ECO mode ON or OFF
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I drive with it on to save gas. I think the car is designed to be used with ECO on so I don't believe it will have adverse wear on the car.
I always leave it on, here in Bogotá traffic is terrible (Even worse than L.A) and it really helps me save gas and reduce emissions (Yeah, I'm kind of a green dude). I don't think it affects the engine at all, those engines were designed with that system in mind.
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I leave it on now that I'm use to it. As mentioned, the car is designed for the ECO mode so I wouldn't worry too much about excessive wear and tear. Keep in mind, the ECO is only on when all desired conditions of the car's system are met (engine temperature, health of the battery and charging system, etc.). If anything in the chain isn't right then the ECO mode will remain off.
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The way how it works is it will go full ECON only if all conditions are optimal. ECON is always on automatically as indicated by the yellow ECON light when you start the car (assuming you didn't shut it off) the dash. But this doesn't mean the conditions are optimal for stop/start right away. You'll know it's ready for stop/start when the yellow ECON turns green. That's when the stop/start feature is active. Since everything remains on when the engine has stopped (radio, heater, lights, computer, and whatever else was on when you're driving), in order for the stop/start to be active the engine has to be in optimal operating temperature, the battery needs to be fully charged and the charging system is healthy. Since the car is brand new I'm going to assume the battery and alternator are good and that the only thing preventing it from going active is the engine temperature. Even if the engine temperature is at optimal, extreme cold outside temperature may drop it down quickly as soon as the engine is off. This is probably why your car won't shut off even though the ECO feature is on.
i wouldn't say it will drain the battery more, once the car starts, charging from the alternator starts right away so power would be restored in a good amount of time.. maybe we can cancel that out now?
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It won't drain the battery. If the battery is getting low then the engine will start back up to charge the battery.
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The only part of the car that actually turns off is the engine (hence the fuel savings) and the only strain is seen by the starter motor each time the engine is restarted. However, the engine is still at or near optimum operating temperature and oil is still well distributed around all moving parts so restarting a nice warm and well lubricated engine is not nearly as stressful to the starter motor and battery as starting a cold engine.
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How does it fire the last cylinder? I would double check your google search or post the link to your search. What you said sounds like what Mazda tried a few years ago which failed.
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I was curious since I never owned a car with start/stop. But how long does it take for the car to decide to turn off? And does the car lurch or have issues if you hit the gas the moment the car goes off (like at a light that goes green too quickly or a stop sign where the oncoming car suddenly blinks so you're now free to go sooner than expected)?
And have any of your guys run through enough fillups with both modes to know the rough difference between the two (in terms of mpg)?
With regards to the battery though, it shouldn't drain it since the battery should keep enough charge to last for a while, unless obviously it is old. I'm thinking though what you meant was that with start/stop it would go through significantly more charge/discharge cycles, which in the past was notorious for killing those rechargeable AA and AAA batteries we all use? That I am a bit concerned myself since cars now usually don't have to discharge the battery continuously since the alternators now can usually supply enough electrical power to keep things like AC, stereo, lights, etc all going at once. I'm curious about this one as well.
And have any of your guys run through enough fillups with both modes to know the rough difference between the two (in terms of mpg)?
With regards to the battery though, it shouldn't drain it since the battery should keep enough charge to last for a while, unless obviously it is old. I'm thinking though what you meant was that with start/stop it would go through significantly more charge/discharge cycles, which in the past was notorious for killing those rechargeable AA and AAA batteries we all use? That I am a bit concerned myself since cars now usually don't have to discharge the battery continuously since the alternators now can usually supply enough electrical power to keep things like AC, stereo, lights, etc all going at once. I'm curious about this one as well.
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Go back to message #7 of this thread so I won't have to repeat myself. As for seeing the difference between fill ups.. I'll have to do a little experiment. As for lurching, it isn't that bad. Or it doesn't seem to be bad enough to be of concern as fuel delivery is gradual.
Nice going! I think that as long as it doesn't adversely affect the engine or the systems, ECO should stay on. Just a personal opinion...wanna do what I can for the planet and drive what I want too!
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I noticed that, too.
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