noticed a couple of ppl said it would be annoying in peak hour traffic. it switches on after you take your foot off the brake not when you hit the accelerator how many of you are going to go from brake to accel in less than 0.35 seconds.
and if your that impatient then its the wrong car for you.

it's not about impatience, it's about the delay being annoying, like a minor engine flatspot/miss. People don't get annoyed with flatspots/missfires because they are impatient.
I relate it to those cars like Vectras that drop into neutral when sitting stationary. When you release the brake and hit the throttle there is a very brief, but annoying delay before the transmission goes back into gear. If it's just between traffic lights fine, but if you are on and off the throttle/on the brake several times within a few minutes in a traffic jam, the delay becomes much more noticeable and annoying.

But like I said, if there was an override switch like most cars have for traction control, stability control etc, then no problem. You could turn it off in those start/stop situations if you wish.

[Stressball]

it's not about impatience, it's about the delay being annoying, like a minor engine flatspot/miss. People don't get annoyed with flatspots/missfires because they are impatient.
I relate it to those cars like Vectras that drop into neutral when sitting stationary. When you release the brake and hit the throttle there is a very brief, but annoying delay before the transmission goes back into gear. If it's just between traffic lights fine, but if you are on and off the throttle/on the brake several times within a few minutes in a traffic jam, the delay becomes much more noticeable and annoying.

But like I said, if there was an override switch like most cars have for traction control, stability control etc, then no problem. You could turn it off in those start/stop situations if you wish.

Turbo diesel Triton = flat spot with wheels, lol. It sucks ass. There's a big delay when you put your foot down, half a second or so. Then you get a tiny surge of power, then it waits for the turbo to spool at 2200 rpm. So you get Nothing - Surge - Nothing - Surge then it flattens out after 3200rpm, before running out of puff after 3700rpm. It's a nightmare on roundabouts, although footstalling it gives surprisingly swift takeoffs heh.

[DerekP]

So what's running the A/C compressor when your are stuck in traffic on a 35 degree day?

[gslrallysport]

Hopes and dreams... and some fifty weight.

[Darren_L]

So what's running the A/C compressor when your are stuck in traffic on a 35 degree day?

good point

[BradZ_VH]

Good point with the A/C compressor but i find it hard to believe Mazda have not already thought of this issue. If its really as quick and smooth as Mazda say it is then it may not drive very differently if at all.

EDIT: To add to what someone said before. There IS some slight starter motor involvement but not as much as the other systems.