stop/start - great eco function or downright dangerous?
Discussion
Having lived with my new car for a month I'm suggesting it's the latter.
Its an auto, and every time you come to a standstill the engine cuts out even whilst in drive, lift your foot off the brake pedal and it restarts.
So, you're approaching a roundabout, you've slowed to a stop and are looking for a gap, you see one but it's tight and your engine isn't even running, do you floor the loud pedal hoping the engine will restart quick enough to allow you to accelerate into the space, or hold up traffic and wait for the next gap?
The other option is to roll forward very, very slowly so that the car is still moving and the start/stop doesn't activate, but then you get up to the give way point, you can't stop now as the engine will cut out, so you roll a little into the road you're joining to keep moving, then a little more, then you HAVE to fully stop for an oncoming car, then the engine cuts out but now you're actually halfway into the road you're trying to join, you're in the way now.
Handily, there's a button to disable it, you have to press it every time you get into the car, which I'll be doing from now on.
/rant over.
Its an auto, and every time you come to a standstill the engine cuts out even whilst in drive, lift your foot off the brake pedal and it restarts.
So, you're approaching a roundabout, you've slowed to a stop and are looking for a gap, you see one but it's tight and your engine isn't even running, do you floor the loud pedal hoping the engine will restart quick enough to allow you to accelerate into the space, or hold up traffic and wait for the next gap?
The other option is to roll forward very, very slowly so that the car is still moving and the start/stop doesn't activate, but then you get up to the give way point, you can't stop now as the engine will cut out, so you roll a little into the road you're joining to keep moving, then a little more, then you HAVE to fully stop for an oncoming car, then the engine cuts out but now you're actually halfway into the road you're trying to join, you're in the way now.
Handily, there's a button to disable it, you have to press it every time you get into the car, which I'll be doing from now on.
/rant over.
StottyZr said:
Wouldn't hitting the accelerator and hoping for the best work pretty well? The engine should start as you back off the brake pedal, and rev just like normal? Test it out at an empty roundabout and see what it does. My guess, it will work just as though the car has been on the entire time.
Rhetorical, the post is the thoughts that go through my mind rather than me actually asking you all the questions.So, to answer, no, it doesn't work as well as if the engine has been on, that's impossible. It does restart pretty quickly, but restarting quickly and pulling away will never make as quick a getaway as just sitting in drive ready to go.
My point is that the system creates a poor style of driving. You're either rolling/creeping to keep the engine from cutting out or sitting still waiting to take your chances at junctions and roundabouts wondering if you have enough time to restart and pull out..
LuS1fer said:
I wouldn't buy a car with stop start.
I didn't realise it had stop start when I agreed to buy, being an auto I didn't think it was possible to have stop start so didn't bother asking or checking 
If it's disabled the light goes out on the dash rather than on, so if the engine is running and it's disabled before you get in the drivers seat for a test drive, you might never notice until it's too late!
redtwin said:
So if I understand this correctly, with an auto box the car engine will stop with the gear selector in D then start again when foot is removed from brake pedal with the selector still in D?.
Yes, spot on. Like I say, I didn't even know it was possible to have the function on an auto, nevermind that the car I'd agreed to buy had it!Car is a 2011 C220 CDI, I'm getting great mpg with it disabled so won't be using it again unless I get stuck in motorway gridlock.
Corpulent Tosser said:
So why not put on the handbrake, take your foot off the footbrake and the engine will be running ready for you to accelerate into traffic.
I'd have to come to a complete standstill using the footbrake, then the engine would cut out whilst I put the handbrake on (which being a Merc is foot operated, released by hand), then the engine would restart - more trouble than just using the stop start normally!Corpulent Tosser said:
Or use the disable button.
See my previous posts.Edited by yellowbentines on Monday 21st November 14:46
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