Is this bad for your car?

[Rouxenator]

It's not bad for the car, but you are not saving on fuel as pointed out. In my car when the speed drops below 10km/h the consumption changes from l/100km to l/h because you are just wasting fuel and will probably run out of fuel or die of boredom before you manage to drive 10 hours at 10km/h.

 

[SauRoNZA]

Instead of releasing the clutch and accelerating to go forward, if you just slowly release the clutch a little and let the car move forward.

Is this bad for the car in anyway? Can it save petrol as you not using the accelerator as much?

Helps in traffic

If you mean not touching the throttle and simply using the clutch and idle to move forward then no problem there as the force on the clutch is really the exact same either way.

It would be a problem going up hill and the engine labours/sputters.

Why is it bad to let your engine labour?

The question you should rather ask is how can it NOT do damage if the entire car is shaking from trying to stay alive. Your gearbox is fighting, your engine is fighting...some cars the dashboard is trying to escape and the windows are planning an exodus.

 

[PostmanPot]

Letting it idle is bad. Get in, start and drive - keeping revs low. I.E - don't redline it while its cold.

Hell, don't even go above 3,000 RPM! I don't, for at least 3 - 4km.

Often a matter of opinion though, but a car that is loved like this will last longer.

Sorry for those people buying second hand cars off those who live at foots of hills...

 

[Sinbad]

The question you should rather ask is how can it NOT do damage if the entire car is shaking from trying to stay alive. Your gearbox is fighting, your engine is fighting...some cars the dashboard is trying to escape and the windows are planning an exodus.

Made me laugh. Also reminded me of my first car.

 

[SauRoNZA]

Instead of releasing the clutch and accelerating to go forward, if you just slowly release the clutch a little and let the car move forward.

Is this bad for the car in anyway? Can it save petrol as you not using the accelerator as much?

Helps in traffic

It's not bad for the car, but you are not saving on fuel as pointed out. In my car when the speed drops below 10km/h the consumption changes from l/100km to l/h because you are just wasting fuel and will probably run out of fuel or die of boredom before you manage to drive 10 hours at 10km/h.

Obviously you are using some fuel to idle the car and keep it alive.

But that would still be less fuel than at any time you put your foot on the pedal to add more fuel.


You only use fuel...when touching the pedal. Anything else is a normal operational loss and I wouldn't consider that "using fuel" really.

 

[RazedInBlack]

I disagree that it saves fuel. My car indicates Litres used per 100 ks, and when I crawl forward like that I use much fuel than when I use the clutch and accelerator in conjunction.

Not really. Your ECU (for example Audi) calculates fuel usage by distance every 30 metres according to your current driving style, so ofcourse you obviously not crawling through your whole route.

 

[Sinbad]

Obviously you are using some fuel to idle the car and keep it alive.

But that would still be less fuel than at any time you put your foot on the pedal to add more fuel.


You only use fuel...when touching the pedal. Anything else is a normal operational loss and I wouldn't consider that "using fuel" really.

except... modern cars will increase the fuel to keep the idle at the specified speed... But it's probably still the most efficient way of doing it.

 

[PostmanPot]

...(for example Audi)...

/gasp

 

[SauRoNZA]

Letting it idle is bad. Get in, start and drive - keeping revs low. I.E - don't redline it while its cold.

Technically it's only bad for the environment and is part of the whole unleaded farce.

It's not actually bad for the car itself, but is often pointless.

I prefer hitting the middle ground. Let it idle for 30 second to a minute and then set off casually.


I'll tell you one thing, on high performance engines it's pretty much impossible to drive off without letting it warm up. All three of my motorcycles and various demos on others have proven this to me.

 

[SauRoNZA]

except... modern cars will increase the fuel to keep the idle at the specified speed... But it's probably still the most efficient way of doing it.

Yeah but even that will be what 500rpm max? That's still a hell of a lot less than most people would add with their right foot even if they used their pinky toe.

Like I said though I write that off as basic operating losses. Same way I write off airconditioning as it uses something like 0,1l/hour. Seriously you aren't saving anything by keeping it off and in fact you are burning more fuel by opening your window in most cases.

 

[Sinbad]

Yeah but even that will be what 500rpm max? That's still a hell of a lot less than most people would add with their right foot even if they used their pinky toe.

Like I said though I write that off as basic operating losses. Same way I write off airconditioning as it uses something like 0,1l/hour. Seriously you aren't saving anything by keeping it off and in fact you are burning more fuel by opening your window in most cases.

AC in my SEATs was about 0.4l/h at idle ...

 

[Priapus]

Hell, don't even go above 3,000 RPM! I don't, for at least 3 - 4km.

Often a matter of opinion though, but a car that is loved like this will last longer.

Sorry for those people buying second hand cars off those who live at foots of hills...

I've seen someone destroy their engine because they thought it was okay to boost from cold startup to 6500rpm. Even after warning them not to do it. They still did and cried later when a 40k repair bill came for new motor

 

[SauRoNZA]

AC in my SEATs was about 0.4l/h at idle ...

I actually wanted to say 0,1-0,2 cause I couldn't remember.

Since our car's are virtually the same mine probably in that region as well.

Even so that's <R5 an hour and a small price to pay for a wee bit of comfort.

****

Would be interesting to know what keeping your windows open at 80km/h converts to in litres/hour though.

 

[me_]

There can be a benefit from idling, but typically with modern cars, this would be < 10 seconds unless you are at one of the polls.

On the other hand, idling too long can cause some damage. To keep a cold engine going, the engine runs rich. This means there is a lot more fuel going into the engine than normal. This can lead to excess carbon deposits requiring the spark plugs to need to be cleaned / replaced more frequently and if too much carbon deposits build up this could ultimately lead to pre-ignition and knocking.

 

[Jelly-tot]

I'm sorry for hijacking this thread but I work 4km away from home...now the question is what would be the best way to drive it proper without damaging its motor due to the short distance?

 

[Sinbad]

I'm sorry for hijacking this thread but I work 4km away from work...now the question is what would be the best way to drive it proper without damaging its motor due to the short distance?

Take it for a decent drive every weekend to boil off any condensation in the oil.

 

[Jelly-tot]

Take it for a decent drive every weekend to boil off any condensation in the oil.

I always take it for long drives every saturday and Sundays atleast over 100km on both days.

 

[Rouxenator]

I'm sorry for hijacking this thread but I work 4km away from home...now the question is what would be the best way to drive it proper without damaging its motor due to the short distance?

I work 11.5km from home. Cycle. You save on fuel, wear and tear, gym fees...

 

[Jelly-tot]

 

[Francois Marais]

I work 11.5km from home. Cycle. You save on fuel, wear and tear, gym fees...

Agree with this. I do a 13km. Just off the bike due to a very irritating flu that just won't let go.