Doese it take more gas to turn ooff and on your car than to just let it run?

Question

Doese it take more gas to turn ooff and on your car than to just let it run?

Answer 1

turn it on and off uses more gas!

best answer please

Answer 2

It does make sense for any late-model vehicle (late '80's and newer) to shut her down for waits over 30 seconds.

Sorry, size doesn't matter because all of today's engines are designed to use minimal fuel on start up.  Diesels might be a different story, but usually even light-duty diesels are primed pretty efficiently.

Additionally, there is very little wear and tear associated with starting/stopping.  Your starter gets more of a workout but that device is pretty durable on most vehicle (particularly Toyota - go figure) and way easier to replace than say the engine block... or bad valves and rings... which leads me to a hearty warning I hope all people listen to:

Idling for extended periods and "warming up" a late-model vehicle for over 1 minute are the most destructive things you can do to your car's engine.

This is also when you use fuel the least efficiently and produce the most pollution.

If you are worried about wear and tear - this is where it happens.  Just get in, wait a bit and get going.  Wear gloves and a coat if your cold - or fix the defroster!

I live on the west coast and I am stunned at the amount of folks who go out every morning and let their car "warm up" -- often for more than 20 minutes!!!  Look this ain't Antartica people and most vehicles only need 30 seconds... even at 30 degrees Farenheit!

Also, it's never legal to turn your vehicle off while in traveling in the roadway or stopped at a light.  At RR Crossings and Construction delays - there are exceptions, but check local ordinances to be sure.

Answer 3

A good rule of thumb is that if you are going to idle for more than thirty seconds, it is more efficient to turn if off.  Just remember that it causes more wear and tear if you are constantly turning the car off and on, than just sitting there at idle.

Answer 4

Well....They say it depends on the size and type of your engine....I drive a 1987 Nissan Sunny FB-13...(I know you've never heard of it...:P) But I find that If I turn off my ignition and coast to a long wait at a Light I get more MPGs. A Friend of mine told me that for smaller engines its okay....but for larger diesel or fuel-injected engines....Its take a good spurt of gas to start the engine....so to keep it idling for a little while....like 30 - 50 seconds is more fuel efficient to do instead of turning off the engine then turning it back on....remember that it might not be the safest thing to do...in case of emergency....so remember to stay alert on the road.

So in the long and short.....Big engine....idle....30 - 50 secs.

Smaller engines... turn off and chill....

NB: I drive an Manual car...not too sure how this might differ with Automatic cars...

Answer 5

It all depends on the year of the car.

Older cars do take a lot of gas to turn on and off, but the newer cars with electronic injection systems do not require a lot of gas wasted for this to happen.

It also depends on how long you let it run for.

Keep in mind that coasting with the engine off is illegal in most states.

But it is a good Hypermiling technique.